Nokia N900 gets its second firmware update this week
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 14th 2010 1:35AM
posted January 14th 2010 1:35AM
Don't get us wrong, enabling the Ovi Store was a pretty sweet add-on in the last update -- but the second N900 push in just a single week features a list of fixes and changes that should put smiles on a few owners' faces, too (and a few devs' faces, for that matter, while they wait for this payment bug to get patched up). This time around we've got full support for Swiss keyboard layouts, better compatibility with 3-branded SIM cards, support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 in the handset's Mail for Exchange service, and a handful of performance and usability tweaks for Ovi Maps. It'll be available both over-the-air and via PC download in a phased global rollout over the next day, so keep checking; no need to get all crazy about it if you've already installed the first update, though -- you'll be automatically alerted when this one's ready for you.
Looks like N900 is a total 'pay-to-test' purchase...
@f2000372 maybe, but one full of awesomeness!!!!
@f2000372 It is a great device you can stop the jealousy cos you cant afford one :D
@f2000372 Pretty much, it was always presented as such. But it does seem to pay off for the technical minded.
@f2000372 just like that little thing that google released a week ago...
@f2000372
Buy Samsung and get no updates, I prefer updates. No software is ready from factory
@f2000372 .
Full Change Log http://wiki.maemo.org/Maemo_5/PR1.1
still no portrait view?
@brrip
It does have potrait mode, enabled for browser !!
Make sure you have PR1.1 firmware. Press ctrl-shift-o . Then close your keyboard. Rotate your device into portrait, and then the browser should rotate into portrait mode too.
@Merlot and Shiraz buy samsung, and donate to hyperx ^_^
@Nokia N900 alright, i might get this bad boy yet. heh.
@moggyx
woke up this morning with the 90 mb update in tow... downloading now
@Nokia N900 Thanks alot.
Browser was already best mobile browser i have ever had, but now it really does rock even more.
@Nokia N900
Have you updated your firmware to 1.2 because I performed the second update last night and it's not working for me. Maybe nokia "fixed" that bug?
@brrip It should work fine now and N900 has a built-in portrait view. it has a powerful 600 MHz processor and up to 1GB of application memory. The superscalar ARM processor delivers exceptional power and enables you to run all your applications quickly, smoothly, and simultaneously.
This firmware update sure is an added sauce to the maemo power. Details: http://bit.ly/nokia-900-full-specs-details-best-or-worst
I hope to see more device makers go into the awesome hardware business. Making great hardware for any OS maker or OS to be put on it. Example, N900. But allowing it to have any OS, be it Android, Maemo, etc. Basically like the PC market, but Mobile.
Wait, what I'm mentioning exists right? There are a few device makers that do like PC?
@Teslanaut
The N900 ships with Maemo.
Of course you probably could tweak Android to fit in there but that would need some hacking.
(there are much easier software tweaks to run android apps)
I don't know of any smartphone that would be develop for both Android and WebOS or WinMo.
(Except those shipping with dual-OS but it's not the same : you don't pick you pay for both although some OS are free..)
On the other hands since WebOS, Android and Maemo or bada are all based on the Linux kernel, I suppose it would be easy to produce a hardware compatible with the 4 of them.
GREAT!! Downloading the update right now... And this is FREE. Different than other companies that charge me €9.99 for each "new OS"
Nokia has really listened to Maemo community. One can tell since some of this resolved issues were big threads in the forum.
And of course the usual Engadget jab at nokia:
"(and a few devs' faces, for that matter, while they wait for this payment bug to get patched up)."
@Mr w00t for engadget, anything thats not "iphone" is "notphone"
How much does apple listen to the complains? Where's custom equalizer, themes, flash for browser, etc etc etc.. only things they say are "flash slows phone, battery life will drop" and all fans will agree... it took them 3 years to add copy paste and it was suddenly the biggest thing since adam and eve...
@lifenexus
Hey dumbass, keep sucking Nokia's dick and complaining of bias.
@Goona hey jack ass, keep sucking steve's dick and enjoy engadget!
@lifenexus
Hey asswipe, keep worshiping at the altar of Google. Cheap muthafucka.
can't wait :D
I love my N900.
Having SNES, gameboy and atari emulators on a cellphone WITH a keyboard, while playing mp3s simultaneously is nothing short of 'SAEX ON FIRE'
@Cynical Hippie
I believe you.... which is why my next phone MUST have a keyboard (regardless of where the market is heading).... Emulators, Emulators, Emulators, Emulators!
Maybe I'll be getting the "enterprise" version of the Nexus One, with a keyboard... unless HTC leaks something with Tegra 2 and a qwerty...
I love this phone to bits and it's great that they're extending the Exchange support - however for me the major pitfall is that it doesn't support proper WPA2 enterprise grade WiFi - so it doesn't work at the office, or on many university campuses. This seems to be the case with other Nokia smart-phones too.
Rumours indicate that Nokia's next iteration of its Maemo platform will arrive in June/July - maybe they'll address the issue by then...
@chritto if your on about TTLS PAP eduroam wifi networks and such look in the bugs at maemo.org there is a fix (although its not pretty)
Would buy one but its missing all the 3g bands , not worth it. Would it kill them to throw in the other 3g bands so it will work on ATT and most of south america? not on Edge
Or is nokia afraid of ATT?
@Hydra
I'm sure that had a quad-band 3G chipset existed when this thing went into design, they would have included it.
@Hydra
There isn't a single device in the entire world that supports both T-Mo and AT&T's 3G bands.
And even if such a thing existed, I'd be all for screwing over AT&T Mobility out of sheer spite.
@Hydra Who cares about AT&T anyways. AT&T already gets a ton more decent 3G phones than T-Mobile, now its our turn!
impressive list of improvements
http://wiki.maemo.org/Maemo_5/PR1.1
Is NOKIA ever going to make Android devices? I guess it's time!
@suland
Why bother, when they could just add an Android compatibility layer (dalvik vm, etc.) to Maemo?
Not that they'd need to, since Android thus far would give you nothing.
@suland 3 OS'es?? I dont think so. Nokia already stated many times that it is happy with Symbian and Maemo.
But you can find a lot of other vendors that are not Nokia :)
Pick the one that suites you the most...
this is probably getting old, but Engadget, can we get an N900 review, please? im quite torn between that and the N1 at this point...(altho leaning more towards N900 as days go on without Google solving the N1 3G reception problem)
@kongmw I kinda get the feeling that this is what they want... People choosing other devices over Nokia's.
N900 made happy with Nokia again, and I am an ex-iPhone user. There are some quirks with the phone, of course, but no other phone I have had is 100% hassle free.
My advice is to try to read other blogs and play with it for your self. Check some videos in youtube cos if you wait for Engadget probably they will review it when it is already outdated and they will use the excuse that "its too old to be good".
It is a very very good and capable device.
@kongmw even if there is an n900 review from engadget, they will not say good things about it. In the end according to engadget, the iphone will be better...
All their post point that. Its best you check gsmarena review. its reviewd well http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n900-review-421.php
@Mr w00t
I guess mentioning your an ex iphone user gets you brownie points.
@lifenexus
Yeah they will say the iphone is better, because it is better than this garbage phone. Too bad nobody cares about your garbage phone. Go tell someone else who gives a damn frankly because most people don't.
@Goona
Hi. 1 billion ppl who buy nokias disagree with you. But of course, in true apple fanboi fashion, to you, one apple user = 1000 normal people.
@ounkeo
Yeah all those cheap 20 dollar Nokia phones scream superiority.
@Goona the tech world all over the world loved the n900 inculding in america. Maybe if you get out of engadget, you will see.even wired.com loves it.
@lifenexus
Tech world loved it. Don't make me laugh, maybe if you consider you and your fellow fanboys on nokiafanboys.com the tech world, then y'all sure loved it, suckers.
@Goona if you consider your fellow americans in the tech world then your a joke
@Goona I dont understand your "brownie" points analogy since I am french and we just eat croissants ;)
BUT, why I cant be an ex-iPhone user? Just because I bought one it means that I can change anymore? I can't LIKE other things?
It hurts to hear that someone actually jumped wagons right? ;) And tomorrow, when another better device comes along guess what? I will also change to that... That's right, I am a device wh**e
@kongmw
Even if they do review the n900 they'll shit all over it for using a resistive screen. It can only go downhill from there. What's the point of waiting for a review?
@Mr w00t
Yeah you're an iphone user just like the many posts from users here who dump their iphones daily for other phones. Yeah we believe ya. Mentioning the iphone sure did you get ranked high.
@Goona My good God... How old are you? Seriously dude...
I just ditched the iPhone because I think (ME thinks, you dont need to get all angry and furry about it) I found a better phone...
Just for you to know one thing. iPhone has more apps... There, I said it. Happy now? Still, N900 beats whatever other phone I used (have not spent much time with Pre yet).
Problem with you people is that you do not even TRY to check other phones... I loved my iPhone when Nokia had those horrible E61i's. Now it is N900 FTW...
A voice navigation update would be called for now.
It's beyond me why Nokia decided to port the horrible S60 GUI graphics and a lot of other elements to its new platform. Just look at that thing.