User:Smarsh/Ideas

There are a few FAQs, and as Dave points out, this is a few too many. The suggestion was a user faq and a developer faq. I'm thinking about the former. Here's a potential structure:

Steps:
 * 6/11/09: bring in all other FAQ pages here
 * (tbd) remove duplication from each.
 * (tbd) integrate into proper structure.

-

Hardware
The N900 is a pocketable computer with plenty of power (speed and memory) for running many demanding applications. The Nokia N900 hardware page can be found here

Operating System
The N900 runs the Maemo 5 Operating System. Maemo 5 is often referred to by its release name "Fremantle". You might be interested in gaming, or office applications, scientific applications, social media, movies or tunes. There will be specific Fremantle versions of your favorite applications.

If there's not an app yet, there almost certainly will be one at some point (you could also write it or port it yourself...). Of course the N900 comes with a collection of built in applications that handle most mobile computing needs.

If you want an easy intro to many of Maemo5's features you might enjoy the videos on the Maemo5 101 page

Applications
Internet Tablets use the concept of software repositories, a concept carried over from Linux. You can tell your N900 where these repositories are via the Application Manager. The Application Manager automatically then presents you a list of available applications that can be installed on your device, and takes care of any dependancies that may be required.

There are multiple repositories available for the N900:

1.Nokia's Ovi Store

2. Commercial Application Vendors

3. Community Applications

The Application Manager also allows you to uninstall applications as well as keep you notified of updates to your installed applications.

You will also find One Click Install Applications on the web for instance in the Downloads section of this web site.

Emulators
As well as native applications via the repositories Maemo also supports applications from a range of Emulators.

-Flash Games. As the N900 supports Flash 9 and has a hardware keyboard, many flash games should just work

-Garnet the Palm Emulator

-SNES Nintendo Emulation. nice video here

Other Applications
How can I monitor my disk usage and how much space I have left?

Does n900 run Office files?

''N900 comes with datavz's Office 'Office to Go' reader, so you can read office files. It's not clear yet whether they will release a paid-for upgrade with editing facility. KOffice is available here (need link!)  and will view and edit Office files.''

Can I edit Office files?

Yes, using KOffice from here.

Does n900 view pdf files?

Yes

Does n900 have a book reader? Will it run Kindle?

Where do I find other applications and widgets for n900?

What do I do if the app I want isn’t there?

''First follow instructions from Downloading apps page. If not found, sign up to Maemo Talk and ask. If a few people are interested, or if a particular developer sees value in your idea, it's likely someone will write you an application to do what you want. And yes, that really does work.Or you can learn to program in Maemo or Qt yourself. There's a good set of tutorials here, with a Hello world app too...

Battery
Do I have to charge it fully before first use?

No. It will come with some battery charge so you can play.

Do I have to discharge it fully each time?

''No, n900 has a LIon battery, which doesn't need this. Older NiCad batteries did.''

Can I use the device while it’s charging?

Yes.

Is it safe to leave it charging overnight? Will it stop charging itself when it’s full?

Yes

EMail
See the page on N900 Email Options

Games
What games run on n900?

I’ve heard it can be used as a wiimote: how do I do that?

Will n900 play games from big companies?

What if I want a game not yet available?

All my previous phones have run java games: why can’t I play them on n900?

''Java is not currently available for the N900. You can follow the discussion here''

GPS
How good is the GPS on n900?

What’s the difference between GPS and a-GPS?

''GPS uses the Global Positioning Satellites to fix your devices location. A-GPS uses your network operators transmission towers to Assist the satellite signals to fix your devices location.A-GPS is coarse grained typically 100s of meters vs GPS sub Meter. ''

If I only use GPS (not a-GPS) will I still burn my data plan?

Only if you have to download Map information

What map programmes can I use?

''The N900 comes with Ovi Maps. Other map programs from third party developers will be available for download later. Nokia bought Navteq in 2007 and is the basis of OVi Maps ''

As of October 2009, none of the "big names"--Garmin, Google, TomTom, etc.--have announced any plans to release software for the N900.

Does n900 support google maps?

You can use google maps directly from the browser, or you can try MaeMaps

Can I download Ovi-maps when I’m on wifi, and store them for use so as not to burn my data plan? If so, how much space do they need?

See also... here and here and here.

Internet
Does n900 need a firewall?

No.

Does n900 need an anti-virus?

''No. The N900 runs Linux, an operating system for which few to no viruses exist. Beyond that, the N900 uses a processor (CPU) not used by desktop and notebook Linux machines. This means it's unlikely a (mostly theoretical) virus for desktop Linux could infect the N900.''

Can I block adverts?

Adblock Plus is being developed for the Maemo browser on the N900 and will be available as a free download.

Does n900 play YouTube?

Yes.

Does n900 play video from places other than YouTube?

Does n900 run BBC iplayer?

Does n900 have any ‘parental control’ settings?

Media player
Does n900 support itunes?

Will n900 play all my downloaded music? What if it has DRM?

How does n900 get the album art?

''The N900 Media Player supports ID3 Album art embedded in the MP3. Use your favourite Media Tagger application such as Media Monkey or our Own Maemo based Mussorgsky ''

What video codec does n900 support?

How do I rip a dvd for playing on n900?

How big a file would an hour of dvd be?

Can I download other video to play?

Are there ways of securing the video I’ve downloaded, so I can still give my n900 to others?

What connectors do I need to connect to a TV? What if my TV doesn’t have the right connections?

''The N900 comes with a cable to connect it to a composite input on a television. This connection is sometimes called an "RCA" connection and uses a yellow connector for video and a pair of connectors (red and white) for stereo audio.''

The video out on the N900 may be switched between NTSC and PAL via "TV out" in the Settings application.

''For televisions without a composite input, an adapter will be required. The specific adapter required for a given television will vary according to the input or inputs it accepts.''

What can I play over TV out? Will it only play video, or can I view whatever is on screen?

MSN Messenger
Please see MSN messenger -article.

Phone use
Does n900 have speed dial?

''You can put contact shortcuts on the desktop...

Does n900 have voice dialing?

No.

How do I access my carrier’s answering service - it used to be speed dial set in my old phone?

If it is in the simcard, it should be imported in the abook, if it is not, then you probably want to copy it from your old phone manually.

Does n900 log calls for length?

Yes.

Can I sort calls by received/sent/missed?

No.

I can use the phone in portrait mode: why can’t I use that for other things?

''N900 doesn't currently support portrait mode beyond the phone use. It is expected this will arrive in an update before the end of 2009, and some developers are working on applications that use portrait mode. Watch this space.''

Texts
I hear n900 doesn’t have MMS: is this true?

''N900 doesn't support MMS at release. This is because MMS uses the old 'WAP' form of connection, which n900 doesn't do. It only has GPRS internet connection. There are developers working on finding a work-around right now. Watch this space.''

Does n900 have message receipt?

''Conversations, the SMS and IM application, can optionally "Receive text message delivery reports". This option is disabled by default, but may be enabled in the Settings area of Conversations.''

Can I use an onscreen keyboard?

''An on-screen keyboard is available. It is disabled by default, but may enabled via "Text input" in the Settings application.''

''The on-screen keyboard is landscape in orientation and alphanumeric. Its layout is QWERTY, QWERTZ, etc. as is regionally appropriate.''

Is there a portrait mode keyboard?

''There is a portrait mode dialing pad for making calls. Beyond that no, there is no portrait mode keyboard. One or more third party developers may make add-on portrait mode keyboards available for download later.''

Is there T9 entry?

No, though this could be added by a third party developer later.

Troubleshooting
I installed something and now my n900 isn’t working right.

I installed something and now my n900 isn’t working at all.

''In case of trouble, you should start by reading article Troubleshooting through. It has both cases <bove covered. ''

There’s a light flashing on my n900 Look at Maemo5 101 for further info about what different colour and blinking means

How often do I need to update? And why?

''N900 is 'updatable software', so it will go on getting better. Your device will check for updates once a day, and tell you when it needs to update by putting a little yellow icon on the screen. Then it will walk you through the update process. You can wait to update when you are somewhere where it's beter to download - for example your using your home netwrk rather than your data plan.''