Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Tap on the Application and then tap on the Details button. The last field 'Catalog' on the Summary tab will tell your what Application Catalog the software is in. Maemo Extras is considered a safe Application Catalog. Even newbie should be OK using that software. There is no * Testing nor * Development software in the Maemo Extras catalog.

Maemo ExtrasTesting and Maemo Extras Development are totally separate Application Catalogs which aren't included on the base firmware release. You have to manually add those application catalogs to be able to install any software located there. Extras Testing software is generally getting close to release so they might be OK for an adventuresome newbie. You should consider Extras Testing as release candidates. There still may be problems with them. And unless you really know what you are doing, avoid Maemo Extras Development catalogue because you can protentially break a lot of things by install software from Development. Avoid it like the plague.

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Thank you for this beautiful explanation .

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Thanks for this you've explained A LOT to me :-)

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Maemo's solution is of greater advantage since it requires no connection at all once you've loaded the maps. People tend to get lost in remote locations, and sometimes a signal is unavailable. Ovi Maps really shines in these situations. And I don't see why everyone finds Maemo's Ovi Maps so hard to swallow. It works just great for me.

And 2gb is really nothing for a whole country worth of maps when you have 32gb of built in storage and a microSD slot for a possible 16gb extra portable storage. I remember when 8gb was a beastly amount for a phone...

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

AGPS uses the cellular data connection to log into a location server that prefetches your location based on the cellular towers. It won't work without a data connection. AGPS stands for assisted GPS, and it lets you get a fix in seconds, vs. a few minutes without it.

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Maps in the US are excellent, but may be lacking in some locales. However, the entire globes maps will be getting a marked improvement soon. I was lucky enough to get to personally question the Ovi Maps guys as well as some guys from the satellite launching company, and Nokia has contracted with Digital Globe, who just launched the Worldview-2. Worldview-2 is the most advanced imaging satellite available, and is capable of capturing the highest resolution map data in the universe.
http://worldview2.digitalglobe.com/
Google may have those camera bikes, and they track you while using Google Maps to record where you are travelling to use as pseudo map data, but Nokia/Navteq has the clear advantage as far as map data quality, and Google even buys some maps from Nokia for outside the US.

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

From looking at this device closely, I think the menu isn't even intended to be used much. You can categorize most of your favorite apps according to how or why you use them by placing them on particular desktops in various custom locations. You create menus on your own from the desktop and use the system menu as a last resort. I keep a communication tools desktop, a media desktop, a weather/maps/system info desktop, and a miscellaneous desktop for new apps I'm in the process of trying out.

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

My n900 had 1.5GB in /home/user/MyDocs/cities right out of the box. When I couldn't find any way to turn on the GPS without the popup from Nokia warning that huge internet data transfers are required to use GPS, I finally gritted my teeth and clicked agree. (I was on wifi.) I then started maps. After it got a lock, it seems cities got anothe 4MB.

Since I now know that the GPS on my n900 works, I'll just have to try to be patient until Maemo Mapper is available for the N900.

I don't want yet another GPS, but, not counting the openmoko freerunner and the n810, I don't have a bluetooth GPS and didn't think that I wanted one, I guess I'll eventually get one to use with the n900.

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Uploaded a quick video of my newbie experiences of the N900;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOaIQt4UEp4

:D

Re: N900 review from a Maemo noob
 

Good vocal projection. I'd know you were a pro without seeing your site. Did you study communications in school, start with acting, or get into the business some other way?

Good device overview.