Prepare to see them more and more. Our only hope is that Nokia (or someone else?) is able to put their Store up and there will be programs these kind of programs that people are ready to pay couple of $/€ and everyone is happy

This is probably the key difference between me as an N900 user and a lot of these request for 'Apps' users. I would rather view the full Youtube with my overclocked N900 and use a stylus than not even have the option to browse it at all! If someone creates an App to do it great, but until such a time I am losing no functionality at all on my N900.

Mixed thoughts on it then...

Nice discussion.... touching on a love / hate relationship of cut down apps though !

The point with the app is that its made around the touch screen experience where to be honest... the youtube / google video website is not !

the n900 is great so great that it can cater for both apps for quick finger touch use & also the full web experience.

Just because it can boast the full desktop web experience doesn't mean it has to lose its apps because apps ... unfortunately ... are needed to keep this device alive in the app filled market !

I think this is just as philosophical as the geeky / nerdy version of the geeks wanting a CLI to work their magic on anaything and simple users wanting a GUI to use that magic in a easier way.

The purists want the browser to be their window to everything online - even on a 3 inch screen. This seems to me to be the same as linux enthusiasts (and I consider myself an enthusiast too in some way) excited and jumping in their seats to see KOffice or any such intricate hierarchical menu driven desktop application ported to their favourite linux handheld - no matter how difficult it is to use that desktop app on a 3 inch screen.
(I wonder why then they so hate Windows mobile UI since that is also the same desktop paradigm being copied over to the mobile).

After having used Linux based mobiled (PDA's, smartphones) since maybe the last 5 years I have become more pragmatic and see the advantage that a mobile UI has over a desktop based UI.

I the same way I see the advantage of a mobile app over a desktop based browser app.

By the same analogy, would these "purists" be glad to be running their browser based apps (full Youtube site) or the desktop app port on a 2" touchscreen phone too ? So then where is the limit where you decide that a full desktop app is unusable on a ...... " screen ?

Heck, oven on my MOBILE banking site I find it difficult to navigate the links and it takes 4 clicks to get me to the account page itself.
A well designed app would be so much easier.

Maybe I have devolved from a Linux enthusiast to a simple end -user myself.

Everything can be traced back to their history...

What's so great about YouTube's full web site?
It's where you got the 'full' YouTube experience. All of their new features and functions are introduced there. It's their main 'storefront'.

Unfortunately for mobile users, the 'full' web page is designed for the desktop/notebook users with screens bigger than 10" (above 800x600), a pixel-precise mouse and a full keyboard. Having a browser on your mobile device that can let you access the full website is great for compatibility reasons, but (in general) you're way out of bound from usability point of view.

It's cool because you can see your 'desktop's capabilities' in your handheld, but in the long run, you're bound to find the rough edges.

Honestly with no slightest Nokia or Maemo fanboyness i have had zero problems with youtube on N900. Quality is same as you would be viewing youtube videos from computer. You just can't switch to HD, but there's no phone where you can do that.

- Remember to have browser cache to automatic so it can max the 40mb rather than the default 5mb.
-If you haven't overclocked your device remember to view the videos in fullscreen.
-If you like to use fingers to navigate inside youtube/browser like me remember to calibrate the screen using fingers, not stulys.
-Empty your browser memory every week or two and restart N900.


If youtube is still laggy reflash the device(because it honestly shouldn't). I have owned the N900 now for 4-5 months and i have needed to do this once as browser got slow. Every video had 1-3 sec lag every 15-20sec in youtube. Since i reflashed i haven't had no lag at all in youtube and will defienetly not have now with 900mhz and i can actually use other flash video sites easily.


I know what a good youtube app is as i have owned 2G ipod touch since the European release and used the different 5th edition youtube apps on Omnia HD(not as good as the iphone/ipod touch one) and other than the first week of owning N900 have i had any reason to get app for youtube or any flash video site currently.