Thanks to this post on Nokia Beta Labs, I’ve just learned that there’s finally Mac support in the Internet Tablet Video Converter Application which is great news. I’ve used the Windows version in virtualization mode previously but am looking forward to testing this out now as well.
In other news… sorry it’s been a while. I’ve been pretty wrapped up with work and travel. More soon … have a Hava in the house and will have a report to share in the next few days.
Last week at The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona I had the opportunity to finally see the Intel MID platform in action. I was very excited since there had been so much news around CES and when I saw Intel was at the show I made it a priority to check things out. From what I had read, I had started thinking about what more I might be doing with an ultra mobile device – beyond the Nokia Tablet.
I was very pleasantly surprised to realize just how solid Nokia’s vision for the Internet Tablet truly has been and I am even more committed to the platform now.
The MIDs are considerably larger than the N810 and N800 and is definitely something you can’t slide into your pocket – unless of course you are wearing a winter parka with oversize pockets! While specs of the MIDs seems awesome … Faster processors, more memory etc, there was very little benefit to this in my limited hands on. (My Qik video seems to have vaporized or I’d share it here). I found the overall experience to be pretty slow on both devices I messed with and also found the UI of both to be more difficult to move around than what I’m accustomed to with Maemo.
The N810 fits in my pocket, connects effortlessly to the networks of my choosing and easily offers both access to information and the ability to create it. The gorgeous screen offers a great way to consume my online as well as local content and I’m able to enjoy media via Canola, MPlayer, Rhapsody and the built in media player. While we know it’s not a phone, I’m able to make VOIP calls even including video at times. As I saw cooking with Truphone last week, sms is right around the corner as well for an even more complete communications solution.
The MIDs I saw were running either mobile Ubuntu or Red Flag Linux. The offered options like a full office suite (open office) media playback, slider keyboards etc … Running office seemed like a great option, but running it I noticed it took several minutes (my perception… But at least 1 min of staring at an unchanged screen). I’m not sure whether things just have yet to be optimized or if this is really what to expect when products arrive later in the year.
The MIDS seem actually more like Intel rebranded the UMPC platform and upped things with revised form factors and specs. They are more in line size-wise with the Fujitsu u810 and a bit larger than the HTC Advantage – both of which I also saw for tnhe first time on the trip. The HTC Shift, which I also saw is even larger. Since I’m not really interested in running windows, neither has that much appeal, but the HTC advantage is a really nice piece of (larger than Nokia) hardware.
The Nokia Internet Platform is in it’s third incarnation and the OS and hardware have evolved consistently to better enable more people to become involved with the platform. The size has clearly been designed to make it comfortable carrying a second piece along with your phone and it’s perhaps no wonder that a phone rather than computer maker has nailed this critical aspect of things. Adding horsepower is clearly not the answer to a positive end user experience. The HTC Shift is a beautiful (non-pocketable) machine, but battery life suffers greatly. The MIDs have a lot of potential, but the user experience seems less about mobile and rather about taking the desktop in hand. There’s no windows start bar as you might see on Windows Mobile, but the Office application I saw load, was the same as you’d see in a desktop version of Open Office. Aside from the obvious load time issue, there’s far too much focus on things you won’t need in a small device. Much of this gets in the way rather than helps and feels it came from the because we can view, rather than because we should.
While most people still do not use more than voice and text on their mobile devices, the multi-part strategy in the Nokia Internet Tablet platform is very compelling for those seeking advanced connectivity, entertainment and productivity. My hope is that the platform will only continue to develop, offering more applications and services as we’ve been seeing recently. The ability to carry such a small and powerful device has transformed what I can and choose to do on the go. I’ve got access to essentially anything I could want from the palm of my hand or within reach from within my pocket. As the the Nokia Platform matures I’m hopeful that more people will realize there’s far more they could be doing while on the go. I’ve got some thoughts on making the tablet more consumer friendly, but I’ll leave that for a future post for now…
Another release from the Canola team! Gustavo mentions working toward weekly releases now which is just awesome. Be sure to report any bugs on Garage…
INdT is proud to release Canola2 beta3, this is mostly a bugfix
version, with some optimizations and even a graphical cover selector
(in the case you used canola-tuning).
Highlights of this version are:
Fixed playlist support;
Fixed podcast downloading performance problem;
Fixed “previous” button in player UI;
Graphical cover selector: in Album view (Music -> Album cover ->
Album view), click the cover, it will slide to the right and there it
will show a list of possible covers. It is a list with kinetic
scrolling, but lacks scrollbar/position indicator so far, so until we
add it you should try to drag the list around.
I’ve been playing with the latest beta for Canola today and it’s definitely worth updating. As you might expect there are a number of under the hood enhancements and fixes. If you’ve got a 770 you can finally get back into the game as well which I am sure will be a welcome to many!
– 770 support [*]
– Settings->Media Library->Multiple album entries: utility to merge
various albums into a single one (or collection)
– Formats: real media (.ra, .rm, .rmv…), windows media (.asf,
.wma, .wmv, …), png
– Improvements to podcast, better error handling
– Various optimizations
– Force rescan utility
– Splash screen for faster feedback
[*] 770 support: gregale is regular install, but for Hacker Edition
(bora ported to 770) you need a special proceeding (ain’t you
hackers!?):
1) disable all repositories
2) add the repositories:
2.1) deb http://repository.maemo.org gregale free non-free
2.2) deb http://repository.maemo.org/extras gregale free non-free
3) update list
4) install canola2
5) remove gregale repositories
These steps are required because Hacker Edition kernel doesn’t provide
inotify and we compile bora EFL packages optimized for n8xx (omap
2420, arm1136jf-s).
Posted in Applications at 5:35 pm by Jonathan Greene
Maemo Wordpy has been updated to the .6 beta and while that’s a small release number, the enhancements are major. Daniel has now built in support for multiple accounts, blogger accounts and posting and pulling images to flickr. If you have been considering how to blog on the go, Maemo WordPy is the answer.
In my initial post on Rhapsody I concluded that local storage would complete the experience and I still feel that way today. Rhapsody works great on the tablet, but for streaming only and even though we are talking about the internet tablet here, there are plenty of times when you don’t have or want to use a connection. Local playback would really be handy with subscription content and in my experience has led me to purchase albums I was able to first “trial” via Rhapsody. For streaming only access though Rhapsody, seems a bit much to pay for when you can get most of the same experience from last.fm or pandora – though perhaps not so easily on your tablet. The main benefit is that you can create your own playlists in rhapsody while with internet radio you are only able to listen to what’s been programmed (thanks RIAA!).
I know quite a few people are not interested in DRM on the tablet (or anywhere), but there are certainly positive ways to spin this in the case of subscription services…. There really would not be any way to offer a subscription service without DRM or watermarking at the minimum.
If you’ve got an opinion here, let me here from you and please vote in Thoughtfix’s poll!
Posted in Applications at 3:05 pm by Jonathan Greene
I just discovered a new application called MaemoPublishr, which will let you select images from your tablet and upload to Flickr or Picasa. What I like is that you can select all your option pre-upload – much like tools I’ve got on the desktop side of things, but this seems to be the first on the tablet.
The only requirement is python and the download is a straight .deb.
I have not had a chance to try this, but I am very excited at the prospect of what is offered within the Internet Communications Software Update 2. If you’ve been looking to enhance the presence and messaging options within the default system this looks to be just what the doctor ordered. After installation, you should be able to add any IM account through the main system account options (in Control Panel) which will then work from the presence control.
One caveat of note — you will need to activate “red pill” mode to install. This is not a deal breaker, but you should tread lightly once activated if you fall into the more novice end of things.
Added and updated features Telepathy-haze
Now you can use nearly all of the great IM services supported by pidgin (formerly known as gaim) open-source application – all from the comfort for your native IM/Voip client in your N8×0 device.
To see the list of services/protocols supported by pidgin, visit: http://www.pidgin.im/. Please note that not all protocols are enabled for now, but they can be added later on.
To use it, simply create your IM account in the device normally and the wizard will let you select the type of service you want (you will see more services listed there).
Telepathy-salut
Be connected to your neighbourhood instantly. This is a link-local instant messaging that requires no external service or server. Your buddy list (roster) will automatically consist of everyone present in the local network. Extremely useful for on-the-spot social networking in parties or conferences .
Oh, and it is zero configuration IM. You only set your full name for others to see. To use it, simply create an account using the wizard in and select ‘link-local (xmpp)’ as the service.
Chat log viewer
If you have wished you could see your past chat messages for reference or simply to recall some important information, worry no more. With IMLogViewer application (installed in ‘Extra’ application menu), you will be able to see all your past chat messages exchanged with your friends.
SIP Profiles
There are now some pre-configured SIP profiles for some major providers. This would ease configuring SIP accounts in the device. They are:
Ekiga.net
FreeWorldDialup
Sipphone.com (same as used by gizmo)
Note:You can also create profiles yourself by adding a profile description file (.profile) to the directory /usr/share/osso-rtcom/ (See existing profiles for an example).
I’ll get this installed tonight. If you install and have issues or positive reports to share, please do so in the comments.
Posted in Applications at 1:35 pm by Jonathan Greene
Canola2 was released yesterday and it’s really quite nice! While it’s a beta and there are a few rough spots (importing and dealing with podcasts and internet radio) I would recommend this to anyone looking to take advantage of media on their tablet.
I just did a quick video overview using a cool new service called Qik live from my N95 — Here’s a 5 min overview:
.