How to: Getting more apps to your N900 – Adding application catalogues to app manager.

[Update: Be warned, some apps from this catalogue may harm your N900]

As a N900 user, you might be aware that although Ovi isn’t yet officially ready for the N900, you can still get buckets of apps via the app manager.

[App Manager>Download>Refresh]

With the app manager you can download lists of applications from predefined “Application Catalogues”. (If you haven’t already, make sure all preloaded catalogues aren’t set to “disabled”.)

If you’re new to the platform, you might not know that you can add application catalogues to the N900. A great one to try is

“Maemo.org extras testing“.

To create a new catalogue go to:

1. App Manager
2. Hit settings, i.e. the bar that says “Application manager”
3. Click “Application catalogues”
4. Click “New”
5. Enter in details as shown in screenshots below.

• Catalogue Name: maemo.org extras testing
• Web Address: http://repository.maemo.org/extras-testing
• Distribution: fremantle
• Components: free non-free

You’ll get access to a bunch more apps than what’s available by standard ( – I think I must have tried out at least 20 in an hour),  and I think this catalogue gets updated more frequently.

EXTRAS DEVEL

For PR1.2 firmware:

Application manager --> Application catalogs --> New
Catalog name: maemo.org
Web address: http://repository.maemo.org/extras/
Distribution: fremantle-1.2
Components: free non-free

BEFORE PR1.2 firmware

Application manager --> Application catalogs --> New
Catalog name: maemo.org
Web address: http://repository.maemo.org/extras/
Distribution: fremantle
Components: free non-free

[There’s also “Red Pill” mode for some more settings and packages, but if what’s said above is new to you, you most definitely will not need to check that out. It isn’t even intended for majority of developers or power users.]

Tags: Applications, Free, Freebie, How to:, Linux, Maemo, Maemo 5, N900, Nokia, Nokia N900

Category: How to:, Maemo, Nokia, Nseries