New Firmware Update for N900 will get pouring of Maemo 5 PR1.2 awesome sauce: New Keyboard, real back button, faster web browsing and so much more!
This is the biggest firmware update to date in terms of new features, and it brings a lot of the ones I’ve been hoping for since the very beginning (there’s still more I’d like to see, e.g. standard portrait in many more views, like music player. There is a chance they might not have yet been discovered) There are more changes from the thread by talk.maemo.org’s MohammadAG.
This firmware seems to bring many changes to the browser, as you’ll read below. Gradual polishing is extremely welcome, especially when it’s not just in features but in general usability,
“Browser seems much much snappier, scrolling is quick and rendering is uber quick!”
N900′s browser is already super snappy. I welcome this even snapier, faster rendering.
Actual Release date of firmware: Unconfirmed. Possibly very soon…under a month, within a few weeks I’m hoping/guessing.
1. Back button is now a back button!
I’ve ranted about this many times. When I press back, I just want to go to the previous page. I don’t want to see my browsing history. The gesture slide already covers that, why the redundancy? Now its fixed. And the layout is different too!
The status bar looks all different in this screenshot. It’s just the clock :S . I like seeing battery life and connection info. (status bar still visible in other screenshots)
2. Video Calling, with ability to display SMS option only for mobile numbers (though in UK we can send SMS to landline. It gets converted into speech)
3. App order can now be rearranged in Menu. There seems to be a back button although I don’t know if that persists in menu view (helps out the people who can’t figure out how to go back by pressing empty space – even though the latter is so much more intuitive)
4. File manager gets SHARE options
5. Keyboard has been rearranged.
More space to see what you’re typing, though I don’t understand why it’s wasting those precious pixels just to show the thing behind.
Where’s delete? Less space for the keys themselves. We’ll have to see what this feels like on the device for any real opinions.
6. Autorotate browser is now a standard function which you can enable/disable in settings (instead of being an easter egg Ctrl+Shift+o)
7. Volume buttons can now be reserved for VOLUME at all times when in browser.
When in browser, the volume buttons can be used to zoom the screen. But that means when playing audio, you can’t change volume on the fly.
Now you can. I’m already used to circular zooming for gradual zooming of pages.
8. Media player audio bars has turned into a play button so you can pause/play in all aspects of the player.
I hope in the next firmware this button becomes quickly available in all views. e.g. in browser – a little hovering bar of media controls to pause/play/skip
tracks, initiated by a gesture.
Via MohammadAG
I’m happy but at the same time, I only just got the last 3.2010.02 update!! how long am I going to have to wait for this one!!! either way, he updates are coming, and coming fast which are good…now Nokia just need to release all at the same time!
[...] 1 votes vote New Firmware Update for N900 will get pouring of Maemo 5 PR1.2 awesome sauce: New Keyboard, real bac… This is the biggest firmware update to date in terms of new features, and it brings a lot of the [...]
Where is the update? I can’t find any!
I believe PR1.2 hasn’t been rolled out yet. The SDK was primarily released for deveopers. Final PR1.2 will be released sometime in April.
[...] Read this article: New Firmware Update for N900 will get pouring of Maemo 5 PR1.2 … [...]
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I don’t know about anyone else, but I have two major bitch**g to do.
ONE:
The status bar should not be altered on anyway. Nokia/Maemo Team has it down pat, why mess with it. Weather I am home or out and about, I need to constantly know if I’m getting an 2.5, 3G or 3.5 service; I also need to see the battery at all times because as we all know the N900 is terrible at battery life. Although this omission may be for a few screens or sub-screens here and there, it should be left alone. If anything, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to see a feature added where I tap the battery icon and see the percentage of battery life yet as opposed to an icon where I have to guesstimate.
TWO:
PLEASE tell me this is not the final keyboard layout for the upcoming update. The blue color on the keys look horrendous (if it’s your special theme color then I apologize; I just prefer the default black/orange theme); plus: Where is the backspace/delete button (as was pointed out in the blog entry)? Where’s the cut/copy/paste button? Where is the special character’s button? Why is the space bar so much longer than it needs to be?
Gosh! I’ve had the N900 for 6 weeks now and used to using the keyboard in it’s current configuration. Why take these primary things away (and perhaps bury them somewhere else).
Those are my only two major gripes, otherwise I like all the other changes. This 2 steps forward and 4 steps back paradigm is crazy!!
Yeah, really not keen on losing the extra info such as connection and battery, especially in the browser where I often have to keep an eye on it.
Ooooh. Just noticed the Auto focus address field. That annoys me no end and I will be looking forward to turning that off.
Glad to see updates are coming but I still have Version:2.2009.51-1.205.1 no updates appear available for me :S. Does anyone know why? Or have the same problem?
Looking at the last firmware post here UK bods still had not got the update by the 9th of this month but no-one posted to say when they did arrive in the UK.
The UK phones started with a different varient which made me think that was why they were delayed.
I got tired of waiting for the last one and did a firmware flash to the latest global version which was very painless and most of my stuff was preserved (see posts here: http://mynokiablog.com/2010/02/16/n900-has-new-firmware-available-v3-2010-02-08/).
I am waiting to see if this means I now get my firmware updates with the rest of the world and will keep people posted once this goes official next month.
[...] New Firmware Update for N900 will get pouring of Maemo 5 PR1.2 awesome sauce: New Keyboard, real bac… March 22, 2010 [...]
where is the update i cant get where i l find
The comment by Umair Rashid suggests it will become available some time in April
[...] you aren’t a risk taker, there’s the official PR 1.2 firmware that’s coming real soon that’s gonna refresh the N900 up a [...]
Though it’s the 22nd now and still nothing definite.
I did find this wiki page: http://wiki.maemo.org/Maemo_5/PR1.2.
It only says “Should be coming soon” but has a fairly detailed list of Resolved bugs and a link to the bugzilla current list.
C’è bisogno di tanto ancora :
Navigazione turn by turn come su n97 con voce
possibilità di equalizzare la musica
possibilità di vedere canali rai e mediaset
possibilità di visualizzare documenti di office in modo libero
STAREMO A VEDERE
Yeah, the navigation thing i am not holding my breath. That will come from Nokia and they seem to have abandoned anything to do with the N900 now it is out of the door. This would be a software not firmware issue though
Equalizer would be good. Not sure if a firmware update would be needed or just software updates to the various media players. Probably firmware though or someone would have released something by now.
I’ve read some posts here and there about various projects idling along for conversion of various free office tools but noting solid yet unless you count Easy Debian and can accept that it will be a tad slow. Again though this would be a software and not firmware thing.
How confirmed is this update? There is still nothing listed in http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/nokia_N900.php. Maybe It’s been delayed due to cries of “Noooo, don’t take away my battery and connection icons in the browser” or “WTF have you done to the keyboard layout”.
[...] of the changes were already shown here in this post, but below is a video of pretty much what we’ll be getting when the new firmware for N900 [...]
I have 3 or more options- the hawaiian islands, mauritius, bali.