GApp Makes Gmail Google Docs Possible

We've just heard from My-Meego that GApp is now available for download! This Google application makes using your Gmail, Google Finance, Google Plus, Google Documents, Youtube, Google Transit, Google Talk etc work better on the Nokia N9.

 

Google Plus looks just like how you expect it in your browser. Google documents is very easy  to use, with the ability to click on a cell and edit it straight away. Google Talk is not really necessary as you should be already using it in the integrated messaging feature. Leave your impressions in the comments below and go here for the download!

Installing VLC Media for N9

The best multi-format video viewers has to be VLC. Michael has kindly provided this guide showing how to install VLC to your N9. Instructions on how to uninstall VLC can be found here.

It is relatively simple, but some people may find it a bit tricky as it uses Terminal commands, so I am gonna run a step by step guide on how do to it.

Step One:

Click here to download libvlc5 and vlc-player on your PC, and transfer it to your device. (It is easier to download fromyour PC as Web tries to open it straight and it will not install.)

Step Two:

If you haven’t, you will need to enable Developer Mode by going to Settings > Security > Developer Mode and hit the “switch”. For first time users, you will need to download and install a few files, as well as reboot the device. (Once you complete the install, you can hit the switch back over and next time you want to use Dev Mode, no install needs to be done.)

Step Three:

In Terminal, gain root access by typing devel-su and when prompted enter password rootme .

Once you have gained root access, type cd (directory you saved the two files in) eg. cd /home/user/MyDocs/Downloads/

Now enter the following;

dpkg -i libvlc5_*.deb vlc-player_*.deb

A lot of writing will appear and you may be prompted to enter y to confirm the install.

NB: It may display some errors, don’t worry, everything works eventually.

Step Four:

If it worked, there should be the VLC traffic cone in your apps list. Run the app, and enjoy.

Just a heads-up, the UI is NOT optimised for MeeGo, it looks like the desktop version, so hitting some buttons are a bit of an issue, but after you get the hang of it, it works well.

For those who do not plan on using Developer mode on a regular basis or do not know what they are doing, I suggest disabling as your device can be hacked easily while you are in this mode.

Advanced Alarm Features with the N9

There has been much said about the Nokia N9 such as the awesome form factor and snappy Meego system but sometimes its the simplest features that makes your day. I don't think I've read a N9 review which looks at just how handy the alarm feature are on the Nokia N9. Here are a few that I've deemed worthy of a closer look. You can get to the alarm on the N9 by going to the CLOCK application. 

Different Day, Different Song 

How you wake up can sometimes ruin or make your day. The Nokia N9 allows you to choose a different tune for each different alarm that you set. This seems like such a basic feature but has been lacking in Nokia phones until now. You could have "I Don't Like Mondays" playing as your alarm on Mondays and another song for Saturdays and Sundays. 

Recurring Alarms

Many people don't know that with your phone, you can set recurring alarms. For Nokia phones before the Nokia N9, you could set a recurring alarm for weekly, weekdays, weekends or daily. However, with the N9, you can now also set which day(s) you want that alarm to sound. For example, you can set a wake up for Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7am and another different wake up time for Thursdays and Fridays.

Snooze Time
This is a useful feature as we are all very different people. Some consider 5 minutes a snooze whereas others don't see the point and have a snooze of 20 minutes to get maximum benefit in the morning. Well, to each his own. You can even have different snooze times for different days.


Multiple Alarms

The N9 allows you to set multiple alarms with the different settings above. I am not sure how many but I set up eight alarms before getting bored. 

Alarm 1,2&4 ON, Alarm 3 OFF

Another unmentioned feature in the alarms is the ability to toggle on and off each different alarm. For example, you can turn off the Monday-Friday alarms when you start your three week holiday and then when you go back to work, you can turn them back on again without setting it all up again. Once again, a very simple but useful inclusion in the N9 alarm features. 

If you have any questions about the N9 alarm leave a comment below. 

Nokia World 2011 opens with the Lumia 800

The people are filing in to the Excel One London auditorium as the opening of Nokia World begins. Stephen Elop will take the stage in ten minutes. Updates soon.

See it happen here http://events.nokia.com/nokiaworld/ and watch the world's reaction and commentary from the audience via Twitter here 

The announcements included the introduction of the Asha series aimed at connecting to the internet the next billion people who have not yet experienced internet on their mobile. Mr Elop was every bit the brilliant story teller and speaker but his co-speakers were an awkward let-down. Their efforts to build up applause from the crowd left everyone reluctantly tagging along. 
As the keynote finished, and the people filed out, the talk of the twitterverse which had #NokiaWorld trending, was that of the Nokia Lumia 800. This device codenamed Sea Ray before the announcement is ultimately a Nokia N9 with a Windows Phone 7 operating system. The popularity and marketing of the N9 looks to have been a strategic step towards the release of the Lumia. 
The Lumia 800 will integrate the best of Nokia hardware with the best of what Windows brings to mobile devices. The Lumia 800 will have a 3.7 inch AMOLED clearblack display from the E7, the body and camera (except a few more megapixels) of the N9 and a new 1.4GHz Snapdragon CPU and an 8MP full-focus camera like the N9.

Lumia 800 - It's the brother from another mother

The new Mango Windows Phone 7 operating system will be under the hood an improved Web browser Internet Explorer 9 and Nokia Drive, a free turn-by-turn voice navigation application with maps for over 100 countries.  An ESPN sports hub will be a new exclusive feature for Nokia Windows Phones that enables you to follow news, stats, scores from your favorite sports teams and players. The integrated social media/SMS/MMS/foursquare/twitter feed will simplify the way people interact with social media.  
We're looking forward in particular to the Microsoft Office Mobile and Outlook applications. Also proving interesting is the augmented reality Nokia Live View application and the "close friends" Nokia Pulse social media app that will make geo-tagging more useful. 
The marketing approach for this phone will see Nokia adopting various guerilla marketing strategies helping people to realise that you can "experience amazing every day". 
We hope that the phone's operating system, apps and hardware performance will live up to the amazing or we really will have to choose between two other existing ecosystems. 

Installing Apps Not in Nokia Store

By default, the lovely people at Nokia disabled the ability to install applications outside of the Nokia Store to protect many users from installing virus laden applications or those that Nokia are unable to verify as legitimate software. 

However we are not at Apple. There is a a built-in way to enable the installation of .deb files on your Nokia N9. It's as simple as this: 

Go to Settings application - Applications - Installations - Allow Installations from non-store sources 

You can now click on .deb files on your N9 whilst browsing the internet and download them to your phone. However if you prefer, you can download applications to your computer and transfer them to your N9.

4 Apps we need on N9

There seems to be a consensus with many N9 users and that is regarding the apps available on the Nokia store. Some applications have become so much a part of our daily life that the switch to the N9 has been made that little bit more difficult. After spending two weeks with just the Nokia N9, here's what we are pining for. 

Whatsapp - I think in terms of desperation that we gauged from Twitter users about missing apps on the N9, Whatsapp is right up there. The koombayah of all phone devices helps friends message each other for free over the internet rather than through sms. This program overcomes the silo treatment that Blackberry and more recently, Iphone has tried to impose on its users. We hope that this app comes to the N9 fast because whilst we sit pretty with the most beautiful phone (period), currently we are feeling a little left out of the camp fire right about now. 

Gravity - I know Jan Ole is probably working hard on this but for those using various social media platforms, no application comes near to rivalling Gravity in terms of useability and looks. 


Google Maps - There are times that a certain location cannot be found on the Nokia Maps built into the N9 and its times like these that I open up Google Maps for a second opinion. The Google Maps built in friend finder Google Latitude is also sorely missed. 


Quickoffice - If the Nokia developers were aiming the Nokia N9 to be a slick business phone, they certainly missed the mark by not including a Word/Powerpoint/Excel editor with the phone. Many of the Symbian users have grown to appreciate Quickoffice in times when last minute changes needed to be made to a presentation or revisions to speech notes. Quickoffice or something similar to it needs to come with the PR1.1 that we are all waiting for. 


That's the list off the top of my head. What apps do you crucially miss when you switched over to the Nokia N9?

Perth Trains App for N9

For those of you that are buying a Nokia N9 in Perth, there is a free Perth app that you may be interested in. The Perth Trains App gives you the ability to see what time the next trains are leaving from any train station in Perth (and Mandurah) in any direction. A very simple but very useful app that will certainly put a smile on someone's face today. Have you discovered any good local apps?

This great little app can be downloaded from the Project Page at http://projects.developer.nokia.com/perthtrains 

10 Apps/Games You Must Download for the N9

So you have your Nokia N9 in your lap and you're looking through Nokia Store. What should you download for the Nokia N9? Here's a well thought out must have apps for any N9 user

10-Battery usage (Free): 

An app that does what it says with a great interface and good value. It shows your top consumers of energy (in both background and foreground), so you understand how keeping an application running will impact your battery and this will come in handy if you're a developer perfecting an app.

It also tells you when you last recharged your phone and how much energy you consumed from reaching a full charge to whatever charge level you are at now. It shows lots of statistics that are important like estimated usage time left or estimated idle time.

The app doesn't have any sort of power management because the N9 has a Power Saving mode that you can adjust to start when batteries reach a certain level 40% or less and it also shows estimated talk and idle time too with no 3rd part apps .

I thought WLAN was my top consumer and it turned out its among the least consumers which is great to hear

9- My Moves (FREE): 

 This app took Multi-touch and made it useful by providing Gestures that opens applications for you, the app monitors two fingers gestures and gives you 6 shortcuts and then does the same six gestures  with Three fingers giving you a total of 12 gestures, that you can use to open those apps you need right away . (Better than 4 for sure)

Next time you tap your phone awake don't swipe up, just make a gesture then unlock your phone to find that app waiting for you! It provides a more fluid experience, it also works all across the OS so don't worry...

A message to developers:

although i appreciate the effort i have some comments on the app 

• First of all it's not visual enough , create some 3d or 2d cool graphics that shows the gesture and then shows the app's icon  i choose for it (to help me remember it)
• Second of all create an option to let the app only monitor the lock screen and while you're at it  also create a cool wallpaper that has all the gestures embedded (in a subtle way like being slightly faded for example ...
• Third: Use haptic feedback, its there for a reason! Most of N9 users know how awesome those vibrating feedbacks are, and it would be nice if the 2 fingers gestures vibrated twice (lightly) and the 3  finger Gestures vibrated thrice, it would certainly be a good indicator if the gesture worked or not (I some time don't know if it worked so i repeat and two web apps launch it's annoying..

Note: if this app wasn't around  its spot would be held by Shortcuts, an app made by Sheer water to change the default 4 shortcuts you get when you swipe up and stop in the middle but seeing how this should've been integrated in the OS i went for My Moves 

8-RainbowBrush (FREE):

This app lets you quickly and easily give photos a dramatic look by converting them to black and white, while keeping your chosen details in color. This effect draws the viewer's attention to the colored areas, creating striking images. With its intuitive and responsive user interface, RainbowBrush is super easy and fun to use. You simply use your finger as a brush to remove or bring back the original color from regions of your image. Image zooming will help you to work on fine details.

7-Shopie Cam ($) / PhotoFX effects ($$$):
Both have great photo enhancement options and for once going with the expensive choice will give you a better experience. Both apps are great at what they do and are worth the money (Considering the money is $1 and $3 respectfully) 

6- Qad File Manager (FREE):

Along with being a good file manager with lots of options it has a webdav server which means you can get an IP for your device set a password in 2 seconds, log into your device contents through your desktop computer in a super fast way ( I got 1500Kbite per second downloading content from my phone )
but thats just one feature here's the list

• Filesystem browsing
• Navigation history
• File execution on external application
• Share filesystem over http (user:password)
• Show hidden files
• File statistics
• WebDav? Support
• File copy, move and delete (v1.1.5)
• Native file sharing using bluetooth, nfc, email.. etc (1.1.10)
• Advanced and Simple modes (1.1.10)
• Splash screen (1.1.10)
• If you have enabled Developer Mode, you can launch Meego Terminal to current directory (1.1.10)

5-Draw Slasher ($$) :

A great game that pays homage to Ninja Fruit. It even pays homage to Rainbow Brush too (when you play it you'll understand that joke)  

Kill zombies in the most horrific way you think of, enjoy various game play modes and great graphics and sounds. This is how the developers described  it. 

"Draw Slasher " is a survival action game in which you take control of a cute ninja fighting against Pirate Monkey Zombies. These monsters invade your peaceful island, and you are the only one, who can stop them! Slash through your enemies in style known from countless Japanese anime, and movies!"

4-istunt 2 ($$$):

This iphone and ipad game will surprise you with loads of levels, great controls (tilt controlled) 

the game runs smoothly and feels very native to me which considering its ported from IOS shows you that miniclip isn't kidding around with the N9. Here's a video of the game so  you can see whether it is worth the $3...

3-Fragger ($$$):

Remember when i said  2 seconds ago that miniclip isn't kidding around with the N9? Fragger is their jewel. It's a mix between Angry Birds and Crush the castle (watch the whole video) with a little terrorist salt (although it feels like the Fragger is the terrorist but i'm not gonna read too much into it.) Though istunt 2 is a much better game than this one, Fragger has the added bonus of not having to be fully focused to play (the major success of Angry birds is that you can get busy without losing a life or waiting for a check point)

The game has many levels that you'll never finish so that's good news  if you ever get stuck somewhere.

2-Roboto($$$):So Gravity guy is a great game that miniclip ALSO ported to the N9.

BUT because Roboto has a mixture between Gravity guy, Sonic, and the movie Wall-E i choose to feature Roboto, because the Graphics are awesome game play is great controls are decent and all in all it'll wow people around you (ignore the fact that it has Android's font name (kind of like Nokia Pure)  ) : 

and the number one app on the must have list is :

1-CuteTube ($$)

Now am sure lots of you said HUH! It's true i downloaded all there is to download in Store (except what was visually scaring or functionally useless, Cute tube not only is the perfect example of Qt genius in terms of UI and UX but it actually works better than Google's own YouTube app for Symbian 

Major features that made me choose this app as the best app yet among the must haves :

• It has portrait playback of youtube videos (There isn't in the official Symbian app)
• It has the vote up vote down (like buttons) it shows videos tags and searches for it .
• It has full access to comments while supporting commenting (There isn't in the official Symbian app)
• It handles playlists way better than the original app for Symbian
• You can play 360p videos instead of being stuck with 260p (There isn't in the official app)
• You can DOWNLOAD videos (There isn't in the official Symbian app)
• You can CHOOSE the clarity you want to download in (360p,480,720)
• You can let it play in background (There isn't in the official Symbian app)
• You can let it pause when you swipe the app 
• You can UPLOAD Videos (and in the process you can choose which should take the bandwidth the upload or the download !!!)
• The UI is stunning and adjustable too !!!
• It has a screen orientation lock setting !!!
• AND It introduces all these features in a non invasive way  making it easily the greatest all around app ever made for Nokia.

You can tweet @nabkawe if you want to ask any question about the list or if you see anything missing, leave a comment below.

A Few Swipes You May Not Know About

There are more swipes than you think with the Nokia N9. By now you would have realised that swiping from the top down closes an app and swiping to the left or right in an application will take you to the other three screens (multitasking, feeds or apps list).

Swipe to Search

However, did you know if you keep pulling down on the screen in your email inbox and hold down for a while it will reveal the search function that you thought Nokia left out? I was about to blog on day one that it was weird that there is no search bar for the inbox but on closer inspection, this search is not only there, but its very fast! Whatever algorithm it is using, it seems to have learnt something from Gmail. 

Swipe to Refresh

In the Facebook application, swiping down from the middle of the screen in Notifications activates "refresh". 

Swipe up to Quick Launch

In any application that you have open, you can jump to the Dialler, Messaging, Camera or Web by swiping up a little from the bottom and holding it mid way. 

Hope that helps.

Why the N9 has no forward back button

I don't know about you but one of the things I enjoy most about a new phone is finding new features that I didn't realise had been sitting there all that time. Even better is when you identify what you thought was an omission only to realise that the designers turned out to be smarter than you (surprised?)

Today's little nugget of a discovery seems pretty simple. When you are typing in a URL or something and you stuff up, you want to delete one letter but you don't want to backspace everything to get there. So you use the left arrow and the right arrow to make your way slowly through the address to remove the delinquent letter. However, there is no such button on the keyboard. And this is why. 

If you tap and hold down the text field, whether it be the location bar or a field in a form, a magnifying glass will appear which allows you to move your finger to the left and right like a mouse pointer, moving the cursor to your desired position. It will look a little something like this:

For N9 users, try it out and leave your comments below if you also did not know about this (it wasn't in the user guide!)

By the way, the N9 does have a forward and back button for the browser. It just doesn't appear when there is no need for it.

Camera Tip - Press and Hold

When you are using your N9 camera, you should let the camera autofocus before releasing the shutter. Hold down the camera shutter button until the white square in the middle turns blue. Then release the shutter.

When you find some useful tips and you want to tell someone, leave a comment. Every tip you contribute can make many people's day, even after you have shared it. It sits in Google waiting for someone to look for it.

Using Developer Mode? Hack-Proof Your N9

I came across this post on BassHero.org with some tips about stopping someone from exploiting a hole in the Nokia N9 developer mode which could potentially allow hackers to get into your phone using the default password - passwd (lol). Yeah its that simple but this is not necessary if you do not enable developer mode on your Nokia N9. To check, go to Settings -> Security -> Developer mode and make sure its not BLUE. Otherwise follow these instructions to secure your device from hackers whilst using developer mode. 

There are a few things that can be done to improve security on the phone after developer mode.

• Make sure root cannot log in through SSH:

In /etc/ssh/sshd_config, change the item 'PermitRootLogin' to 'no'.

• Change the default port where SSH listens

In /etc/ssh/sshd_config, change the port on line 'Port 22' to a port of your choice.

• Change root password

As root, type 'passwd' and type new password twice.

Note! Don't forget your new root password!

• Set 'user' password (to enable login with 'user' through ssh)

As root, type 'passwd user' and type new password twice.

You can either do these changes by opening the terminal and changing to root or log in as root via SSH. To change to root in the terminal, you can use the command (typing the root password at the password prompt):

devel-su -

After these changes, either reboot your phone or do the following:

• Kill the session "/usr/sbin/sshd -D -4" with the command:

pkill -o sshd

• SSHD will respawn automatically.

SSH daemon should be listening on the new port now, with root login disabled over SSH.

A few notices!

1. If you do development, I'm not sure how making these changes affect the way the SDK tools work. But, reversing the steps should put the situation back to as it was before it some development tool doesn't integrate with the device any more.
2. Do not enable developer mode unless you are doing development or like to play around in the Linux core. There be dragons..

Why Nokia N9 Maps is Better (and Worse)

Yesterday, I took the Nokia N9 out for a spin and noticed that the app is very different to the Ovi Maps that I was used to on the Nokia N8 and Nokia E72. Over the years, Nokia has made vast improvements on the Nokia Maps application but now with a Meego operating system on the Nokia N9, it seems they started Maps all over again with mixed results. Here are the pros and cons of the Maps / Drive applications on the N9 compared to what you may be used to on Nokia Maps on Symbian.

What's better than Nokia Maps?

1. Trip logging. As soon as you open Drive, the application starts to log your distance and time travelled without asking you to do anything yet. This is very useful and is well displayed on the bottom of the screen.
2. Better route browsing. Once you set a route, you can easily move around the map and see the surrounding context of the journey that you are going to take. Zooming in and out is also much easier than on Nokia Maps
3. New Map Twisting. You can turn the map around by using your thumb and forefinger to twist the map in Maps mode, but this does not work in Drive mode.
4. Navigation in the Live Preview screen. When you are switching between applications on the Open Applications view and you are currently using Drive, you can see that in the Drive application window, a miniature screen of the navigation continues to show you where to go with a live feed from the application.
5. Search results displayed on the Map. If you search for a destination and various items come up, you don't just get a list but also a preview screen of the map where that particular location is. When you are looking through the search results, the map zooms out and then zooms back into the new search result. This makes it easier for you to figure out which destination search result you want to go to.

What's missing with Maps/Drive on N9?

1. Time to destination is missing, only counts down in units of measurement km/miles
2. No traffic reports and therefore no option for rerouting due to traffic
3. No lane guidance on highways
4. No choosing of alternative route
5. No speed warnings (some may consider this a feature)
6. No choice about how to navigate such as shortest distance, fastest route or optimised.
7. No text-to-speech for street names which is new on Nokia Maps 3.08 for Symbian

If you can see any other obvious differences between N9 maps and Ovi/Nokia Maps, leave a comment!

How N9 handles MMS messages

Here's a screenshot of two MMS messages sent one after the other from a friend of a cafe in Perth called Frisk Espresso (waves at Michael).

With a tap on the picture, you can open the photo and enlarge it as you want to get something like this:

7 Things to know about connecting N9 to PC / Mac

As many N9 users have recently lamented, Nokia Suite as it is now called does not support the Nokia N9 however here are a few things you should know about connecting your N9 to a computer. 


1. You can add Calendar Entries / Contacts and SMS people via PC Suite!
Many people do not realise that the old school PC suite if you still have it DOES work with the Nokia N9! Here is a screenshot of the N9 connected to the PC suite via the USB cable. This is the best way for business users of the N9 to type SMS messages from their computer. So if you can get a hold of PC suite, this is your best bet. I've also screen captured the version I am using in case others do not work.

2. Transferring music - Nokia Link for N9
The only software specifically put out by Nokia for connecting the Nokia N9 to your PC or MAC is called Nokia Link. This program, however, only allows you to transfer music and photos. However, the software does not run on Windows XP.

3. Ovi Suite does not work with N9
It has been confirmed that the Nokia Suite is currently not supporting the new Nokia N9. Yesterday Nokia Suite was rebranded from Ovi Suite (and before that PC suite) but nothing was said about the N9. Below is a screenshot of the "thanks for coming" screen what I got when I tried to connect the N9 via Ovi Suite.

4. Transferring files - Just use for Mass Storage
One of the easiest ways to connect your computer with the N9 is just plug in the USB cable to the phone and computer and select "Use for Mass Storage". On your "My Computer" you will see your Nokia N9 show up as an icon or under "Phone Browser". Note that some applications on your N9 will not run whilst your phone is connected to the computer in this mode. Also good to know is that your phone battery will also recharge whilst your phone is connected in this mode.

5. You can't install apps via PC Suite
PC Suite had the best chance of doing this but when I tried to drag an application to the phone, it looked at me funny and said:

6. You can't install apps via Nokia Store website
Usually an option appears in Nokia Store that allows you to download the application using your computer and then remotely send it to your phone via bluetooth/cable. You can't do that with the Nokia N9. It will only give you the option of sending an sms to your phone to continue downloading and then installing the app there.

7. Use bluetooth 
Your computer will be able to transfer files to your N9 and the other way around just using bluetooth if you have that on your computer. Just pair your computer with your N9 and away you go. This will be slower than using the USB cable.

We'll let Matthew Miller do the Unboxing

For those wanting to get a comprehensive look at a smartphone unboxing, there is no one better than Matthew Miller. If you have a spare 16 minutes and an insatiable desire to see more of the Nokia N9, check out the video below.

What do you love about the N9?

Just a question for everyone to comment on. There are so many phones on the market, all have their pros and cons but why did the Nokia N9 tip the scale? Sure there are plenty of good phones but only one can be holding your sim card at a time.

My thoughts to follow but over to you for now.. 

Where to get Nokia N9 in Australia

If you are looking for the Nokia N9 in Australia, here are some of the offers currently going:

Vodafone Australia is offering 64GB N9 with Bluetooth Speakers on the $45 cap + $10 per month with 500MB per month and infinite calls, text and social networking

Telstra is offering the 16GB N9 for $59 cap + $20 per month

Virgin has the N9 16GB on a $49 cap + $0 per month including 2GB data and $400 worth of call

Optus has it on a $29 cap + $10 per month with very little cap value at $100 and unlimited to Optus numbers

Outright, you can get the N9 at BigW for  $634 or $699 in other places

Lost my virtual N9 keyboard

I am not sure when but recently I found that my keyboard on the Nokia N9 disappeared! I went to the Web browser and tapped on the location bar only to get no response from the phone. Usually the keyboard will magically appear from below but this time, nothing!

I gave a shout out for some help on Twitter but nothing seemed to work. I uninstalled some recently installed Apps like Swipe Manager and some others and still nothing. Restarted the phone, even tried Settings -> Restore. Nothing. Uninstalled PhoneTorch, ScreenshotMe, FileManager and CameraPro and still nothing.

Under Settings -> Time and Language -> Text Input -> Installed Input Methods needs to have something in there "English UK" for example. I turned off the phone. Left it for 10 seconds and turned it on again and it worked! The keyboard was back! Somewhere in there was the problem.. not sure what did it but I posted this up in case someone else out there lost a keyboard whilst playing with their Nokia N9.

Touch screen devices now mean we can never take the keyboard for granted

@NokiaHelps on Twitter just left this message which may be helpful to someone experiencing the disappearing keyboard:

'Unfortunately not known why virtual kb lost. If still happens, try pressing power button for 8s to reboot'

First thoughts that came to mind

As you all know, I just received the Nokia N9 yesterday. Plenty of people do unboxing videos so we won't bore you with that. Your first impression of something is made up of the combination of first thoughts that you get when you see or experience something. Rather than just give you our first impression, let's look at the first 7 thoughts that came to mind once I got the Nokia N9.

1. Small box as you can see from the picture, the box was quite small. 
2. Love the black I'm not sure how the other colours turned out but black is definitely a winner! Put it next to all the phones on the market right now and see what your friend would choose (assuming they are not aiming for the one with the fruit icon)
3. How do I turn this thing on? Turns out after numerous rotations of the device  and poking at a "push" sticker that had nothing to do with the power button, the button I presumed was the camera was actually the power button on the side of the phone. 
4. Nokia N9 Tips and Tricks  I was thinking, where have I seen that before?? Hmm maybe My Nokia E65, My Nokia E72, My Nokia N8 perhaps? :)
5. Light and thin the phone is amazingly sleek and we're not just saying that. We have to admit that the Nokia N8 shape was a little odd, more like a rectangular spaceship as I once heard it described. With no buttons, matte finish and a strong gorilla glass, this is more like, a businessman's iPhone?
6. Bright and responsive Once the sleek new NOKIA welcome screen gave way to the phone's Meego user interface, the brightness of the apps was catchy, vibrant and the phone's handling of each swipe was quick and smooth. 
7. What? Micro SIM??? Here comes a problem. If you are upgrading your phone from any other Nokia, I suggest you call your phone operator whilst you await your delivery otherwise you will find yourself frustrated that Nokia has gone the way of the micro-sim. Your Nokia N8 or E72 sim card will not work on a N9. And once you switch over to the N9, there's no turning back.

We'll talk more about this phone later but in the meantime, please add your name and details to the form on the right. We want to get a few N9 users together so that we can help each other out quickly when we run into problems rather than always using Google to search our way out of a hole. 

And if you feel the urge, leave a comment below to let us know someone is reading this!

Nokia N9 is here!

Look what just arrived! The Nokia N9 is finally here in Australia! Now I gotta get myself a micro-sim cut for me.