No clarification on Maemo 6 for N900
In a post which did more to muddy the waters than clear them, Quim Gil re-iterated the current position with Maemo 6 (Harmattan) and the N900: In my opinion all this is actually a lot of information already given about 'the next product' just when 'the current product' is hitting the shelves. Customers always want to know more! I understand that, but you need to understand that we will keep informing about next releases and products when it's the right time. The post contains lots more information, but boils down to "wait until the Maemo 6 alpha SDK is released". Those who think (hope?) that Maemo 6 will be made available for existing devices took this ambivalence as a further sign of hope; those who remember the transition from the 770 to N800 or N810 to N900 took it as further evidence that Maemo 6 will mean a new device; with existing devices relying on backports and retrofits rather than the "full" Maemo 6 experience.
N900 call volume fading out - hardware or software fault?
A number of users have noticed that their N900s, whilst on a phone call, fade the volume out to such an extent that it becomes practically unusable as a phone: Over the past few weeks i have noticed that call audio while using the handset will cut out, or volume will decrease severely to where the call is either inaudible, or barely audible. Your editor has had his pre-production loan device replaced after having this fault (and the new one seems fine), whereas other people suggest it's a software issue as it corresponded with an upgrade to PR 1.1.
PUSHN900 pre-London meet roundup
PUSHN900 is a Nokia-sponsored hardware-hacking competition which has garnered entrants from around the world. Now down to just 5 teams, they're preparing for a showcase this week: there’s only 6 days left until all five of the winning PUSH teams will be touching down in London for the PUSH N900 showcase. The event’s looking all set, the invites have been sent out and I even got to go check out the venue before we start the transformation. The projects include haptic feedback and a real-world Etch-a-Sketch, and shows the flexibility of the N900.