I have been using MicroB, the default web browser for the Nokia N900, for a couple of months now. It is hands down the best web browser I have ever used on a mobile device. Being a power user, I thought I knew everything there was to know about using the browser until I stumbled upon an article on WAP Review that really breaks down the basics of MicroB.

I learned some new shortcuts that are possible using the keyboard that really come in handy during daily usage. My favorite shortcut is using the backspace key to go back one page. The weakest part of MicroB to me is the lag when you use the back icon because it brings a visual history of recent webpages. Using the backspace key makes going back much faster, so this is my new favorite, even if I do have to slide out the keyboard to use it.

So, if you are interested in finding out some more about the Nokia N900 browser or you just want to make sure you are taking advantage of the shortcuts available to you, head over to WAP Review and check it out.

How do you make the web browsing experience on the Nokia N900 better? Give users options. That is what the Firefox team has done by dropping the beta tag from their “Fennec” project for Maemo.

There is nothing wrong with MicroB, the default browser on the N900. In fact, it provides the best mobile web browsing experience that I have ever seen, hands down. But, just like on my computer, I enjoy having options when it comes to web browsers. I mainly use Firefox at home and work, so having the option to use it on my phone is a very welcome bonus.

One interesting piece of information that is in the release notes for Firefox Mobile:

Due to performance problems using Adobe Flash within Firefox on many websites, especially those with multiple plug-ins on them, we have disabled plugins for Firefox for Maemo 1.0. We plan to provide a browser add-on that will enable you to selectively enable plugins on certain sites, because some sites, like YouTube, work well.

So, it looks like Apple is not the only company that is not happy with how Flash performs on mobile devices. Of course, the default N900 web browser does indeed support Flash…which could be a positive or negative depending on the website you are visiting.

You can get more information about Firefox Mobile here. Keep an eye out for a review of Firefox Mobile here soon.

The SBSH developer has updated its SBSH Calendar application, both for your pleasure and duties.

Here is the press release:

January 25th, 2010

SBSH is excited to announce a new update for its best selling PIM application, Calendar for S60 smart-phones to version 1.5! Featuring overhauled design, filters, empowered engine, view picker, advanced recurrence support and much more! The new SBSH Calendar for S60 is available as free update for all registered users. We invite our users to update to the latest and greatest PIM for S60 today!

SBSH Calendar 1.5 Highlights

• Empowered Engine – The database engine has been rewritten from the ground up, providing a dramatic speed improvement!
• Landscape Monthly View – Monthly Calendar layout will automatically change for optimized display in both landscape and portrait screens
• Overhauled Design – Redesigned for better look and optimized usability for smart-phones: OS scrollbars, new category icons and more!
• Advanced Recurrence – Now offering powerful recurring item configuration, supporting all types of recurring item creation
• Filters – Powerful filters system! Filter the display by multiple categories at the same time, assign names to each of your filters
• View Selector – Easily jump between views using the new optional View Selector or navigate between views using the view toggling tray button
• Customization – Myriad of new settings added. Ensuring Calendar perfectly fits the needs of all users, from the home user to the busy professional!

Click here to read the release note from our development team and find out more about the new SBSH Calendar 1.5 release

The new release will pack several UI refinements as well as welcome additions, like the filters system that will allow you to view only the relevant information, without any unneeded screen clutter. The app, which also packs an empowered engine, a view picker, and an advanced recurrence support, is a free upgrade for existing costumers.

A trial version is available here.

Via: SBSH

Since the release of Android, there has been people that have tried to install it onto non-Android devices.  You can do some searches around the xda-developer forums and find projects for different Windows Mobile devices that are able to run Android in some form or another.  I tried it out on my old AT&T Fuze/HTC Touch Pro and it was very fun to mess around with.  Of course, at that time wireless was not working, so it was just something to play around with.

What better device to install Android, a Linux based mobile OS, than the Nokia N900.  The N900 runs Maemo 5, which is ultimately a mobile version of Linux that Nokia has been working on for a few years with the help of a great open source community.  So, running one mobile Linux OS on a device that was made to run a mobile Linux OS should be possible, right?

It appears that it is possible…sort of.  During my daily Twitter check this morning, I came across a tweet from bdogg64 mentioning that he was uploading a video of running Android on the N900.  Keep in mind that this is basically a proof of concept at this point, but once more of the Maemo community digs in, I am sure that they will help bdogg64 push the limits of running Android on the N900.

If you want to join in on the fun, head over to the Maemo.org forums.  I can’t wait to see how this progresses. I may even give it a shot on my own N900 once the project is a bit more refined.

More often than not, lately, the big phone providers, are focusing on the latest online trend, Social Media. Sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, brought everyone an online portal, on which to share their thoughts, feelings,absurdities and emotions. The popularity of these services, and the myriad of others that seem to appear on a daily basis, Is driving device manufacturers to include native applications to access these services.

Nokia are the latest on this bandwagon

The fact that phone makers are picking up on the whole self promotion, social media wave is not surprising. I wonder though, is this something that all mobile phone users want or need.

Admittedly I’m a twitter user, and I find it a useful tool, occasionally. I follow a whole heap of web sites that provide pertinent Windows Mobile information, that I might use, some what like a RSS reading application. Sometimes though I wonder, shouldn’t use of these services be a personal choice, and not an included service on a mobile phone, that you inadvertently use without prior knowledge of what the service is, or does, or leaves you open to?

Creating a profile on any social media network, leaves you open to as many whack jobs, self promoters, sales people and genuine people as you can handle. Filtering that combination of input, is well above the average level of work, and time that most people have in a day online. A lot of people get sucked into affiliate services that let them automate their Twitter accounts, and get lot’s of followers, as a marketing tool. Lot’s of people hook up with the same add ons and get spammed, and get no value from their social networking accounts.

So seeing this press release today from Nokia, this post is my reaction, and action.

What I wonder is

• do these apps, and their inclusion value add to the device?
• does the inclusion of these native apps, value add to the social media site?
• Should people not have the choice to install these apps themselves?
• Should device manufacturers assume that these are apps that people want?

I’d like to see your opinions and views here, but I’ll state mine, to start you off.

I can get a multitude of free third party apps to access all of these services, I would like to control what software I have included on any new phone I get, there is only one third party social media app I’m interested in, and I want a phone with as little service provider customisation as I can get!

Some how, the idea that a phone OS would work flawlessly, seems to be secondary to picking up on what’s hot online, is this actually what mobile device marketing has come to?

Seriously, crack me a comment below, if you think differently!