Taming Nokia's Wildest Linux Smartphone

[@ФеофанЭтополедолжнобытьзаполне]

Great stuff! Although, as a long-time maemo/meego/nokla fan, I have a bunch of useless but very urgent comments pending 🧐 First of all, I think you are incorrect about the way Nokla positioned N900 in public. It was by no means "dev phone". The emphasis was on "success", "media" (as per N-series) and "connect people". And the latter is what Maemo did best: for example, it was one of the first mobile OSes (if not the first) to implement full contacts integration. You could have any type of contact data linked to person' record in a phone book. Every app exposed its own type of record (like icq uin, jabber address, etc.) so you had like a global contacts list in your phone merged from every app. For example, you could install icq client and it would populate phone book with a list of your online buddies, and then you were able to merge those with existing, having-only-phone-number profiles, with exported icq uin being yet another property of each of said profiles. So next time you open icq client all those buddy uins were actually displayed as profiles from "global" phone book, with avatars you assigned to them and so on. Hell, you didnt even need "icq client" to be a dedicated app with its own GUI. Those IM services acted like adapters, so you could use system chat app to talk to people over any protocol, all in one place. For me personally it was such a killer feature, I stick to this phone for at least an extra year on account of this alone. Also, N900 was kinda pricy. Nokla ran ad campaign, calling N900 something like ultimate way for young (but already soomewhat successful) to get online, connect and have fun typical N-series style. So yes, it was in fact a geek phone, but it was never positioned this way. Secondly, again, for a non-dev consumer N900 was not that good. Dont get me wrong, I absolutely love it, but resistive screen was far from good and phone had noticable problems with responsiveness. It simply lagged. And it lagged much. Too much for regular user to cope with for such a high price. Combined with some sensor-related problems, MMS troubles, and also its weight/size, it lead to not so joyful user experience in upcoming touchphones' world. On the other hand, its successor, N9, is absolutely great! The best, deep black OLED screen, good touch, perfect size/weight, and Maemo, transitioned into close-to-perfection MeeGo. But no qwerty keyboard. Swipes are good, it was really a revolution and to this day is way better than anything goolagol shitphones can offer, but still. Man needs his qwerty. Nokla made a small number of N950 phones, which were MeeGo+qwerty, but unfortunately those never hit first hand market, being (this time for real) a sample phone for devs. I have both N900 and N9, and despite N900 being a very interesting and good looking phone, it's very hard to adapt it to every day use. But N9 is still good. In fact, it's still better than most of modern smartphones out there. Also, I'd like to say that MeeGo was probably the best mobile OS ever (or had potential to be). It was designed not only for phones but for wide array of devices. I absolutely love laptop version of it! Neat, simple, very visually appealing, with GUI being somewhat reduced as far as regular PC user is concerned, but greately adjusted for everyday use in connectivity activities (lol) such as IMs, chats and whatnot. I have a number of tiny laptops originally released with MeeGo onboard, with Samsung N100 being probably the best nettop ever (keyboard alone, man, in this day and age it's impossible to find such a good kb). Although it's not that old as most of your findings, I think it should be noted in case you decide to elaborate on whole Maemo/MeeGo topic. With that being said, I think a series of videos about MeeGo/N9/N950 would be a great niche content to make! It probably wont attract many new users, but it would be an absolute joy to produce. Getting your hands on N950 could be hard to pull off (single item for sale on ebay as of now, $2,5k from Greece, claims to be mint tho) but this is no doubt a great artefact.

[@JanusCycle]

Some great clarification and details there, thank you. While you describe the N900 not being positioned solely as a geek/dev phone, my perception is very much that is how it was received. Since you are a big fan of the platform, I'm happy to defer to your corrections on this matter :) I would also like to explore the N9 Meego phone one day when I can get one. I agree a video would be great, but that will depend on the story that I find, and it's unique details that capture the imagination. Please feel free to share the things that interest you most about these phones and OS platform. When researching the N9, I also learned about the N950. Of course I searched eBay and was amused by the prices. There is a second N950 on eBay as well, from Spain for GBP 1,000.00. These prices are slightly outside of my budget, for a phone that I don't intend on actually using as a phone. But should I become unexpectedly wealthy I will add this model to my purchases :) Thank you for your comments, I really enjoyed reading them. When I get my hands on an N9, I will get in touch with any questions I have.

[@rikkiguy]

I had the N9 as my primary phone for years until one day it didn't turn on :'(. The N9 was truely amazing, the OLED screen, easy handheld size, silky smooth interface. I'm spoilt for life, it was the best phone I've ever used.

[@GinanjarUtomo]

sadly, the far successor of this OS (while not directly), Tizen, is now living only on Samsung appliances. They also ditched the OS from their Smartwatch in favor of Wear OS.

[@Girvo747]

Preach; The N9 was what the N900 wishes it could've been.

[@jedi-mic]

What stupid propaganda Avatar is that in your nightmares there's always one

[@jimmy21584]

I worked at Nokia when all this was being developed; exciting, but bittersweet times. There was some serious talent and tech that got cut short with the switch to Windows Phone.

[@a--b]

I wish that someone makes a documentary on the engineers of Nokia who worked on this marvel and the follow up devices like N950 and N9. They were way ahead of their time. It would be so informative to know their views and their work and the ideas they worked on.

[@baricdondarion6228]

@@a--b It happened all in front my my eyes. I used the Nokia N810 and the N900. Even back then it felt like internal policy within nokia did not want Maemo to succeed. The N900 had very little budget for development and 0 marketing budget. It was released in very few markets globally and Nokia went out of their way to under cut the device at every angle. The maemo team performed miracles and had a small but passionate community. It was a shame that just when Nokia released a phone that could compete with android and iOS... Nokia decided to go with Windows phone than allow Maemo win. Internal politics at its worse.

[@swapnilp5774]

@@baricdondarion6228 Being a die hard Nokia admirer, I could see that from India. Resistive displays, terrible software, intentional end of Maemo and MeeGo, it was a series of intentional bad decisions aimed towards killing Nokia, to pave way for US smartphone ecosystem. They allowed a trojan horse from Microsoft to lead Nokia, to speed up Nokia's end, then they sold Nokia's smartphone division to Microsoft, which was their ultimate plan. It was painful to watch. Unfortunately, Finnish authorities didn't intervene. Decision makers at Nokia intentionally destroyed Nokia, for their personal benefits.

[@alib8396]

I bought this phone new back in the day under the promise that Maemo would be completed and updated as time go but then they dropped it completely and released the N9 and N950. The N9 was gorgeous and Meego was the perfect UI/UX for being a Linux based phone. Damn you Elope for ruining this.

[@swapnilp5774]

@@alib8396 lucky you.. 😠

[@galacticboy2009]

I must say.. it gives me a strong wave of "this is what Android phones should be" I loved that time, where it was all about features.

[@blufudgecrispyrice8528]

Right? Android feels suffocating even when compared to Windows

[@oskar6747]

I'm still hoping Jolla would get somewhere. N900 is the reason I have always disliked Android. It could be something so much more. I hate Android and I hate the fact that it's the best option I have had for over a decade. I might just try to find a used N900 and switch to it, if there are still community updates for it.

[@philipweiss2794]

Imagine having this phone with "recent specs" like SnapdragonGen1/2 or Dimensity8/9 Series with 4/8gb of RAM and USB-C would be a dream come true.

[@ginyuTV]

take my money!!!!

[@yohaneschristianp]

As long it's not Android then it's good enough, memory hogs Android. Next gen Maemo should fit this phone better than Meego though.

[@sgirix65]

Fxtec Pro1?

[@zdanee]

I think they made an aftermarket swap-in mainboard, not sure if they released it, but it's also out of date by now. Sadly you can't place a big enough battery there for a modern SoC.

[@oo0024]

Why 4/8 GB ram 🤣 this ain’t 2017 any more you should have said 6/8/12 NOT 4! Go and slap yourself

[@iaakki]

Like tears in the rain.. Nokia truly made products where user can have full control and innovate with it.

[@oskar6747]

Yes. I hate Microsoft for destroying Nokia. World of smartphones would be so much better if that hadn't happened and I would never have bought an Android.

[@roundabout-host]

​@@oskar6747My dream phone has an GNU/Linux, a real keyboard and an aluminium shell.

[@KOSMOS1701A]

this thing is bonkers, absolutely nuts for a phone of this time.

[@JanusCycle]

Yes, Nokia were succeeding and failing at the same time. It was a weird period for them.

[@Iskandarko]

I still have one. Love this thing. Once I used it to jailbreak my PS3.

[@nono-oz4gv]

as it should be used for lol

[@Sb129]

Maemo, that's a name I haven't heard in a long long time. Another legendary phone that came out in 2009 was the HTC HD2.

[@mcslender2965]

Do ppl still develop for the HD2? Last time I remember xda members were posting Android 6 ROM for it

[@Browningate]

HD2 arguably stole the spotlight from this thing, thanks in no small part to its superior specifications and breathtaking aesthetic that still holds up today.

[@ksolo614]

HTC HD 2 is the greatest smartphone ever. The Nokia 7710 is also underrated.

[@piotralex5]

There was Oreo build

[@bman3c915]

This device was something else. I bought an N900 shortly after it came out back when I was in high school and that phone still sits on my desk to this day. This device (and the N800 I had before it) introduced me to Linux and is the primary reason I am now a software engineer specializing in embedded Linux.

[@hannescampidell]

do you use linux as a daily driver and if yes which distro i am daily driving fedora before that arch

[@bman3c915]

@@hannescampidell Yes. At work I use Rocky Linux, and at home I use to run Linux Mint, but these days I'm running Fedora.

[@ville_syrjala]

Ahh, I have (mostly) fond memories of working on the N900/N950/N9. And then Elopcalypse happened and the whole thing got flushed down the drain. I still remember the deafening silence when Elop announced his Windows plans to a building full of dumbfounded Maemo/Meego developers. Sad end to to an otherwise great journey.

[@JanusCycle]

I've heard the N950 was a really nice design and the N9 had a very refined OS. I'm sorry to hear of how it ended for everyone.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

⁠@@JanusCycleNgl, it would've been interesting to see how long Maemo could limp on. Both iOS and Android sealed Maemo's fate long before it was released, but it probably would've secured a moderately sized niece in the market.

[@hnisseplutt]

The N9 was amazing. It's only in recent years with new android swipe navigation gestures that I feel at home again

[@TuncayAyhan]

If the Nokia N950 was released to public, it would be a real beast. I hope I will find a unit for a reasonable price one day.

[@oskar6747]

@@qwertykeyboard5901 I think it would have destroyed Android. The only reason I switched to Android was that Nokia abandoned Maemo. And Nokia had a huge fanbase. Almost everyone I know got Lumias. But only one and then they upgraded to Android, because Windows Mobile was just a piece of shit.

[@bpruszczyk]

I really like your videos and your style of storytelling, so calming. This type of peaceful material is priceless this times.

[@JanusCycle]

I really appreciate this compliment, thank you.

[@prakar]

Fantastic upload, much thanks 🎉❤. I bought an N900 when it first came out, in 2009, and am waiting for the full opensource kernel based Maemo Leste to come out. The instructions you gave here, such as flashing and installing Uboot, and root access, are super helpful, and i believe, unique across the internet. Even the forums don't explain it beyond some jargon heavy instructions, which challenge more than help. This is truly an outlier video 😊

[@JanusCycle]

Thanks so much! To properly tinker with something it's good to have the low level stuff sorted first. So you can fix any problems quickly and keep exploring without getting stuck.

[@nickalotdegit]

If that release does come to pass: I would seriously consider getting the handset. A command-line, in your pocket, even if does only work over WiFi 3 & 3G? Sign me up.

[@ThalassTKynn]

The N900 was my first smartphone, and it's still my favourite. Unfortunately when the first Galaxy Note came out I got the new toy lust and got one of those, and because money was tight I sold the N900. I'm still kicking myself. That, and getting rid of my minidisc player are my two biggest tech regrets. And both of those things are pretty expensive nowdays. 😢 Also I didn't know the technical drawings were available for the N900. That's really cool!

[@JanusCycle]

It must have been amazing to have this model as your first smartphone. But I understand the pull of new tech.

[@guily6669]

It's hard to say what was the first smartphone for me cause way before people calling them smartphones in my opinion even simple nokias way before even the N900 were smartphones even with the not so amazing SymbianOS... I mean even the first N-gage I had a huge blast installing all sorts of apps, playing locally with friends actual real games far from the generic mobile ones and even had someone here hacking them, I managed to get a virus from that someone's bastard 😁 Also had Nokia N95 8GB and is my favorite phone ever and that one also had GPS, wifi, light sensor, motion sensor, 2 actual nice big stereo speakers......... I just kept using N95 for a damn huge time that I only jumped to android only in like 2014 to a cheap close to 100€ Wiko and that thing incredibly had a worse camera and even less usable space than the N95 that I bought back in like 2008 for 300€ brand new.

[@judeabrigo278]

I got mine snatched in a busy city street in manila on my way to work, bet the new owner or who ever has it now didn't have a slightest idea of how to harness the full potential of that N900 :( man I misse my N900 so much!

[@mcslender2965]

I don't blame you, my mom went from a Nokia e71 into the Galaxy Note 3 and she was instantly sold on the whole experience

[@ThalassTKynn]

Plot twist: I just bought an N900 on ebay so I'm watching this video again as a reference haha Down the rabbit hole again 😅

[@shaunclarke94]

Damn. Crazy to see what could have been. I didn't know this existed. Also, TV out over TRRS jack was on other N series phones, like the N95.

[@spazjackrabbit61]

also in 3600 slide, 6500 slide and 7610 supernova

[@frankodilon5807]

The price might have reduced interest

[@verumignis4778]

Imagine if this was considered the bare minimum for phone manufacturers instead of the closed source irreparable crap we have today.

[@derkeksinator17]

Possible with the early samsung galaxy phones as well iirc. I don't remember which one specifically, but I had a galaxy s plus or something along those lines that could do that too.

[@Sharkie1717]

I member my N82 coming with a video adapter.

[@Anonymous-qb4vc]

This approach to OS could have became a serious contender for android and iOS if it wasn't for Microsoft buying out Nokia for their own Windows phone OS which remarkably failed just like many other OS of its time including Samsung BADA OS which ran on my first smartphone.

[@butter5144]

Symbian os was master race

[@zdanee]

Maemo was way ahead of the competition at the time, Android 2.1 was a joke (it also run on the N900 hardware), many of maemo's design is still used to this day in modern OS designs though.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Logistics alone ensured it remained small. Hell, Qualcomm BREW/REX was essentially held a monopoly on the mobile phone space before the modern smartphone and even it got relegated to the dustbin of history.

[@lekonjak]

I still have one of these. It was my first phone and I was very recently introduced to Linux. It took some effort to learn its 'how to', but it was an amazing device. 64 GB of storage allowed me to carry around whole discographies to listen anywhere. Very nice camera as well. Since then I've got really used to Linux; in all my machines for almost a decade. Got me inspired to take it out of its resting place and play with it again.

[@JanusCycle]

I'm glad you kept yours. I enjoy hearing about inspiring these phones were.

[@JG-od3xy]

This video motivated me to purchase an N900 and learn Linux, and hopefully Maemo. Time to explooore!

[@JanusCycle]

Sometimes we learn better from facing the more challenging environments. I've been learning Linux for years on many different devices and still learning.

[@tomapc]

I still have 2 of these, one has been playing music in the shop for over 3 years non-stop!

[@msmialowski]

What an epic device that was! I had (have) one. You could do almost anything with it. You could actually over clock and under clock the thing at the same time. Basically, you could add both a new lower CPU freq to save power and new upper CPU freq to go faster. I actually used the thing quite a bit even after switching phones. I had it running as an odd network music device. It was plugged into an analog stereo that it controlled via the IR blaster so it could turn the stereo on/off, volume up/down, mute, etc. It called the IR commands via a web server that it ran so you would actually control it using any other device on the network with a web browser. Oh, and the music was actually hosted on a separate NAS, not the N900. From what I remember, I had some kind of software that read the music files in my collection and pushed them to a web app that I modified to add the IR code buttons to. Great fun. It really did have its short comings though. From what I remember, web browsing in general got to be painfully slow to the point of frustration. Also, phone calls themselves weren't all that great if I recall. But over all, I had more fun with that thing than any other mobile device. I have it in a desk drawer still. It would be cool if you could run it like a thin client these days, though I don't know if it could even handle a VNC stream. Plus I'd need to find a new battery for the thing. The original went all blimp on me. Thanks for the blast of nostalgia! Great content BTW. Love your overall style. Subbed.

[@JanusCycle]

I really enjoy hearing how passionate N900 owners are and the amazing things they did with this phone. Even though I didn't get to own one back then, it's a real privilege to be able to spend time with this phone today and hear your stories. Thank you for watching and your comments. I'm so pleased I was able to make a video that does this phone some of the justice it deserves.

[@zakyzigzag]

The N series were always on top of the game. I was quite a heavy Symbian modder back in my school days, and I really miss those days.

[@JanusCycle]

I've heard a bit about Symbian modding, still need to learn more.

[@shueibdahir]

@@JanusCycle i ran quake 3 on my n95 with a keyboard and mouse by modding

[@ginyuTV]

this phone with modern hardware and specs would be a dream come true...

[@marvinochieng6295]

As usual, criminally underated niche content. Keep up the excellent efforts and always remember us loyal viewers before you go big and maybe become a nebula or patreon only content maker. Good job !!💜💜💜

[@JanusCycle]

I'll have my own streaming service and you'll be paying $18.99 a month! Just kidding :) Thank you, I want these videos to always remain freely available. I also love reading and responding to comments. I'm going to miss this if it becomes too many viewers :( I will do my best to remember everyone before/if that happens.

[@marvinochieng6295]

@@JanusCycle yaay !! Keep up the good work. I genuinely drop everything and indulge your content as soon as it is up.

[@chrismartinDD]

I still have my N900 somewhere but the micro-usb is broken off in a way that it damaged the board, if I remember correctly… 😢 It was, and still is, a stunning device! I bought it a few years later. At the time, I was diving down the openmoko rabbit hole. I still have the freerunner and one upgraded version (GTA04 from a small german company). The small company had planned to build hardware upgrades for the N900 as well and it was better suited for that because of its physical keyboard. Later I bought the first commercially available Ubuntu phone. The bq aquaris e4.5. I use it still from time to time as a backup. Thanks for the videos! You’ve sparked my interest again - I’ll have to dig out my old devices and get them up and running! 😅

[@JanusCycle]

The solder pads on the board may have been pulled off with the Micro USB connector. A skilled technician can rewire them. But may not be worthwhile today. I'm still glad you kept yours though.

[@chrismartinDD]

I consider myself a “skilled technician” … kind of… I’ve done this kind of work several times, but something held me back. Maybe it was torn-off solder pads connecting to another layer of the circuit board, or simply not knowing how to secure the connector so it wouldn’t break off again. Maybe I’ll tackle it in the winter. I have two batteries, one of which is „new“. It’s worth a try. Would you be interested in showcasing an Openmoko in a video? I still have working ones with different software. Rather than letting them sit around here, I’d be happy to lend them to you! But no pressure! It was just a spontaneous idea.

[@tiagodourado218]

This is one of the coolest videos i ever seen on youtube

[@yeety1208]

tip: reduce the music volume anyways, great video and now I really want this phone!

[@JanusCycle]

Thanks, I have to monitor that music volume to get better levels with KZbin's -14LUFs in the future.

[@robotnikkkk001]

=ANDROID IS BASICALLY LINUX ON ARM.............SO U'RE OKAY WITH ROOTED SMARTPHONES,RIGHT?? ......................

[@ClaudeSac]

​@@robotnikkkk001 WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING? STOP SHOUTING!!

[@resneptacle]

@@robotnikkkk001 Android using the Linux Kernel is about as Linux as it gets for Android, between it and a regular Linux distro, they're worlds apart

[@blind1337nedm]

@@robotnikkkk001 WHAT URE TALKING AMBOUT? RUE NOT DAN TONAY NENE!?

[@josecespedes4551]

I really enjoy these type of videos. I wish I knew as much as you do. Justo knowing that an old device can be functional again is fascinating to me. Best wishes from Panamá 🇵🇦

[@JanusCycle]

I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and joining in the fun :)

[@NamanArusia]

that video out through headphone jack and the radio transmitter data transfer broke my head. how the.. why the.. what the...... enough youtube for today.

[@holymegadave]

At the end you described what each of Nokia user felt using their phones...the were from another planet. So advance, so unique. Im loving your channel im a very curious person and i like to see that your content has a lot of weird tech stuff! Cheers from Argentina!

[@TuneTamasha]

I bought it at launch, still have it, still works. It was WAY ahead of its time. Very unique.

[@luked9658]

You're correct is saying this was peoples all time fav phone, and it was i got mine in 2009 and it was amazing times that ill never forget. The amount of things we could do with this phone was unreal. Nokia should of kept at it for a bit longer but with Andriod and Iphone blasting through it was hard for them. Defiantly my all time fav device i ever used.

[@JanusCycle]

I love how this has one of the strongest and lasting fan bases I've ever seen for a phone. Thanks!

[@ultimate_president]

I had (and still have) this phone back in the day and even complete in box, i didnt knew how much you can do with it, thanks for this video now i will have to look into all this 😁

[@syedtaimurhassan7774]

Dear Janus Cycle, thank you for sharing N900 experience. I still have this phone along with its box and really enjoyed it. Here is a list of services and installations i did on my phone, i used to tell my friends about it but they though i am kidding and a phone cannot do all this, so here it goes... Over clocking up to 1 GHz, ran and tested all including Asterisk PBX, Squid Proxy server, FTP Server, Web Server, SMBA , Print Server, Media streaming server, File Sharing across the network like PC, RDP from and to N900, running Debian LXDE and installing many Debian Applications including the Gymp graphic editing software. Having a pressure sensitive resistive screen instead of capacitive meant, you can do precision work like clicking on small controls/buttons etc.This phone offers so much i truly wished and still wish if we had phones like this in modern times for next generation to enjoy technologies like N900. I still play with my phone and occasionally use it in daily life like a classic car.

[@JanusCycle]

I love the way you used this phone to such a high level of functionality at the time. I also love that you continue to revisit it today, like appreciating a classic car. This is the right way of respecting this hardware. Thank for sharing all this.

[@SWOTHDRA]

Such a legendary phone

[@MarkSinclair]

Imagine. Someone getting you interested in a random old phone. Nice video!

[@DrathVader]

Oh, that brings back memories. I was one of the people to use this phone back in the day. It wasn't really meant as a "developer and programmer" phone, it was mostly internet, media and communication phone, hence the large and high resolution (for the day) display with stylus, stereo speakers and qwerty keyboard. It's Linux-based OS is how it ended up being the ultimate geek phone. Thanks to it's relatively open hardware, it was also possible to install (and even dual-boot) 3rd party OSes on it, including a janky version of Android. It was a really cool device back in the day. There was SO MUCH it could do. If you wanted to watch movies, it had an amazing display with 32GB of internal storage (most phones had 8 or 16GB back then), not to mention the SD card, video output or the kickstand, there's even an IR diode that could be used to control the TV as a remote. You wanted to listen to music? There's really nice stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, bluetooth and even FM transmitter. There was a physical keyboard if you wanted to talk. Stylus so you can browse the internet comfortably. There's mass storage mode so the internal storage and the SD card shows up as a regular flash drive when connected to PC. You could even run full desktop version of GIMP thanks to some Linux magic. And all of that is just barely scratching the surface of what it could do. Despite all of that, I wouldn't call it my favourite phone, that title goes to the Nokia N9, but it's my favourite hand-held by a long shot. Even years after release I still use it as a quick terminal to remotely login into my servers.

[@ThatBloodyHobo]

That Nokia handshake logo video hit the nostalgia button hard!

[@PythonMalayalam]

Imagine if this was the phone that blow up in the market. How the world would’ve been turned out.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

Super interesting. I was already intrigued by the video using the FM antennas to transmit audio, and this makes it more interesting ngl

[@Handler7530]

This reminds me the fun era of android gingerbread or older where everyone was rooting their phones.

[@JanusCycle]

good times :)

[@quetoni]

Take a look into Jolla and their Sailfish OS. They are successors of sorts (same developers that took off from Nokia at the time) to this N900 Maemo and N9 MeeGo. Jolla phone also had GPIO pins. Unfortunately they only can work on the OS atm, The non-android supported version is available free of charge.

[@BogdanNAV]

The vibe of this ! " In the depths of forgotten time, there existed a relic whispered only in legends-a smartphone unlike any other. Once an overlord of technology, it now lay dormant, its power undiminished by the passage of ages. Lost to memory, yet not to potency, it waited in the shadows, a silent sentinel of bygone days. Few dared to speak its name, for those who did spoke in hushed tones, their voices trembling with fear and awe. But in the quiet of the night, its screen flickered to life with an eerie glow, casting long-forgotten spells into the darkness. The ancient smartphone, a witch of modernity, stirred from its slumber, ready to reclaim its dominion over the world of mortals. Unseen and unheard, it plotted its return, a silent menace lurking in the depths of time. And woe unto those who crossed its path, for its power was as real as the darkness that cloaked it, and its thirst for vengeance knew no bounds. "

[@pj2600]

amazing video! looking forward whats next with this litle beast

[@gamecuber6]

i've watched this video 3 times. that just shows how good your videos are, and it's crazy how, with some tweaks you can turn a developer phone into a developer micro laptop.

[@JanusCycle]

This phone in particular has the spirit of a computer rather than a phone :)

[@Hiyf8]

It is till this day my favourite phone. Very unique and very practical.

[@gaudimarra4814]

Ahead of its time,.... thankyou for sharing your knowledge ( N900) !

[@theera-thek10unlimited77]

If N950 just reach the market, I would still definitely buy it. Great content as usual!

[@2Nelly4]

I saw your video about the n95 And it was wonderful and a walk in memory lane So I said I'm going to subscribe to your chanel so I did and I said to myself if he had a video like this about the best phone Nokia ever made ' the n900' he is a legend to me And you are my friend I'm a die hard Nokia fan and I had all there smart phone's through my hands And I mean "ALL" And this the N900 was the peak of Nokia and the future in the same time they as always didn't know how to keep working on it improve it it was and it is a wonderful phone that one who but a smile on your face every time you use it or see it just as I'm doing now.. Thank you please keep up the good work and improving the work And always be YOU because I subscribed to You much love to retro,

[@JanusCycle]

I'm glad you enjoyed this. Which are the best Nokia smart phones in your opinion? I would like to get an N9.

[@Lorten369]

Love how ominous you sound. ;P Had forgotten about this phone. Remember older or newer. But then remembered my N800 build like a brick. Definitely as tuff as the 3210 and 3310. I played hockey with it. Until it went in the water and bai bai. And the 6600 symbian was a all time favorite. I MISS NOKIA. 😢

[@S.G.199]

Awesome video, I also have this phone an i think it's one of the most interesting phone ever released along with Nokia n9. I would love a video on that one as well. Also mine came with a password as well and the seller didn't know it but I managed to reset it by using the terminal to export it as a hash file and using the John the ripper to crack it which took like 0.1 seconds. If you plan on making more videos with this phone i personally would love to see you installing maemo Leste and exploring it. I haven't had the time to do it on my device.

[@JanusCycle]

Maemo Leste is the aim, I would also like to try some applications that really push the limits.

[@pootpoint]

great video, can't wait to see more!

[@zcqian]

I had one during high school, spent years customizing it playing with it

[@beleventh3998]

Great video! Brings me back to days when manufacturers packed all they could into devices and gave people the power.. now a decade later we're stuck with minimalistic devices.. suddenly I miss my Samsung S5 that had a IR to control the telly when the kids misplaced the remote as they do.

[@eastlondonhustler]

It's a shame even Samsung followed greedy Apples lead to minimising features to a certain degree.

[@fluffybananatech]

This is such a cool piece of history. remember back when it came out, I was enamored by the box it came in that you'd have send commands to just to get it open. Naturally most at the time just assumed you were "hacking" the box.

[@zTejZiemi]

I've achieved 95% of CPU overclocking on it but only 90% is usable on daily basis. First phone with Flash support, and first phone with increased playback speed (MPlayer). I loved it but battery drain was insane I had 2-3 spare batteries with me.

[@JanusCycle]

Very nice! I'd like to try this.

[@33up24]

Vack when technology was actually exciting to follow. Now everything is more of the same and most importantly phone companies give you less features for more money because of course they do. The removal of really useful stuff i loved like the headphone jack, micro-sd card slot, ir blaster, software freedom... Man nowdays phones suck.

[@SethTheKitsune]

aaand another phone that goes in my eBay wishlist.

[@justforprinting9980]

By far, the most incredible tech experience i have ever had.

[@aperture147]

One of the best phone ever produce. I was still using it until as a secondary phone for SSH and making phone call, until 2018 when I replace it with another iPhone. As a programmer, I wish Nokia or any brand would release a Linux phone like this.

[@nutzeeer]

Wow the functions are really cool. I really wish it was released and successfull. All smartphones should be like this and not locked down.

[@mrrobotto3321]

I still have mine. I busted it out as i watched this video. I flashed mine with a pwnphone system way back then. I had android running on it for awhile but it had no cellular. It actually my first purchase ever from Amazon back in 2010. I paid $542 for it. It had 3.5g which TMobile supported, they didn't even have a handset in their lineup that had 3.5g at the time.

[@a--b]

I still have this phone like new and I have preserved it by taking out its battery. It's the only gadget that I take care of like how a person takes care of his/her jewels or valuables at home 😀❤️ I remember installing 4 OS on it: Android, Meego, Windows 95, Debian OS. Thanks for making this great video, I'll try more things that you have mentioned.

[@JanusCycle]

Charge the battery up to 80% one a year and it will keep almost forever. Always good to hear from dedicated N900 fans.

[@a--b]

@@JanusCycle Thank you for the suggestion :)

[@n900video]

As one may guess from my user name this was the best phone I ever owned. Sailfish OS, the successor of Maemo and MeeGo is still around and is able to run on various Sony phones. This helped me to avoid ever owning any iOS or Android phones so far. 😃

[@JanusCycle]

I've heard good things about Sailfish, will try it one day.

[@zakofrx]

Isn't that the OS that they won't sell to people who don't live in parts of Europe.. Any other country is blocked for sale due to some local export restrictions concering overseas sales.. You can only get the free basic version that runs for a while only on some models..

[@xXxmlg_vacxXx]

Keep in mind that you have to pay 40 euro for a re-flash on the phones that only come with sailfish

[@KBK2006]

Very nice video. I bought this one when it came out aswell. Living in Sweden, it was a very cool phone!

[@JanusCycle]

Always good to hear from an original N900 owner.

[@TalonPro]

I loved the HTC Touch Pro format on phones like this.

[@mythbuster4315]

My fathw got oneof these in 2009, it was so unique. I could never forget this phone and the landscape experience

[@iLife64]

At the time I had an N810, the N900 was so strange as it wasn’t like any of the other internet communicators Nokia had made in the past

[@ahmedp8009]

I still have mine with the original box and accessories, I loved it so much.

[@judeabrigo278]

Do you have the hacker box? The special edition box for the N900 that comes with a small Trex toy? I remember that you need to connect the box to a mirco USB and run a few lines of code before you can open it. Man that's top tier unboxing experience.

[@ahmedp8009]

@@judeabrigo278 Sadly no, I have the retail box and all accessories ever since I bought it new.

[@mhhocane3513]

I loved my n900 and most of my friends had blackberry and iphone4 I guess. But mine was a computer with a simcard 😂😂😂

[@PAKxNihon]

I have this phone, and to this day, still is my favorite phone/device I have ever had. I cried when I suffered the dreaded USB port death. When I want to use it, I need to charge the battery separately.

[@hannescampidell]

learn microsoldering...

[@PAKxNihon]

@@hannescampidell pads are gone, lack of skill and shaky hands don't help 😂

[@hannescampidell]

@@PAKxNihon the pads are easly restored and try it first on a few other junk phones haybe it works out for you (micro usb pins aernt that small)

[@md.ashrafulislamsami6791]

I wish Nokia revive this kind of phones..This with proper support from developers can make a good impact in the world of mobile phones

[@didotb01]

11:12 high pitched whine from the CRT sent me back to when I was 6 years old

[@JanusCycle]

You are lucky you can still hear it.

[@reddragon27284]

I had one of these back in the day, loved that phone.

[@hubtubby]

N900 was the best phone I ever had. The charging port on mine fell out 😢. It ran emulators well too. PSX and n64 were so great. The opening sound was so good too, very satisfying.

[@JanusCycle]

I'm constantly impressed by how many people describe this as the best phone they ever had. There are not many phones that have achieved this sort of legendary status.

[@TheTransporter007]

This was my daily driver for almost two years. AMAZING handset.

[@JanusCycle]

What a phone to have had at the time!

[@rochr4]

2001 references made it amazing, subbed :)

[@JanusCycle]

Awesome, thank you!

[@totsbig]

I miss this phone. Shits really cool using it. I remember when I have this 3.5mm to RCA jack cable. I just plug it from my N900 to my old TV, then play Asphalt 5 (iirc) using its built-in accelerometer. And the FULL desktop browser using free 3G at the time, we call it in the Philippines as "IPIS" (lit. Tagalog for cockroach) as wordplay for free IPs. That's the cherry on top. Nothing like it. It's the creme de la creme, really. Good old times.

[@yannisgk]

i had the 770 and n800 back then as tablets...great "machines"!!!

[@cycleoffire2220]

Good introduction for a legendary phone! It would be interesting to see how n900 can handle general-purpose arm-Linux apps and games (considering its power of course).

[@iphatbass]

I remember even using GIMP and similar apps on N900. Also it supported different user interface, i think it was XFCE. Not to mention it's wifi drivers were compatible with aircrack!!!

[@carlos_mann]

Wow, that was such a cool phone. It would be nice to see an updated, the 9000 version of it.

[@rockgaming3822]

Old school hackers device, this video bring back gold memories

[@gabrielpetcu5502]

maaannn, such a nice channel...also, a huge nostalgia dose,,

[@JanusCycle]

Thanks, glad you are digging it :)

[@iijj]

Author, I clicked on your video from YT recommendations and was not disappointed! Never knew this particular model existed and was surprised how seemingly awesome it was back then and, probably, still today. Resistive screen, though, I was hating the thing back in the day when I used to use a Nokia C6-00. Hope you could get your hands on Nokia N9 and review it! I am going to find one for myself to play around. I've heard (and read) it's a really solid phone with a great OS. If only it were chosen instead of Windows for phones…

[@JanusCycle]

I'm keeping an eye out for an N9. I'd really like to try one out. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed :)

[@blazeaster]

man I have so many unfinished retro projects as is, but i need to get n900. the only experience i have from it from back in the day is when i replaced a broken display on a friends phone. i rocked n5800 back then

[@legionburn]

I used to have this phone back in the day!!

[@carlosjuniorfox]

I truly loved The 2001 Space Odyssey reference

[@amplituhedron5582]

I had an N810 that I paired to a e51 after replacing an e61. The e61 was a nice phone with built-in asterisk VoIP and WiFi and wasn't overtly expensive.

[@jfuthey]

I had this, was the first time I could travel without a laptop and post photos to the internet without going to an Internet cafe! You could overclock it and play emulators, but the real draw was desktop quality internet browsing, ssh, etc.

[@Anwarboy786]

I had one of these and I loved it!!!

[@BixbySnyder209]

Loving your content. Sincerely ❤

[@JanusCycle]

Thank you :)

[@dronszell]

I'm in love with this channel. All my childhood dream tinkering.❤

[@JanusCycle]

very pleased to heat that, thank you.

[@dasgrischa]

Dude, I had this one back in the days. It was one of the best phones I ever had. While Iphones were struggeling with 3+ apps opened at the same time, this baby could have 10+ apps opened without lags. Too bad it had no custom android, so it was a hassle to keep whatsapp and all other apps updated but still great phone with an amazing keyboard. After the N900 I had the N9 and it was one of the first smartphones with ambient screen, also it had swipe gestures which wasn't popular even on android.

[@spazjackrabbit61]

You should also look at the Nokia N9 because MeeGo operating system is really interesting to explore because it's also based on Linux as well and also exploring Motorola phones with Linux based operating system would be interesting as well, such as ROKR E2, ROKR E6 and RAZR2 V8

[@JanusCycle]

I would love an N9. I didn't know those Motorola models were base on Linux, thanks.

[@morganreyman7929]

@@JanusCycle the n9 is a little iphone on the newest 12 or 14 iphone firmware, strange, got one 64gb

[@videolux4111]

@@morganreyman7929 What?

[@morganreyman7929]

@@videolux4111 when some one hands me a newer iphone 12 or something geting confused, swipe left or right up or down its like the n9

[@videolux4111]

@@morganreyman7929 I still have N9. I still cant figure out what you r talking about :)

[@Kwazzaaap]

This is like looking at some better timeline and seeing what phones should have been

[@joeynrg]

I had one on these and would use it for live synth performances during my DJ sets.

[@nokian9005]

I daily drove this phone every single day back in like 2009 or something. I got this phone to replace my TMobile G1, the very first android phone. This phone was amazing! I absolutely loved everything about it. In fact, to this day I still call myself Nokia N900 in honor of the best phone I have ever had. It had the best pressure sensitive resisitve touch screen I've ever used. Its multi tasking abilities were amazing, and my favorite part was being able to turn on my phone and take a picture FASTER THAN MY MODERN PIXEL 4A PHONE FROM RECENT YEARS. Seriously, allI had to do was open the camera slider and boom- instant ability to take photos with NO DELAY AND NO LAG- IN LIKE 2009. This phone is how I learned and got comfortable with Linux. I still have my old nokia n900 laying around somewhere, though its components are slowly one by one dying. First the usb charging port died. Then the sd card. I managed to back up a lot of data off of wifi, but I still have loads of programs and scripts and apps from back in the day that I may never be able to recover, I would give *anything* to have a modern hardware version of the Nokia n900 running acual maemo OS. This was truly the hacker's phone.

[@JanusCycle]

Nice, I really enjoy hearing from an N900 superfan, thanks for sharing.

[@hannescampidell]

i think a pinephone would be for you saying it has modern specs is wrong but way more modern than the n900

[@NickNorton]

I still have my N900. I only stopped using it as my alarm clock and podcast player recently as the battery no longer holds a charge. Even though I know the battery is easy to change - I just haven't purchased one yet. I enjoyed your video.

[@CarmeloSanchez2]

This phone was ahead of it's time but it's was betrayed by the limited ram and processor. This thing was slow and power hungry but had 32gb of storage, amazing for the time. My first introduction to Linux, great memories.

[@AlejAndro-zg7bz]

I would like to see a modern phone like this one, with ALL the cool set of characteristics it had, specially Linux on a great hardware

[@imchunliimsubzero]

Definitely my favorite phone of all time, i have the n900, n9, and n95 and still the n900 is in a class of its own

[@mViper22]

Had it back when new, and still have it in my collection. Was the best back then 🤩