Kshitij Sobti

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Posted on 10-08-2010

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Remote control your N900 from a PC

Since the N900 runs a Linux distro, you can as easily control it from a computer. You can install a SSH server (OpenSSH) or even a VNC server (x11vnc) on the N900 and control it from a desktop.

The best part is that you can not only control your N900 using a CLI SSH connetion, but also in full GUI mode using a VNC server on the N900, and a VNC vewer application on your desktop. This will let you use your N900 with the familiarity of a mouse and a full-sized keyboard. In our experience this did slow down the N900, and we are not just talking about lag due to network latency. Application seemed to run slower and so did the interface.

Of course, the better way is to connect to your N900 though a SSH session with a faster CLI interface. Connecting to your N900 using SSH is also one of the best ways to gain root access to your device, and in fact when you install the SSH package it will ask you to enter a password which it will use as the root password. The N900 keyboard isn't the best way to perform complicated terminal procedures such as the ones for installing multiple operating systems etc. You will be able to do all of this much faster with a computer.

Install MeeGo on your N900

MeeGo is the next-generation operating system by Nokia and Intel which is to replace both Maemo and Moblin as the OS for future devices from Nokia and Intel.  Some of these devies have already been spotted in the wild. Nokia is striving to ensure that those who recently bought their N900s are not left out of the innovations in MeeGo, which would essentially have been Maemo 6.

Much has been made of the reports that Nokia might be abandoning its prized Symbian platform in favor of MeeGo for its higher-end N-series of smartphones, leaving Symbian to cater to the low-powered smartphone and feature phones.
It is important to note that while you can install MeeGo on your N900 device, this is not a supported configuration for your device, and Nokia is not liable for any problems you have with it. Otherwise though, it is out there for those who want to have a taste for the future of Nokia's smartphones.

Instruction for installing MeeGo on your N900 are available at the MeeGo website. You can run the MeeGo from an MMC, replace your Maemo OS with MeeGo, do a chroot install, boot MeeGo over USB network, using kexec, or even by dual-booting Maemo and MeeGo!

You should also note that currently the only stable release MeeGo 1.0 does not feature a UI! To get a UI you need to build from the MeeGo daily repository using the free tools available from the MeeGo website.

Install Android on your N900

Yes you heard that right! You can actually install Android on your Nokia device! This showcases not only the power of open-source software, but also the customizability of the N900. Not only can you install Android on the N900, but you can dual-boot between Android and Maemo 5, and possibly even multi-boot between Android, Maemo 5, and MeeGo, which is now available for the N900.

Since this is an operation which involves switching your inbuilt OS (or adding an additional OS) it is wise to take caution. While you probably won't damage your device, you could stand to lose your data if you do something wrong. You should probably backup before flashing the device in any case, but in this case it is mandatory.

To get Android 2.1 up and running on your N900, you can follow the instructions posted at the Maemo forums. We caution once again, that this is a procedure which requires some knowledge of Linux, and knowing what the commands are doing is helpful. We were never able to try this out since we were deprived of our N900 before this was posted. In case something does go wrong, you can find a guide to flashing you N900 here; which might be useful to reset your device to its initial state.

You needn't stop here, there are geeks out there trying to install everything from Ubuntu to Palm OS out there. A good place for such information is the alternate OSs forum at maemo.org.