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Initially when I got my hands on the Nokia N900, I honestly wondered, how the heck would I get apps installed on this lil’ Maemo 5 device.
Well, as it turns out, that’s not a problem at all really.
Maemo 5, atleast on the N900, has 3 main ways to download and install apps. Here’s a bit about it.
The first way, is to check out the Ovi Store once in a while.
Nokia’s Ovi Store for Maemo is steadily growing, although it might not have all the applications out there, it’s still a pretty decent, and convenient resource of apps, games, ringtones, wallpapers and themes for the N900. Also worth mentioning, that there’s no actual Ovi Store client for the N900, it’s all web-based for now.
Apps are nicely sorted according to the type and category, and there’s even a “My Stuff” section to remind you of what you’ve downloaded so far. Ofcourse to use this, you’ll need a (free) Nokia Ovi account though.
Just like the Symbian version of the Ovi Store, you can tap on the name of an app (or whatever content) to bring up a screen with more info about it.
From this screen you can read the description of the app, read more reviews about it (if there are any), leave your own review, or just download it.
You can also check out more apps or content from the publisher, if available.
Unfortunately, the Ovi Store doesnt indicate any apps that you might already have installed, so that’s a bit annoying.
Once you tap on “Download” the application downloads and begins installing to your Maemo 5 device.
This will take you to the Application Manager, that will automatically install the app for you. Ofcourse if the content you’re downloading is a Ringtone or Video, the appropriate program will open up.
And this takes up to Method 2, the Application manager.
The application manager is where you can check the Maemo 5 App repositories for more apps and content to download. There’s a variety of categories to help you out.
And the App repositoy, smartly hides any applications you have already downloaded and installed on your N900. To add to the coolness of that, it’ll alert you if any apps you have installed, have any updates available.
Very cool, and definitely helpful.
There’s a ton of stuff in the app repository for Maemo, which might be overwhelming. The whole list is sorted Alphabetically, and there doesnt seem to be a way to sort by “recently added” yet to check for new apps.
Luckily you are also able to search for any specific apps, if you already know the name, etc.
This is all available by tapping the top toolbar in the window, at any time.
You’re also able to check which app repositories are being checked.
Not to mention, you can add to this list too if you know more Maemo 5 application catalogues (example: The Dev Repository).
And finally in the list of options, you can check your log.
As you can see, mine’s quite a mess. You dont really need to go into all these settings though, the N900 has a default list of repositories in it’s catalog, and that’s just fine for the average fella.
When you install an app from the app manager, it’ll install the app and return you to where you are in the list, which is very cool because it means you dont have to navigate through the whole list again to find where you left off.
The final method of installing apps on the N900, is to manually install them by connecting your N900 to a supported computer, dropping the installation file in (.deb files, etc) and installing them using an app called “Xterm”. It’s slightly complicated and way too vast to explain in a post, but that’s a method you’ll very rarely need to play around with unless you really want to install something on your N900, or tinker with a couple things.
To give you a better idea of these various methods of downloading and installing apps on Maemo 5, here’s a short video overview :
So as you can see, installing files on Maemo 5 (and hence the N900) isnt really a problem at all. It might not be as easy as on Symbian (with PC Suite and it’s one-click installations) but its certainly not a problem.
Have a question about Downloading and Installing apps on the N900 ? Something we missed ? Do let us know in the comments below y’all !
Clinton is currently based in New Delhi, India and is executive editor for UnleashThePhones. He is responsible for all editorial decisions, and covers all forms of Mobile and mobile-related accessories.
Cj is addicted to caffeine, social media, and technology. Always up for a good conversation, you can reach him through the contact form, his website, on Google Plus 
or on Facebook or Twitter: Follow @clintonjeff
Dear CJ, Can you please explain in detail how to do manual installation of apps on N900?
Its a nice experience.it works smoothly.what about 7210 supernova ?
Wow I didnt know that at all ! Much Thanks Mark :D
Nice guide Cj! I also recommend going to http://maemo.org/downloads/ through the browser. There are descriptions & screenshots you won't see on App Manager. You can also install directly from there.
Great, it somehow reminds me of the also great 12 parts symbianbriefs's review : http://symbianbriefs.blogspot.com/search/label/...Keep it on ;)
[...] has continued his N900 and Maemo walkthrough with an excellent guide on how to download applications on the device. Packed (as ever) with screenshots detailing the [...]