Nokia N900 VoIP Integration Rocks
Last night I went to use the evaluation Nokia N900 and call James, when I realized I had a data-only SIM card in the device. It turns out that it didn’t matter due to the excellent integration of VoIP and IM services within Maemo. You can see by the picture that I was on a call with James. It looks like any normal call, right? It’s not. I “called” James over Google Talk and I did it right through the standard Contacts application, just like I would for a regular phone call. Here’s how it works.
Within Maemo on the N900, you can easily set up VoIP and IM accounts for Google, Jabber, SIP, Skype and Ovi. I set up Skype and Google Talk because those are the services I use on a daily basis.
On the main screen of the N900, your presence for these services is always shown, and a quick tap allows you to modify your status. You can even show your location to these services at one of three levels: city, district, or street. Once you’ve set up your accounts for these services, the N900 will show your contact’s statuses as well. It’s completely integrated within the Contacts application, so with a quick glance you can see who’s online and who’s not. In fact, you can sort your contacts by Availability which moves all of the online contacts from VoIP and IM to the top. Simply tapping one of these contacts provides the option for me to call over Skype, Google Talk or to send an IM.
At this point, you essentially have one address book for all of your peeps, regardless of how you contact them. For instance, in my case I can use contacts to place a voice call to a cellphone, landline, Skype or Google Talk. The network method simply doesn’t matter and I love that — I want to call people, not numbers. So if I want to ping James via phone, voice over IP or IM, I can do it all one place.
While other handsets have this type of presence integration, I like the breadth of services offered natively within Maemo on the N900 — especially Skype. In fact, I’m wondering if some folks could get away with an N900 and no voice plan. By combining the free Google Voice service with a $60 yearly Skype number, could the N900 be a data-driven device with voice access over the web? Granted, we need ubiquitous wireless coverage for such a scenario, but I think the idea has merit for the N900 as well as future handset. Om noted this VoIP integration in his first look at the N900, but I think many folks are missing what could be a killer feature for some.
Before I forget: the call quality was “near cellular” James tells me. I was actually using Wi-Fi for my connection, which routes my web traffic over a fast FiOS connection. I held the device like a phone and I also put it on speakerphone — from my side, it sounded just like any other phone call. There was no lag, no echo, nor any other sound issues from the stereo speakers on the left and right side of the handset. All in all, it was a seamless and positive experience.
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Thanks for this post, seeing that people use and appreciate software I worked on is great!
I don’t know which part you worked on, but thanks! :)
I would like to personally thank you, Marco. You guys kicked a** with the N900, and there’s still much to improve. I’d give you a medal, but I’m sure the fat check from Nokia was enough apprecitation at the moment. ;P
Looking forward to seeing you guys advance this device and platform further, and hope some of the Maemo guys like T9 enough to convince Nokia to make a device with ASR and a portrait T9 keypad. Then it would be perfect, and you’d be a god for the next 1000 years.
Hats off to you guys, seriously. I feel like I’m at the carnival, shooting the ducks rolling by with the BB gun, and there’s an Apple, Android, WinMo, RIM, and WebOS symbol on each ducks back. The Symbian Foundation rubber duckie is paying for each game, and I’m loving every minute of it.
I actually have two N900s at the moment, one via a trial, and I’m surely the luckiest guy on the planet. I don’t have a SIM card, and I don’t care.
GO Nokia! (shakes pom-poms)
not to be a nokia fanboi, but all s60 devices have excellent VOIP integration.
The only difference in the Maemo seems to be a Nokia-Skype client that works. Never understood why Nokia couldn’t get one for s60.
Skype is coming to s60 finally! http://share.skype.com/sites/garage/2009/12/skype_for_symbian_beta_release.html
I have had the idea of using my data sim to make voip calls and basically save money. I’m glad to know this is a viable option.
Great Post Kevin!
Are you using your Google Account with Google Sync? If so, how well does Maemo handle Exchange accounts? I like Mail for Exchange on my E71 currently, but do think it is flawed, and wondered if this had any issues?
When I first took delivery of the N900, I did set it up with Mail for Exchange and my Google account. Unfortunately, while contacts and the calendar seemed to work, the mail didn’t. Rather than dig deeper as to why, I went with the standard email app.
Another downside to MfE and Google Sync was that I could only get one calendar from the looks of it. I’ll have to double back and do some more research…
I have an N900 and love it, although I didn’t intend to use it as a phone…
MfE does not currently work with Google (well, it does for some people, but you get the picture.) It’s not even a priority, as I understand it — the maemo developers responsible for MfE posted on ITT and are working on Mail for Exchange for Exchange 2003 first.
As a workaround, you can use Nuevasync for free with the Calendar and Contacts and use Nokia Messaging set up with Gmail for the email parts.
Exchange support is immature and buggy at the moment, but we’ve had a Maemo Mfe team member getting input from the community for a week now, and he’s taking this very personally. There’s effort to get it right, and they’re being as transparent as glass on what they’re doing.
Keep the E71 for now, but the N900 will be there soon.
Hmm, Interesting. I’ll go and quiz some people in a Phone shop about it, when I next get the chance.
I like how the VoIP integrates so well on Nokia phones. It’s superb on my E71, and I use it religiously to keep my call costs down at University.
Soon when LTE, and other higher speeds data become more widely available, then we will have video calling on our mobile phones. So Kevin, after these few days of testing the N900 you think this is a great smartphone? Or do you think a Android smartphone could do much more?
The N900 has video calling now via Fring and a standalone MSN client. I’ve had the N900 for two weeks, and a second for a few days, and its not a smartphone, its a computer. Period. I mean that in a good way. No more compromises necessary.
Android is more mature at the moment, but has limitations, mainly its application framework, which is Java based. Java is too latent for real computing, and not really the path you want for power. The N900 is full Debian Linux, the only variable is the finger controlled UI and the PIM apps, which rock bells! It supports all of the usual app frameworks your Ubuntu laptop supports. And support and updates are coming fast. The device has been in hands for about a month, and the second firmware upgrade is already expected within the next couple weeks.
We’re seeing something the market has never seen, which is a handheld workstation with finger controls and stylus support. No hackery needed. And the OS allows such deep access, that what Kevin didn’t mention is they’ve already supplied free plugins to the IM/SMS app called Conversations that adds MSN, Yahoo, GaduGadu, AIM, Groupwise, ICQ, QQ, Sametime, and IRC. They’re working on Facebook Chat and possibly MySpace as well, not with apps, but plugins to the existing infrastructure. This level of implementation is only available via hacks on any other OS.
There’s also the Twitter and Facebook photo sync, which uses profile images to populate the address book. Its simply an amazing device, to put it mildly. Its the big disruption I’ve been waiting for. Its not better than an iPhone, its an entirely new genre that an iPhone could never even imagine existing in. Its that good.
I’m beyond satisfied.
It’s a computer? Really? On my ‘computer’ and even my E90 I can create and edit MS Office 2007 documents – a huge part of my computer usage. Can you do that on your ‘computer’?
@ John in Norway,
Office Document editing is just around the corner. You can use Google Docs via the browser in the meantime, or use Easy Debian and Open Office.
The N900 is admittedly, by Nokia, a work in progress, but that work is at a rapid pace. There have already been two firmware updates in the month devices have been in consumer hands, and Nokia has been actively accepting feedback and engaging the community. They have screens on the walls of their offices with Twitter feeds of complaints to keep them focused. You would probably be impressed, as no other company is as accessible and receptive, nor sending actual developer team members to discuss our needs. There is an actual thrfead on Maemo.org with a member of the Exchange implementation team stating “Blame Me” for any user issues, and he directy has addressed each issue and request one by one. The openness is amazing and unprecedented.
“The openness is amazing and unprecedented.”
No offense, but it sounds like you haven’t worked with Google before.
Also, iPhone, Android, WebOS, Blackberry (and probably WinMo) all can sync Facebook photos. When you list that as some kind of yardstick, it shows you don’t really know much about the other platforms that you can make an honest comparison against Nokia/Maemo.
technically one can do video-calls on 3G, at least if said 3G is umts, rather then cdma2000.
not often used tho, as the telco’s love to bump the price up on those calls…
I’ve thought about trying to live data only with a mifi and a data phone for a while. With wifi at home, skype ( sadly fragile) client on my iPhones, a desk phone currently based on an x70, and google voice this doest seem that far away. The additional value of always having a connected bubble around me when about would be great. Now how to make battery life work and get devices to use networks intelligently.
I’ve been doing it for about a few months, and once these hot spots get to wristwatch size, it will probably be preferred by more people.
I am trying to figure out how to use my Skype out paid account utilizing the client on the N900. So far such attempts have failed with “incorrect address”, which makes me think that the Contacts field populated with a phone number is not recognized properly?!?
When do you get that message error exactly? When you try to configure the skype account or after that?
Contacts -> Call with Skype field (having a ph #). The only difference btw my setup and the video here: http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2009/11/video_demo_skype_for_nokia_n90.html is that in my case I can’t seem to be able to change the field to accommodate the E.164 + sign in front of a number …not sure if that would make the difference
The number you are dialing needs to be in international format. Eg: +1-123-456-7890 (but without the dashes. I had the same problem until I did a bit of Googling.
That’s weird.
Are you connected to skype? That is, if you click on the notification area (where the clock is), do you see an availability button? Are you online?
If you click it you should see the list of connected accounts and some button to change your status (Online, Busy, Offline). Which button is selected (i.e. green)?
It was the “+”! I have attempted to add it in the ph # field in Contacts by pressing the “blue arrow” and the “S” key … I eventually figured out that the phone number field is designed to accept phone number characters, thus not requiring the “blue arrow” … duh! Anyway – the answer to my earlier post is that every number needs a “+” to be accepted in “dial w/Skype” … now I have to see what the impact on my Cisco backend will be, as Cisco CM does not understand “+” and I am planning to use my N900 in a similar way to my earlier E61i – i.e. client of Cisco CM …
Hm, I suppose it’s because it cannot now in which country you are so which prefix to automatically insert.
If you cannot use “+” try using “00″, while technically not the same 00 should/could work.
Hi Guys !
This is really very interesting feature but I have got a QUESTION to ask. If we are talking on gmail with somebody and somebody is calling my nokia n900, will I get call or loose it. I believe that I would get call as both the things are different (VOIP based gmail call and network based call). If somebody can tell this, it would be highly appreciated !
Regards,
Praveer
I think it should put the existing call on hold if you answer the VOIP call.