A user on the Talk forums has demonstrated using his N900 to control an IR-controlled RC helicopter. The N900 has an IR transmitter, thePicooZ helicopter is controlled by IR, so I use the N900 to send control signals instead of the usual remote. This illustrates another of the interesting uses hackers have put the N900 to, although the limited range of the N900 IR transmitter makes for an interesting exercise in helicopter piloting.
Johannes K, author of the face-tracking game "BurgerFace" has released a video using the same technology to simulate a 3D window. Mimicking a technique which has been seen on desktop computers (using a Wiimote rather than face-tracking), the perspective of the scene changes as the viewer's position changes: Building on the algorithms I've implemented as part of my Diplom Thesis, I've now implemented a demo of a 3D view on the Nokia N900. The idea is to adjust the camera through which the 3D scene is viewed to the user's head position. The screen then appears to be a window into the virtual world. The 3D scene is easily constructed on the N900 using OpenGL ES 2.0. A small box and a few foreground objects are sufficient. In order to determine the head position I use the face detection and tracking code I've recently implemented. A cool demo, but unfortunately not yet available to install on our own N900s.
Reuters is reporting that Nokia shareholders aren't happy with the decisions of CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo (often known as "OPK").
The share price of the world's largest cellphone maker has missed the market recovery. The firm will be one of the few to miss profit growth in 2010, the year of economic recovery, and software problems continue to haunt its smartphone lineup.
It means Kallasvuo, who has spent more than half of his life at the company, could give his last speech to shareholders if Nokia cannot roll out a serious challenger to Apple's iPhone for the key holiday-sales season at end of the year.
There is no mention of Maemo/MeeGo: could the Harmattan-running successor to the N900, expected in the second half of the year, be the "serious challenger" the analysts are looking for?