Maemo
Maemo is a Linux-basedsmartphone operating system from Nokia. The open mobile platform Maemo has been used in Nokia's webpads with touchscreen, WLAN, Bluetooth and VoIP since 2005 and ported to cell phones since 2009. Since then, Maemo has replaced the Symbian operating system in individual Nokia smartphones.
The Maemo platform
The Maemo platform was developed in collaboration between Nokia and several open source projects. The platform consists of the Linux kernel software stack, APIs and the Hildon application framework. The graphical user interface( GUI) is based on GNOME and the GTK+widget set.
The Linux kernel handles memory and process management, networking services and transport layerprotocols like TCP/ IP. The ARM/ OMAP-based Linux kernel implements hardware-specific device and bus drivers such as the USB interface, LCD display and WLAN as well as for the camera and audio components.
The Maemo launcher activates the applications of the platform and consists of the Maemo invoker, executed by a DBUS cameon or scripts, and the launcher for initializing the data required by the applications. The launch of an application starts from the Invoker.
Cell phone control via Maemo
The center of Maemo's cell phone control is the dashboard, which displays unanswered calls or new email, and allows switching between an open application and an ongoing phone call. The dashboard also shows open applications that are running in the background and do not need to be turned off. Text and images can be cut-and-pasted between multiple applications.
The desktop can be personalized with widgets for calendars, maps, a multimedia player and shortcuts for frequently used applications and websites. Different home screens for music or the smartphone browser can be set as the main menu and switching between the screens is possible with the finger, but not with multi-touch, on the touchscreen.
The Maemo browser under Mozilla
The Maemo browser works with a Mozilla engine and also displays browser tabs, a favorites menu and websites with Flash content. The Ovi, Gtalk, Jabber or Skypeplatforms are available for instant messaging and chat. Photos with an integrated camera automatically receive GPS-basedgeotagging. The photos can be tagged with their own keywords and opened from a tagcloud at the touch of a finger.
If updates are available for Maemo, the user automatically receives a notification to download and install the software directly on the cell phone with FOTA(FirmwareUpdate Over The Air). Additional programs for Maemo can be downloaded from the Maemo-Select application platform and from the Ovi Store.
The Maemo SDK is made available to independent developers. It replicates the Maemo platform in a personal computer and enables the development of own applications in the programming languagesC++ C++and Python.