Something I just learned today: The Nokia N900 doesn’t have MMS support

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

• Yes its funny that no MMS

  Found out just now?

  You really haven’t followed this thing then. There’s about zillion
  whiny threads and posts about this on various blogs and discussion
  forums. Bitching started the day N900 was announced.

• ScottF

  WOW. Fuck this. I guess its HD2 for me. Unless theres a software update on the way? Ill give it some time. I really wanted this phone!

• Steveo

  Of course, the difference here is that the N900 is open source and linux and the Iphone is massively restricted in terms of developing. The N900 also comes without radio software but had a transmitter. Go figure – the developers can sort it…

• Stefan Constantinescu

  Because enabling MMS via a hack by the open source community fixes everything, right?

• Stefan Constantinescu

  You’re right, I haven’t been following the N900 that closely since I have no intention of picking one up.

  This little piece of news just throws fuel onto the fire, the one started with Nokia openly admitting that Maemo 6 is going to be so much better, have a new radical UI, and will support multi touch on a capacitive screen. It’s as if they don’t want anyone buying the N900!

• Matti

  They won’t fix MMS. It’s missing because theres no support for it in Linux kernel. My guess is that it will eventually fixed by the oFono project, which is NOkia’s and Intels jpoint project for creating the missing GSM telephony stacks for Linux.

• Brian_CaB

  Everything about this line has been a bootstrap effort.
  Is that being done deliberately? Would enjoy an official Nokia answer to that as against the uttering of the sputtering masses.
  Regardless the answer, the N900 will expand the developer base by offering enough goodies to get many on board. As a developer of mobile convergent apps, the N900 presents an opportunity I’ve already been designing around so if the sheckles align a N900 will be here not long after generally available.
  I fully recognize the early adopter tax in both coin and capability but that is always present. If you have to place a bet for the long score, it’s best to ante up on the dark horse that if given a chance will go the distance. With Android and Apple, you get a shrinking piece of a growing pie. With Maemo I get a fully hackable core with very good hardware which to answer your other post Stefan has served HTC and their users well.

• Matti

  Hardly suprising that there will be something better year from now.

  I would understand the argument if N900 was a house and buyer was supposed to take 30 year mortage and raise his kinds in it. But it’s a phone. Most people, especially Nseries market segment, buys new phone every 12-24 months, so something better coming along 12 months later hardly matters.

• phat^trance

  wtf i totally missed this too

• mms in 2009

  ppl who need mms in 2009 should not pick up the n900. stefan i am surprised you would miss it..

• Stefan Constantinescu

  i use MMS at least once a week.

• antonio

  I use MMS every single day. I don´t pay for it…

  Nokia fanboys are really funny

• Ralph

  Nokia is a dinosaur whose time is just about up. Maybe they can go back to making rubber boots.

• Dans

  Old news, MMS coming in the next big update.

• phunny

  wup di duu. that was an original comment! lol.

• Dans

  Linux kernel doesnt support MMS, so someone has to write and test it. That takes time and the process has started, expect it in the first major update, possibly Dec 09.

• jayq330

  nokia sells and has the largest market share in the phone industry,facts look it up. and being open source theyll get mms real soon maybe before it comes to the states. tmobile might get it. unlike and bashing there mms is going to do nothing like it did nothing to the iphone,remember that its open source so it will interest a different group of people that like to tinker and get in there phones. something that you cant do to your iphone without losing the warranty. maemo5 is gonna be like a ultraportable pc so imagine comparing it to iphone? really cmon…endless possibilities, plus the hardware is decent,not the best but at least you can use the hardwares full potential unlike someone else with the same H/D specs. anyway power to the people! imaging me spending $600 on a phone and i cant do what i want with it? what are you a follower? or leaders, lol hey they have a new fart app ver. 10.9 for $3 go get it. peace!

• Tochi

  It’s down to a Linux kernel restriction and will be fixed by december. It took apple 2 yes and still no multitasking in that hyped fad. Maemo is it boy.

• Carl

  Unlike iPhone owners of times past, N900 owners will be able to go “there’s an app for that” in the not too distant future.

  Personally, I think MMS is a rip-off anyway. Why pay ~35c when I can send it for almost free by email?

• Jerry P.

  I already sent a MMS once in my life, so no need to try it again. What for? Got e-mail? Skype? Twitter? ICQ? Frings? Nymbuzz? I’m not a Nokia fan, in the past 20 years i got WM, Symbian, Psion … just everything. One thing I can’t never use for more than a few day was iFoun. Kids toy.

• B!

  Funny. fMMS clearly proves that MMS is possible with the N900. But your probably right. It’s impossible, fMMS is just a fluke, and will stop working as soon as the linux comunity realises it exists…

  B!