Nokia opens up N900 to designers, hackers and modders

Nokia N900

Nokia wants people to tinker with its N900 device and it is actively encouraging hackers, modders, designers and other creative types to do so.

The company's PUSH N900 project was launched on Sunday with the aim of giving people the chance to "get their hands on, and heads inside, the new Nokia N900 and the Maemo platform."

Those interested in taking part, just need to submit a simple brief to Nokia, detailing how they would hack into and modify the N900 and Maemo in order to connect it to something they love whatever that something may be.

Winners will receive a N900, in addition to support and funding to develop their idea, which will then be showcased in flagship Nokia stores around the world.

Nokia is clearly excited about the potential for innovation this competition may ignite. "It's one thing the N900 being a Linux-based device. It's a whole other issue when we discover what that might actually mean. Excited? You bet!" it exclaimed in a statement publicising its launch.

Submissions will be accepted until 11 October with the winners being announced on 25 October.

Maggie Holland

Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.

Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.