Just finished knocking out some bugs and 2.0.1-9 is now in testing.  Please post any bugs you find.  Fixed Media Player Buttons, returned phone dial pad keys to the older look.  Returned icon boarders to old look.  Also fixed calendar applet.  Plus MORE icons!

Vote Now!!

I just pushed Maemo-org Theme 2.0.1 to Extras-testing.  Please vote by going here.  Changes for 2.0.1 include fixes for Pr1.2 Virtual Keyboard, minor bugs.   Plus an all new icon set created by shazosbourne and me.  Right now it includes over 300 icons and more everyday.  I play on releaseing an update atleast once a week with more icons and I ask that if you would like to have any applications icon redone to match the theme please post here.  If you can send a copy of the themes icon that would be great.  If not please just let me know what applicaitons you want icons done for. 

Maemo-org Theme was once the most downloaded theme on Extras and I want to make it that way once again, but I need your help go download and vote for the package.

3 Know bugs:

Calendar Applet Icon – White on White will be fixed next release
Alarm Times – Alarm times on all custom themes I tried are scrambled when not checked.
Phone buttons don’t have glossy look will be fixed in next release.

Screenshots:

As I see someone else posting another new Clock application I can’t help but wonder why.  Left me first say I love all the Maemo developers out there, as a Theme Maker I consider myself a developer.  I just don’t understand why everyone is making some many Clock/Timer apps.  Some of them are so close that I would almost say that people have taken someone else’s code and just changed the name of the application. 

I understand that for several people their first application might be a clock or hello world.  Just remember just because you write it doesn’t mean you have to release it to extras.  Since many/most of these clock apps are open source why are people not just working on one clock application and contributing the code.  If you took the time it took the dozen or so people who have made clock/timer apps and had all the programming knowledge in one application that would be the ultimate clock program. 

Maybe as we start to move on to Meego we will have better sharing and working together to make 1 or 2 great applications and now 12 – 24 just OK ones.  Also can we get at least one fart app?

Its rare that I review someone else’s theme work because I rarely uses someone else’s themes.  As I am sure most of theme designers use one of there themes.  I did how ever notice when D-Iivil released his Plastic Theme that came with a settings page to change some things around.  I though man that would be cool to have on my themes because I’m always getting people asking me to tweek certain font colors or sizes, remove icon backgrounds and many other things.   In the past I stayed away from making several versions of my themes to make these people happy. 

I talked to D-Iivil once about making a Scheme for the Plastic Theme that looked like maemo-org theme but used his settings window.  Soon after that I took a break for Maemoand theming.  I just recently got started back up and I saw his new Theme Customizer that does what the Plastic Theme did plus more.  I was so excited I installed it right away and started playing with some of my themes.  I even used this to fix a bug on one of my unreleased themes that caused text to be unreadable do to font color. 

This application really is one everyone needs on there N900.  Check out the Screenshot and Features List below then check out the t.m.o thread here

Here is a list of things you can change using Theme Customizer

- change system font family
- change system font size
- change font colors
- save, load and delete color presets
- change icon theme
- change application shortcut sizes at homescreen
- show or hide the backgrounds for application shortcuts at homescreen
- change web bookmarks sizes at homescreen
- adjust snap to grid value at homescreen
- import .ttf and .otf fonts to be used with the device
- change opacity of built-in homescreen widgets
- change background image for clock, app manager, lockscreen and media player

 I have taken several months away from my N900 due to the fact that Meego was coming.  I saw Maemo as a dead platform.  I still do see Maemo in that way but not the N900.  I have been tinkering with designing a Meego theme for a little while now but haven’t done much until recently.  Now with the announcement of Dual Booting Maemo and Meego I have starting digging into Meego theming even more.  I hope to have a Meego Theme done very soon even though the control panel to change themes wont be in Meego until Meego 1.2. 

I can’t wait to give Meego a try and get some Meego themes out.  I’ll keep everyone updated on the status of my first Meego theme.

“Anyone to lazy to read the following blog post short story is the grass is not greener on the other side and I’m going to be using my N900 in connection with several devices now.”

I’m looking for 10 to 20 people who would like to beta test my Ovi Themes.  I would like people from beginner to Maemo experts.  You will be given early access to the themes and receive them for free once they are finished.  All I ask is that you install and test at least 50% of all the themes I release a month.  If you fail to test 50% a month you will be removed as a tester.  I will also request that you submit a small review of the app any bugs, color issues, or viewing issues.

If your interested please let me know by email or site contact form.  PS First theme is almost ready for testing.

I was looking over maemo.org today and noticed that my maemo-org theme has been downloaded 51,272 times as of me writting this.  With just over 7,000,000 downloads total for maemo5 that means the maemo-org theme makes up about 0.74% of total downloads from the repo.  That number might look small but if you consider that I’m talking about 1 application out of hundreds 0.74% is a big number.  Numbers like this is what makes a theme designer want to keep working.  To know that thousands of people have downloaded my work means alot to me.

While I’m here just me just put a heads up out to everyone on whats going on with me.  I’ve been working very hard on themes and looking into the Ovi Store.  Right now I am working on 3 themes that should be released within the next few weeks I am holding off until Pr1.2 for them since they will be going to the Ovi Store. 

First is my Star Trek theme.  I’m not going to call this a real Lcars theme since it ended up being very hard to make the lcars interface for the n900.  Instead I have used lcars colors and design for the buttons and many tool bars on the device.  I have also included some other star trek elements in the theme.  The theme will also come with a lcars wallpaper along with several other wallpaper packs that will be on my site for free downlaod.

Second I am alomst done with my Classic Batman Colors theme.  The theme is covered with the classic batman blue and grey.  Due to copywrites the wallpapers will be someone generic but some nice free batman wallpapers will be on my site.

Third is the first in my College Colors theme Series, I decided to do Alabama Crimson Tide as my first theme.  It will be covered in Crimson and Grey.  Once again due to copywrites I will not include the wallpapers with Alabamas logo on them but will release some free ones on my site. 

After these three themes are released I will start doing Variants of them for Differant school, and comic book stars.  Please feel free to suggest anything you would like.  I have also decided on a $1 price point for all my ovi themes.  I had been cosidering $2 but I feel that $1 is more then a fair price for my work and that way we are both getting a good deal.

Thanks for reading my blog and thanks for the support.

After 24 hours to think about my blog post yesterday and talking with several members of the community I have decided to write a follow up that many of you asked for.  I’m not changing much from what I said yesterday just clarifying some.

I feel as if I have been somewhat of a leader in the community the past few years.  I have helped get some things done, like Theme and Design section of forums, and minimalist theme.  I have helped lots of people with theme issues.  I have helped with Mer and have gone to several Events to spread the word about Maemo.  I have release well over a dozen themes.  I have done all this for the community I have spent hundreds of hours working late into the night to produce quality work.  I have almost always felt like I my work was appreciated until now.  I feel that due to posts like these and more, Post 1, Post 2.