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If information on Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet is your current poison of choice, then you’ll want to go hang out with ThoughFix who is blogging the hell out of the compact net-surfing device. Not content with a nicely detailed overview video of the device (which you can see after the cut), he’s been comparing it to its N800 predecessor, checking out video performance (as the N800 was renowned for promising big things in mobile video but lacking the processor grunt to back up those claims) and generally exploring why the N810 should have space in your bag.
We’re promised video of the N810 being used in-car as a GPS navigation device, as well as an article detailing how the N95 and the Internet Tablet play particularly nicely together as a mobile blogging and communication platform.
As usual, you guys have missed the point completely. All of the performance improvements in the N810 are software-based, and will recursively be available for N800 owners with the new firmware, ITOS2008, including a higher processor speed.
The only different things the N810 has, are a GPS receiver, one less memory card slot (and a less common variety of card to boot), a transflexive screen that appears to work better in direct sunlight, an ambient light sensor, a hardware thumbboard and the navigation D-pad placed in a less convenient location than on the N800.
Besides, the N800 is not the N810’s predecessor; they’re complementary devices: one is for true, hardcore tableteers, the other for the panzies that can’t live without a real keyboard.
Thanks for the feedback, Karel; I wasn’t aware that the N800’s processor speed was limited by the firmware, so it’ll be interesting to see how that improves once people start installing it.
It’s always good to hear from a dedicated tablet-user - if you’ve read SlashGear for any length of time then you’ll likely know that I’m a big fan of pen-computing. However, I think people are still going to consider the N810 as the N800’s successor, no matter how complementary they are. That’s down to mainstream users being familiar, comfortable with and prejudiced towards QWERTY - they’ll see this new device as being Nokia “coming to their senses” and including what, to their mind, should have been there all along.
I hope both do continue to be available alongside each other, because at the end of the day it’s giving people the choice. Some will be happy to be hardcore - others not so! But hopefully it’ll keep Nokia’s investment in time and development in the concept, and we’ll see further upgrades and firmware tweaking.
This video reviewer has caused my brain to hemorrhage. First, he removed the miniSD card and tried to shove it in upsidedown. Then, he played a YouTube video but didn’t think to hit the “view in full screen” button, which would have been an interesting part of a performance test. Finally, he kept saying he would show us Google Docs in action, but failed to find a link to it, despite the fact that it was in the upper left hand corner (where it always is) the minute he accessed google.com. What qualifies this guy to do this sort of thing? The only upshot to this video was its clarity. Very crisp visuals. Good to see.
I’m with you, Chris - not a big fan of pen based computing. It would have been interesting to see this guy do a little finger navigation. I’ll be interested to research Karel’s assertion that all these software updates are coming to the N800 as well. . . . Those things have plummeted in price.
@ ProfessionalGun: Just go to http://www.internettablettalk......index.php? and start reading. Nokia employees and afficionados have explicitly stated that everything that’s on the N810 — bar hardware-related differences (like the GPS module or the hardware keyboard in the N810) — will be available on the ITOS2008 version on the N800, and later on the “hacker edition” of ITOS2008 for the older 770. The N800 is now indeed becoming a sweet, sweet deal…
Thanks Karel - my interest in the N800 just went through the roof. If the new firmware also supports 8gb SDHC cards - that’s 16gb of flash in a much more capable device than the iPod Touch for nearly $100 less. Very nice.
@ProfessionalGun: It does. Allegedly it supports 16 and 32 GB cards as well (although there aren’t enough eccentric millionaires with N800s to have this tested yet), so we’re good for a while to come.
The Nokia Internet Tablets might indeed be a little more rough around the edges than Apple’s offerings for pod people, but — at least in my humble opinion — they make more than up for that by representing a truly open and community-driven environment. It took Nokia a while to “get” that openness (and they’re still not completely there), but it seems they really are trying to play nice with the community.
Incidentally, with that gorgeous screen and the excellent Fbreader program available, the 770 (which now rests permanently beside my bed) and the N800 (now more or less affixed to my inside pocket) make for awesome ebook-readers. And even at that they’re not too expensive…