Why web pads, internet tablets and ultra-mobiles aren’t the same thing
Ari Jaaksi famously announced the walkaround web in November 2005 when he pointed out that surfing wasn’t stationary any more than phone calls were. Cellphones had untethered calling, and a device like the first Nokia Internet Tablet meant the internet was available anywhere we were. We didn’t need to go to a computer in a specific location to get to the web any more than we needed to find a payphone to make a phone call.
Henceforth, we could carry our web-access with us, the same way we carry our phones. Ari said it all when he wrote: “I surf in trains, in cafeterias, at airports, even while driving. I can go online anytime and anywhere I want.” He called his observations “bold” but they were in fact revolutionary in understanding how this changes not computing, not using the web, but how we organize our lives.
Long before I heard of the Nokia 770, I used a small, keyboardless WiFi-enabled tablet to access the internet from Bryant Park in New York City. The notion of the web away from the desk antedated Nokia’s efforts by many years. By my count, it produced at least eight web pads (the contemporary term) prior to the 770, all of which failed to establish themselves.
My most complete experience was with the Screen Media FreePad, from a Norwegian outfit. The FreePad had a 10.4-inch screen, 800 x 600 resolution, built-in WiFi and “cordless telephone services”; and it ran an embedded Linux. No disk drive; if you wanted, you could attach a USB keyboard.
The rest of FreePad’s hardware was feeble by today’s standards but practical for 2000. Even back then the group I was working with expected to buy the FreePad for just $800 (in quantity).[1]
Eight years ago, and only $800. WiFi was in its nascent stages then, but if you were describing an organization-wide device (as we were) and not a personal weblet,[2] that probably wasn’t what kept the FreePad from succeeding.
You’ve all seen the press release and the official product page. Below are some additional information I got at CTIA about the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition:
It will run Diablo. Update for N810 and N800 coming.
The email client is now Modest.
There are no finalized rates/plans yet for XOHM (WiMAX).
Over-the-air update is now built-in.
Bulge at the back for better XOHM reception. I didn’t find the slight bulge to be an issue.
Price will be $475 and should be out 2Q.
No PIM planned yet.
No one will confirm if this if the “4 of 5.”
Connectivity has “Any Connection” option to switch automatically to WiMAX, WiFi, and Bluetooth. There is also an option for “WLAN and WiMAX.”
Navigation software gets an upgrade.
Still no video support for Skype.
Color is black brushed metal, black keyboard, and goldish bezel.
Case is pretty much the same but inside is carrot orange instead of sky blue.
Full demo video from Satu Sipola, Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition Product Manager after the jump.
In Las Vegas, where the CTIA Wireless 2008 show is going on, Nokia officially announced its N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Because WiMAX signals extend 2-3 miles — as compared to a few hundred feet for WiFi — WiMAX networks enable broadband internet connections (2-4 Mbps, with peaks of up to 10 Mbps) for users on the move.
The device will be “available in the United States during the summer of 2008 in areas where WiMAX connectivity is available.”
Nokia also announced an
upgraded OS2008 [that] introduces useful new features to the platform, including an enhanced e-mail client, support for Chinese character rendering in the browser and RSS feeds and Seamless Software Update functionality to eliminate manual software updates, making periodic updates of the operating system quick and easy. While standard on the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition, current owners of Nokia N810 and N800 Internet Tablets with earlier operating systems will be able to upgrade their device to the revised operating system for free during the second quarter of 2008.
I’m not sure if this adds anything to what we already knew about the next OS release, but since Reggie is having all the fun in Las Vegas, I’m reduced to reading and re-reading the press release.
Here’s the obligatory statement of significance by an upper-level executive:
“By delivering the kind of open Internet experience that consumers previously only expected on a desktop PC, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is a compelling example of how next generation broadband wireless technology will not only change the way people think about the Internet, it will change the very nature of the Internet itself,” said Ari Virtanen, Vice President of Convergence Products for Nokia.
“Much in the way that the evolution of the fixed Internet from dial-up to broadband enabled a host of new Internet services and changed people’s expectations of what an Internet experience should be, the transition to a broadband Internet experience set free from the constraints of a fixed network will spark the next wave of new mobile Internet services, and will forever change the perception of what the Internet can be.”
I think Ari means the walkaround web is a totally new experience and the new tablet will be the first to deliver it in this form. No argument there. (I guess if you’re in one of those WiMAX locations, we’re talking about the drive-around web, actually.)
Just so there’s no confusion about this new tablet: When not in range of a WiMAX network, the Nokia N810 WE can also “access the Internet over Wi-Fi or via conventional cellular data networks by pairing to a compatible mobile phone via Bluetooth technology.”
Nokia’s press release ambiguously notes that “a number of VoIP and IM clients are available, including Skype, Google Talk, and Gizmo5, which can also take advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition’s built-in web cam for video calls.” Whether this statement includes Skype among the VoIP clients that can make cam calls depends upon how you parse the sentence. Clarification is already being sought on this.
Added later:
Where will you find WiMAX? Alex Vorn at World of Gadgets cites these locales in 2008: Baltimore, Washington DC and Chicago (with Boston “soon” and New York after that).
Ok, there’s no official announcement yet but Nokia has again let the cat out of the bag a bit too early — four days too early to be exact as we can probably guess that the new Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition will be announced at CTIA at Las Vegas on April 1.
Eagle eyed itT member and owner of Internet Tablet School, Krisse found the new image and link (that is not yet active) over at the Nokia Tableteer site. Judging from the image, it looks like it’s an N810 copy but in black brushed aluminum, rather than blue. The previously reported BestBuy Nokia ad perhaps shows how the N810 - WiMAX Edition will actually look. No wonder they made a mistake… they’re both “N810’s.”
I will be at CTIA on April 1 (only) to cover what ever Internet Tablet news transpire. Stay tuned.
Here’s more proof of the upcoming WiMAX enabled Internet Tablet. It seems like Nokia is currently working with Alvartion Ltd., Cisco, and Mocano Telecom on establishing a Center of Excellence on WiMAX aiming to provide consumers VoIP, streaming video, and an always on-line experience. Alvarion is bringing in their 4Motion Open WiMAX solution, Cisco is providing seamless WiMAX mobile integration via their Broadband Wireless Gateway, Nokia is bringing in a WiMAX 2.5GHz compatible Internet Tablet, and Monaco Telecom is experimenting on the solution at Tunisia.
According to Ari Virtanen, Vice President, Convergence Products at Nokia:
Working with Alvarion, Cisco and Monaco Telecom is a great step towards making Mobile WiMAX available for consumers and fits perfectly with our strategy of offering a broad and innovative portfolio of devices.
Ok guys, here’s the latest scoop I got from CES 2008. From talking with some Internet Tablet Product Managers at the Nokia booth, there seem to be some clear indication that a WiMAX Internet Tablet is coming soon. How soon? How about the second quarter of this year? Woohoo!
It will be using Sprint’s WiMAX, now called XOHM WiMAX as announced at CES 2008. Here are some text from the XOHM - Nokia partner page:
In collaboration with Xohm, Nokia is developing WiMAX-enabled devices that will offer users on-the-go broadband access to the information and services important to them.
Note however that XOHM WiMAX is currently running only at Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington DC but its launch to major US cities will soon follow.
There is still no info about the device itself. The specs and how it looks are still very much confidential.
As for CES 2008, a last minute trip made me catch the last day of the event. I have posted pics of the Nokia booth over at the gallery.
Ok guys, here’s the latest scoop I got from 
