Last summer my N810 was stolen during a library visit. Since I praised Nokia when it first released the Internet Tablet for ruthlessly paring away the inessentials — the 770’s absence of a phone, hard drive and keyboard stunned most mobile-device observers — I didn’t replace it, but instead relied solely on my N800’s* for my tablet needs.
Besides I already had a Bluetooth keyboard and GPS. I didn’t have to have the newer Internet Tablet if I wanted those features.
Then last Thursday, I ordered an N810 from Buy.com, paying $227.86** for the little treasure that arrived this morning. (It’s sitting next to me on the computer desk, charging now.)
Why?
I’ve been pondering that. Maybe subconsciously I think I’ll use the built-in GPS (even though I rarely use the external GPS I own). I don’t really type faster with the N810’s slide-out keyboard, though I know having it simplifies using some programs. Does losing display real estate to an on-screen keyboard interfere with my thinking processes more than I’ve been aware? Could be. I know that my tap-drags to get an upper-case letter succeeds only about 60-80 percent of the time, so entering some characters is way slower than is good***.
And, trivial as they may seem, I know I’ve missed the screen-lock button and the cover-that-doesn’t-fall-off.
These are little things, and I’m struggling to find any bigger reasons for using an N810 instead of an N800. OK, “little things mean a lot,” but two hundred-plus dollars’ worth?
Still, I’m content with my purchase. Something in me knows this is a good deal, even if I can’t consciously say why. Even though logic says to preserve my cash for some forthcoming, more dazzling new tablet. Not sure why, but definitely sure it’s a good thing.
Like I said, I’m content. And that’s a good measure.
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* Um, yes, I’ve acquired three used N800’s, intending to gift them to family in California, Texas and Georgia, but I’m like Scrooge McDuck in his private vault when I’m cooing over my tablets and I can’t seem to let them go . . .
** Including taxes, shipping and handling
*** Years ago, IBM released a study showing that any interruption in typing that was longer than a tenth of a second drastically reduced your efficiency.
Nokia has just announced the new Maemo 5 SDK. The 100% open source, pre-alpha release is currenlty aimed at platform developers allowing them to take a peek at the new Kernel as well as new components coming to Maemo for the first time, notably OMAP3 support, cellular data connectivity, high-definition camera support, and harware-based graphic accelleration.
A new revamped UI and a new media application framework is expected to be released soon, taking advatage of the new OMAP3 architecture, as well as the built-in graphics acceleration. Because of this, support for OMAP2 devices (Nokia N800, N810) will not be officially provided. An invitation is extended to developers however, to build variants of Maemo 5 that would work with older devices.
A complete list of the contents of the Maemo 5 SDK after the jump.
Let me first preface this announcement by first thanking everyone who has been supporting Internet Tablet Talk (itT) and making it the best resource for discussing the Nokia Internet Tablet and anything Maemo related.
Since the Maemo Summit, I have been discussing with Quim Gil and Jussi Makinen of Nokia as well as some of the council members on ways that itT could work more closely with maemo.org. The idea of bringing itT under the maemo.org umbrella came up, and I think it’s a good one. I’ve agreed with the council and the folks from Nokia to move itT to talk.maemo.org, and Nokia has agreed to become the primary sponsor of the site.
So, what does this mean? Well basically, the itT forums will become talk.maemo.org by early next year. The discussions will be carried over, the forum features will be retained, the forum look will change, moderators and admins will be added, the ads will be removed, and will still run on the same fast server you have all been enjoying for several years now. We will lose some parts of itT however like the news, wiki, and software sections in favor of maemo.org’s actual News, Wiki and Download sections. Roger and I however, will still be blogging/posting news from a new blog feature of the forums that is hoped to be added.
With the integration in place, I am hoping to join the maemo.org team to basically manage the forums. I would still like to take on the task however, of somehow linking the maemo.org Download section with the forums as I have originally planned in itT. Hopefully, such integration, and other future end-user interaction can make use of the new talk.maemo.org section.
I am excited to see this happen. I do think this is a huge step forward for the Maemo community. As usual, we would like to hear constructive feedback. How do you all think we can improve things in the forum. What do you want added, and what do you want changed. Chime in.
Today, we are pleased to announce availability of the new ACCESS GVM Beta 3 for Nokia Nseries. This new version includes several bug fixes in Garnet VM core components as well as in Garnet PIM applications. The Beta 3 also grows the already big list of compatible applications with two new supported games. Enjoy!
I’m sure a lot of you have been trying out the latest release of Fennec (Alpha 1) already on your Nokia Maemo devices. If you haven’t heard of Fennec, it’s the highly anticipated mobile browser from Mozilla, mobile version of Firefox as others would say, that is currently on alpha stage, and primarily being tested on the Maemo platform.
Madhava Enros, Fennec’s User Experience Lead gives us a quick walktrhough:
Fennec Alpha 1 will work on both Diablo and Chinook (install). If you don’t have a Maemo device, you can try Fennec on your desktop as well (Windows, Mac, Linux).
I like being able to use my Nokia Internet Tablet as a computer, so that in a pinch I can work in a spreadsheet or edit some word-processing file.
But I got over the notion that it would be a computer for me and not primarily a web and e-reading device a long time ago.
Yes, the NIT really brought the price of a carryaround Linux computer way down.
But today I see[1] that Target has an Asus 7-inch EEE, complete with wifi, keyboard, 800×480 screen and 3 USB ports, for $270. BestBuy has the Asus 8.9-inch EEE (1024×600) for $300. And soon BB will be selling the 10-inch MSI Wind (1024×600, 120GB drive, 1.6 GHz Atom processor and Windows XP Home) for $399.
These are computer-first, carryaround-second devices, with pricing that seems to have sped past Nokia’s. If computing were my primary portable need, I’d be looking at them instead of the 8-ounce pocket-sized NIT.
To stand out in the crowd, the Internet Tablet needs to be the best at what it does best. Versatility counts, but let’s keep in mind what our primary need is, what we want to see first when we turn the device on. And really shine at that.
So, yippee! that the N810 WiMAX Edition is out, and hurray! that HSPA is in the works. Getting the internet — even walking or driving around — that’s what it’s all about.
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[1] Via techbargains.com
Internet Tablet Talk member mafranklin has reported that he has received his Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition, and has confirmed that it is connecting to XOHM WiMAX, which is surprisingly active already in Chicago. According to him:
The Nokia N810 WiMax did arrive today following shipment from Nokia yesterday. Once powered up it automatically detected the XOHM nextwork here in Chicago. My registration for XOHM services failed with my Chicago zip code so I registered with a friends zip code in Baltimore (went in later and changed my billing address), selected the device, service plan and connected to the XOHM network.
XOHM is currently offering their WiMAX On-the-Go plan for $30/month for six months(for limited time) and $45/month thereafter.
mafranklin ordered his Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition directly from the Nokia USA Store for $443 after a $50 automatic promo discount. Buy.com also has the tablet for $404.99 but is currently out of stock.
I met Reggie in Berlin before the Maemo Summit, and he was working on his presentation, What Users Want (which will be posted soon, btw). I looked over the notes that Krisse Juorunen of Internet Tablet School had sent him and made some suggestions. I thought about how the tablet is being used today and how it might be used — which was exactly what Ari Jaaksi asked a group of Maemo users the next evening.
I ended up putting my thoughts down on paper (unable to use the hotel’s power converters with Nokia’s AC-4U battery charger!). I hadn’t put in for a speaking slot, so making notes was just a way to keep my head in the topic while Reggie was working on his slides. He didn’t finish till 4 a.m. on Thursday night, so I kept writing. Here is what I wrote up but didn’t say at the Maemo Summit:
What more do we want?
In Ari Jaaksi’s talk at OSiM World, he characterized the reception of the 770 Internet Tablet as people asking, “What is this PDA that doesn’t have PDA functions? What is this phone that isn’t a phone?”
No one had seen a mobile device like this, explicitly designed for internet use: a full computer without a keyboard, without a hard disk, which fit in your pocket and was light enough that it didn’t act like an anchor.[1]
A Seamless Software Upgrade (SSU) notification should prompt you of a v4.2008.36-5 firmware update once you go online with your Maemo 4.1 (Diablo) device. The update aims to improve email, web browsing, and connectivity.
Early reports from itT members are mixed. Some have updated with no problems and have reported faster browsing, while others are experiencing locks, boot menu problems, looping reboots, and package conflicts which seem to get fixed after a manual reflash.
If you have installed anything out of the ordinary, be sure to read through the comments before updating.
Good news to those in Baltimore — Sprint is finally launching XOHM WiMAX. With the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition (WME) still marked as ‘coming soon,’ N810 WME users will be enable to enjoy unlimited downlink speeds of 2Mbps to 4 Mbps on a no commitment or contract plan of $30 a month for six months and $45/month thereafter.
WiMAX is expected to arrive at Chicago and Washington next and soon to Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Providence, and Philadelphia.
Good news to those in Baltimore — Sprint is finally launching 
