Linux Tablet to be Released in Two Days

Rambo writes "Nokia has finally set a November 17th US shipping date for the $359 770 Internet Tablet. It features a Debian-based distribution called Maemo, which includes kernel 2.6, X.org/Scratchbox WM, and GTK for easy porting of applications. Hardware specs are: 800x480 ) screen, 220 MHz TI OMAP ARM processor (with DSP), 64M of RAM, 128M of flash, USB slave port, 802.11b/g wireless, Bluetooth, IR, and a RS-MMC slot. Even more details at LinuxDevices and Internet Tablet Talk. It sports a battery life of 3 hours for continous Wi-Fi usage, and accepts common Nokia phone batteries. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Nokia, and am anxiously awaiting my own pre-order!"

Comments

Sure it can play flash movies

[suso]

but can it run a bash shell.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[c_fel]

Can you have a debian distribution without a shell ?

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[diegocgteleline.es]

Indeed it does, how would their scripts work if not?

It's a linux-based distro, feel free to install whatever you want. The main issue for me is the lack of keyboard - not neccesary to use it as a tabletpc but neccesary when I want to change something - but I think a USB keboard or a bluethoot one will (or should) do it

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, if you wish to bloat your device with it. It comes with busybox installed that contains a much smaller shell.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[diegocgteleline.es]

Just for completeness... http://repository.maemo.org/pool/maemo1.1rc6/free/ b/bash/

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Short Circuit]

No. Even the most stripped down Debian installations use busybox. But it's perfectly possible to make the shell inaccessible to the user.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[netsyd]

Actually the better question for me is ... can it run an ICA client?

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[dr_dank]

Don't downplay the flash thing. I have a Zaurus 6000 and I've never known Flash to work on it. If they release an ipk that would make that happen, that would be a big deal.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[netsyd]

We made a quick call to Nokia support and it can and will run the Unix Citrix ICA client --- Welcome to the wonderful world of cheap and useful for the office!

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Syberghost]

A bash shell won't do you much good without a terminal emulator.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Majix]

Here you go, an X terminal emulator for the Nokia 770.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[dextromulous]

A photo of it running what appears to be a terminal... looking at the uname, it appears to be the localhost.

http://www.mono-project.com/Image:Nokia.jpg

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[hal9035]

can we load windows tabletpc on it?!

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[cabra_nino]

pretty sure you can't run tabletpc on it as it's not an x86 chip. It's much nicer than that, hence the 3hr battery life with a dinky mobile phone bettery. Acorn came up with a prototype similar to this nearly 7 years ago (http://www.byte.com/art/9702/img/027ibtb1.htm). Once again they were too far ahead of they're time, too small and too british.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[UnxMully]

Well it works quite well with my Stowaway and a simple additional driver. Support's works better than the Stowaway drivers on my iPaq 4700.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Anivair]

hmm . . . that is possible. But then again all it would take is a quick install of some shell programs to get access. Sure your average user probably can't do that, but our average user doesn't want shell access either. Still, it would only hurt them not to provide it.

Re:Sure it can play flash movies

[Bert64]

The problem is the closed source nature of the flash plugin, and the fact they don`t compile it for any system other than x86..
It`s also holding people back from using native 64bit os`s aswell.

Perfect . . .

[Anonymous Coward]

. . .if I can use it with VNC.

this sucks,

[hector_uk]

seriously 400 bucks for that, i'd rather get a GP2x.

Re:this sucks,

[mattyohe]

This product kindof serves a different purpose.

Re:this sucks,

[hector_uk]

yeah, i just noticed, but still even a psp makes this redundant.

Re:this sucks,

[Anonymous Coward]

GP2x???

Like those are so, like, last week, and everything.

Re:this sucks,

[wpiman]

The gp2x doesn't have the wifi support nor does it have Bluetooth. I would consider this for a wireless browser to control my home automation system.

Re:this sucks,

[hibiki_r]

Sure, redundant if you think that a directional pad and 8 buttons is a better input device than a touchscreen. The problem is that, outside of some games, it just isn't. You might as well claim that you don't want a modern computer because you can do the same things with an Atari 2600.

Re:this sucks,

[Anonymous Coward]

Ignore the naysayers. This is the only device that has got my blood pumping this year. Sure it's not "perfect" but check it out for yourselves. It's even got that cute penguin on the back of the box, next to that sexy and mysterious bluetooth logo ;-).

Re:this sucks,

[DaPoulpe]

Errr the answer would still be : This product kindof serves a different purpose.

• 800x480 *touchscreen*

• Bluetooth

• Lots of Audio/Video codecs

• Email, News, PDF, ... softwares

Don't know if you've tried to browse more than 5 minutes with the PSP but it's kind of a pain in the ass...

Re:this sucks,

[manno]

the screen res on the GPx2 is no where near 800x600, no wifi, bluetooth, if I was going to play dieo games I'de get a GPx2 I'm not though.

Re:this sucks,

[Gleng]

This is true at the moment, but the GP2X apparently does have the potential for using SDIO cards if someone comes up with the drivers.

That's a big if though, I'll admit :)

Re:this sucks,

[Total_Wimp]

Sure, redundant if you think that a directional pad and 8 buttons is a better input device than a touchscreen.

Actually, in many cases it might be.

Look at the form factor of the Nokia tablet. Much like the PSP it uses a horizontal form factor designed to be held by two hands. However, in order to use the touch screen you'll need to let go with one hand and press with the stylus. I'm not well convinced this will be comfortable for more than short browsing session.

By contrast, the PSP has your hands well placed next to all the relevant buttons, joypad, etc. It's actually quite easy to use, especially because the buttons move you directly to the next hyperlink available so you don't have to mess around with the analog movement if you don't want to. I've used similar setups on cell phones as well (except vertically) and the "jump to the next link" works quite well.

I think the reason you might value the touch screen might have something to do with using a Pocket PC, Palm device or other vertical touch screen device. These work extremely well for web browsing, but I'm convinced the reason for this is the vertical form factor which allows you to have a firm grasp on the device while using the stylus.

Full disclosure: I've used all of the devices listed above for web browsing except the one I'm saying won't work well. It's just a guess on my part, but I think it's a good one that the horizontal handheld form factor will work better with buttons.

As an aside, I didn't care for the comparison of the Nokia as the "modern computer" with the PSP as the "Atari 2600." In many ways the PSP kind of kicks the Nokia's ass both in hardware specs and currently available software. I'd recommend you use one before cracking on it like this. It's a great device.

TW

Re:this sucks,

[MrLizardo]

Yeah, I heard SDIO drivers will be released simultaneously with a legal $20 DVD player for Linux and Duke Nukem Forever...

Seriously though, SD drivers, let alone SDIO, just aren't realistic to expect if they don't *ship with the device.* The Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 has been out for over 3 years now and you still have to run the 2.4.18 kernel it shipped with because no updated or open source SD drivers are available. IIRC, all the Sharp Zaurus SL-C750 and up have hardware support for SDIO but can't use it because there are no drivers. There is a reason that a lot of smaller companies still ship products that only accept MMC cards.

-Mr. Lizard

Re:this sucks,

[Majix]

By contrast, the PSP has your hands well placed next to all the relevant buttons, joypad, etc. It's actually quite easy to use, especially because the buttons move you directly to the next hyperlink available so you don't have to mess around with the analog movement if you don't want to. I've used similar setups on cell phones as well (except vertically) and the "jump to the next link" works quite well.

If you hold the 770 with both your hands it works exactly as you describe, the navigation buttons quickly move you between the hyperlinks using some super secret Opera algorithm I can't quite figure out.

However I find that the 770 is also perfectly usable when held only with the one hand. I fact I prefer to surf holding the device in my right hand and scrolling the web page with the thumb on the same hand. You can simply drag anywhere on the web page to scroll the page smoothly, another huge benefit of the touchscreen. In reality you seldom need to reach for the stylus while surfing as the link navigation works so well and you can often get away with poking the screen directly with your finger when needed.

Re:this sucks,

[Gleng]

The GP2X certainly does have SD drivers. There are people using SD cards with their GP2Xs right now.

Plus, with the fact that the GP2X is really aimed at developers and hardware enthusiasts, I think it's reasonable to expect that there's at least a good possibility of SDIO drivers. There are some pretty talented developers in the GP32/GP2X scene.

I hope so anyway. Bluetooth would be quite handy. :)

Re:this sucks,

[iamhassi]

"I prefer to surf holding the device in my right hand and scrolling the web page with the thumb on the same hand."

Yes, I'm sure you do prefer to surf holding the device in your right hand because it leaves your left hand available for other activities.... ;)

Re:this sucks,

[Heembo]

More like the new handheld WAP cracking and scanning device of choice.

Re:this sucks,

[Fordiman]

Um. How is this thing different / better than my PDA?

And don't say "It runs linux". I don't care. My PDA is one of the few things I'm willing to say "It Works." and be happy with it. Not that I don't go and get new software for it, but running linux on an axim has an entry on wikipedia with an image of a rectal boil next to it (IE: It's a pain in the ass).

So, what? It's a ~200MHz ARM. Got that, only mine runs at 312 idle / 524 full. It's got a touch screen? Got that. 8 buttons? I've got 7, and they do just fine. Play movies? Surf the web? Done and done. Besides, mine's smaller. Something the size of half-a-CD sounds like a pain to tote around (meanwhile, the PDA's becoming annoying at times, too. I'd leave it at home if it weren't so useful). WiFi? Got it. Bluetooth? yup. USB? .. uhh... moving on... Audio out? Yup. SD/MMC? Yup. 128M of Flash for ram? Well, no, but mine's got 64M of REAL ram and 64M of Flash. 1500mAh battery? Just bought the 1800 for mine. Storage? None listed for this thing, but I just picked up a 1G Flash MMC for $40 with a USB key to plug the little sucker into my computer.

Meanwhile, I love having the equivalent of a 5 hour videotape that's the size of a postage stamp. Hint: when encoding, choose your settings thusly:

Video:
Codec=mpeg4
Width=320 px
Height=OriginalHeight*320/OriginalWidth px
FrameRate=OriginalFrameRate fps
VideoBitrate=(Width x Height x FrameRate / 5000)kbps ABR

Audio:
SampRate=44.1kHz
Channels=mono
BitRate=64 kbps CBR

You end up with VCR LP quality at 4-5 hours per gig (YMMV). Not the best, but definately watchable for most things.

Problem is, with this thing, I have a different type of display than this item (320x240 -> 800x600 would take mucho processor to scale well), and it's got a slower processor (no mucho bieno for smooth video). So what? reencode to 400 width? Not a good idea for a slower processor. To 200? 320 is about the limit of useful video quality. But an iPod video? Nah. I like my Axim. I can play games on it and read books beside listeing to music of non DRM format, watching TV, and checking out the latest Foamy Fan Mail.

Re:this sucks,

[Fordiman]

Correction:
6.8 hours for 320x180 (16:9) ~24 fps (FILM) video at 340 kbps total (276 video, 64 audio)

4.4 hours for 320x240 (4:3) ~30 fps (NTSC) video at 524 kbps (460 video, 64 audio)

Yeah... 4-7 hours of randomly accessible video on a chip you could swallow without noticing. Taste that yummy TV.

Thickness

[dsginter]

Does anyone know when these things will be down to the thickness of a standard pad o' paper? They're impossible to write on, otherwise. So, unless you specifically need to walk and write, these are pretty much useless.

Or is it just me who has trouble writing on something so thick?

Re:Thickness

[Kickersny.com]

I know that my Palm Tungsten E is no thicker than a pad of paper. It's about the thickness of your average ballpoint pen; how thick is your paper?

Re:Thickness

[littlecharva]

It's not so much the thickness of the tablets, as the lack of friction when writing. Surely a rubber nib to create a little bit of friction would make these things a little easier to use?

Re:Thickness

[GuyWithLag]

Lack of friction is good, as it means that your touchscreen isn't getting worn off or scratched.

Re:Thickness

[littlecharva]

Good point, but when I write using a real pen on a pad of paper I get friction, and my writing style has developed over the years to become acustomed to this, so when I try to write on a tablet it looks like the handwriting of a three year old. In fairness though, since I mainly type, even my best handwriting looks like it belongs to a nine year old.

Re:Thickness

[Bastian]

Thay make little textured plastic screen protectors for PDAs. They're much nicer than the clear ones that most stores sell because that texture provides enough friction to make writing much easier - there was an overnight improvement in my Graffiti speed and accuracy.

They're also much nicer than a rubber nib or a textured screen because the bit you're chewing up with all that friction is easily replaceable.

But that's all beside the point - this thing doesn't appear to be a tablet PC so much as an internet appliance. Me still wants, though.

Re:Thickness

[pqdave]

Do they make the textured ones for color PDA's? When I got my first color PDA I tried to re-use a B/W textured screen protector. The texture of the protector was close enough to the pixels to give an interference pattern--In other words, with the protector on, the screen had a grid of fairly large polka-dots.

Hope it is in Australia soon!

[cloricus]

Because as soon as it is I will own one! :D

Just Imagine a Beowulf Cluster ...

[Bazzalisk]

Actualy no realy don't.

Which is great...

[Delphix]

except for the fact that tablets seem to have been DOA. They seem to have been a great idea looking for a use instead of some actual need driving them. Granted, a few people love em (as with any niche technology), but I have yet to meet anyone who actually wants one and uses it on a regular basis, and I work with a bunch of other technophile engineers... Laptops still rule the portable landscape.

So this seems to me just like another Linux runs on ____________ story. (insert everything including a toaster in the blank)

Re:Which is great...

[10Ghz]

Uh, 770 is not a tablet-PC (which suck). It's an internet-tablet, which is a completely different thing.

Re:Which is great...

[Delphix]

It's a tablet PC stripped down for a sprecific purpose or a PDA on steroids, your pick. :)

Re:Which is great...

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point, but remember that most of the tablets that have been failures have been intro'ed at 5 times the price of this little thing, and built more like laptops with swiveling touch screens (Which I think they should just build into all laptops). I think this is one of the first devices to deliver on the real promise of a tablet, which is a smaller computer than a laptop, with a smaller price, to perform smaller tasks. Most of the features it provides have been shoehorned into PDAs recently, but even with the best of those, many everyday tasks (web/email), are still a pain in the ass, simply due to the form factor. PDAs are really most useful as a front-end to some kind of PIM system, not tiny personal computers. Of course, most of the PIM functionality meshes well with cell-phone functionality, and is almost as usable on a cell-phone screen, which is why cell-phones are killing PDAs.

Re:Which is great...

[Scoth]

Well, if you're ever in Atlanta, drop by some time ;) I use mine [Stylistic 4121] daily for everything from taking notes in class on in Windows Journal in XP Tablet to wardriving with kismet and GPS navigation with gpsdrive in Gentoo. Granted they're still very much a niche technology, but there are those of us who use them then regularly. Most people who have seen me use it haven't really considered a tablet PC. It's not so much that they don't want to use them, they just haven't really looked into it. I know a couple techy people here that have bought a tablet PC and love them after seeing me with mine. I do attach a keyboard or use keyboard/mouse sharing software like Synergy for a lot of the work, though.

That said, I'm not quite sure where this Nokia thing fits in. Shell work on an on screen keyboard sucks mightily, and attaching a keyboard removes most of the advantage this would have over a subnotebook like a picturebook or Libretto. The screen looks to be a bit small for whole-page note taking, plus it's fairly thick. It's also not powerful enough for any really high-level multimedia stuff. To me it seems to be Just Another Webpad, albeit one with some useful built-in features like GPRS. For remote workers, that alone might be enough to justify it.

Re:Which is great...

[grasshoppa]

Or maybe you haven't seen the need?

I work at a dental office that's trying to go chartless. We use these things in the op for office visit documentation.

My staff didn't want to use them the first week, then growled at me when I needed to take it for maintence ever afterwards.

There are uses for tablets, but they aren't flashy or glamorous.

Re:Which is great...

[littlecharva]

I'm head of IT for a company of arboricultural consultants who perform surveys onsite using tablet PCs. It's not practical to wander around a site using a laptop, and before we introduced the tablets, they used to use paper and pens, meaning someone at the office had to type it all up, and introducing problems with quality control.

Re:Which is great...

[fitten]

Yeah, the one largest area I've heard that likes the tablets is medical. You can walk around with them and bring up charts and save the charts/notes after a visit easily.

As far as PDAs, I've actually worked with a group using ruggedized Newtons to download maintenance orders overnight and be available for the workers at shift start. The workers carry them around and use them all shift, making notes and such on the work orders, then after the shift is over, the work orders are downloaded and the databases updated. The next step was waiting on WiFi to be everywhere so they could send the work orders during the shift instead of downloading/uploading workflows.

Re:Which is great...

[DrSkwid]

Every tablet I ever heard of ran Windows Tablet Edition.

Perhaps there is a correlation.

Re:Which is great...

[Eccles]

The problem with tablets has been cost. Generally they cost twice as much as an equivalent laptop, and had at most a 12" LCD screen. Otherwise, I'd rather have a tablet than a laptop, since almost all can also be used in laptop style if desired. Tablethood is often an additional feature, not a different machine.

Re:Which is great...

[Irish_Samurai]

Granted they're still very much a niche technology, but there are those of us who use them then regularly.

I use a laptop with a swivel touch screen, basically the same thing but I don't need the external keyboard. It enables me to do web work away from my office at home due to the different input. I used to use a regular laptop, but the smaller screen, the need for an external mouse, and the form factor were driving me nuts. I'm beginning to like it more than my Wacom tablet at home.

If anybody knows a resource showing how to set up a swivel screen laptop or Tablet PC for use as an input device to a workstation, I would greatly appreciate it. Basically so I can use it like my wacom tablet but with the image underneath it.

OT: Also in ATL. Roswell Rd and 285 - right behind Frankie's.

Re:Which is great...

[NanoGator]

"but I have yet to meet anyone who actually wants one and uses it on a regular basis, and I work with a bunch of other technophile engineers... Laptops still rule the portable landscape."

The amusing thing about that is that most tablets are laptops. Mine is. You would't know at first glance that it's a tablet. I'm surprised more sysadmins/IT types aren't into tablets. You can actually use these things while standing up. Heck, just using one on the couch is a lot better than a plain ol' laptop.

Oh well, tough sales job I guess.

Re:Which is great...

[Anonymous Coward]

There was a guy in one of my math classes who had a tablet PC that he use to take notes. It was alright, I guess, but not really worth spending a lot money on. He also had to ship it back at least 3 times over the course of the semester to get it fixed.

Re:Which is great...

[mrchaotica]

The reason tablets haven't taken off is that they're too big and expensive. Once they can figure out how to make one with a letter (or A4) size screen that's only a quarter inch thick and costs less than $1000, then they'll start to take off.

Re:Which is great...

[Halo-]

I agree that tablets are still pretty niche market. The only time I've ever seen one being used by someone doing serious work is when I bought my house. Our house inspector had a tablet PC on some sort of sling attached to his body. When he wanted it, it swung around, and when he didn't, it just sorta hung out back by this hip. (The arrangement was a great deal more elegant than I am making it sound.)

The impressive part was that the guy took his notes on the tablet and documented issues with a digital camera as he went. When he was done, he emails out his report as a PDF containing photos accompaning all his remarks, as well as links to internet research about common problems. (For example, he might point out that something needed to be done, and link to a site which discussed the seriousness and pro vs. con aspects of various solutions)

Re:Which is great...

[tbuskey]

My Dr's office has been using tablet PCs for 3-4 years now. It's perfect for them.

"Your Cholesterol is high this time. Hmm, but it's been at roughly the same level for the last 3 years."

Do that with paper! Oh, if I need a prescription, he taps a bit & it's faxed to my pharmacy. No more deciphering handwriting!

On another note, I have one (HP tc1100) at work to go with my desktop. For the most part it's a giant PDA for me. I bring it to meetings to take notes, usually with the keyboard. I bring it home for remote access. It's very small, even with the keyboard. It's too slow for most of what I do.

For web surfing at home it's awesome. A small lightweight screen to read websites w/ a minimum of input needed. Bring it anywhere like you would a book. My 2 yr old loves the pen for tapping.

I probably would've liked it in college for taking notes (engineering w/ lots of figures and equations) but text works most of the time for me. A palm PDA w/ a keyboard would be enough 90% of the time.

Re:Which is great...

[Sparr0]

I use my PDA as an extension of my desktop as I roam my house and the neighborhood, and it goes in my car with a GPS unit as a navigation/mp3 system. I have been looking for a larger replacement (something with a 5-6" VGA screen would be great), and this was almost perfect. Unfortunately it fails in two ways. First, the CPU is slow. 200MHz doesn't cut it when most other portables are running 400+. Second, the controls. I use my portables for gaming. Lots of console emulation, some native linux (and wince, ick) games. That means I require at least 4 buttons, preferably 6 or more, in a two-hand-friendly configuration, which this system does not have.

Re:Which is great...

[wed128]

Actually a company called Element Computer used to sell a tablet for $999 that ran Lycoris. It sucked. I bought mine when it ran Xandros. still sucked. Threw ubuntu on the thing and messed with it till it worked (except wireless...dammit). Still sucks (a little less, but still). I Wish i bought an ibook.

Re:Which is great...

[superpulpsicle]

Dude I think you summed it up best.

Re:Which is great...

[Scoth]

It probably wasn't the most ideal way to do it, but I once used my tablet somewhat like this by connecting via VNC to a desktop with the "compressed full screen" option (the resolutions were different). This let me control the mouse on the desktop from the tablet.

I expect there are better ways to do it.

Circle 75 here :)

Too Small

[mankey wanker]

I want something that can display a full page of an illustrated book and for under $200 - that will be a tablet I might buy.

This thing is a fancy PDA, nothing more.

What exactly is the difference between a

[antifoidulus]

tablet pc and a PDA? I always considered Tablets to be much closer to laptops than they are to PDAs, but this device really looks like it is a lot closer to a PDA than a tablet. It's not that big, and the picture from TFA has a guy holding it with one hand.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[10Ghz]

As I said elsewhere: this is not a tablet-PC, this is an internet-tablet. It's roughly PDA-sized, and it's NOT "tablet-PC" Microsoft touted few years ago, and this is not a replacement for laptop.

Just because it has the word "tablet" in it does not mean that it's a tablet-PC.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[CortoMaltese]

In addition, the 770 doesn't have any hardware to support a timed wake up, for e.g. calendar alarms, so IMHO it's not that useful as a PDA.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[sootman]

As I said elsewhere: this is not a tablet-PC, this is an internet-tablet... Just because it has the word "tablet" in it does not mean that it's a tablet-PC.

Which is annoying as fuck. Tablets have been around for, what, 3 years? They couldn't think of another name for this overblown PDA? (Like "Audrey"?) They're depending on confusion to generate interest: "Ooh, look, a tablet for 1/4 the price of other Tablet PCs! Oh, I see, it runs Linux! Wow, that M$ tax must really be something!"

That said, it looks cool. I'll be happy to buy one in 6 months when Tiger Direct is getting rid of the last of them for $100.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[sootman]

You're correct. Tablet PCs are basically equivalent to last years' laptop, plus handwriting recognition, plus Win XP Tablet edition, which is XP Pro plus the tablet features and minus nothing. If you swing out the keyboard and ignore the tablet features, it's a full laptop with a full version of Windows. Typical specs--1 GHz+, 1024x768, 512 MB, 40 GB--are closer to a laptop. This thing--220 MHz, 128 MB, no disk, less than 800x480--is closer to a PDA. Why they called it a "Tablet" is beyond me.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[sonamchauhan]

I think the word tablet is applied to electronic devices on which you can write and whose dimensions at least comparable to the stone tablets of old.

The size of this thing is comparable more to a pottery shard than a stone tablet.

Also, no one calls the PSP a "gaming tablet" or confuses the PocketPC with the Tablet PC.

So you're right - it's more a "widescreen PDA" than a "tablet" - the word "Tablet" is probably used as a marketing gimmick.

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[torpor]

tablet pc's have been around for at least a decade (my ol' dauphin dtr-1 rocked with linux on it) .. but microsoft put the big kabosh on such efforts in the 90's because there were too many problems with their input/GUI paradigm that made pen-style computing inefficient.

that said, pen-based computing has squished around the edges of this kabosh since then .. witness newton, witness palm, etc.

my money isn't going to be on this $700 nokia device .. instead, i spent $170 on one of these babies, which will also be in my hands in a day or two ..

okay, it doesn't 'do pen', but it will soon enough.. ;)

Re:What exactly is the difference between a

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually the hardware support for timed wakeups is there, but the software isn't. The wakeup feature was unfortunately cut out of the first software release, but the intention is definitely to re-enable it in the near future. In fact, if you install a terminal on the current software release and go poking around you can find the alarm daemon and maybe even get it working.

And the phone?

[hajo]

Where is the phone? My PDA saved my life professional life 10 years ago. Since then the best convergence has been with a phone for me. Now I would need to go back to a separate phone? No Thank you; I'll go for a pocketPC running skype and a functional phone build in.

Re:And the phone?

[oliverthered]

Anyone who would choose WinCe over an operating system deserves neither.

Re:And the phone?

[Dynamoo]

VOIP comes next year in the 2006 version of the software. Nokia have always said that they'd add more features to it in 2006 that users can download and install themselves.

Re:And the phone?

[CastrTroy]

Just install Skype on it. It is running linux after all.

Re:And the phone?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm starting to get annoyed by convergence. I don't want an uber brick that can do it all, and then break and all of a sudden I can't do anything. At home I like having a land line and a cell phone, and internet access seperate. When wifey is yakking it up with the gals, I can use the celly to make my call. When the kids are using the computer, I can use the laptop with wifi for my own stuff. I don't have to turn off my heavy bandwidth consuming legal activities to use freakin skype. When I go to a nightclub to go dancing, all I have to take is my little cell phone, not a big ass blackberry / sidekick. Matter of fact, my main requirements for a cell phone these days are small, light and durable. I have the nokia 3220 with rubber bumpers on the side, replaceable case, etc. It was free from my carrier. Thats why it is good to have options: you get your convergence, I get my independent devices and we are both happy.

I think this little guy has potential, despite lack of a built in phone.

Re:And the phone?

[volsung]

Except they haven't released Skype for ARM Linux.

two days?

[bogaboga]

Where are the reviews? Slashdotters are known to review new gadgets to be released well in advance. How come I have not seen any reviews of this item?

Re:two days?

[Otter]

I give it 8/10.

Re:two days?

[harrkev]

Because nobody has one yet?

Re:two days?

[Anonymous Coward]

Check Internet Tablet Talk or the Nokia 770 Blog. The device has been out in Europe for a few weeks, and in the hands of developers for several months. There are reviews out there.

Re:two days?

[davidkv]

I've had mine for a little more than a week now (It was released earier i selected countries in Europe). I'm very happy with it. It means I can travel without my Thinkpad and not having to worry about reaching "my" servers in a secure fashion when I need to.

You can find quite a few reviews and related stuff here: http://nokia770.com/

So does it run Linux?

[ZiakII]

So does it run Linux? Because According to there website it runs

Operating system: Internet Tablet 2005 Software Edition

and if it does run Linux don't they have to release the source code?

Re:So does it run Linux?

[diegocgteleline.es]

Apparently your browser doesn't underline links in sentences like "It features a Debian-based distribution called Maemo ?

Re:So does it run Linux?

[jounihat]

Internet Tablet 2005 Software Edition is based on Linux. A program doesn't need to have the word "Linux" on it to become Linux-based. Just to note.

Re:So does it run Linux?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was wondering about that too.
I think they may get away with not releasing code as there's undoubtedly some crypto stuff in there

Re:So does it run Linux?

[zlogic]

Yes, it's Linux (but named blah blah 2005 blah blah in order to look simular to Windows Mobile 2005).
And as for the source, I think they agreed that they won't sue Linus for infringing Nokia's patents if he permits them to close the source (only joking, please don't consider this troll).

Re:So does it run Linux?

[Majix]

It's a modified Debian system. Third party applications are delivered in DEB packages, some of which you can already find here.

It's not a crippled version of Linux either, it runs a full X server, comes with the GTK, DBus, GStreamer, SDL, almost everything you need to develop comfortably for the device. This makes porting applications really easy, you can concentrate on optimizing for the small form factor instead of fighting with the framework.

Of course the source is available. There are also tools available for creating your own filesystem images you can simply flash onto the device. By starting out with the minimal developers rootfs available you can install your custom applications, package it all into a image and flash any number of devices. The developer possibilites are endless; disable the default GUI in the startup scripts and run your own point of sales system interface, bundle the device with a BT GPS receiver and your own softare, run Apache (I have tried this :) in your pocket!

This is great

[Anonymous Coward]

I fully endorse this product. And JBoss. Their open-source solutions are superior to the competition. I do not work for JBoss.

I've got one!

[Dynamoo]

I've had one for a week now. It's great.. except it doesn't reliably connect to my Netgear router at home, and everything else does including a Nokia 9500 Communicator.

Sure, there's a lot of other traffic going on in the same frequency band with thing like the neighbour's wireless access points, DECT phones and the like but NOTHING seems to make this connect reliably.

At work, with less interference I can connect just fine to a bog standard access point. Also, no problem with any Bluetooth phones (I use a Sharp).

Despire the wireless connectivity issues - the 770 ROCKS. The 800 pixel wide screen is actually smaller than you'd think though, it's just very high resolution. The screen clarity is excellent. The web browser is excellent, plus there's a so-so RSS reader and an email client which I haven't used yet.

The interface is quite simple and easy to learn, although a few minutes studying the slim manuals that come with it is a good idea. Windows users shouldn't have much trouble adapting.

When I ordered mine I got a letter explaining that I was one of the first people to get a 770, and Nokia would like to have an interview with me to find out what I think, so I'll mention the wireless connectivity problems then. Other than that, it's great. Good quality web access no matter where you go, and it does a (limited) range of multimedia too.

One thing I can't figure out.. how can they make something this sophisticated for that much money? They can't be making a profit on it!

Re:I've got one!

[Dynamoo]

Umm yes I *am* running on a different channel.

Incidentally, the 770 supports WPA-PSK which is probably the level of security you need.

Re:I've got one!

[CortoMaltese]

Despire the wireless connectivity issues - the 770 ROCKS.

Yes, it is quite astonishing, but there are two points that disappoint me a bit: 1) There's no hardware to support timed wake ups e.g. for calendar alarms, and 2) Performance is not quite what you'd expect, e.g. starting of applications is painfully slow.

What are your opinions on these?

Re:I've got one!

[Habahaba]

The browser is Opera - which sounds like the best browser for this. But does Gmail work? Gmail does not work with the browser in the communicator series (which is also Opera).

Other than that... the flaws are: battery time, RS-MMC (why the RS?!? ... of course CF would have been best but at least normal MMC/SD), no keyboard, no calendar or PIM.

Good points: the screen! (Smaller than most here think, but excellent probably - opinion based on communicator screens) and batteries are easy to get as they are standard Nokia, and I guess being linux offers some software support.

But does it have to power to run Skype?

Re:I've got one!

[Dynamoo]

The 800 pixel wide 770 screen is physically narrow than the 9500's 640 pixel wide screen. The 9500 has an excellent display, but the limited resolution is a problem, and 770's web browser is much better than the 9500's.

The 9500 isn't a 3G device, but the 770 is.. sort of! It works best on the move when used with a Bluetooth 3G phone. You know *one* advantage of this is that you can put the phone somewhere where is gets a good signal and use Bluetooth to talk to it. That's certainly a feature the 9500 and other "all in one" smartphones can't do.

As for the question about timed events.. err, well I have an alarm clock for things like that, but one thing the 770 could do with is a proper docking station so that it can be left on charge all the time and just pulled out, rather than the slightly fiddly arrangement of a seperate stand, hard case and power supply.

Re:I've got one!

[sootman]

"how can they make something this sophisticated for that much money?"

Look closely at the specs--it's a glorified Palm, that's how. Not putting it down, but seriously--check'em out: 220 MHz, 128 MB, 65k color screen, less than 800x600... I mean, yeah, it looks nifty, but it's not like they're somehow selling a 1.5 GHz, 512 MB, 40 GB, 1024x768x16.7M tablet for 1/4 the going rate.

Re:I've got one!

[davidkv]

Gmail works perfectly fine. Just tried it on my 770.
Battery time is quite good. If you are listening to streaming radio through the WiFi connection it lasts just over three hours (the built in speaker is better than I imagined, but far from HiFi, with earphones it sounds very good).
If you're not connected/downloading stuff all the time it lasts much longer.

I believe calendar and PIM stuff will be available soon (as third party add ons). You can already find some stuff here: http://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationCatalog

Re:I've got one!

[Anonymous Coward]

You would have a point, if perhaps this wasn't actually cheaper than quite a few palm models.

Re:I've got one!

[tao]

Yes, gmail works. RS-MMC is of course because of the size. The reason for no keyboard is the same. No calendar or PIM is because this isn't intended as a PIM-device.

As for Skype... Well, let me quote from our homepage: "There is a planned launch next year of an operating system upgrade - the Internet Tablet 2006 software edition - that will support additional services, including Internet telephony (VoIP) and Instant Messaging."

Re:I've got one!

[tao]

There is hardware to support timed wake ups. Only within 24h though, so if you want higher resolution than that you need to do a bit of magic =) (something like wake up every 24h, check if it's the right day, if not, shutdown again... Definitely not a pretty solution though).

And yes, app startup is a bit slow. With the CPU and memory we have there's not much we can do.

Re:I've got one!

[lawpoop]

What kind of computer device would you classify this as -- a PDA or a tablet computer? What do you use it for, and what *can* you use it for? Would it be a suitable device to replace the ever-trustworthy and reliable pen and paper for a compulsive writer? How about the coffee house sketchbook for the art student?

Re:I've got one!

[Habahaba]

Gmail great!

Keyboard, well they got one in 9300 - quite small, but very useable!

PIM, why not PIM?

VoIP - well, that's not necessarily Skype is it? I'd like to know if it has the power to run skype?

Re:I've got one!

[firestarter]

I have one too - I've had it just over a week.

It's a very small portable internet device and thin client. It's a bit slow - but it does successfully run Google maps.

I bought one, because I believe that AJAX and remote databases services will become very popular soon. Running a thin wireless internet client like this, rather than a PDA means that I have access to all my data, and I never need to sync.

So far I really like it. It connects reliably to my Apple Airoprt express, but I can't get it to bluetooth to my Sony P910i phone.

The crowser is good - javascript and flash support is good. Real player plays music fine, but video was less successful. The mail client is OK, but slow. I had to slim doen my IMAP account - the mail client was slow with an IMAP mailbox of 1500 mails, 400 is a lot faster.

Battery life seems good, and the screen is really great.

It's a great device.

Re:I've got one!

[sydney094]

I got mine Friday too (dev program)... The first thing I did was install xterm and get ssh running. After that, I spent most of my time squinting at the screen trying to read websites. I've had no problems connecting to my cheap Fry's access point with WPA/PSK.

The device itself is pretty interesting. It doesn't actually turn off (unless you explictly tell it to). It doesn't even sleep in the traditional laptop way... it just turns off the screen and wireless (and sends the CPU into a type of sleep mode). That makes turning it back "on" instantaneous... and I like that.

However, I have a few gripes with it. The screen (beautiful as it is), I think is actually too small. The screen is too small to hold the device at a comfortable distance away and actually read a website. You have to zoom the browser just to be able to read the text (at a comfortable distance). (Disclaimer: I am under 30 and wear glasses, so my vision isn't the problem). Also, there is no scroll wheel. This means that in order to scroll in Opera, you have to take the stylus (which is uncomfortable in and of itself) and click and drag the screen. With only a limited screen height, reading slashdot can be painful... more so than usual. The main buttons are also a little small, and force your hand into an awkward angle to use them. The directional pad is also blocked by the screen cover, so that makes clicking the left arrow a little difficult to use.

Also, there is not enough RAM on the device. Reading a website like ESPN (lots of flash and graphics) will cause the device to slow down and display "Low memory" warnings. However, GMail works like a charm...

I would have also liked to have seen a CF slot. My digital camera uses CF cards, and this would have made a great platform for viewing pictures. But this also goes back to the size... they went small and didn't have room for anything more than an RS-MMC.

Final gripe: wireless is great for one location, but there is no easy way to configure the device to work in multiple locations. You can define wireless networks and wep/wsa-psk codes for each network, but there is no way to easy switch between them. For example, I have it configured to auto-connect to my home network. When I go to work, it has to try to connect to my home network, fail, and then I can select which access point I'd like to try to connect to. Also, there isn't support for VPN connections, which makes my campus wireless access (PPTP) impossible.

Overall, the 770 is a good little device. In fact, I have to steal it back from my wife at times (it includes a Mahjong game)... It has a good interface (modified gnome/gtk), and connectivity is good. However, it is too small to be useful as a good internet tablet at home. The size is a bonus in that it is easily portable, but the difficulty in switching between networks makes travelling (and using 802.11 connectivity) harder than it should be. I also like the fact that you can attach the 770 to your main computer and it appear as a usb flash drive... this definitely makes getting files onto the device easy.

There is a lot to like, and a lot to not like. If you get one, just know the limitations and you'll be happy. After playing with mine for a few days, I'm not sure I would not have bought one at retail price... to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I would have paid the developer's price either... This is a good first effort by Nokia, and their software deisgn is actually very good. They just need to work on the hardware design... I hope that the 2006 software update fixes the problems with configuration, but that isn't going to change the hardware issues.

I'd give it a 6/10.

Re:I've got one!

[tao]

Yes, I have a 9300, so I know about that keyboard. Adding something similar would have made the manufacturing a lot more difficult and the tablet bigger, clumsier and more expensive. Since the main use case of this device is browsing, hwr + virtual keyboard was deemed sufficient.

Again, the PIM-applications were skipped because the device is not intended as a PIM. While it would've been nice to have such apps too, we simply don't have the manpower to do everything; our team and budget is quite limited, so we had to focus on our primary objectives. Then again, a port of GPE PIM is under way, I suggest you use that.

No, VoIP isn't Skype, but Skype is a VoIP application. I kind of doubt Skype will be used, since it's a QT-app, and we've based our system on GTK+.

Re:I've got one!

[lawpoop]

I'm getting from you that it mostly a browser PDA. But do you think it would run other types of applications, not just AJAX in the browser?

Re:I've got one!

[Anonymous Coward]

Although I agree that adding a built-in keyboard to the 770 probably wasn't possible, but I think it's a major oversight to leave out a USB 2.0 master port. If Nokia had included a USB 2.0 port, it would have instantly made the 770 an extremely versatile machine, since I could then plug all sorts of USB devices into it (like portable hard drives, cameras and keyboards).

Re:I've got one!

[Alizarin Erythrosin]

Also, there is not enough RAM on the device.

I'd say give it to the end of the month. Somebody will take one apart and figure out a way to add some more RAM to it, I'm sure.

I'm seriously considering buying one of these, then whipping up a remote program... any chance it has an IR port?

Re:I've got one!

[sootman]

Barely. I said "Palm" but should have said "PDA." Cheaper than some, more expensive than others. At least in PDA land, you've got a zillion choices.

from dell.com/axim/ ; click on 'home and home office'
Dell Axim X51v, $399
Intel® XScale at 624MHz
640x480 resolution
Integrated 802.11b and Bluetooth
64MB SDRAM and 256MB Flash ROM
Integrated CompactFlash Type II and Secure Digital / SDIO Now! / MMC card slots
3.5mm Headphone / Headset Jack for Headsets to support VoIP and voice recognition applications
Built-in microphone and speaker

So: costs a bit more, slightly smaller screen, but smaller overall; more memory, more CPU, better expansion, plus mic and speaker *and* headset jack, presumably for Skype, which seems to be a popular topic in this thread. Of course, it runs Windows, which requires you to sell your soul, according to what I read here on Slashdot, so pick accordingly. :-) You can get PalmOS on a number of Sony CLIEs. Oops, wait, we're boycotting them this week, too. Never mind.

Re:I've got one!

[Anonymous Coward]

There's no hardware to support timed wake ups e.g. for calendar alarms

cron, you fool!

Re:I've got one!

[tao]

That's a question of power consumption. The battery cannot power the port. However, it is fully possible to enable host mode, provided that you have a powered usb-hub to connect it to.

No telephony

[binaryDigit]

At first I thought, interesting, a tablet with a phone built in. NOT. It has no telephony capabilities itself, requiring a bluetooth enabled phone to provide connectivity. Makes me wonder exactly what the market is since it seems to compete directly with PocketPC/Palm. Other than price and the nice screen, I really didn't see anything all that compelling that would drive a significant number of people to choose this solution since it would be squeezed at the highend by PPC and the low end by their own phones (and others of course).

Re:No telephony

[Qwavel]

I think they are expecting telephony to be provided by VoIP services, eg. Skype would run on it. After all, this unit is really intended to be used in places where you always have internet connectivity.

No, I believe that it does NOT compete directly with PocketPC/Palm. They are trying to create a new product category: the "Internet Tablet".

Re:No telephony

[bguzz]

I like the fact that there's no phone built-in. I saw it, thought, "Cool," then realized it was made by Nokia and thought, "Dammit! Another portable internet thing that won't work with my carrier (Verizon) and comes with a monthly fee." I must say, not including the cell-phone stuff was a pretty bright move IMHO. 'Sides, there's no way if they had a cell phone in it the carrier would let them include WiFi so folks could avoid data transfer charges.

I just want ssh

[gtrubetskoy]

Slightly OT - but has anyone figured out a way one can get a device that provides two things (1) a (thumb) keybard and ssh access on its own (2) can serve as a modem for your laptop via USB (my powerbook doesn't have bluetooth). And preferably this device would be compatible with CDMA/EVDO, but I'll settle for GSM just as well. AND I don't want to pay $600 for it, AND I dont care for any other fancy-shmancy features at all.

Re:I just want ssh

[diegocgteleline.es]

This nokia 770 has USB and bluetooth so you can but a usb/luethoot keyboard and install shh

Re:I just want ssh

[bobintetley]

You can run FloydSSH on ANY MIDP1.0 (read Java) compatible mobile phone with GPRS or 3G support. That's just about any phone you can buy today.

I used to use it on my Motorola v500 and it even manages a 40x25 character terminal and uses the keypad as hotkeys for commonly used commands. Seems quirky at first, but it works and well.

Re:I just want ssh

[ubiquitin]

Instructions for running ssh on the Nokia 770 are in the Maemo wiki:
maemo.org/maemowiki/InstallSsh

No thumb keyboard, but there is bluetooth keyboard support.

One of the best things about using this for ssh in a handheld is that the wifi is VERY sensitive, so it is fairly easy to get low latency connections to 802.11 access points. In my world, there's nothing worse than a really SLOW-response shell.

Re:I just want ssh

[gtrubetskoy]

This nokia 770 has USB and bluetooth so you can but a usb/luethoot keyboard and install shh

Yeah, but that's the whole point - I don't want to lug a bunch of devices with me like an idiot, I just want small thing that I can take anywhere that would be no more burdening than wearing a watch and know that I can log in and get a command line prompt on my server. And if I'm going on a long trip, then I'll take my laptop with me and use the device as a modem.

Re:I just want ssh

[nahgoe]

The spec only mentions a usb slave.
So no usb keyboards (, mice, card readers, hard disks, etc...)!

Re:I just want ssh

[Emil Brink]

Uh, it's also not very useful as a modem, as far as I know. There's no cell phone circuitry of any kind in the 770, just wifi and bluetooth. I may have read the OP wrong, but it sure sounded like he wanted some kind of "dial-up" access through that device?

Re:I just want ssh

[bojanb]

You can run Idokorro's Mobile SSH on a Nokia 6820. Don't know how much the phone will cost you, but in my part of the world it's 140 EUR without a plan. Only drawback is the small screen resolution of a Nokia 6820.

Re:I just want ssh

[fanblade]

FYI, the FloydSSH FAQ says it doesn't work on just any Java phone:

1) Which phones are supported?

      Generally phones with socket connection support. I am
testing on Motorola T720i and Siemens S55. Most of Nokia
phones dont work. As for others i dont know.

  Phone: Telnet, SSH

  Motorola T720, T720i: yes, yes
  Siemens S55, M55: yes, yes
  Siemens MT50: yes, no
  Nokia 6820: yes, no
  Sonny Ericcsson T630: no, no
  LG U8110: yes, yes
  Motorola V500, V600: yes, yes

Re:I just want ssh

[jcostantino]

Hey, I just want to thank you for mentioning FloydSSH! I have been looking for a decent SSH client for my Audiovox SMT5600 and you may be interested in what I found by way of your suggestion:

MidpSSH is an integrated telnet/SSH client with lots of display options, a phonebook (!!) and seems to be very stable. I'm only having one problem though - I can telnet fine, I can SSH to my Smoothwall firewall but I can't SSH to my OSX box... Granted it's only been 10 minutes of fiddling so far so I may be overlooking something.

Only problem with it so far is that the vibrator in my phone goes off when I move the direction pad.. very odd to say the least.

PS: http://www.xk72.com/midpssh/

Re:I just want ssh

[Majix]

The 770 can be put into USB host mode with the supplied linux flasher utility. However, the USB port is not powered, so your device must be self powered or you need a hub to supply power to the device. If you do manage to connect an USB keyboard, it will work for input.

Re:I just want ssh

[baka_boy]

Unforuntately, Cingular at least does not allow unsigned MIDlets (including FloydSSH) to open socket connections. The Nokia tablet is a truly open platform, allowing you to run any software you can compile for (or on) it.

Re:I just want ssh

[jcostantino]

It works on the Audiovox SMT5600... it's just a bastard to use. midpSSH is much better.

http://www.xk72.com/midpssh/

But...

[BlueOtto]

does it run Windows?


;)

No ogg support??

[sucker_muts]

Supported File Formats: Audio: MP3, MPEG4, AAC, WAV, AMR, MP2

No ogg support? On a linux platform (which makes is a few steps easier to include it anyway)? Many linux enthousiasts will probably love this device (future mod abilities?), but yet no ogg support?

I have lost of ogg music, and therefore am reluctant to buy even an ipod, so what about it not being put on this device? How hard can it be?

Re:No ogg support??

[Anonymous Coward]

http://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationCatalog - see item 12.

Re:No ogg support??

[Anonymous Coward]

http://blogs.gnome.org/view/tko/2005/06/01/2
http://www.advogato.org/person/pycage/diary.html?s tart=31

Re:No ogg support??

[INAN]

I agree, OGG support would be easy and should be there

Re:No ogg support??

[EvilNTUser]

"I have lost of ogg music, and therefore am reluctant to buy even an ipod, so what about it not being put on this device? How hard can it be?"

./configure
make
make install

Re:No ogg support??

[at_slashdot]

It might not be as simple as it looks to install software. It looks like it doesn't have a harddisk and it has limited memory.

Re:No ogg support??

[SonarNerd]

Doing C55x DSP implementation of ogg/vorbis is not easy as that... ;)

Re:No ogg support??

[mbrubeck]

It's not available yet, but someone is working on the Tremor fixed-point Vorbis decoder for the Nokia 770.

Bang for the buck

[Iriel]

Yes, I'm enthused about this prospect, but sadly, not about the actual product. I think it offers some interesting features, but for $400, I would like to see a slightly higher storage capacity. After all, Nokia should take a cue from everyone else using the newer generations of Flash RAM. Frankly, the capabilities leave the imagination open to great ideas, but when I can actually store a useful amount of files on it, I'll be impressed

Re:Bang for the buck

[moro_666]

for almost the same buck, i get a pda with gsm/gprs/wifi abilities, so i can make calls and use internet from somewhere in the forest (where wifi accidentally is still missing today). ofcourse if i could choose a pda with gsm stuff and with linux, i would choose that... (preferrably with a built in qwerty keyboard and an option to add a fullsize pc keyboard over the usb cable or some direct mounting).

the nokia thing is just a toy from my point of view. a quite expensive toy to browse the internet.

the resolution may be great, but the screen is actually tiny so people with less than magnificent sight are going to have trouble with this one.

if it would be capable of using gsm/gprs and give me an usable input method like a keyboard, i would consider it (especially if it could use cheap sd or mini-sd flash memory units, 512mb costs around 35 euros over here... 1gb around 70 euros).

what kind of cpu does this thing have anyway ? is it comparable to the 400mhz/200mhz cpu's used by hp/compaq handhelds ?

Re:Bang for the buck

[hattig]

It's a ~200MHz ARM9 processor made by Texas Instruments. Namely the TI 1710. Notice it also has an integrated DSP.

65,536 colors

[ccozan]

...seems little, for such a big screen. Lately the cell phones have 200k+ colors for 4 times smaller screens.

Re:65,536 colors

[thebdj]

ummm...that is 16-bit color. Not too bad for smaller devices. Actually not sure how many devices with screens that size support more then 16-bit color though...

Im impressed

[NVP_Radical_Dreamer]

For the first time I'm actually impressed with a linux based device. Most of they time its a great idea but poorly implemented or at a price point that scares me away or lacking crucial features. This looks like a nice device and at a VERY attractive price point. Now if I can somehow convince the wife that I need one...

Save about

[ScrewTivo]

Nokia is an affiliate of Savern.com. They split rev 75%. Use the guest login to check it out.

Disclosure ... Yes I am affiliated with savern.com

Re:Save about

[Anonymous Coward]

Please fix that website. Ugh!

It's ugly and doesn't tell me what it's for. Then, when I try and use the guest account it tells me my browser (Firefox 1.5 Beta 1) wont accept cookies when it blatantly does.

Not impressed.

memory

[cetan]

128MB of storage of which only 64MB can be addressed by the end-user. And the RS-MMC slot can only hold a 64MB card. Is this some sort of joke?

Is this 1999 or 2005?

Another failed product by Nokia. No wonder they're in the toilet.

Re:memory

[Kanon]

It *comes* with a 64meg card. It can take much bigger ones.

Re:memory

[Dynamoo]

64Mb is *included*, it's not the *maximum*.

Re:memory

[LDoggg_]

It has a USB port, so I imagine adding a thumbdrive is possible.

Re:memory

[cetan]

I might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but where does it say it can take larger media?

And when was the last time anyone saw RS-MMC for sale? A premium product for no good reason. They could have easily put an SD slot in there.

Re:memory

[drinkypoo]

And when was the last time anyone saw RS-MMC for sale?

About a minute ago. 512MB for US$50. Google is your friend.

Sony Location Free TV

[Anonymous Coward]

Doesn't this have less features than Sony's Location Free TV? Perhaps you could update the Nokia with downloaded software, but how many developers are there going to be for this thing really?

-Marc R

LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[ubiquitin]

There is a bootable Linux live CD that has a development environment for the ARM chip in this thing: maemo.org/maemowiki/LiveCD


I got a development unit on Friday last week. It took me about a half an hour to get ssh, vi, and nmap running on it. Shell tools are a variant of busybox. The ssh client and server that are the easiest to get running are from dropbear project. I'm working to compile gdb for this thing.

Other comments: wifi is INCREDIBLY sensitive. Will make a great stumbling platform and 1G MMC cards are only like $75. Bluetooth works, and requires that you sync with a 4 digit code every time. The big question is whether it will work with bluetooth GPS.

As a side note, hats off to Nokia for sending units to developers before sending them the press. Don't get me wrong, CmdrTaco, I hope you get the free unit that you feel entitled to in a few months from now, but the fact that Nokia wants these in the hands of developers before the press speaks volumes about how successful this platform will be.

It's all about the software.

By the way, if you want, I can paste a dmesg from this thing. It feels pretty quick, especially running X. Native RAM/storage is 128MB and it comes with a 64MB storage card. MP3 playing slows it down a bit. It can play movie files, but pretty much if that's the only app you're running. Chess, Mahjong, and a Marbles puzzle game are all very nicely built out. The RSS feed reader in this Nokia770 is AWESOME and puts the PalmOS equivalents to shame. The web browser feels like Firefox in your hand and already has Flash support in it. Blah blah blah; I'm rambling, if you have questions, post them here and I'll do my best to answer.

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[hattig]

Does it have an IR port and can I use it as a fancy smancy universal remote control like I can with a Palm or PocketPC?

But it does look incredibly neat, and at the right size. PDA applications will naturally follow within the year of course. I reckon the next generation will be pretty desirable devices, at least for geeks. Best give it a bit more memory and storage by default though!

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[Anonymous Coward]

what version of the flash player does it have?

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[Anonymous Coward]

guys and gals,, dont forget your firmware updates !!! it makes a big difference !! ;-)
also, yep they dished em out to developers before the press... goes to show the finnish attitude... humble.... :-)

-anon

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[Anonymous Coward]

Please post the DMESG output. Thanks!

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[SushiFugu]

I'm a little late but whatever. Hopefully you can help, you seem to know about this thing!

I don't use linux (but would like to, especially on a tablet!), I used to have a PocketPC tablet that recently combusted. This thing sounds perfect for me but my main use and reason for needing a tablet is I need to be able to use some sort of (Japanese) handwriting recognition on the thing. Do you have any idea if it could be modified to support Japanese fonts? And is there anything out there for linux that supports handwriting entry?

Thanks for any help

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[karlk79]

Sounds like you would be better suited getting a Zaurus imported from Japan. As they support both american and Japanese input. The latest model is sl-c3100. You can find it here. http://www.geekstuff4u.com/product_info.php?manufa cturers_id=&products_id=210

Re:LiveCD for compiling, yes, it runs bash

[bani]

awaiting your data point :-)

too bad about the controller placement. it would have made an excellent portable mame platform.

I can't be the target market

[el_womble]

I don't get it. What would I use it for? Is it for people that can't afford laptops but want the web on the move?

How many people is that exactly?

And its not like you can just use it anywhere. You're either using it on your home network, where it would be a toy not a tool (why wouldn't you use your real computer?) or your using it in an expensive access point, or do they expect you to steal other people's connection?

3 hours battery life?

$400?

I guess this might appeal to PDA people, but don't they have everything that this offers for less, in a smaller package with the same or better battery life?

Re:I can't be the target market

[BasilBrush]

And its not like you can just use it anywhere. You're either using it on your home network, where it would be a toy not a tool (why wouldn't you use your real computer?) or your using it in an expensive access point, or do they expect you to steal other people's connection?

Erm... why didn't use at the office occur to you as one of the places you could use it?

Re:I can't be the target market

[novitk]

How many more failures can they take before their CEO realizies he's not Steve Jobs and Nokia is not Apple? Their core strength in phones was always more about fashion design than technology, so why reinvent itself? Look at Dell - no R&D, despite being big and sucessful "tech" company, just marketing and distribution. Nokia should do what they do (or at least did) well, just come up with a new cool looking form factor (and don't forget changable faceplates) for an existing platform and leave the business of building a platform to somebody with a clue, like Apple, Intel, Sony, MS, Nintendo, Sun...

Re:I can't be the target market

[gothfox]

As far as I remember, they state that 3 hours is a web-surfing time. I suppose, web surfing means 802.11 which sucks power like crazy.

Re:I can't be the target market

[Zak3056]

I work for a SMB and I want some of these for my manufacturing guys. We've looked at tablets before, but $2k/each is too large an investment for something we're not entirely sure (yet) is going to be a real benefit--and that is fairly fragile. On the other hand, at $359, we can give these devices to almost all of our shop leads for $2k, and the replacement cost after they get run over by a forklift (it's a "when" not an "if") is reasonable.

I'll be keeping an eye on these, particularly the hacker community that is sure to develop. Once real applications are verified to work (the ARM port of OpenOffice, for example) we'll probably pick one up, with more to almost certainly follow.

I realize we're NOT the target market, but I see real possibilities here.

Re:I can't be the target market

[at_slashdot]

"I guess this might appeal to PDA people, but don't they have everything that this offers for less, in a smaller package with the same or better battery life?"

Have you tried to browse the Internet on a PDA for three hours?

Re:I can't be the target market

[Emil Brink]

Look at Dell - no R&D

Uh, according to Dell's 2005 Year in Review report:

The result is we are able to deliver a collective research and development investment of more than $20 billion annually to meet real customer needs. Dell engineers share their unique knowledge and expertise with counterparts at Intel, Oracle, EMC, Red Hat and other leading innovative companies. Then they assemble technologies from those companies and add a significant layer of innovation to create more powerful, more reliable and less expensive products and services.
[...]
For Dell, the approach is pragmatic and sustainable, generating more than $9 in operating income for every dollar invested in research and development.

Now, I'm not sure (I couldn't find a breakdown of their employee structure), but it sure sounds as if at least one person at Dell works in something very close to R&D, at least to me. Even if the work is all done by employees at other companies, that's still 20 billion dollars that Dell spent on R&D during 2005. Hardly "no R&D", imo.

Re:I can't be the target market

[bfree]

I don't get it. What would I use it for? Is it for people that can't afford laptops but want the web on the move?
How many people is that exactly?

How about people who won't lug about a laptop (weight) but need access to web/email. As others have mentioned, many business applications look viable where browser based clients do the work.

And its not like you can just use it anywhere. You're either using it on your home network, where it would be a toy not a tool (why wouldn't you use your real computer?) or your using it in an expensive access point, or do they expect you to steal other people's connection?

First, I could see myself using one of these at home, the alternative is to lug around the laptop, or cover the house in a bluetooth netork for pdas (unpleasent to surf on anyway) or put a computer in every room! Use it as a remote for mythtv, read email or /. while you eat breakfast and check imdb to settle a bet on what films the actor you are watching is in.

As for where else to use it ... Work. Many free/cheap hotspots abound (e.g. some MacDonalds here would let you online for buying anything). Your friends/business partners may let you onto networks. It has it's own storage so it doesn't need to be online to be useful and finally you could just use your mobile when you have to get online and have no other choice.

3 hours battery life?

3 hours of surfing on 802.11 wireless sounds fine to me! I'd rather not carry around too much weight, and if I had to have longer battery life I suspect I could carry extra batteries. The entire unit probably weighs less then the two batteries I have in my laptop, in fact it's probably about the weight of one.

$400?

Yes, $400. Look at the prices of mobile phones (not subsidised ones), pda's and laptops. The 800x480 touchscreen alone is worth $100 in my book, any general computer (as opposed to a locked device) another $100, another $100 for low weight, power and small form factor and you can choose to argue the last $100's worth (is the software, or even just supporting the idea of it, worth it or perhaps the 802.11/bluetooth).

Whenever a form factor like this starts to become popular you can expect a rapid price drop as I'm sure the main part of the costs are the attempts to recover the fixed costs and the marginal price is low. At present screen options were probably few and far between for nokia, but if 10cm 800x480 touchscreens (or any size/format/resolution) take hold another manufacturer (of both the screens and devices) will likely appear quickly. Right now there's still a bit of "early adopter" to the price.

I guess this might appeal to PDA people, but don't they have everything that this offers for less, in a smaller package with the same or better battery life?

Show me a PDA with a comparable screen? It's as simple as that, what size/resolution screen do you want to surf the web with. 800 pixels wide should mean you are using something more akin to a laptop web browser then a pda one and make things much more pleasant.

Re:I can't be the target market

[mbrubeck]

"I guess this might appeal to PDA people, but don't they have everything that this offers for less, in a smaller package with the same or better battery life?"

Have you tried to browse the Internet on a PDA for three hours?

Exactly. I just got my Nokia 770 developer device on Monday. I was never interested in a PDA-type device before, but I love the 770. The 800x480 screen makes all the difference. On the Nokia I can view any web page easily. I can read web comics without scrolling in every direction just to see a single panel! And it turns on instantly, and is small enough to carry around and use at the breakfast table or in an elevator or on the bus (unlike my 5-pound work laptop).

The 770 isn't the perfect device for me, I admit. I would love to have an 8- or 9-inch screen and more storage space. When something like the Flybook is available for less than US$1000 then I might get one. But the Nokia 770 does most of what I want, and I can afford it *now*.

Re:I can't be the target market

[Captain_Chaos]

You're on Slashdot. You're the target market for precious few companies...

Re:I can't be the target market

[darrylo]

I don't get it. What would I use it for? Is it for people that can't afford laptops but want the web on the move?

Here's a kludgy one: uber remote control for PVRs like MythTV. Yeah, MythTV should have better functionality, but you can't watch (pause) live TV and schedule show recordings, the way you can with TiVo. Now, you've got a easy way to schedule recordings without losing live TV, without having to boot a laptop.

Re:I can't be the target market

[HardCase]

Reading past the marketing words, the report is calculating the R&D expense of Intel, Oracle, EMC and RedHat.

In Dell's latest quarter, the company spent $122 million on "Research, development and engineering". Maybe I'm cynical, but I read that as a bunch of technicians testing parts and software to see if they're compatible. Not really R&D.

If my engineering experience with Dell is any indicator, the "unique knowledge and expertise" that they share is a list of requirements that their vendors have to meet. And, now and then, some of those requirements show a serious lack of understanding of the way that computers work.

-h-

Re:I can't be the target market

[Majix]

And its not like you can just use it anywhere.

But that's the beauty of it, you can! I throw my phone in my backpack, the 770 transparently connects through the phone to the GPRS network (no fiddling with the phone required) and I'm able to browse the net anywhere I have basic cell reception. A few weeks ago I was browsing Slashdot in the middle of a forrest, it was a real "holy shit, the future is here" moment.

Also the battery is much better than 3 hours, the 3 hours stated is full out use with the wifi and screen active 100% of the time. In actual use you get much better mileage. You can also leave the device on for days and it will instantly pick up from where you left.

Re:I can't be the target market

[fm6]

You do a good job of explaining the rationale of the design. But I still balk at buying at tablet that you can only use for three hours between recharges. To be more than a geek toy, a tablet has to be something you can use to read and to scribble. In other words, it's an electronic replacement for a book and/or a notepad. It's something you take to meetings to take notes, to your favorite chair to do some serious reading, to your TV room so you can check out the listing and IM your friends during commercials...

Having to stick it back in the charger every three hours puts a serious crim in these uses.

Re:I can't be the target market

[johnw]

And its not like you can just use it anywhere. You're either using it on your home network, where it would be a toy not a tool (why wouldn't you use your real computer?) or your using it in an expensive access point, or do they expect you to steal other people's connection?

I teach at a school which is spread over a pretty large site. Wireless networking is available almost everywhere so it would be attractive to me. Much more use when I want to check or record a piece of information than finding a free PC and logging on.

John

Re:I can't be the target market

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever thought of want you are using your mobile phone for? Yes, communicating where ever you are.

I am a lucky owner of the Nokia 770 (http://www.johanpaul.com/blog/) and I can tell you that the Nokia 770 is the same thing for stationary Internet terminals (aka. your desktop computer) that the mobile phone is to fixed phones. I can basicly browse the Internet the same way as from my desktop computer. The device is small and light and will easilly fit into your pocket. For me it is, for example, already a routine to have the 770 beside me on my lectures and IRC or browse the web using the WLAN at the university :)

And because it is based on existing open source technology, I am just waiting for applications to be ported to it (and port myself some too...?) an thus the Nokia 770 will become a somekind of internet tablet and laptop hybrid. Or something...

Re:I can't be the target market

[Kent Recal]

I think for now the main feature is the hack-a-bility.

I, personally, could imagine to turn one these into a "smart remote-control" to control my home-theatre without getting up.
The touchscreen would definately be good for a nice interface (playlist editing etc). OTOH $400 is a bit much only for that and a little web browsing. I would at least want a scroll wheel for that money because scrolling websites with a stylus doesnt sound very comfortable...

Re:I can't be the target market

[ottothecow]

If it was a little cheaper, I would love using this here on my college campus. The entire campus is wireless and it would sure beat logging into any of the widespread sun thinclients only to be forced to connect to the shitty webmail (how hard would it be to make them configure thunderbird based on your username and password when you log in...). It's quite smaller than a laptop and lasts longer if you arent using it heavily.

I wonder if Nokia did a market survey?

[daiichid]

I wonder if Nokia did a market survey before they decided to build this box? If they had asked me, I would've told 'em that I want fewer boxes, not more boxes. It amazes me that a company that built its reputation building phones decides to build a half-powered, low resolution, phoneless tablet. I'd love to replace my Nokia 9500 with something that has a better OS and a more compatible browser--but the Nokia 770 will require me to carry it and a phone too. I might as well stick with my HP TC1100.

I'm sure there are people out there that said they'd love a box like this... Nokia wouldn't have built it otherwise, would they?

Re:I wonder if Nokia did a market survey?

[hattig]

By "low resolution" you are talking about something that isn't a >230dpi device, aren't you? The 770 is 141 x 79 x 19 mm - that's as thick as my mobile phone, although it is 2cm wider and larger. My phone has a 320x208 display, not an 800x480 widescreen display. A brief google found me this picture of it side-by-side with a PSP and a phone.

Re:I wonder if Nokia did a market survey?

[daiichid]

Sure it has an 800x480 display... but that's not quite as good as the 1024x768 display on my TC1100. My phone (Nokia 9500) has a 600x200 display AND it has a web browser+office suite AND it has 802.11b AND it has bluetooth AND it can use the T-Mobile Internet network... My phone reads email fine at home, at the office AND every point in between. If the 770 just provided a built-in phone, it would be worth it to me to lug about the extra size and weight in place of my phone. If its Bluetooth connection could interface an address book to dial a bluetooth phone... I might even buy a smaller phone and try it. As it is right now, the 770 is more of an inadequate tablet PC or like my PSP without the games (which I also refuse to lug about).

Perhaps it will appeal to those who have a modest budget who can't afford a real tablet. I don't fall in that category; if I want "computing power" on the go, I demand a little more oomph than an ARM processor, a little more resolution than 800x480, and a little more communications ability than 802.11 (as an aside: my TC1100 accepts PCMCIA cards which means I was able to purchase a Verizon broadband card that gives me 300+ kpbs to my tablet anywhere wireless broadband is supported--providing I'm willing to lug it about).

Re:I wonder if Nokia did a market survey?

[hattig]

I think the 770 is the early adopter "pay to beta test" platform. No mobile capability means that the mass market won't adopt it. Lots of geeks will buy one as a toy, or to develop on.

In one year's time you'll have a lot more software, the system will be way better tested, and Nokia will launch the follow up which adds the phone capability and $100 onto the price. That's where this product is going.

However some people seem to have an issue with the word 'tablet' - a tablet being something you can write/etch/etc upon. This meets that definition, even if it isn't a large laptop-sized PC tablet. It isn't trying to be that.

Does this use WebKit/KHTML?

[Anonymous Coward]

Didnt Nokia announce they were using Apple's WebKit in future products? Anyone know if the device uses this?

Re:Does this use WebKit/KHTML?

[tao]

No, it doesn't. The browser is Opera. The Nokia WebKit effort started way too late for us to be able to use it.

Scratchbox WM? not!

[Anonymous Coward]

Scratchbox is the environment used for development of Maemo applications on the PC.
The window manager used is Matchbox, http://projects.o-hand.com/matchbox/.

Obligatory Futurama quote

[jounihat]

This just came in from Nokia: "Hey, don't you worry about blank. Let me worry about blank."

Looks like a neat device

[hattig]

Give it a year's development in the software so that there is a larger pool of software you can install, and more PDA style applications, and it'd be an interesting purchase at the price. Another year's hardware improvement should bring more memory - both RAM and flash, and a faster processor too.

I don't need an internet tablet however small and dinky. Well, maybe if it had built-in phone capability ... handy if it had decent handwriting recognition too, none of this character-based crap like on Symbian, but something like an advanced form of the system the Newton had.

Being open-source there's a fair chance that someone will write a Mac OS X iSync conduit for it as well - that'd be nice.

Those specs...

[Anonymous Coward]

are weak. A low end Pocket PC device will cost you about $110 these days. And those specs are on the low end of Pocket PC devices these days. The only advantage is a bigger screen and the notion of running a free OS. The flash memory that thing takes is uncommon and not larger than 512MB. Why not an SD/MMC slot? Or better yet, Compact Flash? From the sounds of it, my Pocket PC device with wireless on also gets better battery life. 3 hours? Get a laptop with battery life like that. Not to mention the software support. I know it runs Linux but exactly how hackable will it be? It sounds like you can't put your own programs on without a memory card to transfer between your desktop and Nokia. I was sold on this little device when it was 4 months ago and $200. In those 4 months, I researched my alternatives and wound up getting a WiFi enabled Pocket PC with specs that are nearly THE SAME for $165. The only thing I lack is the 64MB Flash card. And those can be had for nearly nothing these days.

Re:Those specs...

[Penguin Programmer]

Considering that you can also run Linux on a variety of inexpensive PocketPC's (I got my Zaurus SL5500 for ~$130US), I agree: there's no reason to buy this. Get yourself a PocketPC of your choice (for $130 to $400, depending what you need/want), throw OpenZaurus/Familiar/whatever on there, and you're set. Way more choice, way more hackability, cheaper, more fun.

Re:Those specs...

[Big Jojo]

...are weak. A low end Pocket PC device will cost you about $110 these days. And those specs are on the low end of Pocket PC devices these days. The only advantage is a bigger screen and the notion of running a free OS. The flash memory that thing takes is uncommon and not larger than 512MB. Why not an SD/MMC slot? Or better yet, Compact Flash?

Those low end devices don't come with 802.11 support though. And if they support CF, they suck battery power up the wazoo. I far prefer having this longish battery life.

The SIZE -- physical dimensions, weight, etc -- of N770 are actually quite nice. Much bigger and I'd feel uncomfortable putting it in my pocket. Much smaller and I'd not be able to use it in the can ... ;)

One of the interesting things about OMAP is the integrated DSP. I've been lax, and haven't checked out how my N770 uses it (or if it does) ... but I'm certain that the VOIP codecs will be using it, even if some of the current audio/video stuff might not yet use it.

Why would you want SD, anyway? Espcially on hardware where you're shaving every ounce of weight? Nokia doesn't use SD, so far as I can tell, just MMC. It's unrealistic to expect them to change corporate policy just for this product.

As for adding software ... just download the packages from the web, over the wireless link. No need for SD.

Admittedly a 220-odd MHz ARM isn't blazingly fast. But it's not like it's used for number crunching (that's what DSPs are for!), and this is certainly fine for web browsing at my local coffee shop. Or even at home.

Re:Those specs...

[dr_canak]

Just out of curiosity,

What PocketPC did you get for $165.00ish? I'm in the market for a similar device. I can't seem to find anything that cheap ($165.00) with these specs. Everything I see seems considerably less capable.

thx in advance,
jeff

Re:Those specs...

[TrekCycling]

Huh? I have an HP iPaq rx3115. It has bluetooth and 802.11b. It runs beautifully and the battery lasts at least 7 or 8 hours of normal use. A little less with WiFi. It also cost $300 retail and can be had for less. Get your facts straight.

Re:Those specs...

[MikeBabcock]

I hate to agree, but I do. The specs on the hardware (aside from the screen) are just disappointing. Assuming you could get Linux running on a PSP, it would be much more capable than this unit.

I'd rather have memory stick or CF or even xD as a memory format, not some new hacked one (again). Also, RAM is an issue ... I want a lot more than 64MB of RAM for a portable PC/PDA ... its ironically running an OS that should be able to direct-load from the memory card though (using the memory card as code RAM essentially), so we'll see what that buys us.

In the long run, I'm still waiting for my ultimate handheld ... although 802.11 and bluetooth go a long way toward making this one good enough.

Re:Those specs...

[Big Jojo]

Costs $300 retail? That's comparable to the N770. NOT comparable to the $100 low-end job the other writer described.

Re:Those specs...

[TrekCycling]

You miss the point. I said "retail". The device I just detailed can be had on eBay for even less - http://search.ebay.com/ipaq-rx3115_W0QQfromZR40.

Call Waiting

[Doc Ruby]

What, no phone? They say it can BlueTooth to a phone for Internet connections. Does this move mark Nokia's moving the phone to the status of a peripheral? Then they'll have to put USB master ports into the tablet.

Re:Call Waiting

[squiggleslash]

Why would it need USB master ports if it can communicate with the phone via Bluetooth?

I've used Bluetooth to go online using my Motorola V635, Apple PowerBook, and a T-Mobile account. It's just another form of dial-up networking (albeit with some wierd looking scripts if you want to use GPRS/EDGE) The cool aspect is they (the phone and book) only need to be in range of one another after the first time the thing has been set up. The phone can sit in my pocket as usual.

Re:Call Waiting

[hattig]

The processor it uses is designed to be coupled with TI's phone chips for GSM/3G/etc

I suspect that Nokia doesn't want a first generation product being over-sold, just in case there are issues. This is something for the early adopters. The next one will have the phone chip as well, and the software will be more rounded, and overall functionality tweaked after a year of end-user testing.

Re:Call Waiting

[DrSkwid]

> Why would it need USB master ports if it can communicate with the phone via Bluetooth?

Wireless isn't everything

Re:Call Waiting

[Doc Ruby]

I said "Does this move mark Nokia's moving the phone to the status of a peripheral? Then they'll have to put USB master ports into the tablet."

If the phone is a peripheral, then the tablet is the "computer". That means it will probably have other peripherals. Which have USB slave ports. Which means the tablet needs USB master ports. Like your Powerbook has.

All that can be done with BlueTooth, but most peripherals don't have BlueTooth. And USB is better for some things, including security and bandwidth.

Re:Call Waiting

[Doc Ruby]

Moderation -1
    100% Redundant

Show me the prior post which mentions "peripheral status" along with "no phone" and "needs USB master". Can't, right TrollMod? "Redundant" mods are almost always "Unfair". They should require the moderator to link to the prior post to which the modded post is redundant.

Re:Call Waiting

[squiggleslash]

I understand that, but you didn't talk about the 770 as being a device that needs lots of peripherals, but as the phone being a peripheral. If it's only the phone, why are master-USB ports on the 770 needed?

If your point is that the 770 is a hub that would use various devices, that didn't come across in your original comment. Moreover, I disagree with that. The 770 is a portable tablet device. There's a limit to the types of device you'd want to interact with it when it's on the move (right now, a cellphone is the only thing I can think of.) This is not a device that it would be sane or rational to plug a keyboard or mouse into, or a storage box, or anything similar. Once you do any of these things, you lose the portability. Once you lose the portability, you're looking at an underpowered PC that competes unfavourably with a $200 Wal*Mart box.

Re:Call Waiting

[squiggleslash]

For a portable handheld device? Yes, wireless is everything. The moment you wire it to something, the moment it loses the ability to be a portable handheld device.

Why buy it otherwise? It's not a good desktop PC. It's not a good laptop. It's cheap, but if it's going to be chained to a keyboard, mouse, or mass storage device, then there are cheaper, more powerful, alternatives.

Slow Down Cowboy! Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment. It's been 48 seconds since you last successfully posted a comment Chances are, you're behind a firewall or proxy, or clicked the Back button to accidentally reuse a form. Please try again. If the problem persists, and all other options have been tried, contact the site administrator. Slow Down Cowboy! Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment. It's been 1 minute since you last successfully posted a comment Chances are, you're behind a firewall or proxy, or clicked the Back button to accidentally reuse a form. Please try again. If the problem persists, and all other options have been tried, contact the site administrator.

Re:Call Waiting

[Doc Ruby]

When a device like a phone becomes a peripheral to a device that operates just like a computer, it's easy to infer there would be other peripherals like the phone. You might not have seen that inference, but that doesn't mean it's not implicit in my statements.

As for why the tablet would need USB master ports, though it's portable, that's also implicit: in its current design, with USB slave ports. I'm not going to debate the utility of those current ports, which make a mobile device useful with stationary devices, because they're part of the current design. I'm talking about the consistency of the design principles in the current device, not overall design principles for mobile devices.

I think you just didn't get the point of my original post, though it was clear enough, and now you're spinning. Because each of your mitigating statements is weaker than the last.

Re:Call Waiting

[DrSkwid]

The ability to wire it to a phone to provide comms could be vital.

To have it as an option could be important. 2.4Ghz interference is common, whereas GSM interference is less so.

I would have said this stuff before but I thought it was more self evident.

Charging Cradle?

[mustafap]

Has a charging cradle been announced for this thing yet? I couldn't see one on the website.

This will be ideal for bedtime web browsing once my youngest stops trying to eat shiny electronic things.

Re:Charging Cradle?

[ctid]

Is a charging cradle different from a travel charger? Here is a link to the online Nokia shop. It says that a travel charger is supplied.

Re:Charging Cradle?

[mustafap]

Only in terms of the way it holds the unit. Like the stand used by IPAQ; you can drop it into the stand for charging and you can still see the screen. When using a travel adaptor the unit is probably laying flat with the display pointing upwards. Not much use in bed!

I think you mean,

[Short Circuit]

Imagine a mesh network of these.

That'd be more interesting...

Bye Bye Ipod

[cannuck]

Looks like the beginning of the end is beginning.

Re:Bye Bye Ipod

[Woldry]

But where will it end?

Good In Hospitals

[blueZhift]

This might actually be of some good use in hospital settings as a replacement for PDAs (which are too small) or Tablet PCs, which are needlessly complex. I've been pushing web based forms for clinical research data entry for which a device like this would be perfect because it doesn't require making the forms microscopic and this internet tablet is much cheaper than a Tablet PC. I also found that Tablet PCs tend to run hot and are still a bit too heavy for the typical nurse to lug around for too long. Unfortunately, hospitals tend to be very Windows-centric, so this will still be a hard sell.

Re:Good In Hospitals

[GuyWithLag]

My guess is that the major stumbling block for hospital use is the 3 hour battery limit....

Re:Good In Hospitals

[big tex]

Unfortunately, hospitals tend to be very Windows-centric, so this will still be a hard sell.

Sell the web thing. At that point, it shouldn't matter what it runs, if it accesses data through a browser the same as a desktop.

Re:Good In Hospitals

[Zak3056]

I'm not sure I agree with that. Instead of issuing one to each doctor/nurse/whatever, you could have a bunch of them sitting in charging cradles at the nurse's stations. When your battery starts to go, you just pick up a new one and throw the old one on the charger.

OTOH, this thing is the size of a PSP... I don't think the screen is quite large enough for medical use.

Re:Good In Hospitals

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm, although don't hospitals usually tell you to turn off your cell phones and such so it doesn't interfere with their equipment?

Re:Good In Hospitals

[cakesy]

You have never worked with a bunch of Doctors, have you? Never met a more small minded, politicaly motivated bunch of people...

Re:Good In Hospitals

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing that adding a Citrix client wouldn't solve. In my experience lots of hotels are going down the Citrix (or Terminal Services) path because it makes software rollouts substantially easier and insures that patient data doesn't leave a secured machine (Yay HIPPA!).

N/C

[Anonymous Coward]

If i eat it will i feel better?

Lefties?

[etherelithic]

What I don't like about this thing (besides the price tag) is how it is geared exclusively towards righties. Can't they make a few for us lefties? Considering that this is supposed to appeal to the geek crowd, I would hazard a guess that there is a higher concentration of lefties in this demographic anyway.

Re:Lefties?

[dhasenan]

I'd prefer it oriented the other way, and I'm right handed. If the buttons were on the right side, I could hold it along my left forearm with my fingers by the buttons. But that's just my preference.

Re:Lefties?

[cabra_nino]

it's not that big, really!

treo 650

[bats]

Get a treo. It has a thumb keyboard and several ssh clients. Add in PDANet and its a wireless modem with a USB connection to your laptop. Its available on both CDMA/EVDO and GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks. The price varies wildly from ~$600 for an unlocked GSM model down to $99 for an Earthlink branded one (probably with some strings attached).

Re:treo 650

[gtrubetskoy]

Get a treo. It has a thumb keyboard and several ssh clients. Add in PDANet and its a wireless modem with a USB connection to your laptop.

I think I looked at that, and the problem is that I couldn't find any info on what it takes to get Mac OS X to recognize the treo as a modem (I think there may be a BlueTooth way to do it, but I'd need to get a new PowerBook, mine has no BT). PDANet appears to be Windows-only. Aside from that the treo does look like a pretty nifty device.

Linux Tablet to be Released in Two Days

[Mr2cents]

Why did it get arrested in the first place?

Re:Linux Tablet to be Released in Two Days

[Anonymous Coward]

Why did it get arrested in the first place?

Some guy named Darl told the police that the tablet stole something from him. It sounds kinda surreal that a tablet can be arrested, but this Darl guy has pulled this kinda thing before. At least that's what I heard.

Re:Linux Tablet to be Released in Two Days

[OneDeeTenTee]

Why did it get arrested in the first place?

It was framed by windows.

Operating System

[hungrygrue]

It sounds like a neat gadget, its a shame that most people will never realize that it is a Linux device based on the information that Nokia puts online:

Operating system
        Internet Tablet 2005 Software Edition

Re:Operating System

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate to be so cruel but most people wouldn't care.

Re:Operating System

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess that, since it uses all sorts of (L)GPL'ed stuff inside, when you start the device, you should see a whole listing of copyright messages, indicating that in fact, it uses open-source stuff.

Re:Operating System

[Anonymous Coward]

Debian and Slackware has become synonymous with Linux, but this is a glance that more and more, large companies will re-brand Linux to suit their needs. In this particular case, it was probably to obscure the fact that there's a Windows Tablet OS out and about, and Nokia can ride this wave. Most buyers of TabletPC's, will be on the lookout for a "TabletPC" OS - not "Linux".

Re:Operating System

[H0p313ss]

So Linux conquering the world isn't enough? You need people to KNOW that Linux conquered the world?

Re:Operating System

[F_Scentura]

Exactly. The geeks know what counts, the rest aren't blinded by technology. "I don't know how to use linux! I think I'll stick to what I can use..."

Re:Operating System

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a cute penguin on the box, actually.

Re:Operating System

[tpoo22]

I noticed the conspicuous lack of the L word on nokiausa.com, but on the Nokia UK site:

The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet's software is upgradeable and currently runs on the Linux-based Internet Tablet 2005 software edition. There is a planned launch next year of an operating system upgrade - the Internet Tablet 2006 software addition - that will support additional services, including Internet telephony (VoIP) and Instant Messaging.

Don't hold your breath for one!

[Bowdie]

I've had one on back order for a week now here in the UK. Looks like a really cool little widget, I can't wait to try it out.

Does it cure you?

[dwalsh]

Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. today announced their latest product "GNUease" (TM), the Linux treatment. Clinical trials have shown it to be effective at treating the following symptoms:

- rabid advocacy

- a special form of dyslexia where the sufferer cannot distinguish '$' from "S" when spelling the name of a large company

- loss of sleep due to staying up late with driver problems

- mild schizophrenia from using a UNIX operating system that is not UNIX

- inability to write documentation

However some side effects were observed. Patients in the trial either developed a rare expensive disease that was even worse, or spend large amounts of money on hardware from a popular MP3 player company.

great!

[FudRucker]

and just in time for Christmas!

i am getting one, maybe two more if i really like the first one i just ordered!

Great for secure computing

[ScrewTivo]

It seems impossible for a keystroke logger to get installed on it so it would be perfect for banking and trading. The 800x480 screen should handle normal web pages. I boot with a live cd either ubuntu or knoppix when I am doing this stuff. If I can get some GPS software for it then it will be under the tree in december. May end up there regardless :)

Re:Great for secure computing

[sagenumen]

If there's one thing I've learned from the computer industry, it's to never say "impossible."

Re:Great for secure computing

[phliar]

It seems impossible for a keystroke logger to get installed on it ....

Why?

It runs X11. It's perfectly simple -- well, not script kiddie simple, but if you know xlib, you can write a program that puts up a transparent window in front of every other window that can intercept all input, and of course it can read the screen at any time.

Mapping...

[wowbagger]

Ahh, the wonders of Moore's Law. This device is more powerful than my current laptop (yes, it is a very old laptop) - they only edge my laptop has is in mass storage. I'd love to replace my laptop with one of these, save for only one problem - a lack of mapping software.

At least with my current x86 laptop, I can run Delorme's mapping software under Wine. However, since the Nokia device is NOT x86 that option is not open.

Yes, I *could* use Google Maps. Except that would require me having a live Internet connection while moving down the highway, and except that Google maps does not do multiple point routes very well, and Google maps does not update very quickly, and....

Nokia is a big enough company they could go to one of the map software companies and negotiate for a license to port the software to this device - that, and a Bluetooth GPS and that would settle it for me.

For you early adopters who are going to be interviewed by Nokia - could you put a word in for this feature?

(before you suggest just buying a GPS with mapping built in - most of those run US$700 or more. They are not a multi-function device, and they STILL suck at computing a route).

Re:Mapping...

[Your Pal Dave]

Mapopolis comes in palmos and wince versions. If Nokia has any sense at all they would send them a couple of evaluation units.

Re:Mapping...

[drinkypoo]

GPSDrive on PDAs

Re:Mapping...

[wowbagger]

Unlike the Delorme packages, GPSDrive is nothing but a map display - it has no ability to compute a route, only show you where you are.

Re:Mapping...

[wowbagger]

Yes, I agree - that looks like just the ticket. Now, if either a) we can pursuade Nokia to pursue this or b) pursuade Mapopolis to do this....

Re:Mapping...

[drinkypoo]

The request was not for navigation software, but for mapping software. GPSDrive will do mapping... It will not do navigation, but that wasn't even mentioned. (I have used DeLorme Street Atlas, and find it to be highly cumbersome with a horrible interface, but yes, it does mapping. Unfortunately the search feature on my installation broke itself somehow, so I couldn't search for addresses, so I went back to mickeysoft streets and trips. I use street atlas for viewing the results of net stumbler logs, though.)

Re:Mapping...

[wowbagger]

Actually, it was mentioned. Several times. Go re-read my original post. I several times mention "routing".

No audio inputs?

[rbrewer123]

The specs don't mention an audio input, nor support for bluetooth headset profiles. This could be a great PDA and VoIP experimentation platform, but without audio input it's a non-starter.

I have one of these - arrived on Friday

[Anonymous Coward]

My comments are:-

1. Lovely screen
2. Browser needs popup blocker
3. RSS application on the front screen is a brilliant idea - needs a bigger scrollable history - there will be more web applications out there that provide useful RSS feeds - e.g. tadalists and rsscalendar.
4. CPU is maybe a bit slowish but I suspect that this gives it the useful battery life. The CPU is fast enough for browsing.
5. This will make a perfect home automation interface.
6. I don't have a wireless network at work and I miss it already :-(

Re:I have one of these - arrived on Friday

[mbrubeck]

The browser does have a popup blocker, but it's not enabled by default. You can enable it in the Settings window (in the "Tools" menu).

Why spend $359 for a tablet

[trollable]

when you can get a laptop for less? Ok, the tablet is available now but it has no hand crank.

Looks much better than a pocket pc

[espergreen]

Despite being called a tablet, this device looks like an awesome pda. 1) Almost completely open source desktop enviroment and very standard. Linux, debian, X11. 2) Wifi b/g and bluetooth 3) Very high res screen. 800x480 4) It can run gaim and SDL, enough said. I might get one.

bigger screen, wifi, bluetooth

[Russ Nelson]

The GP2X has a 320x240 screen. The 770 has an 800x600 screen, wifi, and bluetooth. They're nothing like comparable.
-russ

Re: no infrared

[ubiquitin]

To confirm, there is no infrared port on this device.
The Nokia 770 has three buttons on the top: a fullscreen toggle mode, a zoom with +/-, and a power button.

Four buttons on the face: a four-way directional controller, menu button, home button, and a undo/redo button.

This is definitely a pen-driven device.

Sweet

[manno]

I can't loose my Axim X50v soon enough!!

looks useful to me

[mcraig]

I like the look of this, I can imagine using it as an eReader in the lounge to read docs/internet/pdfs if that all works ok. It could also be very useful for quick fact checking e.g. cinema times/weather etc. without having to go to the computer personally I'd be quite keen for one of these. Could have some interesting homebrew projects to turn it into a home remote etc. Short battery life wouldn't matter as it would probably never be far from a power socket and if the price is an issue which I don't think it is even this is sure to come down in price. Or am I missing something??

Will there be a left-hander version?

[griffjon]

Or do us lefties have to constantly switch between stylus-or-navigation buttons? They should just place nav keys on both sides, it'd enable the eventual Katamari port (I can dream, right?)

Seriously, tho, we're 15% of the market (possibly higher among the techie crowd, even), and this device looks to be really horrid for lefty-use, tho otherwise it's an interesting looking gadget. I wonder how video playback is?

Re:Will there be a left-hander version?

[freshman_a]

Good to know I'm not the only one that noticed the right-handed bias. :) I've seen some devices that allow the screen to be rotated 180 degrees to accommodate lefties. Assuming it's not implemented now, I'd be suprised if they didn't add such a feature. I know quite a few left-handed geeks (myself included).

Not a tablet PC, like the name implies

[sootman]

sounds more like a 3Com Audrey. And looks about as useful. Having used a Tablet PC and other small devices to surf wirelessly, I have to ask: am I the only one who needs a keyboard to enter URLs?

I use my Treo 650

[blueZ3]

It has a thumb keyboard and there are a number of free/open SSH clients for PalmOS. (http://www.sealiesoftware.com/pssh/) The only downside is that for Wi-Fi you need a SDIO card.

I use the built-in bluetooth to connect to my laptop and use the phone as a modem. The nice thing about it is that it's full-featured enough to let me leave my laptop behind about 75% of the time, even on longer trips.

Re:I use my Treo 650

[gtrubetskoy]

I use the built-in bluetooth to connect to my laptop and use the phone as a modem.

Who do you use as a carrier? My current phone is /w Verizon, but all googling shows that they explicitely disable DUN on the treo, whereas Sprint now has it enabled - makes me think about just switching to Sprint, even though I really like Verizon's coverage - Verizon often has a signal in most remote places like the mountains of West (and non West) Virginia or some remote part of the bay where no other carriers have signal.

eBook

[Councilor Hart]

Is it usable as an eBook?
It can probably be used as an eBook, but is it usable/comfortable/enjoyable?

Re:eBook

[hattig]

The 800x480 screen is very high resolution, over 230 pixels per inch. In that respect characters would be very readable. Therefore it probably would make a good eBook device, although it wouldn't have much vertical content - 10 lines of text (48-pixel high text, inc. line spacing), 20 if you have good eyesight (24-pixel high text, including line spacing, but note the resolution, that is 10 lines of text an inch).

Re:eBook

[mbrubeck]

It's not an ideal e-book reader, but it works. You either have to use big fonts (and scroll a lot), or use normal fonts and hold the device a lot closer to your face than you would with a printed book.

I tend to hold my 770 about 6 inches from my face when I'm reading lots of text. That works fine for me, but I must look more like I'm playing a GameBoy than reading a novel.

If wanted a device mainly for reading e-books, I'd go for something with a bigger screen, like a Sony Librie.

Why not wait?

[DJCater]

Why not wait 2 days and post then that it _has_ been released? "To be released in 2 days" isn't really newsworthy...

you people suck

[SchemeHacker]

This is a cool Linux device, and most posters are just complaining that it doesn't have feature X. It's only $359, and it has wifi; most other PDAs with wifi are in the $300 range and don't have nearly as nice a screen. And some are complaining that it isn't a cell phone - I think it would be hard to make an open source cell phone, not to mention not everyone wants a phone with an expensive service contract.

Ultimate Remote Control ?

[da5idnetlimit.com]

I've been on the hunt for an "affordable", fully programmable remote control for some time for the home theater.

Most offering that are interesting are WAY more expensive than this tablet :

        iPronto TSI6400 Wireless Remote Control
iPronto is an advanced universal remote control panel providing a single, ... the iPronto can acquire TV programming information using its ...

        $800 - $1,700

        Philips RC9800I iPronto Home Control Panel
RC9800I IPRONTO HOME CONTROL PANEL BUILT-IN UNIVERSAL LEARNING IR CODE DATABASE FOR MORE THAN 1100 BRANDS QUICK INSTALLATION THROUGH AN ...

        $403 - $639

(Just type in ipronto in froogle, you'll see the rest...)

So if the IR port is strong enough to cross the 8 meters separating me from the video rack, I'm definetly going to have a go at trying to "convert it", maybe create a Tcl/Tk or even a flash remote interface...

+I'll have the nice internet access, and it should be possible to just read a few e-books/magazines while waiting for the program to begin...

Anyone has a clue on an already existing project covering the remote control+interface ?

Re:Ultimate Remote Control ?

[mrchaotica]

Screw infrared, why not use the Wi-Fi to control a HTPC (particularly, one running MythTV)?

Re:Ultimate Remote Control ?

[spj524]

IR is much more common interface in most households than WiFi (ie - can you control your TV with WiFi? Ethernet for that matter?)

Although your idea is a bit more practical with products like this floating around.

Re:Ultimate Remote Control ?

[mrchaotica]

I don't understand what you mean by "more common." As far as I know, a "home theater" consists of a PC hooked to a large monitor or projecter, and aside from some old laptops, I've never heard of either of those having IR ports.

Re:Ultimate Remote Control ?

[da5idnetlimit.com]

I'm using an xbox with XBMC as a media center.
The IR port is the most easy acces to it, even if there is an accesible webpage that you can use to control the player, IR is more "just push one button" instead of "log, scroll, push"

If I had a dvr, the wifi option would be nice indeed...

Also my amp, old vcr and tv all accept IR input, so I can manage the whole troop with the one remote, and possibly add some home automation as prices go down...

The IR repeater presented by grandparent is nice, but costs 125 uk pounds, and I still need a palm of some sort to be main emitter...

Well, I'll just have to wait some and see if anyone else is on this ultimate remote track, and just hop on...

Why not buy a Palm TX

[Anonymous Coward]

This looks slick until you check the SIZE of the device - approx 3 inches by 5 inches. Look at the size of a Palm pda such as the new Palm TX - about 3 by 5. The Nokia device is slightly larger, but only slightly.

Also, look at the Nokia website - the accesories page lists *half size* MMC cards as accessories. Why would I want a device that apparently takes a strange MMC card that I can't use in anything else.

For my money, a Palm TX will do the same thing for less, and has clear developer base to support software. Granted the current Palm TX software is still a little buggy, but hey ... its a new device.

Linux Tablet to be released..

[anOminousCow]

They've got a pill for everything these days, don't they.

Its getting there

[tmortn]

You could use this as a mobile terminal with access to a server for the heavy lifting via wi-fi and various extension devices via bluetooth and usb for varied input. For example, a bluetooth/usb upc scanner or RFID wand for inventory management.

Also in jobs with numerous procedures it would be nice if you could have a device like this for accessing them where the updates could be managed remotely and pushed out. For example NASA flight controlers have roughly 3 feet or more of procedures to refference (if printed out). Keeping updated hard copies is a PITA and utilizing them on already scarce display space very awkward. Having a dedicated device that could be used more like a traditional hard copy but which could always be accessing the latest version could be a very helpfull widget.

Dunno, but...

[CdBee]

.. its lawyer says GNUtanamo Bay is lovely at this time of year

Re: no infrared

[hattig]

Shame. Especially as the processor utilised, the TI 1710 OMAP, actually incorporates IRDA functionality. It'd have been the cost of a LED and clear-bit-of-plastic to add.

Does it have a USB host port or a USB slave port? Or both? The processor includes both ...

VOIP isn't sufficient in a lot of cases

[blueZ3]

Sure when I'm here in the city VOIP would be fine. However, when I'm driving 360 miles down I-5 to LA, across the rural wasteland that is Central California, access points are few and far between. So relying on VOIP means to call AAA I have to walk 30 miles to the nearest StarBucks :-)

The lack of phone is the deal-breaker for me. That's a bummer too, because now that Palm has gone to Windows, I really would like a Linux option.

Finally!

[prisoner-of-enigma]

This is just what I've been waiting for, Linux in pill form! For years and years we've had to take our Linux in bulky, hard-to-swallow formats. But now, thanks to the miracle of technology, Linux can be had in a tablet!

In other news, Linux makers indicated it will soon be available in capsule, caplet, and liquid forms.

a consumer flop

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you might have something there. This is definitely going to be a flop in the consumer marker: big, heavy, and really only for wifi connectivity. Yawn. I can see some future limited application as a ruggedized version for thin-client access to some database like hospitals or something of the like. This will probably go the way of the Zaurus (and the N-gage).

Why don't people create products that SOLVE PROBLEMS that lots of people have instead of making whizbang crap?

Calendaring?

[lazarus]

HOW do you engineer a device like this and NOT put a calendar application on it? It seems like the perfect device to tote from boardroom to boardroom writing notes, setting up appointments, assigning tasks, and sending e-mails.

Argh! Does anybody think Evolution will be compilable on this platform?

Re:Calendaring?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have exactly the same question. It seems that Nokia was so focused on web browsing and email that they forgot some very basic function.s I was going to buy one mainly to use for note-taking and as a planner/calendar.

Lefties

[PsychoKiller]

For the people that have one already, can the display be rotated for left-handed people?

Also, is the kernel source available? All I can find on the maemo site is a root image.

Re:Lefties

[Majix]

For the people that have one already, can the display be rotated for left-handed people?

Unfortunately not, but I know it's being considered.

Also, is the kernel source available? All I can find on the maemo site is a root image.

Here you go. All the packages are also available separately from the root image, with source.

Re:Lefties

[PsychoKiller]

Awesome, thanks, that's just what I needed!

Running..

[Anonymous Coward]

How long will it be before we have penguins running on this? oh wait..

Guess it'll be another 6/12 months before *BSD decide it is worth a port.

I have one....

[Tanaka]

...and I love it. The screen is small, but the high resolution makes it very readable. Everyone I have shown it to, have immediately commented on how good the screen is. It's far-far better than any PDA that I have seen.

You can write .NET apps for it to, with Mono.

This is great

[C_Kode]

This is great as an "Ultimate E-Commerce Admin PDA" type device. You can carry it with you, and use it for remote access to your environment and still do your everyday work on it without carrying around a full laptop. To bad I cannot go to the closest office product store and get a closer look. It looks great though.

Same Hardware as current 3G phones

[OlivierB]

As someone who is attentive to the 3G phone scene I was at first impresseds with the capabilities of this tablet.

Looking a little more into the (hard to find) tech specs I soon realized that this device is nothing more than a 6680 or n70 hardware wise besides the gorgeous screen.

My only complaint with this tablet is the poor Multimedia performance I.e. QCIF videos @ 15 fps on a 800*480 screen?? Come on!.

I am not sure if the on chip DSP is put to use yet but if my N70 is any evidence, than it will not play anything MP4 at more than 200kbps. What a shame.

And for the love of god, this device is supposed to be a USER-Friendly device. People all-over are already spitting out debs that are as pleasant to install as it is to eat bolts.
I don't want to fiddle on my tablet too! Palms are increasingly looking like the Macs vs the monster the community is transforming this thing into.

The Palm TX looks mighty sexy in comparison to this with a TCPMP running hi-bps videos and simple to install apps

Tomorrow on slashdot

[Kelz]

Linux Tablet to be Released in One Day

Nice,

[Anonymous Coward]

but does it run ..

Oh, never mind.

Flash yes.

[carguy84]

But can it run Linux????? I want to be able to serve 1million pages a month off of it with Apache and tomcat.

/sarcasm

Bluetooth PIN code.

[Torbj�rn]

I also bought a 770 and I'm loving it!

But you shouldn't have to enter the bluetooth PIN code everytime you connect to it.
I have a SonyEricsson K700 and after I have paired the 770 with it once it will connect directly when I tell it to.
This is the normal behavior of bluetooth units so you most likely have a phone that does something weird.

Wonder if it would work with BT headset & Skyp

[Anonymous Coward]

That would be pretty sweet.

Seems to be lacking quite a bit...

[Anonymous Coward]

No ability to read documents/spreadsheet (other than pdf)
No Calendaring
No Instant Messaging
No SSH
No shell?

Seems a bit expensive for a portable web browser

Gnome Inside

[joelito_pr]

I wonder when where the Kde Fanboys will start bashing this thing because of that.

Re:Gnome Inside

[Anonymous Coward]

They can't, it has KHTML derivative as a browser engine (the Apples fork)

Re:Gnome Inside

[21mhz]

They can't, it has KHTML derivative as a browser engine (the Apples fork)

Quite frankly, I don't get it. Build your platform around one stack, then pull in another one (Qt/KDE) just for the browser? In a device like this, they ought to be more rigorous about storage space and RAM usage.

Re:Gnome Inside

[net_bh]

The browsing engine is from Opera.

Re:Seems to be lacking quite a bit...

[Anonymous Coward]

Try downloading and installing some more software on it then.

No Internal Microphone or Microphone Jack?

[MrNoise71]

So for audio input you have to use Bluetooth or USB? Anybody know anymore or did I miss something?

Re:No Internal Microphone or Microphone Jack?

[Anonymous Coward]

next to the power plug at the bottom is a microphone.

through sheer coincidence, you can hold the speaker to your ear, and the microphone is situated near your mouth.

200 Mhz?

[msimm]

I know the whole Mhz to-do, but I'm using a 200 + Mhz Zaurus already. Is it more responsive? The battery life (as has been well illuminated) on the Zaurus + wifi is terrible so this looks interesting in that respect alone. Can the two be compared?

I have one... I hate Real...

[network23]

I got one of the European units and it works, it is nice, I can use AbiWord and play most of my ScummVM games.

But why the hell did they include a Real Player as the one and only media player?

Will somebody please for the love of God compile a better media player that handles MP4 and H.264?

Bah!

[koan]

NO hard drive, it should have a removable hard drive with at least 40 gigs of storage.
The only thing on it that I like is the screen size.
What a waste without a large capacity HD.

Re:Seems to be lacking quite a bit...

[Anonymous Coward]

Into that massive 128Mb of memory, of which the user can use ~64Mb?

OpenOffice should run great in 64Mb, huh?

correction on the browser

[ubiquitin]

The default browser is opera. Version is "8.0.2 internal" system string is "armv5tejl" So how do you go about figuring out what the version is of the flash player?

Re:correction on the browser

[jsldub]

So how do you go about figuring out what the version is of the flash player?

How about the ol' "about:plugins" in the address window?

here's the dmesg and uname -a

[ubiquitin]

BusyBox v1.00 (Debian 2:20041102-11) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.
~ $ dmesg
mapdsp: freeing 0x10000 bytes @ adr 0xc2060000
[69527.536682] omapdsp: mapping in ARM MMU, v=0xe0fff000, p=0x13c48000, sz=0x1000
[69527.629608] omapdsp: mapping in ARM MMU, v=0xe0100000, p=0x12700000, sz=0x100000
[69527.629852] omapdsp: mapping in ARM MMU, v=0xe0200000, p=0x12600000, sz=0x100000
[69527.630157] omapdsp: mapping in ARM MMU, v=0xe0028000, p=0x105e9000, sz=0x1000
[69527.630310] omapdsp: frame buffer export
[69527.630371] omapdsp: mapping in ARM MMU, v=0xe0300000, p=0x13d00000, sz=0x100000
[69527.630523] hwa742_notifier_cb(): event = READY
[69527.630584] hwa742_register_client(): success
[69528.026519] omapdsp: IPBUF configuration
[69528.026550] 512 words * 16 lines at 0xe0200000.
[69528.026733] omapdsp: found 4 task(s)
[69528.026885] omapdsp: task 0: name pcm0
[69528.059753] omapdsp: taskdev pcm0 enabled.
[69528.059997] omapdsp: task 1: name pcm1
[69528.092498] omapdsp: taskdev pcm1 enabled.
[69528.092742] omapdsp: task 2: name avsync
[69528.170349] omapdsp: taskdev avsync enabled.
[69528.170654] omapdsp: task 3: name audiopp
[69528.245025] omapdsp: taskdev audiopp enabled.
[69530.782836] omapdsp: mmap info: vmadr = 40000000, padr = 12530000, len = 2000
[69530.783264] omapdsp: mmap info: vmadr = 40000000, padr = 12510000, len = 2000
[69560.991363] tlv320aic23 powering down
[69570.117828] tlv320aic23 powering up
[69570.135284] tlv320aic23_init_power() done
~ $ uname -a
Linux Nokia770-40 2.6.12.3-omap1 #1 Wed Oct 5 12:54:09 EEST 2005 armv5tejl unknown

I bought one!

[Torbj�rn]

Ive had my 770 for a week now and so far I'm very happy with it!

I have seen many posts wondering why you'd want one, so here are my reasons.

* I want to have something to browse the web where a laptop is not appropriate, like in the bed or TV couch (I dont want to sit awkwardly leaning down to the coffetable or balancing the thing on my lap)

* I use it as an extra MP3 player in the kitchen, streaming music from my server. When used like this I have external speakers and the power chord plugged in. Since there are lots of wifi MP3 player I can't be alone in having a need for this functionality.

* It can act as a pretty good divx player on the road but I haven't really used it for that yet.

* It's really cool!

This might not be enough for everyone but I have wanted the websurfing part of it since the term webpad was first coined somewhere in the late 1990s. And this is the first one that really delivers on the promise at a decent price point.

I never wanted the tablet pc's becuse the ones I have seen are all laptops without keyboard which means that they are expensive, heavy and not really designed to surf the web on the go.

The fact that it runs Linux and potentially can do a lot of other things is pure bonus!

Many people have questioned the lack of a phone in the unit, but I can't really see why I would want one.
If it had a phone, lets say a 3G one, it would need it's own subscription or a dual subscription if possible, would be heavier and use more battery.

I honestly think that it is much better to use my allready existing phone and subscription through bluetooth. Right now that is a GPRS phone but may soon be uppgraded to 3G, if it had been built in I would not have had the possibility to uppgrade it either.

I guess I should include a little min review also, so here goes...

The good.
* The build quality of the thing is excelent. Since most Nokia phones are plastic little massproduced toys that feels like they will break if you look at them funny I was suprised by this. The 770 feels like it could stop bullets :-)

* The browser, so far it has handled most pages I have thrown at it with ease the pages have been shown in all their glory without having to slim them down to the screen. (Try that on a Palm!)

* The battery life, the stated 3 hours must be while stressing the unit hard, for normal use it lasts a looong time. The powermoding is excelent!

The bad.
* The 64Megs of RAM is a bit to little, the browser suck quite a lot of it and becaus of this it has problems with really large web pages.

* Memory handling in general is not the best, it takes a little to long to load programs.

* I expected that it would include a real dockingstation with power but it came a flimsy plastic stand a standard nokia charger.

Re:I bought one!

[Anonymous Coward]

nice mini summarry but I must raise issue with two points you make :

1. you say "the build quality of the thing is excelent. Since most Nokia phones are plastic little massproduced toys that feels like they will break if you look at them funny I was suprised by this. The 770 feels like it could stop bullets :-)" goes to show you do not know anyhting about nokia phones... most of them have a reputation of almost being indistructable.. anecdotal evidence suggests you can drive a car over a NOKIA phone and it will still survive.. (my cousin did by accident).. N770 feels solid yes.. but so do most of NOKIA phones..

2. The stand provided with the N770 isnot flimsy, sitting / perching / mounting the N770 on it, is.. the stand legs themselves are solid, :-)

by the way, dont forget your firmware updates ! ;-)

Re:I bought one!

[MikeFM]

I'd have liked it to use a normal PCMCIA card to offer GPRS/3G connectivity. After a recent trip where I frequently tried to use my laptop to look up directions using Google Maps and the frustration of dealing with the bulk of the laptop and lack of decent Wifi access (my first hotel, a Best Western, was suppoed to have access but that access seemed to only work in one parking spot in the parking lot.. I moved to a different hotel after that).

It uses bluetooth and your phone to access the Internet? Any special phone? I'm going to have to upgrade my phone shortly anyway so I'd like to make the best choice for this usage. I've previously used my phones built-in browser but have been unhappy with it's quality and expense. Sadly the browser and related charges of my ancient phone from about five years ago were better.

I was planning on getting a PCMCIA card for the laptop to offer getting online anywhere in the city but these look like a promising alternative. Our business is actually thinking of getting handhelds with net access for all sales and service staff. I wonder if these would work better?

Keyboard Input

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd be all over this if it had some kind of slide-out thumb keyboard or something, but as it stands, I don't really see the point. I despise pen input.

Battery life?

[Richard W.M. Jones]

How is the battery life? The reason I ditched the Zaurus was the poor battery life (1-2 hours only).

Rich.

FreeNX

[LWATCDR]

Having it run FreeNX would be very handy. You could use it as a terminal for a Full power PC running Linux. Now if freeNX had a way to send audio as well as X over a network.

Re:FreeNX

[linuxpyro]

I believe it is able to do that, with the help of ESD in Gnome. I've had it work before, but there's a crap load of network latency. Then again, this was also with the Windows client; I can't speak much for the Linux one that you'd need here.

Re:FreeNX

[LWATCDR]

I have used it on my system at work and it seems very fast to me. I have not tried it over the internet yet but on a lan it was pretty snappy.
The only issue I see is the lack of sound support. Imagine an OpenMosix Cluster running of AMD64s serving apps to a bunch of these :)
Beowulf clusters are so 20th century.

Storage

[Torbj�rn]

It uses RS-MMC, 1Gig costs about 60... Is that enough?

Specs

[fm6]

If you don't mean to put it down, you should pick a more positive word than "glorified". The Palm's limitations have as much to do with making it a practical portable tool as with keeping it cheap. Instead of trying to do everything, like the Newton, the Palm picks out some specific portable applications and makes them work on a system that you can carry around all day without recharging..

That's also what this tablet tries to do. It's primarily for accessing the web and email. These are applications that just don't need a fast processor or lots of RAM. A better screen is always nice, but this one is acceptable for the intended purpose.

And raising the specs would not just make the thing cost more, it'd destroy the system's battery life. Which is already disappointingly low. I wouldn't buy a web tablet unless it could last through an entire work day without recharging.

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

Instead of trying to do everything, like the Newton, the Palm picks out some specific portable applications and makes them work on a system that you can carry around all day without recharging.

OMGWTFBBQ, dude! Apple cancelled the Newton 6 years ago, but you're still steaming about how Palm is better. Your favorite platform won, okay? Let it go! ;) ;) ;) ;)

That being said, I totally agree with your assessment that Apple did market the Newton to be able to do seemingly everything (I still don't know the name of that mapping application that was shown on the front of the 2000 box or if it even existed). The 2000 came with a word processor, a keyboard, and two PCMCIA slots. Farallon even made an ethernet adapter for it. Incidentally, there were a few interesting things you could do with this setup.

I think that later Palm and WinCE PDAs fell into this trap as well. As soon as they started putting spreadsheets and cameras into PDAs things started to get out of the realm of "do one thing well". The exception to this seems to be the Blackberry, which has an amazingly well integrated email and phone (of course, that seems to be their focus, so you'd expect that).

Even with all the neat applications out there for Palm, I still primarily use my Palm for three things: an address book, a scheduler, and an alarm clock.

Re:Specs

[fm6]

OMGWTF yourself. That was a passing reference to the Newton, not an anti-Newton flame.

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

I guess I should have used five winkies.

Re:Specs

[fm6]

Or you could have said something that was actually funny. Slashdot humorists seem to think that everything rates a ROTFLOL.

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

You seem to have a lot of anger towards the world to work out.

Re:Specs

[fm6]

That's true. Better not piss me off!

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

Just promise me you won't mail me anything.

Re:Specs

[fm6]

OK, glad to oblige. During my next psychotic ep, I'll just murder somebody near and dear to you.

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

You're too late.

Re:Specs

[fm6]

It's never too late for evil! Mu wah ha ha!

Re:Specs

[pyrrhonist]

If Evil could dispose of the corpses, that'd be nifty.

Integrated phone.

[Torbj�rn]

Why would you want an integrated phone, it is too big to use as your primary phone so you would need another phone anyway, use that via bluetooth. Problem solved.

The screen is really good so I think most users with normal eysight can use it without problems.

It uses RS-MMC which is like mini-sd but cheaper and (I think) slower.

Mobile Uses?

[tji]

I am interested in this device, both for home and mobile uses. At home, it's a sort of adjunct to the home entertainment system. A limited web browser to keep up on scores/stats while watching football. Or, a WiFi based remote control for my MythTV system.

I could also see using it for mobile purposes, rather than opening my 15" PowerBook, I would whip out this tablet as a WiFi detector and casual www/e-mail checker.

In the car, I would love to use a device like this for GPS navigation. There are several bluetooth GPS units available. If a company like Garmin or TomTom would sell their software for this unit, it would make a great nav system. A 2GB+ SD card should allow enough room for map data, with space to spare for other apps.

why opensource SD drivers don't happen

[MrLizardo]

It's not a problem of interested developers. The Zaurus scene has plenty of those (check out oesf.org/forums). My C1000 which has been out for about a year and isn't even available in the US except through importers, has several different Linux distributions and OpenBSD available. People have ported X servers, got a full debian distro to run on it and generally hacked it up in some very interesting ways. But it will never have SDIO because of all the red tape around SD in general.

The only way to write SD (or SDIO) drivers is by pay some exorbitant fee to the SD consortium gods or by reverse engineering it. The fine people behind SD have let it be known in no uncertain terms that if you release open source SD drivers you will get slapped with the lawsuit of a lifetime in return. So SD drivers have to come from the manufacturer of the device or some well funded commercial operation (SD specs ain't cheap!). And if the manufacturer doesn't have SDIO at launch, what incentive do they have to add it after launch? No potential return on investment means no investment in the first place.

For a better description of the situation check here.

Re:why opensource SD drivers don't happen

[Gleng]

So SD drivers have to come from the manufacturer of the device

Gamepark Holdings are supplying the SD drivers as part of the firmware on the GP2X, so I guess it comes down to them then. Oh well. At least they plan to continually update and revise the GP2X firmware though (they're pretty responsive to what their customers want), so if demand for SDIO is large enough, then they may include drivers in an update.

Nice

[sgt scrub]

I've been wanting something like this so I can use the X Windows System like it was designed. http://www.nomachine.com/documentation/html/intr-t echnology.html
If it is capable of being docked, or accept a keyboard+monitor being attached, then it is perfect for me.
From what I've read about it http://www.internettablettalk.com/content/view/98/ 37/ it seems to be just as customizable as any GNU/Linux/X system.

Phone home?

[reclusivemonkey]

Surely they could of stuck a phone in there too? I purely use castoffs from contract phone users myself, but if this had a phone in as well I'd buy one tomorrow.

Not sure about LCD quality...

[questro]

Sure I want one of these babies, but I'm not getting a good feeling about the quality of the LCD. I'm of the mindset "no dead pixels" PERIOD. The user's guide has this to say: "Note: A small number of missing, discolored, or bright dots may appear on the screen. This is a characteristic of this type of display. Some displays may contain pixels or dots that remain on or off. This is normal, not a fault." http://www.nokiausa.com/support/phones/guides/1,78 40,770,00.html

"this type of display"? You mean sub-standard? I think that's BS! There are many LCDs that have no dead/half-dead pixels. I HATE that more companies are putting this kind of statement in warranties and userguides. Is there a 100% satisfaction guarantee?

Re:MythTv Remote

[fwitness]

I've been using Myth for well over a year now. How can this used as a remote for it? That would be interesting, and many people seem to comment on it, but I don't see how another computer can remotely control the playback. I have wireless keyboard, and I *suppose* I could somehow "fake" lirc keypresses, but is there a better application that I don't know about?

Some initial thoughts from an early user

[AGSHender]

I was just playing with one of these units (disclaimer: I work for a company making add-on software for the unit, but we're outside of Nokia's sphere of influence), and I was pretty impressed with the quality of the device. It's pretty light, and the screen is readable even at the default level, but zoom buttons on the top of the unit are helpful for looking at something close up. The speed of the unit is sluggish in places--mostly when opening/closing apps--but overall is more than acceptable. It's not Palm or PocketPC speed, in other words

We tested the browser and were able to view HomestarRunner for Flash content as well as browse Google Maps, the latter of which would be extremely handy in many situations. It also includes an audio player, and I was about to go to Digitally Imported [www.di.fm] and stream their ShoutCast stations without trouble. The "loudspeaker" is a bit tinny at higher volumes as expected, but with headphones it would make for a very nice portable music player as long as your battery life and signal strength hold out.

My biggest beef just with my initial impression of playing with it for 30 minutes is that there isn't a microphone built-in. If some sage programmer were to get Skype running on the device...that would make for a very multi-functional device. I suppose a USB microphone could be connected to the mini-USB port on the bottom, but built-in would be much more convenient. In short, my initial impressions were favorable. It's much better for web browsing than a PocketPC, both in terms of the technology in the browser as well as the screen size. I think the real key that would ensure the success of this device is add-on software to extend the basic functionality.

Re:Some initial thoughts from an early user

[nchip]

My biggest beef just with my initial impression of playing with it for 30 minutes is that there isn't a microphone built-in.

I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but there *is* a microphone builtin. The tiny hole left from the power plug. No apps included supporting yet, but that will get fixed in a software update next year.

Re:Some initial thoughts from an early user

[Mike Lococo]

According to the maemo developers list, there is a microphone. There's just currently no voice recording application to take advantage of it.

http://maemo.org/pipermail/maemo-developers/2005-J une/000315.html

Mike

Hope Maemo eventually supports Palm Lifedrive

[poopie]

Looking at the hardware specs, it seems that it wouldn't be totally impossible for Maemo to support Palm hardware like the LifeDrive.

I would eagerly wipe PalmOS off my LifeDrive and install a linux-based distro. It couldn't possibly perform any worse than FrankenGarnet on the LifeDrive.

Seriously, while the lifedrive hardware specs are pretty good... the whole package as released by palm was a turd. Hear that, Palm? A Turd! And, no thank you Palm ... I don't want to "upgrade" to a T|X or a Treo650. You should send the leftover inventory of LifeDrives to maemo and embedded linux developers and release a free "upgrade" to Linux.

can it do what the new iPods do?

[Anonymous Coward]

Too bad it can't handle H.264 like the new iPods - especially since, thanks to the new iPods, we will be seeing lots of videos being distributed in H.264 format.

Can it at least support TV-out like the new iPods?

Re:MP3 slowdown -- DSP?

[kerch]

You say that MP3 playing slows it down. Any idea if that uses the DSP capabilities of the OMAP (which presumably would be more efficient than using vanilla ARM code)?

Drool

[MrCopilot]

Our Embedded Linux 200mhz ARM:
grayscale..sigh
no touchscreen..sigh
no wifi...sigh
no X....yeah.
Same Ram....Yeah
Costs Less/Does Less. Maybe next year.

Nice review! One question...

[Radical Moderate]

...can you flip the display? As a lefty, I'd like to have the controls on the right side of the unit so I'm not smooshing them with my hand when I use the stylus.

Too bad the website is yet another poster child for the war against Flash.

Re:Nice review! One question...

[sydney094]

Sorry, as far as I can tell there is no way to flip the screen...

Re:Nice review! One question...

[tlhIngan]

Sorry, as far as I can tell there is no way to flip the screen...

Sure there is. If the xserver supports XRandR extensions (and it should, even the old framebuffer xserver did), well, man xrandr(1).

Phone Please!

[asv108]

This tablet looks really cool, especially from a software perspective and Nokia's efforts to seed the development community. What would be even better, is a smartphone using the same platform. With Palm moving to windows, there is a clear lack of alternative smartphone platforms for the future. If there was Maemo powered smartphone, I would move to it in a heartbeat. While the tablet is an interesting piece of technology, I can't justify spending $300+ for device when I'm already sporting a laptop, ipod, and a smartphone.

My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[StarKruzr]

Has a letter-size screen, is ~4lbs and ran me $1100. Not too terribly far away from your specifications :)

The people who love tablets are typically in education and medical fields. I am a grad student, and the ability to import PDFs into my note-taking apps and then write DIRECTLY ON THEM is awesome. No more shuffling through papers, and the changes I make are even searchable. Pure. Heaven.

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[mrchaotica]

Actually, the "quarter-inch thick" bit was the most important bit -- I'll bet your computer is at least three times thicker. Also, wanting it to be that thin also should have indicated that I wanted it to be light -- no more than, say, a pound or so.

What a tablet PC should be is a device of similar thickness to an iPod Nano, with a 1.8" hard drive and an ARM (or similarly low heat and power) processor. They should come in two sizes; A4 (~ normal letter size) and A5 (half letter size, or about 4 x 5.5 inches).

Basically, think of a PADD from Star Trek and you've got the form-factor about right. Oddly enough, if you compare one to a PDA, it's not really all that different (note: the PADD in the comparison is a particularly small one).

Oh, and as a college student myself, I don't doubt that you love your Tablet PC. However, given that they're supposedly designed to be used like a pad of paper, they really are too thick and heavy.

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[fatcatman]

quarter-inch thick; similar thickness to an iPod Nano
letter (or A4) size screen
costs less than $1000
think of a PADD from Star Trek

Wow. That's all you ask for? I mean, while you're dreaming about technology that doesn't exist, why not go all out? Throw in some hologram projectors embedded in a watch, or something? ;)

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[ecloud]

Wow. That's all you ask for? I mean, while you're dreaming about technology that doesn't exist, why not go all out?

Nonsense. PADDs, unlike much of Treknology, could be built today.

I think making them thin is just waiting for electronic paper to come down in price. I think we will see PADDs long before the electronic paper is cheap enough for newspapers and cereal boxes.

1/4" thick PADDs with this kind of display could already be built; the display itself is not as thick as glass, and you don't need a backlight. Give them a few gigs of built-in FLASH, plenty of RAM, and wifi, and make them rugged, and leave out the card slots and other extras. A device like that, running Linux, could have at least a 10-year life too; there's no reason for it to become obsolete. Hopefully the battery is replaceable because LiIon's aren't lasting that long.

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[fatcatman]

Nonsense. PADDs, unlike much of Treknology, could be built today.

Barely. And not anywhere near the price he wants. I say again, the technology to build what he asks for does not exist. I could have clarified by adding "at his price" but that was implicit in my statement, as price was included in his list of requirements.

Besides, if it were built today, it wouldn't be good enough for him because he left out his numerous other requirements. I expect he'd want some sort of reasonable battery life that can't be provided in a device this thin with a screen that large (yes yes, e-ink, you can bring that up again when the price comes down and the technology matures). Oh, and he wants more storage than flash memory can provide - hence the call for a 1/8" hard drive. +size +heat +power draw.

At any rate, I wasn't slamming the guy. I just thought it was funny, and intended my post to be taken the same way. :)

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[mrchaotica]

I disagree. The PADD could be easily built today. Have you ever heard of a Palm Lifedrive? Well, if you haven't here are the relevant details: 4GB Microdrive (ok, not a 1.8", but better than flash memory), 416MHz XScale CPU, 5 hours and 15 minutes of battery life in the worst-case scenario (i.e. playing video), and $500. This already does everything a PADD would do; the only difference is that it's too small. To build what I want, you'd literally just have to attach the guts of a LifeDrive to a bigger screen and battery, and you'd have $500 extra to spend to do it. Now tell me it can't be done!

Slightly more difficult would be to do the same thing but with a Transmeta, Via C3, or low-voltage PPC chip and a 30GB iPod-size hard drive, but even that seems within the realm of possibility.

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[fatcatman]

To build what I want, you'd literally just have to attach the guts of a LifeDrive to a bigger screen and battery, and you'd have $500 extra to spend to do it. Now tell me it can't be done!

It can't be done! ;)

Actually, I'm serious. Your 1/4" thick requirement is the deal killer. The LifeDrive is 0.8 inches thick. You want to cut that by more than 2/3rds and put a huge battery hogging screen in. Where are you going to get the power to drive it with no room for batteries in your quarter inches of space? And how are you going to make it all so thin?

If we can keep it at 0.8" thick I'm on board with you. Totally possible, even relatively easy.

Re:My Toshiba Portege M205-S810

[mrchaotica]

Okay, the LifeDrive is 0.8" thick, but the [full-size] iPod isn't. How about we allow it to be as thick as an iPod? For reference, the 30GB iPod is 0.43" thick, and the 60GB version 0.55" thick. How about we split the difference and amend my requirement to half an inch, okay? (Not that it would need to be that thick, since an iPod has its hard drive and battery stacked on top of each other, whereas this could have them side-by-side.)

Speaking of side-by-side, that's how the batteries will fit. The circuit board would only need to take up about 2" x 3" of space, and the hard drive would only need to take up about 2" x 3" of space. Together, that's 12 square inches (and a generous estimate!). The total area of an 8.5" x 11" tablet would be 93.5 square inches, and if you use up 12 of those, you've still got 81.5 square inches for the battery. Luckily, the fancy batteries we have today are flexible and moldable -- it's quite easy to make a battery that takes up the extra 81.5 square inches and is 3/8" thick (to leave room for the screen). Moreover, since the thing would be about 30 times larger (by volume) than the battery in my old iPaq, it should have plenty of power for the big screen.

In case you're still having trouble visualizing it, it would basically consist entirely of a screen and a thin battery of the same size, laminated together, but with a rectangular hole cut out of the battery for the circuitboard and hard drive. (The hole would be strategically placed to balance the device.)

Alright, so I decided to do some research: The Toshiba MK8007GAH 1.8", 80GB (!) hard drive is 0.197 inches thick. Since batteries are made out of a material with properties similar to Play-Doh, the battery can be 0.197 inches thick too. Finally, with a suitable choice of chips, the circuit board could probably be made 0.197 inches thick too (although I admit, that's a stretch). That would leave enough room for a .3 inch thick screen, which should be plenty. In fact, I'll wager it's possible to find a .2" thick screen, which would allow room for a larger CPU (and a slightly thicker battery).

One final thought: the iPod Nano really is only a quarter inch thick (0.27", to be precise). Couldn't a device be made that's the equivalent of a bunch of Nanos set side-by-side (except with one large screen instead of a bunch of little ones)?

Neat. But the keyboard. . ?

[Fantastic Lad]

The best device is the following. . .

-A big screen, (twice the size of Noki'a little guy.)
-A minimal laptop keyboard which is still super-easy to type on.
-No moving parts.
-Flash Card ports.
-An 8 hour lith-ion battery.
-Instant on.

Answer: The discontinued HP Jornada 820, available (on a lucky day) over eBay for about two hundred and fifty bucks.

It won't fit in your pocket, but it's half the size of a normal laptop. You can't really surf the web on the thing, but some of us have been begging the industry to create a device which focuses not on candy, but on serious word-processing power and long battery life. I consider NON-wirelessness to be a highly desired and increasingly difficult to find feature.

-FL

Cingular is my carrier

[blueZ3]

and the setup was a little complicated. In the end, I paid for their "Medianet" unlimited plan, which enables data, then a DUN patch for the Treo. You can probably get a similar patch for any carrier's Treo...

lts great

[Seindal]

l'm writing this on my Nokia 770.

Its a great toy but it is definitely useful to have mail and web within reach anywhere you have GSM coverage.

The only downside is that its a bit low on memory. lt would have been better with 128Mb.

lt would also be nice with support for NFS or Samba.

It looks nice, true, but...

[Traegorn]

It looks nice, true, but how does this qualify as a "tablet" instead of just a high end PDA?

Re:It looks nice, true, but...

[Jussi K. Kojootti]

They don't call it a PDA simply because it's not a Personal Digital Assistant. It's a Media device at heart: surf Web, read e-mail, listen to mp3 (and soon ogg), watch videos, read news, listen to radio... PIM-software will probably be available, but just comparing those capabilities to a Palm or something doesn't do the 770 justice.

It's also arguably more versatile -- I bet there will be a wide variety of software available for this device very soon, as programs available for Debian are ported to maemo...

boring

[dunkelfalke]

little more than a simpad (which is already many years old)

the cpu is too slow. you need 400 mhz at least to play full screen video - just imagine, porn directly in your bed, via wireless.

cannot replace iPod. LOL

[Anonymous Coward]

The iPod has TV-out and H.264 support, whereas this thingy does not. Can this thing fit in your shirt pocket and play music for 20 hours? I didn't think so.

Warehouse tablet

[rackbreaker]

I've been looking for something similar to this for the pickers in the warehouse to use, tied into an inventory/order app running on the LAN. The price is good. It would be nice to see something a little larger for ease of use/readability (maybe 5x7"), and of course 3-hour battery life is not going to cut it. Also a normal SD slot would be nice, to plug in a barcode scanner. But it's close ... it would be nice to see more devices in a "big PDA" form factor.

Is it fast enough for divx?

[Anonymous Coward]

It can act as a pretty good divx player on the road but I haven't really used it for that yet.

Does it have the CPU power to decode divx in reasonable resolutions (320x240 and higher) without dropping frames? Does it come with a capable video player?

Re:MP3 slowdown -- DSP?

[konttori]

It uses OMAPs DSP.

If i take a Linux tablet...

[pgilman]

...will it cure my Windows headaches?

8-)

Tablet?

[nurb432]

Looks more like a large PDA to me, comparing it to the pen in the picture.

For the price, with those features it looks nice, but its no 'tablet'.

Talking about text size

[edxwelch]

I don't know if you noticed, but there is a growing trend on web sites to make the text size smaller and smaller (with a light grey colour on white background too), designers think this looks cool. What makes matters worse, if you are viewing a flash page you won't even be able to zoom - flash designers are even worse than normal web designers they make the text size absolutly microscopic

Address Book? Calendar/Planner?

[AtheM]

This looks like a great product, but I didn't see any Address/Phone book or Calendar Planner software included with the software (did I miss something?). Any ideas on how/whether these programs might be available and installed on the 770?

No left handed mode

[Anonymous Coward]

https://maemo.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=100

Apparently xrandr (mentioned by another poster) is too much of a hit on performance.

But not in Asia/Australia/NZ :-(

[nickbower]

From the horse's mouth:

Thank you for emailing Nokia Careline.

We appreciate you interest in our new product Nokia 770. In response to your enquiry, please be advised that the release of Nokia mobile phones are market, country and region dependent. As such, the Nokia 770 will not be made available within the Asia Pacific region.

The decision on releasing Nokia products in a specific country or region is very much dependent on the survey carried out to evaluate the demand rate for this particular product.

Should you have any further enquiries, or if we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Nokia Careline and speak to any one of our friendly Customer Service Executives on 1300 366 733 between the hours of 8am and 8pm EST, seven days a week. For online assistance, please visit 'ASK Nokia' at our website www.nokia.com.au

Please help us improve our services by simply clicking on the following link:
http://asknokia.survey.nokia-asia.com/index.jsp? th_id=2-MHF4R

The problem with this

[StarKruzr]

is that you would inevitably want to use it for things it simply isn't powerful enough to handle. What you are describing is not a laptop replacement - but everyone would WANT it to be.

My Toshiba, on the other hand, IS a laptop as well as a tablet (which is why it's as heavy and thick as it is) - but it's capable of handling anything I throw at it. Development, games, whatever - it can handle it.

software patents

[emilper]

the same Nokia that pushed for software patents in Europe ? If it's the same company, no, thanks ...

Why not get a Palm Tungsten C?

[syntap]

They are probably very affordable on eBay now that they are discontinued. It has WiFi Web browsing, email, and a nice screen. Plus it has a built-in keyboard and about as much user-accessble memory as the Nokia. Plus it has synchronization out of the box and it doesn't appear that the Nokia does.

I'm all for cool gadgets, but functionality-wise you could get this all a couple of years ago with the Tungsten C.

VNC Client?

[dbc001]

This would make a perfect entertainment system remote by using a VNC Client... Anyone know if this is doable?

Sony PSP is much better

[Anonymous Coward]

Comparing the specs with that of my sony PSP, the only differences are the touch screen with only approx. 65,000 colors compared to 16.7 million on the psp, the slower processor 220MHz compared to 333MHz on the PSP, a little bit more RAM 64MB compared to 32 on PSP and the better software: linux compared to proprietory sony OS on PSP.. I think I will stick with my PSP here, with homebrew I can do just about everything with it that can be done with this device.

Re: no infrared

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it have a USB host port or a USB slave port? Or both?

Slave that can be configured (hacked?) to host, but no power going out. Use a battery-powered usb-hub or equivelent

Nokia 770 Delayed.. again!

[MrJerryNormandinSir]

I ordered my 770, it's November 18th, the 770 still has not been released. Bummer.