For anyone who already owns a capable multifunction device such as the PPC-6700 or Treo 650 or 700, the Nokia N800 is superfluous in many ways. Particularly in the case of the PPC-6700 which offers WiFi access, which the Treo does not.
For others though, particularly those who live in a WiFi rich environment (i.e., a college or business campus), the N800 has much - but far from everything - to offer.
The idea is a good one - an internet tablet. As an internet browsing platform, the N800 is, for the most part, well-designed. The form factor is excellent. It will fit into an empty shirt pocket. Be careful though because the screen is unprotected. And the moment you put the N800 in a case from which it must be extricated, you reduce its utility value.
The screen is gorgeous. But in its default configuration, most web pages display type in a size that is essentially unreadable. The zoom feature is very handy, but once you enlarge the type to a readable size, the layout of the page becomes very weird. I've encountered numerous instances where the texr is broken and you have to scroll literally several inches before getting to the balance of what you were reading.
That said, the ability to use a finger to scroll the screen - not on the scroll bar, but on the screen - is definitely cool and convenient.
Graphics on the screen are very crisp and clear. Though some have faulted the decision to display only 65,000 colors, I doubt that anyone will really notice the lack of millions of colors.
The Nokia N800 will handle Adobe Flash and Javascript, but not Java applets.
The placement of the toggle pads is definitely very strange. Most of the world is right-handed. Nokia decided to put the toggle pads on the left-side which is, frankly, inconvenient. The five-way rocker is also a bit odd. Rather than scroll, the up and down pads just move from field to field which takes a bit of getting used to since the intuitive inclination is to see a button and assume it scrolls. Not here.
Only a one page instruction sheet is included with the unit. It covers the basics such as putting in the battery. But it is woefully incomplete in failing to point out the differences between the two miniSD card holders, one of which is used for internal memory. The Help function is pretty helpful, but I have yet to find a real manual though I am told that one is downloadable online.
One major innovation is the thumbpad keyboard. If you hold your finger on an input field in the Opera web browser, a thumb size keypad will pop up. This is very useful when you don't want to use the stylus. However, in situations where it would be most useful, such as chat or IM, the thumbpad covers up the texting area. A minor inconvenience, but still an inconvenience.
There's handwriting recognition as well, which I haven't tried yet. Don't know if I will since the onscreen keyboard inputs are so useful and my handwriting is not crystal clear.
There's a really nice RSS feed reader which by itself is practically worth the price of admission. The contact book is okay and there is a limited IM capability. The built-in webcam is a nice touch that it is very limited right now in terms of the applications it will work with.
One huge feature of the Nokia N800 is that it is Linux based. There is a small, but active developer community. Although Nokia supports such efforts, it looks like it needs to do more - and should. Right now there aren't appropriate applications available (i.e., spreadsheet, database) to make the N800 anything like a laptop substitute. Devices running the most recent Palm and Windows Mobile operating systems are better equipped overall than the N800.
Connectivity to WiFi is a no-brainer. Bluetooth connectivity through a cell phone is a bit more convoluted and highly dependent on your cell phone's capability.
Overall, if I lived on a college campus and didn't own a PPC-6700 or similar device, I'd love the Nokia N800. Add a Bluetooth keyboard and you'd have a well designed, highly portable communications device (including VoIP) for a reltively small price. Add a suitable Bluetooth enabled phone with an unlimited data package and you'd be set almost anywhere. But as it stands, for users who are not in a WiFi rich environment, devices like the PPC-6700 make more sense. And if you look at the next generation of such devices, many with integrated, slide-out keyboards and larger screens than the current generation, the N800 makes even less sense.
In sum, the N800 is a beautifully designed gadget embodying many forward thinking concepts. Within its limited purposes, it works very well. But in real terms, on a dollar for dollar basis, you get more utility - if substantially less beauty - in device such as the PPC-6700. But if your desire is primarily web browsing with Flash capability, the N800 may have a lot of appeal. Business oriented users, however, may find themselves much happier continuing with their Treo 700 or PPC-6700.
Jerry
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 800 x 480 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 800 x 480 Pixels |
| RAM | 128 MB DDR |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 3 Hours |
