May 25th, 2005
Nokia’s 770 Web Browsing Device: Just Don’t Call It a Tablet or an Internet Appliance
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
Most readers know that I am not a big fan of the tablet PC. I also have not had much affection for the “Internet Appliance”. I still have the original 3Com “Audrey” and its box with all the documentation as my mini museum of failed web devices. I also used to use a tiny half-laptop from NEC that ran Windows CE and offered crude email and word processing - something I loved to take on the road in place of the ultra heavy laptops of the time period. I have definitely been down this road before.
So why am I intrigued by Nokia’s new 770? For starters, it’s small. Not a tablet, but more like a “pad.” That works well when you are sick to death of burring holes in your lap as you try to use a tablet or laptop while relaxing in front of the TV. Next, it’s cheap. At $350, it’s less than the atrocious $500 price tag of the upcoming Palm LifeDrive PDA. And last, it’s wireless and so are most high tech homes. The poor Audrey was relegated to a kitchen dial up connection or sat by the router back before WiFi made browsing wherever you are a reality.
The downside: no email. I get that Nokia doesn’t want to make this a bloated jack of all trades device and I applaud that, but this means you have to either carry this and a wireless PDA or a laptop, or it really is just meant for replacing the morning paper or offering quick web access while you watch TV. Interesting.
“The device is aimed at consumers looking for an affordable extra Internet screen in the house that they can also carry with them and use at wireless hotspots outside the home or connect to a cell phone through a Bluetooth wireless link. It will be available in the third quarter.
“The product will run entirely on open source software, including a standard Linux operating system also used in desktop computers, marking more unchartered waters for Nokia. “Using standard desktop Linux means innovation is happening faster (than in Linux versions for small devices). We will be very fast in implementing this innovation,” Jormalainen said. Several of the innovations already in the pipeline are upgrades by early 2006 to enable Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calls and instant messaging. Anyone who buys the device now will be able to upgrade the software next year. VoIP phone calls from this portable device may cannibalize cell phone voice revenues from Nokia’s main customers which are all of the world’s biggest mobile operators. ” Source: Reuters via eWeek via Gizmodo
Update: I just found out it will do email and more. This may be a viable product, folks. “The Nokia tablet is designed specifically for Web browsing and personal e-mail, primarily at home, though its Wi-Fi transmitter can also connect with public and commercial hot spots. And while it comes with a slot for removable storage to play music or video, as well as software to play and view such media, the tablet also is not intended as a rival to Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod or other MP3 music players, according to Nokia.” Source: AP via ABC News
leon says:
Well if you have gmail, all web appliances have email, right?
May 25th, 2005 at 6:37 pm
Tim says:
Well, without a keyboard of some kind, how is it viable for e-mail? I mean, you could read it, but are you going to send it by tapping away at an onscreen keyboard?
That’s not the biggest issue though.. why not USB-to-Go? Then it could be an emergency dump spot for a digital camera, or a host for a portable USB HDD.
May 25th, 2005 at 8:27 pm
Ron Powell says:
Alice, I’ve been using a Samsung Nexio S160 for almost 2 years now.
Yeah, it’s expensive, but there’s nothing like it on the market. As Lisa Gade at PDA Buyers Guide said in her review, “it’s like using heroin.”
May 25th, 2005 at 9:10 pm
deww says:
Ron Powell, wow. I saw something like the Samsung Nexio S160 recently in the Time Warner building in Manhattan. Samsung had a showroom there inside the building of their products, and I picked that up and thought it was pretty neat. Hopefully that will come out soon in the US. I am excited about the Nokia unit as well.
May 26th, 2005 at 5:43 am
Alice says:
Wow - I haven’t heard of the Nexio. Ron -can you do a user review for us?
May 26th, 2005 at 10:38 am
Ron Powell says:
Alice, you haven’t heard of the Nexio?
For a review, I really can’t do justice to the device. I point you to pdabuyersguilde.com. Maybe the name has changed. Search in the “handheld” device section. As I said, Lisa Gade over there did a nice review. I ended up buying her Nexio when she sold it.
Look, the thing is expensive. I paid USD900 for it two years ago - used. It has this beautiful 800×640 landscape display. Has a nice thin keyboard as an option which doubles as a display cover, but the keyboard has some major functional problems in that you use a lot of “function” keys. Full web pages render perfectly - no left/right scrolling. The internal battery doesn’t last that long, but there is/was an external battery, which sandwiches onto the back nicely, doubling the life. I actually had three Nexios at one time, buying and selling them until I came across one on Ebay with external battery. I can now go about 3-4 days of regular use without recharging.
The S160 runs CE.NET v4.1. The built-in programs aren’t that good - the only MS ones are Pocket Word and Media Player, I think. But Samsung has provided functionality with a PIM suite, spreadsheet, and e-mail, etc.
Third party software is a bit of a pain due to the OS. But if you stay mainstream there are plenty of programs to choose from between Pocket PC, Windows Mobile and Handheld PC versions. I suggest you guys join the Nexio newsgroup on Yahoo to get more of a feel for it.
Beyond the price downside, rumit also kept our small Nexio community hoping Samsung would finally bring it to the states. Never happened and some folks made some connection in Hong Kong and bought it retail there for a little over USD900. Dynamism.com was selling them for USD1200.
The latest info I have is there are two new models on the street in Korea. The XP30 looks like the S160, uses the same OS version, same processor but has a standatd 1.1 USB port on the top edge of the device. BTW, it only has one CF slot. The last hopeful rumor was that Samsung would bring the XP30 in Q1 2005, but the story goes they felt they could sell it here but couldn’t support it. That’s all third hand info, but it doesn’t make sense to me.
The latest version is the XP40. Uses CE.NET v5.0, USB port and an option for built-in Bluetooth and faster processor. Also has different looking controls on the left side. All versions have WIFI.
Anyway, I love the little thing. Goes everywhere and does the 95 percentile of what I need.
May 26th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Alice says:
Interesting. I combed the net for a place to buy one. The reviews were all a few years old and the only items for sale were screen protectors. Wonder if Samsung will so something now in the US.
May 27th, 2005 at 8:25 am
Lockergnome's Tech News Watch says:
Are Little Internet Devices Making a Comeback?
Poor Sony, it killed off the Clie just as interest seems to be heating up for palmtop devices that access the web and offer basic music, note taking and email capability. It started when Nokia shook things up with the upcoming 777, and now Sharp is upp…
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