Gadgetoid Meets Nokia N810
I’ve ignored the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet thus far, historically dismissing it as a me-too offering from Nokia thrown out there to contend with the Windows Mobile crowd.
How wrong I was. The N810 is a prince amongst gadgets, boasting one of the most impressive displays I’ve ever seen for something of its size. It’s backed up by a small development community who produce intriguing software for its Linux-based operating system. More importantly; it’s definitely not a phone and currently doesn’t boast any phone-like data connection features, instead relying on Wifi or Bluetooth to get its internet fix. This means that the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet makes a great companion to a data enabled phone; in my case that’s the HTC Kaiser/MDA Vario 3.
Furthermore the N810 recieved the “Rob Farley seal of non-impassiveness”, he never bats an eyelit at this sort of gadget, but it’s fair to say that this time he definitely took an interest.
Watch this space for a full review of the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet and also the Nokia N800 if we can get hold of one (the N810 is not necessarily a replacement for the earlier N800 model, you’ll find out why).
After playing with the N810 for a day I’ve all but forgotten about the HTC Touch Pro and am contemplating parting with some of my hard earned cash to get hold of one that I can keep. The development community behind its OS, Maemo, are quite helpful and productive; I’ve already tried tons of software including IRC clients, emulators, a podcast downloader and far too many addictive little games, the best of which will make it into the N810 review. The guys in the IRC channel #maemo have always been there to suggest something new to try out.