Nokia N800 Internet Tablet

Arathorn

Anyone thinking of getting this http://www.nokiausa.com/N800/1,9008,,00.html I cant decide wether it will just be a novelty or actually really useful. There’s a lot more free wi-fi hot spots around now so it would be great to always have good quality net access on the move. Plus can be used for music and videos. Its selling for $399 in the states, with the exchange rate this wouldn’t be a bad deal if I could find somewhere that would ship it. Expansys have it for over €400. Any opinions?

theothernt

I have a Nokia N800 and I find it very useful for a few reasons:

VoIP: Supports Google Talk out of the box and you can also get the Gizmo Project for it. Skype is due soon but I'm not holding my breathe for that one.

Browser: Comes with Opera which is really fast and great to use, I can load up Gmail and Google Maps no problem. YouTube doesn't play too well (ie. Flash Video) but I think that's expected as the CPU only runs at 330mhz.

Audio + Video: It has a nice music player which supports all the common formats and even RealAudio/RealVideo. It can stream the BBC radio stations, for example. Video playback with higher quality/resolution clips isn't great as, mentioned above, the CPU really isn't up to it (ie. it's not a patch on the PSP at playing video).

App: Although a lot of apps still need to be ported from the Nokia 770 to the Nokia N800, there is quite an impressive list so far. I have a VNC client, Remote Desktop client, ScummVM (for Monkey Island emulation, etc), Gaim (for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, etc), access to the shell/terminal and so on. So much to play with.

Misc: Battery life is quite decent. I can leave it on my desk connected to Wifi , have the RSS feeds update every hour or so and I'll get about 2 days. Obviously that figure is less if you're browsing all the time and making VoIP calls

Price: I bought it directly from Nokia on it's release so it cost 400 euro delivery included. It should cost a little less now so I wouldn't pay 400 euro or over for it. Btw, if you order from the states you'll probably have to pay the VAT when they deliver so it might not end up being as cheap as you think.

Any questions?

- Neil

Arathorn

Cheers that’s some good info, a bit disappointed it doesn’t handle youtube etc would have been handy for watching streaming tv, just a few questions I have

1. Is it good to use as an mp3 player, what do you use for playlist etc?
2. Will it fit in your pocket comfortably enough to carry around regularly
3. Do you need a stylus or can you just use your finger
4. Whats the max storage capacity, you need to buy mini SD cards is that right? Is there multiple slots?
5. Do you think it’s worth the money? Nokia are still selling it for €399

theothernt

In relation to YouTube and Flash Video, it does play most video but they appear to run between 5-10fps (audio is usually fine). It was suggested that a browser (and flash player) update would fix this but I'm not sure how - I don't believe the device has enough CPU power to do it. Have a search around the web and on YouTube itself for an idea of what video playback is really like.

1. Mp3 Playback
I'm a bit picky when it comes to this, and although it's fine generally - you can have music playing while browsing, for example - do expect tiny glitches now and then. But the device is certainly loud enough and it does support standard MP3 playlists (m3u, etc). It takes regular headphones, so if I didn't have my iPod on me I'd probably use it.

2. Size
I would think it's too big for your jeans/trouser pocket, but it's fine in a jacket pocket - not much use now as the weather is improving There should be lots of size comparisons on the web. It's quite a slim device and Nokia do provide you with a pouch to prevent scratches when you're carrying it.

3. Touch screen
You get two styluses, one is stored in the side of the device (much like the Nintendo DS) and the other is a spare. You'll generally use the stylus most of the time but you can you use your finger (or finger nail) and it works quite well. What's interesting is that Nokia do have a few features when a finger press is detected as opposed to a stylus. For example, the menu icon (Start Menu equivalent) appears much bigger so it's easer to select items with your finger. Another pretty cool feature is when you enter text (say a web address in opera) in a programme using your finger it will display a full-screen keyboard with large keys. The idea is that you'll hold the device with both hands and type with your thumbs (yeah, take that iPhone!). In practice I find it pretty accurate and I switch between that and the stylus + on-screen keyboard quite a bit.

4. SD Card
First, it has two regular SD slots. Both slots can be accessed while the device is on. My view is that you should have a larger capacity SD card inside (located near the battery) leaving the SD slot on the side free for other cards - say if you wanted to view a friend's pictures or music from their SD card.

It supports *regular* SD, miniSD and microSD card. The new SDHC card don't work yet but it's a software (kernel) update so it's possible. If you're buying a 4GB SD card just make sure it's not SDHC.

5. Worth it?
For me, I think so. There are just so many little things I can do on this device without having to bootup my laptop or PC. And I would make a lot of VoIP calls (chatting to friends in the other countries) using the supplied headset (similar to that you get with a regular Nokia phone). I should also mention the Wifi range appears to be as good as any laptop.

Obviously if you could try it out beforehand that would help but I am currently unaware of any shop in Dublin that has it

- Neil

Arathorn

Thats great thanks for all the info. I'm gonna think about it for a few days and then decide.

musiknonstop

Does anyone know if discounted N800's will be making their way to Ireland anytime soon? In the US buy.com sell them for $230, while play.com have them for £150 in the UK.

Unfortuantely neither of them will ship to Ireland.

nilhg

musiknonstop wrote: »

Does anyone know if discounted N800's will be making their way to Ireland anytime soon? In the US buy.com sell them for $230, while play.com have them for £150 in the UK.

Unfortuantely neither of them will ship to Ireland.

https://www2.computeruniverse.net/products/e90221233.asp