Nokia 770 Internet Tablet
Discontinued 25th May 2005
The Nokia 770 is billed as an "Internet Tablet"
- and in fact, it isn't a phone at all. However, it
can be seen as a logical evolution to widescreen
devices such as the Nokia
7710 Smartphone.
This is an interesting device in a number of different
ways. Firstly, the hardware: the Nokia 770 features
a 800x480 pixel touchscreen in 65,000 colours, WiFi
and Bluetooth connectivity and expandable memory using
RS-MMC cards. There's no GSM, GPRS or 3G connectivity
here - it can be seen either as a portable device for
the home or office or a rather impressive accessory
for an existing Bluetooth phone.
The second interesting thing about the Nokia 770
is software. Breaking with traditions, this is not a
Symbian device , although you might have expected the
same version of Symbian as on the Nokia 7710, but it
isn't. Instead, the Nokia 770 is a Linux device, running
a development platform called Maemo. And although Nokia
hold several patents for this platform, they intent
to open up access to their intellectual property to
aid development.
As
we said - there's no inbuilt GPRS or 3G data here, you
need to use the Nokia 770 with another device such as
a Bluetooth phone or WiFi gateway. The Nokia 770 is
compatible with handsets that support the Bluetooth
1.2 specification and come with File Transfer (FT) and
Dial-up networking (DUN) support. It is fully compatible
for FT and DUN connectivity to the latest range of Bluetooth
phones, but for older handsets such as the 6310i, 6600
and 8910i and surprisingly the N-Gage and N-Gage QD
you can only use the handsets for dial-up networking,
rather than file transfer.
WiFi support is for 802.11b and 802.11g wireless
ethernet. We don't know exactly what encryption levels
are available though. This makes the Nokia 770 an ideal
second computer for a home environment, or a very flexible
tool for a variety of business applications.
The Nokia 770 comes with a sophisticated set of software
too. The core software bundle is named "Internet
Tablet 2005", and it includes a fully featured
web browser based on Opera (including javascript and Flash compatibility),
RSS news reader, MP3 and streaming audio playback, video
playback and a comprehensive image view. The Nokia 770
can also read Adobe Acrobat PDF files. On top of this
is an email client featuring all common mail protocols.
In 2006 the software distribution will be upgraded
to "Internet Tablet 2006" which will include
some new features including VoIP (internet telephony).
Nokia indicate that the software can be upgraded from
the 2005 version to the 2006 version but don't currently
give any details on pricing or upgrade mechanism.
This
is a very large device, at 141x79x19mm and 230 grams
(half a pound!). Browsing time is up to 3 hours, with
7 days standby. The sales package includes a desk stand
and charger.
Nokia say that the 770 will start shipping in the
third quarter to "selected countries in the Americas
and Europe". We're not quite sure which countries,
and when exactly it will be launched in those countries
though, but you can assume that there will be a roaring
trade for retailers who ship internationally. The rumint
is that the Nokia 770 will be around €300/$350/£200
although we think that the device may well be more than
that.. it's certainly worth more than that to
people who need this type of device.
This is a great device, and it shows real "out
of the box" thinking from Nokia. In fact, it makes
the older Nokia 7710 look like yesterday's technology,
especially when you consider that you can mix and match
the Nokia 770 with either a 3G or 2G phone (and not
just a Nokia), or just use WiFi. From a practical perspective,
this means that you don't have to carry around a phone
the size of a brick just because you sometimes want
to access the web - you can carry a normal-sized phone
and just bring the Nokia 770 with you when you need
it.
The most frustrating thing about the Nokia 770 is
going to be the wait. Frankly, we at Mobile Gazette
are drooling at this device and think that this could
make significant inroads into the ultraportable laptop
market, as well as being the ultimate accessory for
your phone.
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|
Nokia
7710 at a glance
|
Available:
|
Q3
2005
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Network:
|
WiFi
+ Bluetooth only
|
Data:
|
WiFi
+ Bluetooth only
|
Screen:
|
800x480
pixels, 65,000 colours
|
Camera:
|
No
|
Size:
|
Wide
tablet device 141x79x19mm
/ 230 grams
|
Bluetooth:
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Yes
|
Infra-red:
|
No
|
Polyphonic:
|
N/A
|
Java:
|
No
|
Battery
life:
|
3 hours talk / 7 days standby
|
|
|