Nokia N810 Internet Tablet
Discontinued 17th October 2007
Nokia's third generation Internet tablet,
the Nokia N810 adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard,
GPS and a new operating system to the excellent 800-pixel
wide touchscreen display and WiFi connectivity found
in the previous N800
and 770
devices.
As with the N800 and 770, it's important
to remember that the N810 isn't a phone
- it connects to the Internet using either WiFi or a
Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. Our experience with
previous models tells us that it can be just about any
type of handset, not just a Nokia.
It's
a big device - coming in at 226 grams, it weighs about
the same as the original 770, or slightly more than
the later N800 or roughly comparable Nokia
E90. Physically, the N810 measures 72 x 128 x 14mm
and the tablet is dominated by the very large 4.1"
800 x 480 pixel display. If you haven't seen this type
of high resolution screen before, then you'll be blown
away.. remember that most similar devices are stuck
with 320 x 240 pixels, and at 800 pixels across most
web pages will display exactly as they do on a PC.
One key advantage in having the big
screen in a separate device to your phone is that you
can have a normal size device as a mobile, and you only
need to take the N810 out with you when you need it.
It's a Linux device, running a brand
new OS2008 version of the Maemo
operating system. This adds a Mozilla-based web browser,
enhanced Adobe Flash support, Windows Media Player compatibility,
the Nokia Maps application, VOIP SIP call support and
a new user interface. Owners of the N800 will be able
to upgrade their software to the OS2008 version, although
sadly the old 770 cannot be updated. There are plenty
of free applications available for download
for the Maemo platform, so the N810 should have a wide
range of software add-ons available.
The overall design of the N810 is a
bit sleeker than the N800 - the video calling camera
is now more traditionally mounted on the front, the
seldom used navigation pad has been moved to the QWERTY
keyboard and the other controls are mounted on the edge
of the device so that they can be reached easily. As
with the N800, the N810 Internet Tablet comes with a
built-in stand. You don't have to use the physical keyboard
as text can be entered directly onto the N810's screen
with a finger or stylus.
Internal memory is 128MB of DDR RAM
plus 256MB Flash. Up to 2GB of Flash storage is
available for data, and the Nokia N810 supports SD cards
up to 2GB and SDHC cards up to 8GB. The processor is
a TI OMAP 2420 running at 400 MHz. The battery should
be good for about 4 hours web browsing over the LAN,
10 hours of music playback or 14 days standby time.
Nokia are touting the N810 as a "Web
2.0" device, capable of accessing YouTube, Skype,
Facebook and other popular destinations. Older versions
of Nokia's Internet Tablets did struggle with these,
so this is certainly an improvement.
At the moment Nokia have given US pricing
and availability only, the N810 will cost around $479
plus tax (so perhaps £250 / €350 in Europe) and
will be available from mid-November 2007.
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Nokia
N810 Internet Tablet at
a glance
|
Available:
|
Q4
2007
|
Network:
|
None
|
Data:
|
WiFi
|
Screen:
|
800
x 480 pixels, 65k colours
|
Camera:
|
0.3
megapixels
|
Size:
|
Large
PDA-style device 72 x
128 x 14mm / 226 grams
|
Bluetooth:
|
Yes
|
Memory
card:
|
microSD
/ SDHC
|
Infra-red:
|
No
|
Polyphonic:
|
N/A
|
Java:
|
N/A
|
Battery
life:
|
4
hours continuous use, 14
days standby
|
|
|