Nokia has quietly begun delivering an upgrade to its Linux-based 770 Internet Tablet. The Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is available now from at least two retail stores in the U.S., priced at $399.99, CompUSA's Chicago "superstore" has confirmed. The device features GTalk and a VGA video-call camera via WiFi.
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Member since:2005-07-07
Member since:2006-11-02
What's the text input situation like on the 770? I've been thinking about getting something similar that I could stuff in my book-bag without the heft of my laptop. There is the PepperPad with the "real" keyboard, but costs $200 more. And there is the Samsung Q1, which is out of the question due to price and no keyboard. If the input on the 770/N800 was fast enough to take notes at university, I might consider it.
Member since:2005-07-06
The on-screen keyboard works fine with a stylus. I'm getting quite fast at using it. You can also use Bluetooth keyboards with it if you want to carry one.
I have seen suggestions that a great add-on for the device would be to replace the slip-on cover with one that has a Bluetooth bubble keyboard built into it.
I'm also hoping for recharging through USB instead of needing an adapter. Another plus would be a low band IR transmitter so that it could be used as a remote control.
Member since:2005-07-13
Well, there are basically three options:
* a one-third screen, on-screen keyboard (most versatile, usable option)
* handwriting recognition (completely unusable, even with training -- one of the disappointments of the device -- they should adopt Palm Graffitti, which used to work beautifully for me)
* A full-screen "thumb" keyboard. I find this keyboard to be not really useful as a "thumb" keyboard (don't like to smudge my screen), but it's a nice alternative to the smaller keyboard when you're say, on a train and you can't keep the device as steady for the small buttons.
In summary, 770 has two usable input options, one unusable one. You'll have to tap the keyboard.
One alternative to text input altogether is to get Xournal to take notes, which lets you just write on a notepad-like screen. I use this all the time for todo/reminders.
Member since:2006-03-12
Member since:
2005-07-13
And it's awesome. I guess that's why CompUSA gave me a $100 rebate on it.
This thing has literally saved my commute (about 2 hours a day). Using 770encode I can watch movies on it, I can play MP3s on it, using pdfcrop (from pdflatex utilities) I can comfortably read PDF ebooks on it, and using FBReader I can read plain text/HTML/plucker e-books on it.
My office is next door to a library with public wifi, so I can also get online quite leisurely. Browsing the web is a joy.
The complaints of the device being slow/underpowered are I guess justified, but it's fast enough for these limited tasks. I think too many people compare these devices with PDAs (like Palm V or Blackberry) when they should really be comparing them with laptops. It may be slower than my laptop, but it's also about one tenth its size, still has a high resolution screen, a full Linux operating system, and a powerful web browser. Hey, that seems good to me. So what if it takes 10 seconds to load up a PDF, rather than half a second? At least I _can_ load a PDF up in a device the size of my palm.