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A little while ago, I made a post promising a review of my latest gadget, the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet. After a month of use, I feel that I am ready enough to make a detailed and informative review about the device. I have split the review into three parts, the first is an overview of the device and a review of its basic features. The second part focuses on third party software and how you can extend the device to do much more than it was designed to do. Finally, the third part focuses on how the device functions as a portable web development machine.

Specifications
First off, lets list the important specs:

• Screen: 4.1 inch WVGA screen (800×480)
• Processor: 400mhz Texas Instrument CPU (TI OMAP 2420)
• Memory: 128mb RAM
• Storage: 256mb flash storage (2 expandable SD card slots up to 32gb extra storage)
• Connectivity: 802.11bg Wi-fi, Bluetooth 2.0, high speed USB 2.0
• Webcam: VGA (640×480) camera supporting both videos and photos
• Operating System: Maemo a.k.a. Internet Tablet 2008 (modified Debian GNU/Linux)
• Dimensions: 75 × 144 × 13 (to 18) mm
• Weight: 0.206 kg (0.5 lb)

Included Accessories

• Extra stylus (in case you lose one)
• AC Adapter
• mini USB cable
• Voucher for free 3 months unlimited Skype calling (~$9 value)
• Soft carrying pouch
• 128mb miniSD card with SD adapter

First Impressions
When I first took the device out of the box, it was a bit smaller than I had imagined. I had seen pictures and video reviews but actually holding it made me realize how sleek and thin the device is. Also, the N800 feels solid and well constructed. The front face plate is brushed metal and the back is very solid plastic.

And the screen, man, the screen is simply gorgeous. At 4.1 inches it is very large and at an astounding 800×480 resolution, I have not seen a screen as crisp or as bright before. The device is just 1.3 cm (less than half an inch) in thickness except for the top part which is 1.8cm (about 2/3 inch) which actually makes it very comfortable to hold the device like a Gameboy.

Web Surfing
Being an Internet Tablet, web surfing is undoubtedly what it is best at. I updated the operating system to the latest version (OS 2008) and the default web browser it uses is MicroB. I’ve never heard of MicroB before so I was afraid it wouldn’t be able to render websites properly (much like the gimped PocketIE in Windows Mobile devices). You’ll be happy to know that MicroB uses the Gecko 1.9 rendering engine (which is what Firefox 3 will be using!) so it displays ALL web pages properly, AJAX and all.

With the high resolution screen, most websites fit comfortably in full screen view. For websites that are catered to 1024 pixel width screens, the web browser has a zoom out function that will allow those sites to fit on the N800 as well. Scrolling is done either through the scroll bar or with your finger (iPhone style).

Online Videos
A big concern for a lot a people (myself included) is whether or not the N800 can stream online videos, namely, YouTube. Fortunately, the device comes with Adobe Flash 9 support meaning it can run pretty much any Flash media on the Internet. The only limiting factor is the CPU which is just powerful enough to run YouTube videos smoothly. Other video sites that have higher resolution content or high intensity flash games are slow and choppy with dropped frames.

Connectivity
The Wi-fi connection on the N800 is superb. Its range seems to be superior to that of my laptop as well as my smartphone. It is able to pick up connections rather quickly as well. The connection manager is easy to use and connect to new connections but a troublesome to modify existing connections (although not impossible). Pairing Bluetooth devices on the N800 is easier that it is on most devices and automatic pairing is very quick once the other device is in range (under 5 seconds).

The N800 can connect to a PC via USB. Upon connection, both memory cards are detected as mass storage devices and transferring files is the same as you would with a USB key or another hard drive.

Text Input and Typing
There are a few different ways of inputting text. With the stylus, you can use the built-in trainable handwriting recognition as well as the small tap keyboard. With your finger, you can use the full sized tap keyboard. The first two methods work fine but my one gripe with the full sized tap keyboard is that the keys are aligned in a grid as opposed to having each row of keys offset like it is on an actual keyboard. This made me make quite a few mistakes until I got used to it.

It is not possible to touch type without an external Bluetooth keyboard but after a month of practice, I can comfortably thumb type at around 40 wpm (as opposed to my 115 wpm on a regular keyboard).

Battery Life
The battery life is listed at 3-5 hours of use. Personally this is more than enough for me. I charge it during the night and I leave it on the entire day (over 10 hours) easily. I primarily use the device for checking e-mail once in a while when I have a bit of free time or I use it lying in bed to watch YouTube videos. The rest of the time, I lock the display and keys to prevent accidental input but I do not turn the device off.

Since a cold boot takes about 45-50 seconds, I prefer to have the device on at all times so I can fire up the web browser on demand.

Installing Software
Because the operating system, Maemo, is based on Debian Linux, it uses a very similar package management system. Basically, you add a bunch of software repositories to your application manager and you get an entire list of applications you can choose to install entirely for free.

Click here to read part 2 of the review covering third party applications on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet!

Click here to read part 3 of the review covering web development on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Linux, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.