Nokia N800 Internet Tablet

Well first I got an NOKIA 770 TABLET and thought it as a toy. But it does impress me while I'm getting used to it. Now this N800 even better, it supports skype and you can call anyone from this tablet. With proper format-transfer software I can watch DVD quality movies on it. FB reader makes it easy to enjoy e-books. Also there are a lot of useful softwares, such as stardict(dictionary), Mplayer (play movie), Kagu player (play mp3 files), etc. The most exciting thing is that due to open source platform, all softwares are free! You can't expect more than this. It's a dream machine for people who has digital fever!

The N800's screen is larger than the one on my smart mobile phone, it is much easier to carry around than a laptop and significantly cheaper than the nearest UMPC. The N800 is simply the best compromise on cost and portability - buy it!.
Best of all - there is a palm emulator (VM GarnetT) which means you can run thousands of Palm programs on it.
The N800 is a full blown mini computer lacking a few critical bits of software. Namely, a fully fledged word processor and spread sheet. The good news is they are both available for free download, Gnumeric and Abiword. Hook up to the internet via either Wifi or via the inbuilt blue tooth to a blue tooth phone which can be used as a modem. Out of the box, the battery is fully charged so it works straight away. Fire up the web browser and it asks you for Wifi password and Bluetooth phone details then you are on the web in minutes. Top tip is, carefully peel the silver tag from the screen protector and stick the tag on the dimpled end of the battery. Otherwise the battery needs either a thin knife or a paperclip to prize it out. Leave the screen protector in place, it should last a while until you replace it with a decent screen protector.
I found there is a steep but thankfully short learning curve both in finding your way around the device and how to download and install software. I upgraded to the operating system from OS2007 Nokia OS2008 Straight away. This is the same standard as the more expensive N810. It has several advantages, it changes the processor speed up to 400mhz and therefore runs quicker, adds WPA support for WiFi passwords and you get a basic mapping program 'wayfinder' for free. The only reason not to upgrade for now is that the program I really want, Abiword has yet to be 'ported' over to OS2008. If you decide to do the upgrade, there are two ways to do this, the Nokia way, from their support web page is easy but takes for ever. The second method needs a little research on the Internet tablet help sites and forums. Don't bother, the first one is easier. Now for the surprises, It has a built in FM radio, you just need to go to Application Manager, there should be two available software downloads, Camera which allows single shot pictures from the built in web cam. FM radio, which puts a radio applet on the main desk top.
I managed to connect to my USB flash pen drive. This requires two things, firstly a means to physically connect the pen drive, secondly the N800 needs to be switch from passive (OTG) to active (Host) mode. Buy either a 'USB female to female' connector which fits on the end of the supplied 'Mini USB to male USB cable' or a dedicated 'Mini USB to Female USB cable'. To switch to Host mode, the programmer of the popular UKMP program now bundles a beta version with a USB host switching program. There are other ways to do this but they involve soldering cables and command line instructions - not nice. The USB host mode should also allow you to connect a USB keyboard, note however the N800 only puts out about 100mA where as most full blown USB peripherals need up to 500mA so it is unlikely that you will get a USB powered portable hard drive or DVD drive to work. That said I read one person who claimed to have got a CD drive working using a powered USB hub and 'mounting' the drive manually using command line instructions.
Finally, how to download software from the web. A small number of programs install directly from a link to a '.install' file. Most however are found in online 'Repositories'. You download a list of programs, this gets added to the list in you Applications manager program. From here you pick the specific program you want and it installs automatically - easy.

I recently received my nkia n800 and Have been very impressed so far, calls made from skype are very clear and connecting to wifi quick and easy . The screen quality is excellent and the device is easy to navigate, using the web is suprisingly fast and the ability to increse the text size means you can read everything clearly. My only gripe is that it is advertised as being able to send and receive video as you talk but skype does not support that, I downloaded google talk but that will only work if you are calling another n800. Has anyone out there managed to get this to work? I would be grateful to hear how.
Despite this I think it is a great device and very good value, I reckon that after a year i will have saved the cost of purchasing the N800 with all the free calls I am making.

Arrived today and I am indeed impressed. Upgrading to the new OS2008 system was simple via the USB connection and my PC, it only took 15 mins... this new OS is superb!
As with all the 'getting connected', an absolute doddle - enter your WEP code and instantly connect to the net permanently, ordering a pizza from my sofa has never been any easier!
The N800 build quality is second to none, it feels firm. Perfect size, comes with a soft pouch. The screen is superb, very high resolution, crisp & bright.
Stereo sound via internal speakers is very good with the option of using headphones.
Built in web cam and Skype access, superb - 9 hours of free calls included, the N800 is now my main house phone.
The touch-screen is responsive & effective, similar to the iPod touch in terms of speed and user ability. Using the in-built stylus leaves those unsightly finger prints off the screen, although you can use your fingers if you want.
I have played around with the iPod touch & phone and compared to the N800 they are similar except I think the N800 screen is better plus the in-built speakers takes away the need to have it plugged into your ears all the time.
Ultimately £129.99 for the N800 wipes out my interest in the iPod as the £270 price tag doesn't justify it, also the N800 can have a maximum of 16Gb installed memory.
If you want a completely mobile internet & media device then grab it now - its a bargain!

The latest model, the Nokia N810 has just come out, with a sliding keyboard in the device (and yet, slimmer than this model), so this model has been reduced in price.

The browser is a complete PC browser, so can be used on hotmail, for e-commerce, and everything else you've ever used a browser for.

The biggest let-down of this device is that the wi-fi doesn't connect very easily sometimes; you sometimes have to go through some advanced settings to get it to talk to your setup, and sometimes, it just won't no matter how much you tweak it.

The new model includes a GPS receiver, and an updated operating system too, although Nokia are giving a free upgrade to the new operating system for all N800 owners.

This is a full Linux computer, capable of being expanded with two memory cards to have up to 16GB of memory/storage, which is great for a portable computer, but less so in these days of 120GB iPods.

A VGA-resolution camera in included in a clever pop-out on the side of the device, and it can rotate almost 360 degrees so you can use it to take pictures or as a web cam when using skype -- which is built-in to the new operating system, so yes, you can make phone calls to people if you are near a wi-fi hotspot. The Cloud is the country's largest network of hotspots, and costs approximately 5 pounds/month for unlimited access, so this could be a pretty cheap way of getting a phone, albeit one with limitations.

As pointed out elsewhere, the device does also have bluetooth, and will allow use of a mobile to connect to the 'net, offering a much better experience than on the phone itself (unless, of course, you have an iPhone).

The screen on this device is magnificent: 800x480 resolution makes it sharper and clearer than anything you've ever seen at this size: it's a shame that it doesn't look as gorgeous as the iPhone's interface, but for reading text and browsing, it's truly wonderful.

The price makes this a must-have device: an artist colleague loves using it as a portable sketchbook rather than carry lots of equipment around, and I use it as a network diagnostic tool as well as a general-purpose computer -- there are few devices that are so capable as to handle both of those requirements!

NetSlut