By Scott Colvey on Wednesday, 30 January 2008
 Proper access to the internet from a pocket-sized device – that’s what the tech world craves. And last year, when Apple launched the iPhone, we almost got it. Okay, so Apple’s handset costs a pretty penny to buy (and fair few more to run) but the beautiful design and everything-just-works operation has won plenty of fans – including us.
Which brings us on to the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. A year or two ago, a gadget like this would’ve got us pretty excited. Today, we feel charitable even describing it as a less-good iPhone without the phone facilities. So what’s the problem? Well, actually there are a few of them, but let’s be nice and look at the good stuff first. There is some, right?
The N810 is attractive and weighty, and feels like a sturdy device. Indeed, if the keyboard on our review model hadn’t begun to bow away from the lower part of the case’s slide mechanism after just a few days’ use, we may even have described it as well-built.
The N810 is the follow-up to last year’s N800, which in turn was a revision of the Nokia 770. Each updated design of the Internet Tablet has seen features added and the N810’s fresh sells include the aforementioned keyboard, a built-in GPS receiver and an updated operating system in the form of OS2008. For those who care, this is essentially a mobile version of Debian Linux.
It’s powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP 2420 running at 400Mhz. The N800, incidentally, had the same processor, but was intentionally limited to 330Mhz due to limitations in the then-current OS2007. Install the latest OS2008 onto an N800 though, and the processor will be unleashed – something we’ll come back to later.
But much of that is stuff and nonsense. What really matters is how well the N810 achieves what it sets out to do. Once connected via Wi-Fi, the web experience on the N810’s broad, sharp screen is impressive.
The browser – a version of Firefox – is easy to use and allows viewed pages to be moved around just by dragging and dropping. Large icons mean that, for the most part, a fingertip is fine for navigation, but the N810 has none of the iPhone’s nifty multi-touch features, so forget zooming and resizing with finger-and-thumb gestures. Given the nature of most web pages, there will also be times when you’ll reach for the stylus to tap something that a fingertip is too fat for.
We also love the integrated stand that flips behind the keyboard to prop up the N810 deckchair-style. The angle adjustment means that the gadget can be used on a tabletop, at least for surfing, but forget trying to type without holding the N810 -- the device will simply slide away.
There is a touch-sensitive on-screen keyboard option and even handwriting recognition, but neither of these is particularly well-executed. If you want to write emails, you’ll just have to tap away with your thumbs.
Sadly, that’s the beginning and end of what we like about the N810. The rest just seems like disappointment after disappointment. For example, the only net-connection options are Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth-attached mobile phone. Like its predecessors, the N810 has no built in mobile phone functionality of its own -- despite being made by Nokia.
Then there’s the built-in GPS receiver. This is slow to get a lock on the satellites circling above the Earth and the supplied mapping software is very limited. A route-planning option is available, but only if you’re prepared to stump up a subscription of €99 every three years. This has a 3D driving view, but the lack of spoken instructions makes it useless for in-car use and, once we'd found and enabled the voice directions, it functioned acceptably as an in-car sat-nav. It's no TomTom, though.
Frankly, the built-in FM radio on the N800 was more useful, but Nokia has removed it from the N810. Why, for goodness’ sake? Similarly, the N800’s pop-out rotating webcam has been replaced by a static lens next to the screen, so you can’t see an on-screen preview when you’re snapping anything but yourself. We can’t imagine why Nokia thought that was a good idea.
Next, that Linux-based OS. We’re all for open standards but do the interfaces have to be so clunky? The N810’s front end runs like treacle -- new windows are slow to appear and the whole thing just feels unresponsive. At least there’s a lively software-development community (not to mention the Internet Tablet Talk user forum) supporting the OS2008 platform – and that’s the last positive thing we’ll say about this latest Internet Tablet.
Indeed, given the awfulness of the hardware keyboard and the near-pointlessness of the GPS receiver, we’d be tempted to say forget the N810 and consider instead an N800. Stick OS2008 onto one of these (a task that’s both free and easy) and you’ll have a gadget that runs just as fast but that costs £125 less and has a built-in FM radio to boot. Seems like a no-brainer to us.
Nokia N810 Internet Tablet
| Price |
£295 inc VAT |
| Rating |
4 out of 6 |
| Good |
Big, clear screen; some touch-navigation browsing |
| Bad |
Terrible keyboard; can't get online without another wireless device |
| Verdict |
If the iPhone didn’t exist, we’d think the Nokia N810 pretty good. As things stand, it’s hard to get terribly excited about -- get the cheaper N800 instead. |
| Manufacturer |
Nokia |
| Buy from |
Expansys |
Specifications
| Operating system |
OS2008 (Linux) |
| Processor |
Texas Instruments OMAP 2420 (400Mhz) |
| System memory |
256MB RAM, 128Mb Flash |
| User memory |
2Gb (SD Card slot) |
| Screen |
4.13in (800 x 480 pixels) |
| Camera |
VGA webcam |
| Connectivity |
802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB2, 3.5mm stereo headphone |
| Other |
Built-in GPS receiver |
| Quoted battery life |
Up to 4 hours continuous usage (Wi-Fi on); up to 14 hours standby |
| Size |
72 x 128 x 14mm |
| Weight |
226g |
|
Loving my new n810 but can't load the Skype version - files missing and need to re-flash - what is and how do you do this? Instructions for the simple minded please
