Posts Tagged Nokia N800

An Internet Tablet is a small, pocket-sized, personal computer based on mobile phone technology, with a primary purpose of surfing the Internet without the mobility constraints of a normal personal computer. This implies that it has at least WiFi technology for on-site connectivity, and Bluetooth technology for connecting to data services provided by a separate mobile phone.

You could get tired of having to explain that it’s not a phone. Using it for VoIP calls – for which it’s eminently suitable – will make this an even more difficult explain.

It’s not a PDA either!

An Internet Tablet differs from a PDA in that the screen is a bit larger, generally of the resolution of a 1990’s desktop computer screen, and horizontal rather than vertical. Even top of the range PDAs make poor web browsers, and one often has to resort to painfully slow screen flipping and frequent font size changes to make sense of many ordinary web pages. An Internet Tablet can be used as a PDA, though nowadays top of the range smartphones are filling this slot. The learning curve of doing this is far steeper than most users will tolerate, and you are essentially on your own and won’t get any instruction from the device manufacturer. I guess this is the difference between a device and a general purpose tool. This is one of the reasons that Internet Tablets have already acquired a reputation as gadgets for computer geeks. Another powerful reason is that they run -gasp- the Linux operating system rather than… well, you know what!

But.. what does it DO!

To some people this specification spells a device that is neither a mobile phone or a usable computer – a pointless device solely for gadget freaks. What – you can’t even make phone calls on it! – Far too small a screen/keyboard to be of any practical use! – Neither one thing or the other, is it? I wondered why explaining this brought on a sort of deja-vu feeling until I cast my mind back to the late 1970’s and the feeble attempts to convey to mildly amused visitors what possible use a personal computer could be in an average home. Then home-brew machines often used a dozen or so large boards and booted the operating system into RAM – just as your PC does today. Despite the knowing nods you could read what they were thinking: all those boxes and fans and whirring disks [8" floppies holding a massive 70KB!] and cables all over the place and you can’t even send a letter without having to tear strips of holes off the paper – all that will never ever replace the typewriter!

A few years later the self-same people were shelling out the price of several portable typewriters (and far more than they would ever spend on themselves) on a pre-packaged ROM based system with little RAM and no real storage. The rationalisation for this was to teach their kids to program computers, and in some yet-to-be-specified way “to help with their homework”. Almost without exception these were used by said kids exclusively for playing games, often to the detriment of their school work. For many this was first acquaintance with one of the unwritten laws of computing: Expensive universal machines seldom get used for what they were purchased for, and with uncomfortable frequency don’t get used at all! If this fate befalls your own Internet Tablet then sell it quickly, and accept that you’re not a member of this group.

A real PC for the pocket

To the other – and it has to be said much smaller – group of people. the Internet Table is the ultimate in computer portability, and one of the most convenient and useful devices devised by the human mind. The format also lends itself to doing many other things that other devices – even dedicated ones (e.g. in-car GPS; pocket audio and video players; and mobile phones handling e-mail) are often quite poor at. That’s because of their propriety closed technology and their take-it-or-leave-it software. With an Internet Tablet if you don’t like how things work then you, or someone else, can change it. In all probability someone already has! These someones tend to be real users with the same sort of requirements you have, and not employees with limited time, fulfilling an agenda dictated by a marketing department. There’s one extremely persuasive argument for at least trying this software – it can be downloaded and installed in minutes by the device itself and on the device itself, and as a general rule it’s entirely free! Yes, even the computer games!

In the next exciting installment..

If by this point you are still with this text then you likely fall into the second group and should bookmark this site. In the next part we will look at currently available devices and their relative strengths and weaknesses. Then the blog will then follow the authors attempts to tailor such a device to his own precise requirements. In so doing there is bound to be plenty of spin-off for other Internet Tablet owners, computer geeks or otherwise! ♦

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Please let me have your comments (use the link under the title). It will provide some encouragement to share further thoughts and experiences, and could easily help correct my blunders. I’m also happy to field any questions you may have regarding Internet Tablets. Maybe over time we will build a useful public resource here? OK, no maybes then!