any other companies currenty working on the same concept... internet tablet for email, browsing, etc.??

I will be at CES 2006 and was hoping to see other internet tablet products along with the Nokia 770..

Thanks

Hitachi at one time was offering a CE-driven tablet, I think.

There is also the Battlestar PepperPad -- well, compared to the 770, it's Battlestar-sized. See teleread for more info or go to their website.

By Spring, the air will be filled with flying Internet Tablets from companies as they try to cash in on Nokia's success.

I wouldn't be surprised if MS announces a special "Windows IT" OS for one...

Thanks Mike... I looked at the Pepper Pad...I am not interested in the current rendition. I would like a larger screen than the 770...

CES 2006 should be interesting ! I am sure the 770 with be there, maybe a "new" Pepper Pad... and who knows what else as you say.

You may want to check out the the MiniPCs site. FlipStart and OQO are two I can think of off the top of my head, plus the Ultra Mobile 2007, which is a Microsoft initiative for hardware manufacturers similar to PocketPC and TabletPC, as I understand it. Of course, you won't likely see that before, um, 2007.

The OQO, btw, can run Linux, so you don't have to live in a Windows world if you don't want to.

I ran across this reference to the Flybook at Gizmodo. it looks good.

Then there's the Fujitsu Model P1510D. And the Motion Computing LS800.

Of course, everything I've seen is way, way more expensive than the 770. The reason people are looking at the Pepper Pad is its about the first of its kind under $1000.

Roger

Roger,

Thanks. Very helpful info. I am looking for something really good at around 700 or less. I would like a bigger screen like the Pepper Pad but I dont care for the design as it is now.

There may be other devices I'm unaware of, but AFAIK, the Pepper Pad and the Nokia 770 are the only devices under $1000. I think Mike is right in saying that the success of the 770 will bring lots of imitation web tablets.

Any tablet will have some compromises when it chooses its feature set -- the OQO, for instance, includes the keyboard, small size, hard disk, full WinXP but compromises on the cost ($1900). I like the 770's choices. I would like a 5-inch screen better than its about-4-inch screen. but what if that added $100 to the price? The things it's doing without, I realize I can do without, in what will not be my primary computer but an auxiliary device.

However, given the hardware specifics in Internet Tablet 2005, I expect to see the 800-pixel-wide screen for a long time.

You can always go for a >snicker< Palm LifeDrive >snicker<.

No one else will have a chance against Nokia. They've given the IT and its software base a *lot* of thought. More thought than *Palm* ever gave its entire bloody run.

Ah, well, let me amend that. There is *one* company that could come in and give Nokia a big punch: Apple.

(Yeah, they laughed at the iPod in the beginning too! Not laughing anymore!)

As much as I hate recommending Windows, if you want a pocketable *computer* -- and something that is marketed *as* a pocketable computer -- the OQO is the way to go. The 1.0+ model makes me drool again...

Some may disagree, but I think the most similar device is the Sharp Zaurus clamshells (becomes tablet by flipping screen over). I have a 2 year old device:

- I Paid about $500 for Zaurus C760 2 years ago
- 640x480 touch screen
- CF and SD slots (so wifi or bluetooth is via CF)
- Several Linux distros avialable. I run "Cacko" right now, which is based on 2.4.x kernel, but many run OpenZaurus which is on 2.6.x kernel. Others run debian, etc.
- 400Mhz processor, 64MB RAM, 128MB flash for OS/data

dimensions (Sharp 120 x 83 x 18.6mm vs. Nokia 141 x 79 x 19mm)

I use Opera for web browsing about 2 hours/day. I also use the included email package. I use GAIM for AIM chat. With bluetooth CF card installed, I can chat and surf via my bluetooth cell phone that stays in my pocket. It is unfortunate that you have to import the Zaurus units from Japan, but it really wasn't very difficult. I had a friend pick one up on a trip to Tokyo. I simply downloaded a new distro and "flashed it". It's fully English.

The current Zaurus models are a bit bulkier, which is disappointing, but they also include a microdrive. Still have to do wireless via CF card (stupid Sharp).

I'm really excited about the Nokia 770, and will pick one up as soon as they are available. I really like the higher-res screen, and built-in wireless (no need for CF cards anymore). I also think the price point is extremely exciting (assuming the estimates are accurate).

I've studied the Z in the past. Never achieved traction. Which is a shame, given the debacle of Palm. But Sharp itself made some screwy decisions with the Z, such as no internal speaker(!) on the first ones. Some companies are their own worst enemy...

I agree with Apple being a possible player. I want to think Apple with do something similar soon.. if they dont announce anything like this at MacWorld (week after CES), I plan to pick up a 770 as an interim device...Apple would be my first choice since I have 4 Macs and an all Apple wireless network in the house. An Apple junkie, what can I say??