Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Arnim has valid points though, but here's what I'd like to see: split the platform into 3 areas of focus--

-General multimedia (current N800)
-Gaming (call it the Ngage800 ;))
-Enterprise/business (E800, et al)

There would be significant overlap between the 3, of course, but each would have unique features that made it better for its intended purpose. Naturally, you could still play some basic games on the "E800" and check email on the "Ngage800" but the commonality would essentially end right about there.

Just my opinion. Don't shoot.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Rather than add a d-pad to the Nxxx, wouldn't it be a better solution to get something like a Nintendo Wii controller working over Bluetooth? They only cost $20 tops, and would give you all the buttons you need for those that need it. :)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

I just read a paper prepared for the execs of one of Nokia's future US WiFi competitors (Sorry, I wasn't suppose to see it either :) )...

They feel Nokia is moving big time and quickly into non-phone type devices (tablets, mini computers, et al.) and is expecting them @ market Q2, 2008. These devices supposedly will capitalize on a prevalent/pervasive WiFi connection.
In addition to connectivity, Nokia is purported to be developing all manner of new software interfaces as well.


Apparently all these folks are expecting big changes in how we connect and use our gizmo's, doo dads, and $400 potential paper weights.

I'm thinkin' with all this new use, alternatives to conventional batteries as power supplies will be the next investment opportunity. :)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

When the dust settled from our re-org, we had a shiny new set of values and a new description: Internet Company.

We still aren't exactly sure what that means, but we're slowly finding out...

Oh, and I like Milhouse's controller idea. I suggested a while back that the N800 could use a slip-on game controller like is available for older Nintendo game boys to enhance the experience.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Please, no. If I wanted a gaming device, I'd get a DS; a business PDA, I'd get a Palm; a PMP, I'd get an Archos, but I don't want any of those things, I want an N800--a Linux computer that fits comfortably in your pocket and will do nearly anything a laptop will do at a small fraction of the size, cost and inconvenience of a laptop. Nokia needs to focus on making the hardware fast (and efficient!) enough, and the software robust enough to suit almost any mobile computing situation. Product-line specilization will only degrade that goal (especially since I want to do all 3 things on my device).

That sort of abstraction seems like more of a software issue, anyway, which basically means you're crippling each device individually and reducing overall sales compared to a jack-of-all-trades device.

Aside: anybody else notice that text entry on the new browser is really buggy?

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Many people seem to emphasize that N800 is a computer, and I think that it's a huge mistake. If you place it in the computer domain, it is a slow computer with tiny screen, little storage, crappy text input and non-existent expandability. In my opinion it's not a computer, nor is it a PDA. It's an open source portable platform with steroids. With proper care and love you can make it do anything you like :)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Ah, but you're missing the point, it is a computer, just a computer with which you can browse the internet, watch movies, listen to music, video chat with friends, talk on IRC, navigate with Google Earth, and SSH into your home machine in comfort and style from your pocket. It's a truely portable laptop the frees you from all the nasty pitfalls of a laptop while sacrificing a minimum of functionality.

While I agree that calling it a computer may undermine its position somewhat, it does avoid the pitfalls of 'PDA' or 'PMP'. I don't believe using the poorly understood 'internet tablet' or 'internet device' nomers is necessarily a good choice either, as people seem to assume that it's a fancy term for 'PDA'.

Really, though, the device is a perfect complement to a desktop computer to eliminate that horrobly unusable class of ''mobile'' computing machines know as laptops.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

When inexpensive and pervasive WiFi becomes prevelent (less than 2 years in the USA) the value of a small, relatively inexpensive, mini-computer/tablet that can be left at a remote site as a process monitor or controller will become apparent.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Your idea for multiple form factors sharing a common core is also good - as it addresses the issue of providing more users for the software and core hardware platform.

You get the point that quality of apps (in general) is a function of number of users -- that my post was meant to address what Nokia can do with the next tablet to get a lot of users and thus broaden the open-source and commercial application base and solidify Maemo/ITOS a viable general-purpose platform. Unless the next tablet gains a lot of users, I see ITOS/Maemo evaporating.

RE: Milhouse's suggestion: for humans with two arms, a seperate game controller is not a workable solution for portable use- the controls need to be on, or attached-to, the device. If you already have a table for the tablet, a BT keyboard is sufficient as a two-handed gaming controller.

To expand on the constructive, here's a quick breakdown of gaming categories and how they relate.

• Commercial: Lining-up deals with publishers would mean selecting some big-name titles that would benefit from the high res and not require a mouse or analog joystick. World of Warcraft, Sim City, Adventures, Strategy games. DirectX->OpenGL is not entirely trivial but for the rest of the port, ITOS and the linux interfaces make porting about as easy as you can get. Nokia doesn't need to compete head-to-head with Sony and Nintendo for new titles but can cash-in on existing franchises and name-recognition with little investment.
  
• Casual: The N800 is a bit weak for 'heavy flash' used in games. A N800 successor will solve that with faster CPU. Casual on-line flash games are practically a shoe-in regardless of what Nokia does for the next tablet as long as performance increases.
  
• Emulation: Not to be underestimated. With Cortex and adequate controls (good Dpad+RHS buttons), a whole slew of emulators will run at full speed. This means that existing owners of a couple hundred million games sold for those systems could legally play them on the 'N900'. Sega Genesis, NES, Snes, Gameboy, GBA could be perfectly playable. With openGL and HLE, the Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64 would also be in the bag. The advertising line would be 'legally play your favorite games on-the-go'. This would allow Nokia to cash-in on the existing marketing investements of those game publishers.
  
• Homebrew/Open-Source: Less important but equally affected by hardware design, many of these are out of the range of current tablets (largely because few people have the time or skill to optimise them). Boosting performance and memory by 2x and providing OpenGL ES will easily triple the number of free games playable on the tablets.

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1. The features I advocated would not prevent you from using it as you intend.
2. You advocated witholding features that could enable it to appeal to millions of customers.
3. If it's a general purpose computer, why do you advocate people need to carry around 4 (FOUR) devices instead of one?

This is precisely the point. With only minor hardware adjustments, the device could gain the capabilities of a laptop. Your second statement (the tablet as a universal computer) directly contradicts the first (suggesting people should carry a Nokia Tablet, a Nintendo, a Palm and an Archos for diverse applications).

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

My suggestion was that people should buy those devices if they want specialization (as Texrat suggested), but that I very much like just having a single device to do everything.

It only seems to contradict because you read my post incorrectly (or my intentions were unclear, I was typing on that damn thumbboard :P). I don't want Nokia to develop specialized versions of the device at the expense of jack-of-all-trades functionality. I want a single device I can stuff in my pocket that (alongside a small cellphone) can do pretty much anything a fullsize computer can—games, business, media.