ddalex | # 1 | 2008-06-10, 11:43 | Report

I've been an early adopter of NITs, specifically the 770. I've been uber-excited by the incredible possibilities of a Linux computer at my fingertips. And now, two years later, I'm quite disappointed; not only in NITs but in all mobile internet devices.

I expected for the NITs to mature into solid consumer-level devices which allow tweaking if desired, but which would work flawlessly out of box (more-or-less). I could live with an Synaptic-like application manager to allow update and installing of new applications. This hasn't happened, and I still have to do incredible hackups (from a consumer POV) to get the tablet to run apps I want. Broken dependecy, I don't need to see your face again.

I expected a at least decent PIM, calendar and email application with Exchange capabilties that would work in a corporate environment. Still, only to be able to login in my corporate network I have do to contorsions to which even a professional circus player would bow head in shame. And for an exchange-compatible app, that's the equivalent of wanting a Roman god-tribute party in a Christian monastery.

I expected to have a decent media player and controller, but even the task to have a picture/audio/video that "just works" is too big. Canola and mediastreamer alleviate a bit the problem, but they are downright clunky. And don't let me start to GPS and navigation.

For god's sake, I can't even have a half-decent browser that isn't a resource hog and will actually play good flash ! And to think these little cute devices are called Internet Tablets. Wake up Nokia, Flash and Java, whenever you like it or not, are alive and well on today's web.

And don't even let me start on under-utilized hardware packed in the tablets, for which I actually pay. If you're to be open to community, at least provide 3D and Jazelle specs so that somebody can actually write some drivers and put the hardware to good use.

Oh well, if NITs are something like an experiment to Nokia, let's call the cute little devices COMMUNITY TESTING AND DEVELOPEMENT TABLETS and be done with it. They will not ever be in consumer-level market, so let's see the competition.

The iPhone (the new released one) seems the closest competitor, but it lacks openness. It locks your money to Job's wallet with a chain. True, a gold-plated chain, but a chain. And there is that horrible platform with impossible approach if you want to be able to tweak and develop on it. Not free, not good.

The EeePC and the like are closer to something working out for me. But they use the incredible power-hungry x86 architecture (a problem which isn't so bad given the latest Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors), and they are big. Too big to comfortably slide in a pocket when storming out the door for the day's trip. And the EeePC's out of the box system is all but useless: you have to go through other system install, sweat blood and sacrifice a virgin goat to get everything working.

To be truefull to myself, I think I had more joy and better user experience with my old Palm m105 than with any new modern handheld device. I want that back, but with network, wireless and browsing capabilties !

So what I want/need from a mobile computing device:
- small form factor with touchscreen. Smaller than 770, bigger than iPhone, with big resolution, and software that understands that it runs on high DPI/big resolution / tiny physical screen;
- well-designed and stable consumer-level experience; the designed should focus on how one interacts with a handheld device, not how to cut pixels to fit a desktop environment on a handheld device.
- standard mainstream distro, even if not for x86 architecture. Ubuntu mobile seems a step in the right direction. Hildon and propietary extensions seem like an overreach, which bogs down porting programs that actually run well on a somewhat mainstream-ish and standardized interface like GTK.
- centralized-database application management. Putting apps on a such device shouldn't be a pain. Maemo.org is a good step, but someone should dedicate lot of time to maintain clean central application database, including the binaries of well-tested programs. If you want bleeding edge, you should be able to do it, but a central database with all the programs that "just works, no tweaks needed" is much desired.
- make use of all hardware facilities you can. On a small device, you have to put to use even the smallest register and not skip a cycle . Don't let 3D acceleration capabilities or Java hardware processor go unutilized. Also, the least thing you can do is beef up the RAM. It doesn't eat lots of power, is quite cheap these days, and you cannot ever have too much of it.
- working peripherals, be it bluetooth, infrared (I know it's old fashioned, but I could use m105 as extra-fancied remote, I want that back ! ), USB (Think of all you could do with a proper USB host port), GPS, TV-Out/Monitor port. I want to be able to play a game using wiimotes connected to NIT with output on that big TV screen. If you add the 3D acceleration and the big memory, you end up killing not only DS and PSP off the market, you actually can go for the Wii !. All in a device that I can unplug and carry on to play/work during commute.
- if you pack extra RAM, and dynamic CPU frequency management, together with a mainstream distro, you get solved lots of problems from the start on the office front: OpenOffice and Evolution at your fingertips. Now I could read work emails and type half-assessed PowerPoint (bleah) presentations on the go !
- Mainstream webbrowser (Firefox) with working Flash. I can't stress out how important this is. Having the Firefox addons available for install really changes the experience of the internet for me. Flash is a must have in the new RIA world. AIR is a must too. By know, you should know that I really fancy Adobe, and I think they will change the face of the internet as we know it (just take a look at Adobe labs website!). I understand that Nokia or anyone else beside Adobe doesn't have a say in here, so I'm looking at you, big A.
- decent SDK. I don't want to relive ever again the pain of setting up a remote debugging session with GDB on the tablet ! This is the main reason I quitted active developing for the tablets. This will also impulse the 3rd party commercial applications developers.

Sorry for the long rant, but I expected and wanted a hole different experience from the new Mobile devices, and I'm not getting it. Decade-old handhelds did a far better (even if more limited) job. I want My Experience Back. Maybe Nokia or someone else will hear.

So this far, my NITs silently wait for better days. I have no current uses for them, apart from light web browsing when the browser doesn't crash. And I wonder, do you ever actually use yours beside for the tweaking which every geek needs to do once in a while ? Where do you see the tablets going ?

GeneralAntilles | # 2 | 2008-06-10, 11:52 | Report

Unrealistic expectations, that's what.

joepagiii | # 3 | 2008-06-10, 11:55 | Report

wait some more time ...someone will figure it out...and make it better...in the meantime get a lifeflash....you can get one for under a 100...or i have 1 up for grabs....its alot more stable than the original lifedrive....and you can still use it as a remote....

ddalex | # 4 | 2008-06-10, 11:56 | Report

In the bad taste to reply to my own post, did you ever dream on having a dock station ? ... on which you can plug in the tablet, do work with a normal KVM (on the desktop!), play a 3D game, take the tablet off the dock station and have access to the same applications and evironment on the go ? I know, the hardware isn't yet right there, and there is big competition from UMPCs, but still, it's nice to dream !

iancumihai | # 5 | 2008-06-10, 11:57 | Report

without a better processor and all the right and wanted peripherals (i still regret the SD being replaces with miniSD - WAS IT NECESSARY? i'm taking my n800 instead of the n810 because of that when going to trips) this will go nowhere.

NIT will at most show other competitors that such a device can be done, and they will just jump in the boat with better devices. Already the new Iphone does lots of things i would want on my NIT, not all indeed ... but ... that's enough ... going back to work now ... waking up when the new tablet will appear.


.... was it 520 Mhz ? ... ok, when the second one will be announced

ddalex | # 6 | 2008-06-10, 11:58 | Report

Well, the world is moved forward by unrealistic expectations. Or, in Google speak, let's have a healthy disrespect for the impossible

joepagiii | # 7 | 2008-06-10, 11:58 | Report

yes and no.... if you buy something you expect to have to tinker with it....but that tinkering should pay off...which ive only seen minimal gains for my tinkering...but i didnt give up with the lifedrive and wont with the n800,....i figure you devs will straiten it out so end users can make it more usable

andrewfblack | # 8 | 2008-06-10, 12:02 | Report

People need to realize that the NITs are designed as a Web Browsing Mini Computer, the fact that we can get them to run a thousand other things is great but Nokia designed them to browse the web not replace a Palm for PIM and not to replace a full size computer. Even though it has mostly replaced mine, atleast it has replaced my laptop. I think alot of people who have problems with the NITs really want a Windows Mobile PC but just didn't know it. The software you buy for them are easy to install by end user and require just about no knowledge.

OSEmuTech | # 9 | 2008-06-10, 12:12 | Report

For the price the N800 has gone for ($156 the cheapest I bought one for), it is a great device for

listening to MP3s (no headphones required),
excellent for reading eBooks (PDF, CHM, DJVU, etc.),
running TiEmu as a nice calculator (TI calcs go for $100+),
checking emails,
visiting and posting on websites (my new HTC phone running Windows Mobile 6 has too small a screen),
watching full-length DVD movies converted via ITVC,
as a voice recorder/crappy backup camera,
making free phone calls via Grandcentral Dialer,
watching TV via KMPlayer
playing nice games like Gweled, Stratagus, Numpty Physics, etc.
etc., etc., etc.

all in a conveinently portable device.

If you want more you can pay $800+ for one of these beasties: http://www.umpcportal.com/products/

tso | # 10 | 2008-06-10, 12:13 | Report

indeed, nokia already have more then one product out to replace a palm. the E90 and friends anyone?

but then i wonder, how much of a us phenomena was the palmpilots and stuff anyways?

most people i know, being norwegian, started out with pim on a phone. and most of those, a nokia phone.

as in, for them, using a phone as primary pim device is the norm. and the first thing they think about when thinking about a tablet will not be pim...

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Last edited by tso; 2008-06-10 at 12:20.