Internet tablet based on Linux Nokia N800

Realizing that Windows Mobile is of course a good system, but health is more expensive, I never managed to make friends with PocketPC. In search of alternatives, I continued to explore the market for mobile computers.
When I first read about the release of the Nokia N800, I didn’t understand who would need such a device today: a mobile computer without explicit PIM functionality, a GSM module and a general orientation towards using mobile high-speed Internet? Speak to talk great VoIP? Maybe it is. Only here WiFi in the city today is a rarity. Even in the UK, despite the encouraging news - there are no open free WiFi hotspots in central London.
Therefore, the first weeks after the acquisition of the tablet lay with me dead weight. Internet connection as if revived the N800. From this point on, the questions concerning the personal information manager have disappeared by themselves.

Tablet Specifications

Software
Software installation is as follows:
1. Connect the N800 to the Internet.
2. Find the “Browse installable applications” button in the Application manager, click.
3. Select the appropriate application, read its description and install it in the usual way.
Sometimes when installing an application, a message appears stating that any libraries are missing. We are talking about Python, the installation files are found in the repositories or right here .
All distributions are in repositories, the list of which can be expanded. These lists in large quantities can be found on forums, conferences, www.maemo.org This means that to embrace the vast sea of ​​all applications will not work. Here is my choice:
Editing Microsoft Word documents: everyone is waiting for the release of AbiWord . While you can read .doc-documents using doc reader + antiword . Leafpad, Notes, Xournal are great for creating text notes.
Editing tables: Gnumeric Spreadsheet, with the ability to save in MS Excel. Converting and viewing video: with the loss of frames, you can watch and unconverted movies, but for normal sensations it is better to use Media Converter .
I get video quality that suits me with the following converter settings: video resolution N800 High Quality (400x240), video bitrate 768 kbps.
To watch the video, you should immediately replace the regular player with MPlayer .
PIM applications: GPE To-do list, GPE Calendar, GPE Summary (for displaying PIM information on the desktop). Although the programs still cannot boast of the functionality of applications for WinMobile, it is quite possible to work with them.
Reading books: PDF Reader, Evince , FBReader (read fb2). We are waiting for the appearance of the djvu reader. Communication: Gizmo, Pidgin, Jabber, Google Talk (by mid-summer, they promise Skype). Email client Claws-mail, default browser Opera.
Blogging: Maemo Wordpy .
Lingvo level dictionary (most important application): Sdict is faster than Lingvo on Wmobile is free. At the moment, you can use: 321 dictionary database files, more than 82 million entries, 8277 megabytes of articles. There is Wikipedia, both Russian and English actual (!) Option. For some reason, resources with dictionaries are sometimes unavailable, the most important ones here . Geography, GPS: Maemo Mapper, Google Maps, Navigation Kit for Nokia N800 Internet Tablet .
View and edit graphics: Quiver Image Viewer, Sketch.
Various scientific and educational applications: HP Calculator, Lybniz (plotting), Maemo Periodic (chemical elements table), Granule (a great application for learning foreign words). Games: not an amateur, so I can not say much, but there are a lot of applications. I personally like chess.

Total: a set of software, with overlapping needs. Missed something?

Pros / Cons
Where wins the N800:
1. Screen size: reading books and websites, typing texts, watching movies — there’s no better device for such money for this purpose in the market today. I still can't figure out how to read anything on QVGA screens. 2. Web, Internet communications - in this area, the device is undoubtedly future-oriented, and today, oddly enough, it is also one of the drawbacks.
3. Operating system, a set of applications: Internet Tablet OS 2007 edition was more stable, more convenient, more beautiful than WinMobile. There are no problems with connections via wireless interfaces, the settings for the GPRS connection are already present in the device, the user only needs to select an operator. The software is more than enough, new programs appear every week.
4. Russification of the system - by default, available handwriting text with the recognition of the characters of the Russian alphabet.
5. Innovations in the interface - for example, when the stylus menu is activated, small icons are displayed. When you touch your finger, the icons become large, comfortable for pressing fingers. The same with typing, if you touch the screen in a text editor with your finger, a large keyboard appears, on which it is quite convenient to type texts with your hands. The interface, announced in the iPhone, here justifies itself to 100%, I have almost no doubt that the stylus will soon be superfluous in most devices.
6. Multitasking. Gradually, I do not close applications at all. Minimized programs are located in a row on the panel in the lower left corner. Naturally, their launch speed is very high. There are no problems with memory leaks to digital eternity, as in WMobile; 7. Convenient location and functions of the buttons, which significantly facilitate Internet navigation and reading books.
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Where does the N800 lose:
1. The screen brightness still leaves much to be desired. In the sun, even with the brightness maximized to the maximum, you can hardly see anything. This disadvantage can be attributed to most of these devices, but, for example, the HTC PZ300 looks much better.
2. Despite the proud title of an Internet tablet, Google Docs & Spreadsheets is not working yet. In addition, there are problems with YouTube . With confidence - the problems of software, with hope - will be solved with time.
3. The inability to communicate via VoIP due to the absence of WiFi coverage in cities. Again, with a lot of hope, the cause of tomorrow. 4. The lack of support for editing MS Word documents and synchronizing with PCs - the question is also promised to be solved soon.

Video reviews
Quite good results are provided by search on N800 on YouTube (reviews in English):
We get the device out of the box;
We look at the cars inside;
Listen to music through the Rhapsody music service;
We wander through the Internet, sites with Ajax and Flash;
Carman is a car data acquisition system - according to an experienced jartashi , which turns the N800 into a very advanced on-board computer;
We work with GPS
Watch the video, use the camera;
A brief general video review (appearance, problems with YouTube, the reaction of the interface to a set of fingers) (5 minutes):
Detailed video review (17 minutes), at the 10th minute you can see how typing with your fingers.

Links
Review from ferra.ru www.ferra.ru/online/mobilis/26844
The page on the Nokia website www.nokia.ru/A4374194
Russian-language blog dedicated to the N800 internet-tablet.com Project created May 10, 2007, by Unatine, Dikiy, ManPavel. Author articles appear quickly enough, there are many plans. Get involved!
Ixbt conference: forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=45 : 8537

Conclusion (with caution)
I want to immediately warn you: if you decide to become the owner of the N800, and yesterday you were a PPC user or did not use mobile computers at all, get ready for surprises, it's not that simple. But remember: a special charm gives the fact that to improve the device, changing / writing software, everyone can. To be honest, I, as a hardened Windows user and neophyte of the Internet tablet N800 on Linux, have more questions than answers. I will decide!
As it has already become known, software is like sex, better when free. This means that a huge number of enthusiasts have already created and will still create software for the N800 on their own, while in most cases it will outperform proprietary counterparts. This is the main advantage of the N800.
At the same time, the main obstacle prevents us from using such devices that are ahead of their time with comfort. And here the task is more complicated: to cover the planet with cheap wireless Internet, starting from the open-source ideology and using the collective mind and hands will not work. Or am I wrong?

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The author of the text will be grateful for comments, comments, corrections of possible inaccuracies and participation in the correction of the material.
Special thanks to habrachelovek dik - he is to blame for everything;)