Does Nokia's Internet Tablet fit into your future device library?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: KEITH SHAW ON WIRELESS COMPUTING
DEVICES
06/07/05
Today's focus: Does Nokia's Internet Tablet fit into your
future device library?

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Have I missed something with Nokia's Internet Tablet?
* Links related to Wireless Computing Devices
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Does Nokia's Internet Tablet fit into your
future device library?

By Keith Shaw

A few weeks ago Nokia launched its 770 Internet Tablet, a
Linux-based handheld device that offers Internet browsing and
e-mail functionality, along with a high-resolution widescreen
display.

The Internet connections are handled through a Wi-Fi connection
and (since it's Nokia) a Bluetooth connection as well. The $350
device runs on Nokia's Internet Tablet 2005 software edition,
which includes desktop Linux and other open source technologies.
Other features include Internet radio support, an RSS news
reader, image viewer and media player. The device is expected to
ship in the third quarter in the Americas and Europe, Nokia
says.

My first reaction, as is the case with most handheld devices,
was, "Oooh, sweet. Gimme gimme gimme." But after the initial
glee my head took over and I began to think whether this type of
device was needed in a world where existing devices can already
do much of what the 770 Internet Tablet claims to do.

To be fair, I have not seen the 770 up close or gotten a
complete feature download from Nokia yet. Perhaps the widescreen
high-res display is so brilliant that I'll forget about the
other features.

Probably not though, since I'm a network guy at heart and the
best functionality for me is the network connection. To get me
really interested in an Internet Tablet (the name suggests the
ability to Web surf and check e-mail while roaming around the
house, I don't seriously see this as a big business tool), the
'Net connection better be good, fast and secure.

Lately I've been disappointed by device manufacturers'
understanding of this. For example, I have been playing with the
Archos PMA 400 (Personal Media Assistant), a handheld device
that combines a personal organizer (contacts, calendar, to-do
list, etc.) with a music player, video player, photo viewer and
large hard drive. This came out a few months before Palm One's
LifeDrive device, which basically includes the same features,
but with the PalmOS instead of a Linux operating system (for the
Archos device).

Archos added a Wi-Fi radio to the device in order to let users
do some Internet surfing and basic e-mail downloads, but when I
tried to configure the Wi-Fi connection I discovered it only
supported WEP 40-bit and 128-bit security, not the WPA security
that my home network has. In order to test the Wi-Fi connection,
I would be forced to reduce the security of my home network, and
that's a compromise I'm not really willing to make. It's
possible that the Nokia 770 device will have support for WPA,
and if so, that's a step in the right
direction.

But Nokia still faces a larger hurdle, which is convincing users
that surfing the Web on one of these devices will somehow be
better than how millions of people already do it - with a
laptop. One thing that Nokia has going for it - the experience
on the Internet Tablet will probably be better than surfing on
any cell phone, that's for sure.

I'd be happy (as always) to hear from readers on this subject -
have I missed something with Nokia's Internet Tablet? Are you
excited about this device concept? Let me know at
<mailto:kshaw@nww.com>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Keith Shaw

Keith Shaw is Senior Editor, Product Testing, at Network World.
In addition, he writes the " Cool Tools
<http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html> "
column, which looks at gizmos, gadgets and other mobile
computing devices.

You can reach Keith at <mailto:kshaw@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Good Technology
Network World Executive Guide: Wireless Security. New Standards
make it easier than ever

As wireless LAN technology reaches the mainstream of enterprise
IT, security continues to be the top barrier to adoption. In
this report, we detail the possible approaches to wireless LAN
security and talk to experts who provide analysis and
recommendations on which ones to use. Register today and get a
free copy of Network World's Wireless Security Executive Guide.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=106143
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Wireless Computing Devices newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/mobile/index.html

Keith Shaw's Cool Tools:
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html
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Data replication alternatives and their impact on the WAN

What data replication alternatives exist and what are their
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data replication across the WAN.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=105750
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