Nokia's Linux Handheld

Nils Faerber writes "Today Nokia announced the introduction of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet device along with the Open Source based Maemo Development Platform. With this new product Nokia enters several new worlds all at once. A new concept for the use of a handheld device, a new fully visible open source based development process and the explicit use of open source software in a commercial grade product. The typical use case for the Nokia 770 is to be the internet usability extension to your mobile phone or other wireless internet access equipment. It is extremely portable by its small formfactor, usable for almost all internet applications thorugh its exceptional resolution of 800x480 pixel and its multimedia capabilities by making use of a TI-OMAP CPU and a accompanying digital signal processor (DSP) core. The consequent use of open source software and technology basing on the Linux kernel 2.6, X11-server technology and the GTK+ toolkit the resulting new Hildon graphical user interface creates a fully new user interface experience for portable Linux devices."

Re:Left-handed model?

[Soko]

Well, it is Open Source, so some enterprising leftie will write a screen/button flipper for the thing - you'll just need to learn how to use the buttons upside down (left arrow will change to right via software, but the pad will be at the bottom, not the top).

Soko

Re:Good

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, they probably won't realize it has anything to do with Linux at all.

In any case, a wildly cut-down version of a Linux desktop has nothing to do with "Linux usability" in the usual sense, any more than a Linux- or Windows-based ATM says anything about the usability of the parent OS.

... but shame on you, Nokia...

[lowieken]

for wanting to impose software patents on us in the EU!

Re:Left-handed model?

[jintxo]

... pregadous ...

wtf?

It will fail

[lelitsch]

Not because of the price, but because it doesn't have any meaningful storage options. 128MB Flash is not going to do anything for movies, images or other downloads. Now if they'd put in a hard drive, or a expansion slot so you can get a few gigs of storage, you could download a movie to watch when you get out of range of broadband. And even in a few years, that's still going to be a lot of places. Ten years from now, wireless broadband will be truely everywhere, but even in places like Japan and Korea it's fiarly common to get out of 3G or WiFiMax range.

Re:Good

[garcia]

people will realise that Linux is not necessarily hard to use.

If by "people" you mean the general non-computer-geek population, then I really don't think they care what OS the unit is running. Tivo is easy to use and runs on Linux. Archos media players are easy to use... The list continues.

Linux *can* be difficult to use, especially as a home OS. UIs that lay over the kernel and OS don't have to be.

you're in luck

[cahiha]

It's open source and it's X11 based. That means that RandR probably works on it and you can just rotate the screen 180 degrees.

Re:... but shame on you, Nokia...

[A beautiful mind]

Nokia is really mixed up in these matters:

• it supports open source stuff like this
• supports the anti-microsoft side in eu vs. microsoft battle
• on the other hand, supports software patents

I'd wish they'd just make up their mind and vouch for FOSS

Re:Seen it already...

[fbjon]

A C64 can too. But does anyone really want to?

Re:It will fail

[fbjon]

BS. My pda has 128mb built in, and has an SD slot. I have no problems with storage. Besides, how much storage do you need for browsing, mail, etc.? This isn't a portable dvd-player.

Passwords, security.

[Anonymous Coward]

And if you're wanting to do stuff that requires great security such as online banking and/or purchases with credit cards, etc... then using a wireless device to do so, means you must be nuts or careless or both.

Re:No 3G or GPRS

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, it does have bluetooth. Get a bluetooth enabled phone and hook them up and you have your connectivity. This will allow you to have a smaller phone to use as an actual phone and you can then use this device just when you want internet or it's other features instead of having to carry something large around just because you may need to make a phone call.

Re:... but shame on you, Nokia...

[labratuk]

A company's right hand not knowing what its left hand is doing is nothing new.

A future with EU software patents is a future where tech companies have more lawyers employed than developers. My guess is that the people in charge of Nokia's stance on patents... are lawyers.