Nokia N810 Internet Tablet In-Depth

Price: $479Some day we’ll all be carrying around devices that deliver the full Web to the palms of our hands. No, not the crippled, crudely formatted Web you get with most smart phones. We’re talking about YouTube, Flickr, Skype, Facebook, and everything else you’re used to on your laptop. Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet, now in its third iteration, makes a good case for leaving your notebook behind with a full keyboard, slimmer design, and GPS navigation.

While $479 isn’t cheap, this do-it-all gadget is much less expensive than bloated Windows-based UMPCs. The N810 isn’t easy enough for Mom to use—and we wish it were a better multitasker—but it’s an impressive piece of hardware that should appeal to more than just Linux geeks.

N810 Design
Measuring 0.6 inches thick and weighing 8 ounces, the sleek metal N810 feels solid and is pocket friendly. The most noticeable difference between the N810 and its predecessor is that the 4.1-inch touchscreen slides back to reveal the keyboard. The keys don’t have a lot of depth, but they’re nice and big (and backlit). After a couple days we were typing pretty fast without any errors.

To the left of the N810;s keyboard is a D-pad, and underneath that is a menu button. To the left of the display is the Swap key, for quickly switching applications, and an Escape key for closing menus or apps.

Navigating the N810’s interface was pretty easy with a finger, but there were times when we had to resort to the stylus, especially when digging through pull-down menu options. The fact that the N810 has a D-pad, stylus, and touchscreen tells you it isn’t nearly as intuitive as the iPhone or iPod Touch. Sometimes we had to click an option more than twice for it to register, and having to use dedicated zoom buttons is a buzkill compared to Apple’s simple double-screen tap. And it doesn’t help that sliding up the display makes those buttons harder to reach.

Those same zoom buttons also control the volume when you’re listening to music (although you can adjust that onscreen, as well). Also lining the top of the N810 is a Full-screen key (which comes in handy when Web surfing), the power button, and Lock key.

Customizable Interface
The N810’s interface is PC-like, with a task navigator area along the left side of the screen and a traditional desktop area in the center that you can populate with widgets. The widgets, which you can drag around the desktop, include a customizable RSS feed ticker, clock, Rhapsody player, and Google search.

The task navigator area provides quick access to the Mozilla-based Web browser and Contacts (for e-mail, making Internet calls, and instant messaging). The Application menu, analogous to Start in Windows, launches everything from Skype and the Media player to the Map program and utilities. There’s a little bit of a learning curve with the N810’s menu structure, but we like that you can customize the Application menu and the Status Bar along the top right of the screen.

N810 GPS Navigation
Nokia includes its free Map application for looking up addresses and points of interest, but if you sign up for the $129 three-year Wayfinder license, you’ll turn the N810 into a full-fledged GPS navigator.

In our tests, the device was able to keep up with a standalone Magellan 3210 in terms of accuracy, and we could easily hear the spoken turn-by-turn directions delivered by a very civilized British male voice. Acquisition times were initially slow but improved to less than a minute with continued use. The N810 told us to take one illegal left turn (there was a jughandle) but it re-routed quickly.

The comprehensive POI database found a nearby Walgreens and Hallmark while we were driving. Nokia includes a car holder with screws, but we would much prefer a full suction cup mount—if not in the box then at least as part of the $129 fee.

Nokia N810 Verdict
It’s pretty remarkable that something so compact can do so much. The iPod touch puts the full Web in your pocket and does it so much more elegantly and cheaply. But only the N810 has a full keyboard, dial-up networking, and GPS. It’s more than worth the $479 for power users looking for something more versatile than a traditional smart phone (without the contract).

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