Nokia unveils Linux based 770 Internet Tablet (via Mowser)

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Nokia unveils Linux based 770 Internet Tablet By Jørgen Sundgot, 25 May 2005 [image]

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Surf's up: the Linux powered Nokia 770 Internet Tablet boasts a high resolution colour touch screen, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 1.2 and a range of applications.

At the LinuxWorld summit in New York, Nokia today introduced its first device in a new Internet Tablet category, the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Based on the Linux operating system, the device boasts a broad range of Internet related functionality, all navigated through a high resolution touch screen with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 1.2 serving up connectivity.

The main attraction of the device is its widescreen, 65K colour TFT touch screen with a diagonal size of 4" and resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. This, along with a navigational array flanking the screen on its left side, provides an interface to the Nokia Internet Tablet 2005 software which powers the device, developed atop Linux by the handset maker to power this new category of devices.

Offering up 64 MB of RAM and approximately 64 MB of non-volatile storage for users, the 770 Internet Tablet also harbours an RS-MMS card expansion slot for the purpose of memory expansion. Whether this will be necessary, however, is another question entirely as the functionality of the 770 appears to revolve mainly around the streaming capabilities as provided by its Wi-Fi 802.11b/g connectivity.

Not content with Wi-Fi, Nokia also integrated Bluetooth 1.2 into the unit, allowing for among other things the ability to connect to the Internet via a compatible handset. Several profiles are supported, including Dial-Up Networking, File Transfer, SIM Access and Serial Port, with the 770 also offering USB as a wired alternative for PC connectivity.

An extensive range of applications are included in the 770, such as a web browser with support for Macromedia Flash 6; an e-mail client; Internet radio; news reader; media player; image viewer; Adobe Acrobat viewer; file manager; search; calculator; world clock; notes; sketch; and games. To interact with the applications, an on-screen keyboard much similar to that found in the recently released Nokia 7710 is provided, with the 770 also offering zoom capabilities.

The list of supported audio and video formats is extensive, with MP3, Real Audio, MPEG4, AAC, WAV, AMR and MP2 on the slate for the former; MPEG1, MPEG4, Real Video, H.263, AVI and 3GP for the latter. In addition, the 770 Internet Tablet also supports several image formats including JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG and SVG-Tiny among others.

In addition to its existing functionality, Nokia also said it plans to further enhance the capabilities of the 770 with regular software updates, marking a welcome move away from the company's current policy regarding handset upgrades. According to Janne Jormalainen, Vice President of Convergence Products with Nokia's Multimedia unit, presence related functionality will be key in the next update, which is due out in the first half of 2006 and is to include VoIP and Instant Messaging applications.

Measuring a modest 141 x 79 x 19 mm and at a weight of 230 g, Nokia claims a browsing time of up to 3 hours and standby time of up to 7 days from the 1500 mAh rechargeable battery of the 770. The device comes in black and matte silver and is planned to start shipping in the third quarter of 2005 in selected countries in the Americas and Europe, however Nokia did not provide any details concerned its expected pricing.

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