The N810 is the latest addition to the Nokia Internet Tablet lineup. Linux-based mobile devices offer an assortment of new features and drops of some familiar features found in the previous model, the N800. The N810 also ships with Internet Tablet OS 2008, a newer version of Nokia's Internet Tablet operating system, which is built on Maemo 4.0.
Although the N810 is the chronological successor to the N800, it is not a replacement. The feature of trade-offs and significant price differentials fill each product of independent value for different segments of the mobile computing market. Nokia's new software is not a differentiating factor as it is currently officially supported on the N800 as well as the N810.
When I first started testing the N810 last week, my first impression of the product was somewhat mixed. I was impressed with the device as a whole, but I felt that the new features didn't quite justify the tag's high price tag. After spending a whole week with my point of view device a little more subtle. Now, I want to offer a more detailed overview of the N810's strengths and limitations. I'll also take a close look at how it compares to the N800 and give some tips on how to get the most out of OS2008.
Changes
The most significant additions to the Nokia N810 are the keyboard, the thumb is lowered from the device and the built-in GPS receiver. Despite the additional features, the N810 is noticeably smaller than the N800 and fits better in a pocket. The bezel around the screen is thin on the N810 and most of the buttons have been touched by the face of the device. It all looks compact and more attractive. The directional pad is smaller and is located to the left of the keyboard on the sliding panels. Menu buttons on the bottom right of the directional pad. The home run and buttons are still on the front of the device, but they are on one thin rocker button that runs along the left side.
On the top of the N810, the zoom buttons on the rocker themselves and the full-screen button that was placed between the zoom buttons on the N800 is a short distance to the left of the zoom rocker. The power button, which is now round, is in the very center, and a new rolling shutter button has been added to the right of the power button.
The headphone jacks and power adapter jacks are still on the right side of the device under the stylus. Like the N800, the N810 still stands, which blocks the USB port and memory card slot when closed. 2 devices and use the same size power adapter plug, chargers and are interchangeable. The USB port on the N810 is slightly smaller than the one on the N800. Speaker grills, which are now much smaller, have been moved from the front.
External memory cards The N810 is designed with a MiniSD card slot rather than a standard SD card. In addition, it seems as if the second internal memory, memory cards, cannot be replaced in the N810 as it could in the N800. This is 2GB total, and approximately 1.5GB is already consumed by maps for the GPS program.
The N800 has an extended webcam from the side of the device and can be rotated, while the N810 has a webcam built into the face. Directly above the webcam on the N810 is an ambient light sensor that uses software to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen and keyboard backlight. The upper left corner of the N810 has a large notification light that will flash in different colors to indicate certain types of events, such as when a new email is received.
On the inside, the N810 has almost the same hardware as the N800. It uses the same TI OMAP 2420 processor. The N800 was overclocked to 330Mhz by default, but OS2008 bumps the clock speed to 400Mhz. The increase in clock speed is controlled by software, so N800 users, OS2008 upgrade will receive the same incentive. Like the N800, the N810 still ships with 128MB of DDR RAM and 256MB of flash.
The N810 display is slightly smaller than the image on the N800, but the difference is barely noticeable. The N800 has a 4.2 "display, while the N810 has a 4.13" display. Both run at 800x480, which is impressive for a PDA.