Nokia N800: It's Cool, But Is It A Game-Changer?

What is it with Nokia (NOK) at the moment? I've been at 3 conference sessions during March where a representative has turned up brandishing their N800 Linux-powered WiFi tablet, and then given a presentation focused almost entirely on it and Nokia's peculiar notion that it somehow completely redefines computers to be "Internet optimised".

Typically the events were about telecoms or VoIP. Yes, sure there are some VoIP clients that run on it, but it's hardly the number one usage case for the N800. I cannot believe that internally, Nokia believes this class of device will ever carry more than 1% of the world's VoIP traffic, let alone overall voice.

Yet in at least one of the presentations, both PCs and mobile phones (and also handheld gaming consoles) were dismissed as essentially legacy devices. That "everything will be Internet-based", and that "bundling network services and a SIM" was an old business model.

Now even I, a fairly ardent supporter of most open-IP principles & a detractor of walled gardens and SIM-authenticated WiFi, do not take things that far. Sure, there will be some hugely interesting and important innovations will mean that VoIP, WiFi and pure Internet-resident capabilities become viable challengers for many users' spend and time. But equally there are certain things that licenced spectrum - and licenced operators - are actually pretty good at, which will mean that tied device+service combinations are not going to disappear.

More confusingly, I don't understand why Nokia feels it necessary or appropriate to pitch the Web Tablet type device as a PC or notebook alternative. An alternative to UMPCs, OK, I can buy that. But even Nokia has to appreciate that the web isn't just following Moore's Law on processor speeds and memory - it's also being driven by LCD display pricing, which is why more PCs and Apples ship with 20" screens, and many laptops are similarly-endowed: it ain't for spreadsheets, it's for better Internet and multimedia display.

I'd understand it all a bit better if the N800 had a slide-out keyboard, or even a decent camera, but in its current incarnation it's not even optimised for "user generated content".

To be honest, I find Nokia's positioning of its broader N-Series smartphone devices as "multimedia computers" a little contrived too. "The device formerly know as the cellphone"...oh, please.

I suspect that all this may be an attempt to put clear water between the N-Series and the more operator-centric approach taken by the Mobile Phones division. But to be honest, there's really not that much difference between an N73 and most of the Series-60 phones developed in the other units. Sure, most of the N9x devices are probably sold through non-operator channels, but I think it's too early for most buyers to think of them as anything other than cool phones.

Comments

[debudebu]

Hello,
I think you are wrong. Nokia is looking into the future, and although they may be looking ahead too soon, this form factor, with a few minor and major differences will be the future. Very soon a computer like this will be able to run a fully featured operating system; it will carry large amounts of flash memory; it will easily host external devices; and it will hook up to a big monitor or integrate a small projector to project the screen on a surface.
I agree that mobile providers will not die soon, but they and their annoying contracts will slowly switch to providing internet service to make money.

[Thomas Barta]

"Very soon a computer like this will be able to run a fully featured operating system;"

Very soon being June, when the iPhone comes out. I think Nokia has the right idea here; I think web+phone is going to get very interesting and useful within a year or two. But, I expect the N800 will be a short-lived product due to circumstances beyond their control.

[debudebu]

I agree that the iphone will be a success, but It will leave plenty of room for competitors. The N800 is not an iphone competitor because it doesn't have a phone. But since the comparison has been made, here are my two cents. I will not buy an iphone because i don't need a cell phone and i don't want to pay cingular every month to use it. I also want a flexible device with hundreds of available applications, developed by big companies or the average joe. Also, since I will use it mostly to browse the internet I want to be able to see a whole web page on the screen. The iphone's 320x480 screen isn't good enough. Finally, the idea of cheap Voip calls with no monthly service fees on a mobile device that has a nice browsing experience makes me smile.