Nokia’s Linux-powered N800 Internet Tablet sneaks out early

Officially, Nokia Inc.
is still mum about its new Linux-based N800 Internet Tablet, the
successor to its N770 Internet Tablet, but it’s already on sale in some
U.S. stores.

As reported by LinuxDevices.com, the N800 is now for sale at some CompUSA stores for $399.99. This new model, from sources close to Nokia and the Carrypad website, appears to be a substantial upgrade to the Nokia 770.

Some
of these are changes that Linux tablet fans have been requesting for
some time. These include increasing the RAM from the older model to 128
MB and its flash memory to 256MB. The processor has also been given a
kick in the pants with an increase in speed from 220MHz to 320MHz.

The
new tablet also boasts a VGA (640×480) resolution web cam. The
microphone has also been moved to make the unit more friendly as a
phone.

The unit also has two SD (Secure Digital) flash memory
card slots, whereas the 770 only had a single RS-MMC (reduced size
multimedia cards) slot. One of these slots is located as an internal
slot under the back cover, and the other is located under the memory
card cover on the front corner of the tablet. Both memory cards can be
hot swapped in and out while the unit’s powered up. In theory, each
card can hold up to 2GB of data and must be formatted with either the
16- or 32-bit FAT file format. In practice, some early buyers have
found that the slots can handle 4GB SD cards.

While you’re not
likely to watch videos on the N800, it does come with built-in stereo
speakers, instead of a single speaker. The screen is a 4.1-inch, 800 x
480 pixel touch-screen, nearly identical to that of the 770.

For
web page browsing, the 800 includes a scroll rocker. It also reportedly
has top-mounted buttons and 5-way cursor pad and a built-in stand.

To talk to the outside data world, the N800 comes with 802.11b/g WiFi as well as Bluetooth 2.0.

Olli-Pekka
Kallasvuo, Nokia’s president and CEO, is expected to make the official
announcement of the N800 on Jan. 8 at CES (Consumer Electronics Show)
in Las Vegas.

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