Just a quick note to let you know that we have an N810, the N800 is updated to OS 2008, and the new tutorials are now in production. We've been crawling all over the N810 to find out more about it, and here are some initial thoughts:
The N800 and N810 really are the same
One of the first things we did with the N810 was run it alongside the updated N800. We couldn't find any major differences apart from the N810 having a built-in keyboard and built-in GPS receiver.
Every app we tried loaded at exactly the same speed and behaved in exactly the same way, so the talk about the N800 having a slower processor was wrong. It appears that the processors inside the N800 and N810 are indeed identical, but the N800's processor was being run at a slower-than-normal speed when it used the old OS 2007. Once you update an N800 to OS 2008, the processor apparently starts running at full speed, just like the N810.
Another suggestion was that the N810 had a brighter screen, but we couldn't see any difference when the N800 and N810 were side by side, even with both on a maximum brightness setting.
So, it seems that the N810 really is just an N800 with an added keyboard and built-in GPS satellite receiver. This is hardly surprising, as several of Nokia's own developers had said all of this in various personal blogs before the N810 launched, and perhaps Nokia themselves tried to imply this similarity by numbering the devices so close to each other.
This is all a good thing, because it means that N800 users are going to be supported just as much as N810 users in the future, as the tablets are identical in computing terms. When Nokia dropped support for the 770 (the first internet tablet) when the N800 came out, there was quite a stink from people who loved the 770 and felt like they were being forced to upgrade. It seems that Nokia has learned its lesson by continuing to support both the N800 and N810 in exactly the same way, rather than favouring the newer model.
The N810's keyboard
The N810's slide-out built-in keyboard is about the same size as that on Nokia's E90 Communicator, but has more clicky keys and a much better direction pad. It's actually a very handy thing to have built into the tablet, and amazingly it doesn't really add any bulk to the overall size compared to the N800. The menu key has been placed next to the d-pad, which means you can press it to activate an application's menu and then select the option with the d-pad, and this works really well.
The only real complaint we'd have about the keyboard is the closeness of the top row to the edge of the screen, which can make your fingers bump into the edge quite often. This is probably an insoluble problem though, because moving the keys away from the edge would either have reduced their size or increased the overall size of the tablet, both of which would have been much more annoying.
The N810's built-in GPS
Unfortunately the weather has been appalling here and we don't have a car, so we haven't had a proper chance to try this out yet. However we will do when it comes time to write the GPS-related tutorials.
One thing worth noting is that the N810 does let you use third party Bluetooth GPS receivers if you prefer, you do NOT have to use the built-in receiver if you don't like it.
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4 comments:
Great to hear that your n810 arived and that new tutorials are in the work..
I found an external GPS acquired much more quickly on the N810 than the internal, but obviously having it all in one piece was more convenient --- if it connected.
Also - the N800 and the N810 have the same processor. The N800 is now not limited though and can perform at the same rate as the N810 thanks to the power optimizations that have been developed in OS2008.
It's definitely a personal preference thing more than anything ... Though the N810 has a better screen (transflective) for outdoor use and the keyboard seriously enhances your ability to communicate.
we also have the n800 & n810 side by side and the screen of the n810 is indeed brighter in good light to sun light. but if you turn down the light to dim or no light at all in the room, they are the same or almost the same in brightness. this is due to the n810's light sensor.
While you're doing comparisons, I'd love to see a video comparison of the N810 and N800's screens in sunlight... assuming the weather gets better for you!
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