Tablet School

Xournal for the N800 and N810 Xournal is a very useful and fun application for OS2008, the operating system run by the N800 and N810 internet tablets. Its basic idea is very simple: it simulates having pads of paper, pencils, coloured pens, highlighters and rulers. This means you can write and draw on virtual bits of paper just like you would do in real life. At this point many of you may be screaming at the monitor: "Why don't you just use real paper and real pens you idiot?" That's a fair point, but there are two main advantages that Xournal has over the real thing: - You can write, draw and highlight in lots of different colours, on any colour or pattern paper you want, without having to carry a bag full of materials with you. It's like having a stationery shop in your pocket. - You can save your work and refer to it later, or even turn it into a PDF file which can be e-mailed to other people and viewed on other devices such as your PC. In any case,...

Normally the Internet Tablet School refrains from any kind of editorial position, we're usually just trying to help people get the most from their internet tablets. However, the following article is an exception. We now feel that the time has come for Nokia to abandon the current graphical interface used by the tablets, and replace it with something simpler, more streamlined and intuitive. It should be something that even a non-technical person could use without any prior knowledge, and without having to consult any instructions. There's a wonderful interface already available on the tablets which is up to this task, but so far Nokia don't seem to want to use it. It's called Canola. How the tablets got their current interface The Nokia internet tablets currently use a graphical interface called Hildon, which was first developed for their 7700 and 7710 smartphones way back in 2004. The latest version of Hildon is to be found in OS2008 on the N800 and N810, and i...

What is Skype? What is it used for? Skype is a popular internet phone application, which lets you make and receive free calls to and from other Skype users. It doesn't matter where you are, you can talk to anyone else on Skype free of charge. You can optionally also make and receive cheap calls to and from ordinary phones (including landline phones and mobile phones) by paying a fee to use the extra services SkypeOut (for calling normal phones) and SkypeIn (for receiving calls from normal phones). Skype effectively turns the tablets into mobile phones, especially if you buy the extra services. It works through the tablets' Wi-Fi connection and also through their Bluetooth mobile phone connection, though the sound quality may be very low if your phone connection is very slow (for example the quality is very bad on 2G phone networks but better on 2.5G, 3G and 3.5G networks). Skype on the tablet is the same thing as Skype on a PC or Skype on a smartphone, it's all one ...

Why the polarisation? Perhaps the biggest problem is that it's difficult to know who exactly the Nokia tablets are primarily aimed at. Are they for the casual user who just wants to look at some websites while lounging on the sofa, or the enthusiastic user who wants a pocket-sized alternative to their laptop with a full range of computing features? Obviously both of these people would get a lot out of the Nokia tablets right now. The tablets have an excellent and easy to use browser which can display almost all websites, even Flash and AJAX ones, but they also feature an open software platform that can give you most of the functions of a full-size computer. However, going on from here, which direction should the tablets go in? Until now, Nokia has favoured the more computing-oriented user as they've spent years courting the open source community, and deliberately made the tablets very open and "hackable" to appeal to serious hardcore computer users. The Nokia ...

Video calling is very, very cool indeed The Nokia N800 and N810 internet tablets both have built-in webcams: the N800's hidden in a round pop-out section on the left of the tablet, and the N810's mounted on the front. They're there to let you make video internet calls where you can speak and hear the other person in real time, just like a videophone. This feature might sound very technical and nerdy, but it isn't at all. If you'll forgive the sentimentality, video calling is actually one of the most emotionally fulfilling features of the tablet. Being able to see someone's face when you talk to them makes the conversation feel far more intense, and gives you a feeling of almost being there with the person. Because the tablet is portable, they can carry you with them as they walk round the house or wherever they happen to be. One especially nice feature is that you can show the other person the world around you very easily, as if they were seeing what you w...

Some hints and tips for using the web browser on the Nokia N800 & N810 The web browser is the most important feature on the N800 and N810 internet tablets as it lets you look at websites, which is the main purpose of the tablets. The browser is fairly easy to use, especially if you're used to using web browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer on computers. However, there are still a few quirks and features which may not be immediately obvious, and that's what we're going to look at in this tutorial. For those who are interested, the browser used in the N800 and N810 is called MicroB, and is based on the same Mozilla technology that Firefox uses. It is compatible with all the major advanced website standards such as Flash, Javascript and AJAX, and is possibly the world's best web browser on a pocket-sized device. The tablets are compatible with far more websites than the iPhone or iPod Touch because Apple's gadgets cannot display Flash-based sites. ...

Word Processing on the Nokia N800 & N810 There are two main ways to do word processing on the internet tablets: using a word processing application installed on the tablet, or using a word processing application hosted on a website. This tutorial will look at the two easiest options: the built-in Notes application, and the online application Google Documents. Some general hints on entering text on the N800 and N810 - You can enter text on the tablets using their on-screen keyboards (a small one for styluses, a big one for fingers), or the built-in physical keyboard of the N810, or using a wireless Bluetooth full-size keyboard. The best option for large amounts of typing is a Bluetooth keyboard as it has proper full-size keys. Click here to read our tutorial on using Bluetooth keyboards with tablets. - You can activate the large on-screen keyboard by clicking on the text entry area and then pressing the button in the middle of the direction pad. - Whatever application o...

Since the Internet Tablet School launched last year, it's had an ever-growing audience and it seems that many people appreciate a tablet site aimed at beginners. As a bit of an experiment, we've done something new: a book (just a short one though). A portion of the cover price goes towards keeping the Tablet School going. If you want to show appreciation for what we've been doing, then click on our bookshop link below and buy a copy! :-) The book is called The Internet Tablet School Companion, and it's been designed to complement the Tablet School website by providing tablet-related reference material which beginners can understand. The idea of the book is that you can look at it while using the site's tutorials or visiting other tablet sites. Most of the book is devoted to a Glossary section which lets you translate any weird tablet-related words you can't understand into plain English. The book also has some features discussing the past and future of the...

The N810 built-in memory card bug There have been several reports of a bug on the Nokia N810's built-in 2 gigabyte memory card. If you use the built-in memory card, you may want to read this post as it will tell you how to fix the bug. It's very easy to fix, so don't panic. What is the bug? What problems can it cause? The built-in memory card on some N810s was incorrectly formatted at the factory. This may cause files stored on the card to become corrupted, which means you wouldn't be able to open them. If your N810's built-in card has this bug, even if it works fine now, it may run into problems later on. For this reason, it's a good idea to fix this bug now before those problems happen in the future. Does Nokia know about this? Have they fixed it? Yes, Nokia now knows about it, they've documented it on their official bug-reporting website. They have presumably fixed the formatting process in their N810 factory, but there is nothing they can d...

The Nokia N800 and N810 internet tablets can be attached to a Windows, Linux or Macintosh computer using a USB cable. In normal mode this lets you transfer files to and from the tablet's memory card (or memory cards if you have more than one). You can also use the same cable to update the tablet's firmware when it is in update mode. Unlike Nokia's phones, the tablets do not have a PC Suite mode. They will not work with Nokia PC Suite at all. How to transfer files onto and off the tablet's memory card or cards using the USB cable The main thing to bear in mind about this process is that the computer never actually accesses the tablet itself. All it does is access the tablet's memory card or cards. Another thing to bear in mind is that you can transfer absolutely any kind of file on and off the card or cards: music, video, text, anything at all. Not all file types will work on the tablet, but all file types can be placed on the tablet's memory card or car...

The N800 and N810 contain a large number of built-in step-by-step tutorials and a complete user guide, but a lot of tablet owners seem to be unaware of their presence. Here's how to find and access them. How to browse through all the built-in help files Very very simple, just click on the Applications icon (the green squares on the left) and then click on help. You'll then see a long list of all the topics covered by the tutorials. Double-click on the topic you want to know more about, then click on the specific tutorial you want to read. When you've finished reading a tutorial, just click on the X in the top right hand corner to close it. How to get help for the feature you're currently using Again, easy-peasy. Just click on the menu for the application you're currently running (this will be a grey bar at the top of the screen). One of the options will be Help, just click on it. Applications runs separately from their help files, so you can close a tu...

If you're a fan of the TV and film series Star Trek, you may be familiar with the "PADD" portable computer tablet that many of the characters used. Well, if you install an unofficial theme pack called "LCARS", you can turn your internet tablet into something that still works just like an internet tablet, but which looks and sounds like a PADD from Star Trek. How to install LCARS on your N800 or N810 The installation process is very simple: 1. Click on the Globe in the top left hand corner, open a new browser window, and go to this address: maemo.org/downloads/OS2008 This is the official website for installing Maemo applications, and Maemo is the software platform used by Nokia's internet tablets. Incidentally, maemo.org is sometimes a very slow site even when you access it on a desktop computer. If it's too slow when you visit, try going back later. 2. On the Categories section on the right of the screen, click on "Desktop Environment...

Yes, we're back! If you've been following the internet tablet world you may have heard that Nokia is bringing out a tablet called the "N810 Wimax Edition", and here's our guide to what you need to know about it: Is the N810 Wimax Edition a new internet tablet? No, not really. It's just an ordinary N810 with a special chip added to allow it to use Wimax. What the heck is Wimax? It's like Wi-Fi, but with a longer range. It lets you access the internet at high speed wirelessly. At the moment it's mostly used by businesses but some companies are talking about setting up public Wimax networks which you could subscribe to. So far though, only a handful of American cities will receive these kinds of services, and the N810 Wimax Edition will only be on sale in those cities. Who should buy the N810 Wimax Edition? Only people who will be within range of a compatible Wimax network, which is a very small number of people at the moment. When i...

What are themes? Themes are used by the internet tablets to determine what their interface looks like. If you change the tablet's theme, the appearance of the interface changes. The tablets come with four built-in themes to choose from, which you can do from the desktop's "Home" menu at the top of the desktop screen. Please see our tutorial on customising your tablet's desktop to find out more about this topic. If you're bored with the built-in themes though you can install extra themes, which is what this tutorial is about. How to find and install extra themes By far the easiest way to find and install themes is to use the maemo.org website, which is the official site for internet tablet software development. 1. On your tablet, click on the globe on the left, open a new browser window and go to the address maemo.org Don't worry if the site is a bit slow sometimes. 2. Click on the "Downloads" link at the top of the screen, and make...