Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition

It's official Nokia has issued a press release documenting the U.S. launch of the new Internet Tablet (MID) the N810 with WiMAX.

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition unleashes an open Internet experience, demonstrating the mobile future of web services

Espoo, Finland - Ushering in the next generation of wireless broadband devices, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today unveiled its newest Nseries device, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition, Nokia's first device engineered to take advantage of new wide-area high-speed mobile WiMAX networks. This pocket-sized device lets consumers enjoy an open Internet experience, allowing for access to the full Internet without barriers, while on the go. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the latest iteration of Nokia's popular line of Internet Tablet products. For the first time, the power and convenience of the Internet Tablet platform is combined with next generation wide-area wireless broadband capability, allowing users to easily and quickly access all of their favorite Internet services beyond local area hot spots. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is expected to be available in the United States during the summer of 2008 in areas where WiMAX connectivity is available.

WiMAX is a standards-based wireless broadband technology that delivers an open Internet experience similar to that of fixed broadband technologies with typical data download speeds of up to 2-4 Mbps per user with peak download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. Unlike current single point local area technologies like Wi-Fi which have a range of a few hundred feet, WiMAX networks consist of a number of interconnected base stations, each with a radius of up to 2-3 miles, that allow for handoffs from one base station to another as users move about a region or metro area. Additionally, WiMAX networks integrate technology designed to maximize the quality of service for each subscriber.

"By delivering the kind of open Internet experience that consumers previously only expected on a desktop PC, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is a compelling example of how next generation broadband wireless technology will not only change the way people think about the Internet, it will change the very nature of the Internet itself," said Ari Virtanen, Vice President of Convergence Products for Nokia. "Much in the way that the evolution of the fixed Internet from dial-up to broadband enabled a host of new Internet services and changed people's expectations of what an Internet experience should be, the transition to a broadband Internet experience set free from the constraints of a fixed network will spark the next wave of new mobile Internet services, and will forever change the perception of what the Internet can be."

Along with a full featured web browser, powered by Mozilla, that takes full advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition's large 4.13 inch touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a variety of popular web-based services are also supported. Many of these applications can be found on Nokia's dedicated OS 2008 User Site. To keep connected while on-the-go, a number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Instant Messaging (IM) clients are available, including Skype(TM), Google Talk(TM), and Gizmo5, which can also take advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition's built-in web cam for video calls. A client for the popular Rhapsody online music service is also available, transforming the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition into a portable jukebox with millions of songs available to enjoy at a few taps of the screen. Beyond these well-known services, an active developer community has also emerged around the Linux-based Internet Tablet platform, creating additional applications - from games to productivity tools.

A number of additional features further enhance the utility of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition. With built-in GPS, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can easily transform itself into a fully featured personal navigation device, complete with real-time on-screen maps. An integrated media player and 2 GB of internal memory, expandable to a full 10 GB of memory with the addition of an optional microSD memory card, allows the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition to store and play back a large library of music and video content. When not in range of a WiMAX network, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can also access the Internet over Wi-Fi or via conventional cellular data networks by pairing to a compatible mobile phone via Bluetooth technology.

Also being introduced with the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the newest Internet Tablet operating system. This new upgraded OS2008 introduces useful new features to the platform, including an enhanced e-mail client, support for Chinese character rendering in the browser and RSS feeds and Seamless Software Update functionality to eliminate manual software updates, making periodic updates of the operating system quick and easy. While standard on the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition, current owners of Nokia N810 and N800 Internet Tablets with earlier operating systems will be able to upgrade their device to the revised operating system for free during the second quarter of 2008.

Nokia cleverly embedded the images of the new device in Flash, so I can not include any images, but here's the link to the Nokia N810 gallery.

IT'S 2008

Last year I wrote about the new computer/mobile device genre created by Intel the Mobile Internet Device that provides laptop like features in a small form factor with either Windows Mobile, Linux, or Symbian. The first big name to release such a device is Nokia which launched the N810 in late 2007 and rumor has it that new versions of this device will be released at the CTIA Wireless 2008 show April 1 - 3 in Las Vegas. Other manufactures like Samsung, ASUS, Lenovo, HTC, and Aigo have either created prototype devices or have announced that they will be utilizing the Intel chipsets. I expect that we will also see a Sony Vaio MID that may support PSP games. Don't forget that a number of UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) devices are already on the market by Sony, Samsung and OQO to name a few. The UMPC utilizes Microsoft XP or Vista in most cases. Engadget broke down the difference between MID and UMPC.
Dan Monahan, Intel's Global Internet Segment Manager of Ultra Mobility. This is how it breaks down.

UMPC

• Business-class device for enterprise users
  
• Runs a "heavy" OS like Vista
• Optimized for office-use applications like Excel, Word, etc.
  

MID

• Consumer-class lifestyle device
• Runs a 'lightweight" OS with quick startup like Linux
• Optimized for things like media playback and web surfing
• In 2009 (or so) Moorestown-based devices will be classed as MIDs only

Another manufacturer that hasn't been documented for these devices is Palm. The failed Palm Foleo was pretty similar to a MID, but it didn't have a built-in wireless chipset, but if you add that then the Foleo would be a great device that could compete in the MID and UMPC genres and could even compete with the Mac Book Air. Hopefully CTIA will provide more details and more cool devices for us to anticipate and then we have to wait for the launch of the Xohm network to really utilize the full capabilities of these new devices.

XOHM Roll Out

On December 5 PhoneScoop reported that the first XOHM launch was eminent, but I wanted to wait for something a little more official to be published before I covered this. Todays the day! TelephonyOnline has a story from Monday 12/10 with comments from the great XOHM press relations rep John Polivka. Here are some of the details from Mr. Polivka:

The soft launches will cover the downtown cores of Chicago, Baltimore and Washington but will rapidly expand outward, following existing cellular data traffic patterns throughout their respective cities. Though Sprint has set no date for the broader customer trials, Polivka said, Sprint intends to keep the trial short, using it as an opportunity to optimize the network for a full commercial launch in the second quarter.

Please click on the link to the very well written article from Kevin Fitchard on TelephonyOnline. I have submitted my email address to be a beta tester for the service in Dallas, so if I get the opportunity I'll keep everyone posted about this new mobile highspeed internet service. I'd really like an OQO model 2 with a XOHM card to test it out around town, but I won't push my luck.

Gadgets and TV Part II

What do NASCAR, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL have in common besides the fact that they are major sport conglomerates? I would like to see the NASCAR NEXTEL FanView™ migrate to the other major sports. Wouldn't it be great to have a video/stat view at your NFL venue of choice. Do you even know what the FanView is?
It's a revolutionary, handheld device designed to enhance your entire race experience — from practice and qualifying to full race-day coverage — and offers these features:

• Live race broadcasts
• In-car views from up to seven drivers
• Live driver, race and track stats
• Comprehensive audio coverage of drivers, teams, race officials and radio broadcasts
• New! Watch SPEED's Trackside Live and ESPN's NASCAR Now live on your device!

I imagine uniquely designed shapes for the different sports, so maybe the NFL version would be the shape of a football and MLB would be the shape of a baseball. Time magazine even labeled the FanView as one of the Best Inventions of 2006. There must be some kind of exclusivity clause with NASCAR for FanView, because I'm sure the other sports would love to have another item that people at the games can pay to use. Parking $20; hotdog $5; beer $8; hat $30; FanView rental $50. Why not? Some supporting venues offer free WiFi so why not just provide a device that is wireless and connects to the internet, and includes event content and advertising? Yet another WiMAX possibility that could also utilize EVDO Rev0.

Another utilization of WiMAX was announced by NEC in Japan recently, from Gizmodo; "Just in Japan for now, the NEC Lui is a system designed around a central server that will stream media to any device around the house using WiMAX and Windows Vista."
So instead of utilizing wifi it utilizes WiMAX. It will interesting to see how use of the WiMAX technology is charged to the consumer? Will there be a subscription service like Tivo? Tivo provides content and WiMAX is just a connection to the internet. I can see where Tivo might want to add WiMAX to their devices and then just charge a little more for utilizing that type of connection. Maybe the satellite providers would like to add it to their boxes as well?

So if the Xohm service from Sprint Nextel still happens the gadget crowd will have even more options to choose from.

Gadgets and TV

Ok so the holiday shopping season is in full swing, and everyone is rushing out to purchase their goodies. Top sellers seem to be the Wii and iPods. Is the iPod/iPhone/Touch the most impactful gadget of the 2000's? The cell phone has really transformed our lives, remember back when we just dialed 4 digits on a rotary dial phone to talk to our friends? Remember when we first saw a car with a phone? My first car with a phone experience was a 1986 Mercedes roadster, I remember my friends and I were amazed and could only imagine that a doctor would need such a thing. Then in 1994 I remember seeing people carrying these large phones that reminded me of the field phone used by the military at the end of WWII and Korea and Vietnam. I remember a class mate of mine in high school said his mom worked for southwestern bell mobile systems a new pager and cell phone division of southwestern bell and I thought mobile systems, what's that? Then I remember the first RIM pager/calendar thing and the first US Robotics Palm III. The year was 1995 I was working for a long distance company called US Sprint that was changing it's name to just Sprint and they were launching a wireless digital phone service, not a cellular service but a digital service called Personal Communication Service (PCS) that worked on technology called CDMA developed by some company called Qaulcom. About that same time GTE rolls out a PCS service and so does PrimeCo. Looking back on PrimeCo and Sprint they were at the forefront of the technology. So fast forward to 2001 and the launch of Apple computers new music device the iPod. Wikipedia states,"As of September 2007, the iPod had sold over 110 million units worldwide (stated in "The Beat Goes On" conference) making it the best-selling series in history." So it was just a matter of time before the PCS device and the digital music player merged. So what's next? Where do we go from here? I still believe that the future is upon us, and the days of being tied to wired high speed internet connection are numbered, but aren't their some things that require one to sit a desk? The real question is what can't one do? Do I really need a seperate GPS device, Blackberry, iPod, and laptop? Why can't I have all of this in one Pearl sized package? Is this where the iPhone is heading? If it isn't maybe it should. Why do I need a laptop? To check email and access custom applications for my company? I can already check email on my iPhone. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that most people, including me, don't want to watch TV or a movie on a two inch screen. I prefer the big home theater with full surround sound, why limit my movie/tv watching experience, but there is something to be said for being able to watch my movies or DVR from somewhere else if I'm traveling. Why should I have to wait until I get home at the end of the week? Will a wireless carrier offer me cable or satellite programming on my phone? What about on iPhone or Touch? I really think Sling Media is on to something, but I'm still dependent on a home internet connection. If Sling can manage to add a built in high speed wireless data connection to their devices, then I don't have to have a home network. Which leads me to another new device/service that Amazon has just released the Kindle. I'm still not sure about this little thing, but I must say I'm really intrigued. If I could get rid of my book library that takes up so much space, and I can access my books almost anywhere in the U.S. why wouldn't I want that? The Kindle has built in wireless high speed internet access for downloading new material from books to magazines. I can get my New York Times or Wall Street Journal everyday on this little thing. So which wireless carrier is going to blink and step out there and say to Sling use us? Did you know that some counties and police departments are not issuing carbon copies of traffic tickets any longer? I learned first hand that Dallas county is utilizing a handheld device to issue citations and I get a printed copy that's a lot like my receipt I get at National Rental Car when I return my car. My ticket is electronically transmitted to the court and no paper can get lost or shuffled. I suppose my data could get scrambled, but the chances of that happening are slim. So what's next. Apple has some great ideas, and I expect them to challenge the portable GPS market soon with an iPhone GPS service along with 3G or 4G high speed internet connectivity. Who says that Apple will only work with AT&T? What other industries will be revolutionized or infused by this growing state of mobility that people are experiencing. There's another interesting device that I have not mentioned to this point, and I'd like to pick up here next time. What do NASCAR, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL have in common besides the fact that they are major sport conglomerates?

Open Handset Alliance - NOT gPhone

"Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications." OpenHandsetAlliance/Android

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

So there's no gPhone, and the wireless community is working together? Here's the list of companies working on this effort.

Open Handset Alliance Founding Members
Aplix (www.aplixcorp.com), Ascender Corporation (www.ascendercorp.com), Audience (www.audience.com), Broadcom (www.broadcom.com), China Mobile (www.chinamobile.com), eBay (www.ebay.com), Esmertec (www.esmertec.com), Google (www.google.com), HTC (www.htc.com), Intel (www.intel.com), KDDI (www.kddi.com), Living Image (www.livingimage.jp), LG (www.lge.com), Marvell (www.marvell.com), Motorola (www.motorola.com), NMS Communications (www.nmscommunications.com), Noser (www.noser.com), NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (www.nttdocomo.com), Nuance (www.nuance.com), Nvidia (www.nvidia.com), PacketVideo (www.packetvideo.com), Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com), Samsung (www.samsung.com), SiRF (www.sirf.com), SkyPop (www.skypop.com), SONiVOX (www.sonivoxrocks.com), Sprint Nextel (www.sprint.com), Synaptics (www.synaptics.com), TAT - The Astonishing Tribe (www.tat.se), Telecom Italia (www.telecomitalia.com), Telefónica (www.telefonica.es), Texas Instruments (www.ti.com), T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com), Wind River (www.windriver.com). More on members

Google will not brand a device or market a device instead they will provide a bundle of applications referred to as a "software stack". So when can I get it? Q4 2008.... The press release says second half of 2008 so that usually means Sept/Oct. so I always lean towards later instead of sooner on these type of announcements. The question I have is who/what organization is leading this effort? There has to be a team leading this effort from software, hardware, and manufacturing. With all the carriers lined up now we need to see what will be the first device that utilizes this new infrastructure. There are little details about the OS in the announcement, or was there anything? The OS is Android and the leader is Google. So now we wait and see what the details are released on 11/12 in the SDK (software development kit) and then we see what comes out next year. It will be interesting to see what the baseline processor and graphics specifications will be. Will there be a screen size standard? Will it matter if the application is GSM or CDMA or WiMAX? I guess we'll see.

More information is provided in a Forbes article, Google's Dream Phone.

Intel Shows Off New Chip Set and Possible Implementations

Intel's new Menlow platform was highlighted recently Anand Chandrasekher, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group shared the highlights of the Menlow platform and showed off some possible implementations. The detail that I really like is that the Menlow platform is 802.11n wireless technology, 3G and WiMAX for extended broadband coverage.

"In the first half of 2008, Intel will take a major step to deliver what these users are looking for with our first platform designed from the ground up for MIDs and UMPCs – codenamed Menlow, which will deliver 10x lower power compared to the first UMPCs in the market," said Chandrasekher.

I've also learned a new acronym from this story this new platform is targeting the Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) device categories. The difference between a MID and UMPC is the operating system. Intel sees the MIDs to be Linux based systems and UMPCs as Microsoft systems. I really think that the Gphone will be more of an MID than a smartphone.

DailyTech has covered the Intel platforms really well check out the links below.
Intel Details Next Generation "Menlow" MID, UMPC Platform
Intel Announces Ultra Mobile PC 2007 Platform
Intel Announces "Moorestown" UMPC Platform