Nokia announces N810 Internet Tablet; Should we upgrade from the N800?

Nokia announces N810 Internet Tablet

Yesterday, Nokia announced their new Internet Tablet device, the successor to the N800 model (which I have, if anyone cares). The N810 model brought some improvements, though much less than we’ve expected. The first thing we’re missing (or not) is the WiMAX support. Initially, we though the next Nokia’s Internet Tablet will be among the first WiMAX enabled devices. Guess we’ll have to wait for that a bit longer. In addition, the amount of RAM remained the same (128 MB), and so is the screen size (4.1 inch) and screen resolution (800×480).

However, it’s important to note the N810 is bit faster and now runs on top of TI OMAP 2420 400 MHz processor — N800 runs on 320 Mhz. Plus, let’s not forget the built-in slide-out QWERTY Keyboard and the GPS receiver. Also, when compared with its predecessor the new model is bit thicker, but also smaller. As for the weight, it’s 20 grams heavier.

Finally, for some strange reason Nokia decided to pull out one SD card slot leaving only single slot for the storage expansion. Current N800 model has two slots, meaning you can expand your Tablet to up to 16GB with two 8GB SDHC cards — with the new N810 model, you can only add a single card. Then again, this shouldn’t be a problem when the first 32GB SDHC cards hit the market.
Nokia announces N810 Internet Tablet - pic 1
My question is — should we upgrade? Well, not at the moment. I don’t think that I’ll gain much with an additional 80 Mhz. I use Bluetooth keyboard anyway, which is way more comfortable than the slide-out one. Plus, I already have an external Bluetooth GPS, so somehow I don’t find the N810′s proposition that compelling — that’s in case you already have the things I’ve mentioned. Apparently, YouTube should run smoothly, but that’s not the thing I care much about.

Or, if Nokia provides some very good incentive for the current N800 owners, I may jump-in and grab the new device. But that’s not likely to happen as we haven’t seen this going with the 770/N800…

Any thoughts?

About The Author

Dusan Belic

Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.

Topy

For my eyes it looks a lot better than te old ones(not that much of toy like anymore). Size is one of the biggest +, but the qwerty aint a big thing for me so that makes it a bit hard to justify the price range with N800 and N810.
My opinion is that if you are going to make it TS device take the qwerty away and just make it slimmer.

Thought by reading these blogs and forums i would say this device was a right choice from Nokia.
Will be picking it up when the price goes down.
Viipottaja

Another exiting thing about the announcement is that all indications are that the OS update will come to the N800 as well, and will most likely also increase the speed of the N800. The 400 MHz clocking is apparenty only used in some of the apps even on N810.

Plus, the N800 price has dropped dramatically, making it a very attractive proposition and extending its lifetime significantly.
lamy

nice post, Cheers
mvdude

First, I want to mention that the N800 and the N810 apparently both have exactly the same processor. It’s just clocked differently. There are some indications that the clock speed is determined entirely by the firmware, and that N800 users who upgrade to the new firmware in November will see the same speed increase as the N810. But that’s not confirmed.

Upgrade from N800 to N810? Well, I suppose it depends on your needs. However, I suggest an alternative. If you don’t already have a N800 now… run out and buy one! Prices have been slashed and the unit is substantially the same as the N810 in most ways. With a bluetooth keyboard and an bluetooth gps receiver, the N800 is actually a more modular and customizable N810. Only travel with what you need.

I just purchased a N800 from a major online retailer for a grand total (tax, shipping, credit card sign-up discount) of $220. This is a device that retailed for $400 less than a year ago. Wow! What a bargain. To me, it was not worth the additional $260 for the N810 (actually, add on another $120 or so if you want the voice guided GPS driving directions.)
Alex

Well, with only one miniSD it won’t be 32GB unfortunately for a while… max is 8GB if i’m not mistaken.

In the mean time, n800 will be up to 64GB (2×32)