It’s fair to guess Nokia (NYSE: NOK) will launch a new Internet tablet device later this year. We’ve already posted an article with the rumored specs, but we haven’t said — cause we don’t know — whether the touchscreen used will be capacitive or resistive. The point of this article is to make the case for the use of capacitive touchscreen as well as a chance to add my 2 cents to the table.

First of all, I must say that I’m a big fan of the Maemo platform. Though I haven’t used the original Nokia 770, I relied on the N800 a lot. Coupled with a Bluetooth keyboard, it was my mobile office, and I wrote hundreds (yes hundreds) of articles for IntoMobile on it. Later on, I ordered the N810 from the U.S. — because it was significantly cheaper due to a weak dollar — but it got lost in the transport to Europe. Boy was I pissed…

Anyway, I continued using my N800 until I bought the Dell Mini 9, which is the cornerstone of my current mobile office. This is not to say I’m not using the N800 any more, it’s just that I’m not using it as often as I used to.

As a matter of fact, I brought the Nokia tablet with me to Barcelona. And there’s the part where my plead for the capacitive touchscreen comes in. It was very hard, almost impossible to see anything on the N800’s screen under the Sun in Spain. At the same time I had my iPhone with me, which touchscreen hasn’t bothered me at all. Now you could argue the capacitive touchscreen is no good for some markets in Asia where handwriting recognition is a must have feature, to which I say - fine, make two versions of the device, one with capacitive and the other one with resistive touchscreen. I’m sure, actually quite confident, the capacitive version will outsell the resistive one even if it ends up costing $50 more. And having a choice could prove beneficial to the platform, or at least me thinks so.

To summarize - capacitive touchscreen is a must. Otherwise I don’t see a reason why would someone (mainstream user, not a Linux fan) would go for Maemo rather than Windows Mobile. The rumored specs we’ve seen go in line some of the existing WinMo smartphones such as some HTC and Acer models, which rely on the “classic” resistive touchscreen technology. This is not to say this is the only reason for selecting one platform over another, it’s just something pretty visible/tangible to the end user.

You could argue an AMOLED screen could do the trick, but i don’t buy it.

As for the rest of my wishes, I hope Nokia will use the same or at least very similar keyboard as the one the N810 has. I like the D-pad on the left, but I don’t like the new-look keyboard of the N97. To be fair, the N810’s keyboard could slide a bit more down to leave little more space for the first row of the keys.

Moreover I’m looking forward to see a decent CPU running the show, and from what we’ve heard, that will be the case. Will Intel jump in as a supplier? I think that may happen, though Nokia could opt for some other chip maker for the first Maemo 5 device — some of their existing semiconductor suppliers.

Finally, to further spur the adoption of the Maemo platform, Nokia should offer the new Maemo device(s) to developers either for free or with a significant discount. The same should go for journalists and bloggers. Speaking of latter, have I mentioned I’m a big fan of Maemo?

Everyone’s still tapping their toe, waiting for the Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 and G60, and the official line is that we’ll be seeing the GPS-centric smartphones before the end of the year and that Android was in the cards for future devices. Well, it looks like the G60 will be the one and only Linux-running nüvifone, as Garmin-Asus has gone on the line and said the Android and Windows Mobile baskets are where they’re putting all of their eggs from here on in. Considering Android itself is Linux-based, it will be interesting to see how or if it will replace Linux as a mobile OS. Android still has the publicity, and if one of Linux’s few selling points is a low cost (an area in which Android gleefully competes), we may be seeing more manufacturers making similar transitions in the near future.

[CNet via Android Community]

At the recently ended Computex ‘09 in Taipei, Taiwan, embedded security solution provider Discretix announced that its robust, flexible Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution is now available for Intel’s MID platform. The solution features Discretix’ Multi-Scheme DRM client, and is optimized for Intel’s second-generation MID platform, codenamed “Moorestown”, and Linux-based Moblin OS.

Discretix’s Multi-Scheme DRM client is a versatile solution to protect the distribution and consumption of premium content across a range of mobile devices. With today’s announcement, MIDs based on Intel’s Moorestown platform will be able to support the major DRM schemes in use today - OMA DRM v1.0, OMA DRM v2.x and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) WM-DRM 10. PCPRM, OMA BCAST or new schemes may also be added as they become available. As one of the world’s leading embedded security technology for mobile devices, Discretix’s solution delivers an outstanding level of security while overcoming the challenges of performance, power consumption and silicon footprint.

Commenting on the announcement, Discretix’ Raanan Tzemach said: “Discretix’s Multi-Scheme DRM offers a robust solution to MID system manufacturers and meets the most stringent requirements of operators. In combination with Intel’s Moorestown platform and Linux-based Moblin OS, it will help support a broad range of business models and offerings for a superior user experience. As a company, we’re excited to be working closely with Intel to make such advancements possible.”

Access has recently announced that their Garnet Virtual Machine for Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Internet Tablets (N800 and N810, only) has hit Beta 4. Their email was very short, saying that the updated version includes stability improvements as well as bug fixes.

And that’s all we know about it.

Those not familiar should know that Garnet VM allows N800 or N810 users to run Palm (NSDQ: PALM) OS (Garnet) applications on their favorite Internet tablet. As a result, users have access to couple of thousands of Palm OS/Garnet apps.

Here’s a link with more information and download instructions. Enjoy!

Now that the Maemo 5 SDK is out in beta, we’re expecting to see Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s next Internet tablet. That said, I’m glad to report that rumors have started to surface saying that the upcoming device will be called N900 Rover. According to MobileCrunch, Nokia will release the N900 in summer and the first carrier to pick it up will be T-Mobile (NYSE: DT).

The report goes on, adding that the Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT)-owned operator will start offering the tablet in July and bring it to the U.S. somewhere in August or September. Asia and the Middle East will also see the N900 released during the summer, while Europe will have to wait for October.

Specs wise, the N900 will join Nokia’s phone family thanks to the built-in cell phone radio (my two cents - I would love to have a version of the device without that part), which will support 3G/HSDPA connectivity. Moreover, the screen will shrink from 4.1 to 3.5 inches (capacitive?), but will keep the same WVGA (800×480 pixels) resolution. Other features of the device include GPS, WiFi, accelerometer, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and dual-LED flash (very cool), OMAP 3430 CPU at 500 or 600 MHz, 32GB of storage space that is expandable with microSDHC cards, 1320 mAh battery. Size wise, from what we’re hearing the N900 will be kinda bulky device measuring 111×59.7×18.2 mm and weighing full 180 grams. Still, considering all the goodies found inside, that doesn’t sound like a problem, quite the contrary.

Final word - I guess this goes in line with my earlier article on what I would like to see on the next Nokia’s Internet tablet, though an even faster CPU like 1GHz Snapdragon and higher res screen of 1024×600 pixels would be appreciated even more. Furthermore, this seems as part of the rumored strategy that Nokia will make computer, laptops or… better tablets!

[Via: Unwired View, image from CellPassion not necessarily presents the N900]

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised after plenty of earlier delays, but during a conference call, Garmin admitted that their two smartphones won’t make it until the second half of this year; the last rumour we had heard of a release date pointed to June, which sits dab-smack at the midpoint, but it’s easy to imagine that window widening into Q4 or even 2010.

This is yet another blow to the Garmin and ASUS’ nüvifone momentum, but focused location awareness is a niche few other manufacturers have chosen to tackle (the HTC Touch Cruise is the only handset that immediately jumps to mind), so perhaps they can actually afford to wait and make they get they get the job done right. Even if the launch of the Windows Mobile M20 and Linux G60 is only mediocre, there remains promise in an Android handset down the line, and after playing around with the handsets up to this point, I think an Android version will really hit the spot.

[via TWICE]

Two month after the Alpha release, Maemo team is out with the beta version of the Maemo 5 SDK. The new version includes a first draft of the Development Manual, a new version of the Modest email client, as well as a frozen API and the basic information and tools developers need to get their applications ready. Moreover, there’s a new example application and desktop widget provided to help developers getting familiar with the new UI style driven by finger touch interfaces.

The developer documentation along with new code examples will be updated regularly independently of new SDK releases…

Finally, those not familiar should know Maemo 5 is the next major release of the Linux platform developed by Nokia (NYSE: NOK) in collaboration with some of the best open source community projects. The key features of the Maemo 5 platform include OMAP3 support, HSPA data connectivity, high definition camera support, hardware-based graphics acceleration.

Garmin and ASUS have been hard at work on their nuvifone lineup. The Garmin-ASUS nuvifone M20 was recently launched as a slim GPS-centric smartphone powered by the Windows Mobile platform. But, the duo’s new-found smartphone aspirations don’t stop there. Garming-ASUS are putting the finishing touches on the bigger, and arguably better, nuvifone G60. And, rumor now has the Linux-powered nuvifone G60 launching in June!

The nuvifone G60 is actually the original nuvifone that Garmin announced way back in 2007. Garmin and ASUS have apparently needed the time to iron out all the kinks with its Linux-powered GPS-phone. But, according to an inside source, the nuvifone G60 should finally see the light of day in June. With a 3.55-inch touchscreen, 3G (HSDPA) connectivity, WiFi and GPS the nuvifone G60 will be a handset to watch.

Pricing and availability aren’t yet known.

[Via: Reuters]

The Linux-powered FreeRunner from OpenMoko that we’ve been looking forward to for so very long has been discontinued in favour of a second device dubbed “Plan B”, according to Executive Director Sean Moss-Pulz. Sad times for open source enthusiasts who aren’t sold on Android, but OpenMoko is still enthusiastic about getting into the smartphone game someday. There have actually been talks about OpenMoko going Android for the FreeRunner, but we’ll have to wait to see if that actually takes off.  The idea of a smartphone with both open software and hardware had quite the appeal,  but clearly the series of delays and rough budget issues were too much for FreeRunner to handle. Moss-Pulz still encouraged the community to have a go at the platform and support it until OpenMoko can take another stab at the handset game.

[BernerZeitung via PhoneNews]

The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) MING A1200. Years ago, the mention of the A1200 conjured up images of an exotic touchscreen smartphone running an even more exotic Linux operating system. Today, the MING A1200 is a bit of a relic in the mobile world. Motorola has pumped out new MING hardware since the A1200, but this is the first time we’ve laid eyes on the MING A1200’s next-in-line successor - the Motorola MING A1210.

Just like its predecessor, the MING A1210 sports a flip form-factor. The A1210 features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, 3.1-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio, USB and a microSD card slot. And, just like the original MING, the A1210 runs on a custom Linux operating system. Unfortunately, the tri-band GSM radio will keep this MING A1210 from cracking the US mainstream market.

[Via: UnwiredView]