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Google Talk on upgraded 770
Am I really the first one to post this? From wsj.com:
Google, Nokia to Launch Internet Browsing Device By CASSELL BRYAN-LOW May 12, 2006 11:53 a.m. Google Inc. is teaming up with handset maker Nokia Corp., in a move that could help propel the Internet company into mobile communications. The companies plan to launch a version of Nokia's hand-held Internet browsing device ready loaded with Google's Google Talk service, which enables users to have voice conversations and exchange instant messages, according to a person familiar with the plans. The device, which relies on short-range technology known as Wi-Fi rather than cellphone networks, isn't a cellphone. The companies, which plan to announce the partnership on Tuesday, expect the device to go on sale globally and cost about €300, or about $390, the person said. Nokia also is talking to other companies about incorporating their Internet communication software onto the device. The device is an upgrade to a product Nokia first launched in September called the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. The device was the Espoo, Finland, company's first mobile device that isn't also a cellphone. Slightly larger than most personal organizers, it has a wide, high-resolution screen intended for easy Web-page browsing. It also plays video and music. If this "person familiar with the plans" is correct this would mean we'll have to buy an upgraded 770 to get VOIP. This is not what most of us were hoping for. Release date: did someone say November? |
Hmm...if this is the case, I'd be pissed.
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I wonder if that will be the only voip option. I also wonder if they mean an upgrade to the current hardware (it has all the needed components). As far as I can see, unless adding more memory, all this should require is a software upgrade.
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"Upgrade" can mean anything. I regularly use the term when speaking only of software.
Anyway. If this is true, it mean that it's likely someone has been able to demonstrate such a device. Wonder what they used for that? |
Google and Nokia Teaming Up, Adding Google Talk to Nokia 770
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As for the "upgrade" I'm sure Google and Nokia would rather retain the 770 userbase than alienate them by forcing them to purchase what looks to be a very similar device. It all comes down to the Voice part of VOIP and if they can get the mic working. |
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Another blurb on CNBC just now. I was listening on XM but it sounded like they were showing the 770 on TV.
Release date and more news on Tuesday. They also mentioned Motorola's deal with Vonage as possible VOIP competition. I think the Google/Nokia combo has more brand appeal though. What's interesting is that the chief complaints of the 770 by the average consumer/reviewer is that it's too limited (no phone, no robust PIM, etc). What they fail to see is that with full wifi or bluetooth coverage, those things aren't necessary. About the only thing a the 770 couldn't do that a PDA/phone combo can is take pictures. Google sees this, obviously. They already offer a PIM (http://www.google.com/calendar/). They have google talk. They're trying to set up a seamless wifi network in SF or SD (can't remember which). It's only a matter of time before all you really need is a good screen and a robust browser. At least this appears to be their thinking. |
CNBC Google & Nokia 770 Segment
Hey gang, I just saw a segment on CNBC talking about the new announcement between Google & Nokia. They showed the 770 in video footage and talked about running the Google Talk software on this device. They did not mention a separate device but they did say the price would be under $400 US.
It would be crazy for them to lose the exising 770 base of users. If anyone has Tivo or recorded the CNBC segment, they will be able to view that footage. If I had it I would post, but I don't. I just happened to have CNBC on in the background and it aired. |
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GMail - Mail and Contacts Google Calendar - Appointments, To-do's Google Talk - VoIP, IM Google Maps - mobile version The Nokia 770 might become a Google Internet Tablet though. :D |
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-i |
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or maybe just a photoshop job? <g>
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That picture is definatley photoshopped, poorly I might add, you can see how they cut and paste the image over the screen (didn't even use layers). Hopefully we can find out if this is just a software upgrade, or a whole new machine, if a whole new machine, then I think that alot of people will be pretty pissed off. I know I will be.
Interesting link -- It is based on the 770, or is the 770 with software upgrade. http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6071810.html |
Has everyone missed the talk about the QWERTY keyboard??
The WSJ report also mentioned that the new 770 will have a built-in keyboard?? Anybody has any info on this? |
We've known for quite a while that the IM solution would be based on Google Talk - there were slides about it at an earlier open source conference (which I can't seem to find at the moment).
Some thoughts:
Personally, I'd guess that the update is only software. Wishful thinking time: any QWERTY keyboard option would be best provided through a new shell-based accessory plugging into the USB port, rather than a whole new device. Cheers, Andrew |
That Engadget link mentioned that they have heard about a QWERTY version from last Feb. When did that become a rumor? The thing that makes me think there will be a new version is that fact that they mention a $390 price tag. If it was just a software update, wouldn't they list today's price?
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The more I think of it, the more I think an add-on modular thumb-board would be better than a built in thumb-board. Too bad the mic is next to the USB port. Also, I'd be surprised if they didn't support bluetooth headsets for VOIP.
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Isn't there a blog somewhere by one of the 770 engineers at Nokia? I have been looking for a link and can't seem to find it. It might be interesting to see if he has anything to say about the Google rumor/news.
P.S. - I have had my 770 for about 4 weeks now, and I love it. But I will be very bummed if I have to get new hardware for the VOIP to work. Reading the different reports gives no clear picture if this is a software update, new hardware, both? The most troubling fact is that the maemo development community is totally in the dark about this (see post above). |
To my knowledge Nokia has not officially announced just about anything, though I think earlier it was at least heavily implied that the 2006 OS update would bring VOIP to 770. GoogleTalk is a service from Google as well, right? So that's where some extra bucks could come into a new bundle with the same old 770 device :-)
There are at least 5 people at Nokia who have blogs and are connected with 770, some of them indeed are engineers. But I'd doubt they give any info on these rumours in their blogs :-) |
Well, I knew the VOIP solution would be based on Google Talk. There was a video on video.google.com about 1-2 months ago where someone from Google was talking very briefly about it at some conference. Can't seem to find the video now though :( Do they delete videos after a while?
In the presentation he gave he was talking about the Nokia 770, and everything else so far has indicated that the VOIP and IM features would come with an OS upgrade, not with a whole new device. The only indications of a new device so far has come from news sources that in the past have showed us that they know sh*t about the 770. So lets just hope that there will be no new device (for now at least), otherwise I will never trust Nokia again. |
I bet this story is being picked up in the media now because of the names of the companies: Google and Nokia. In general, I don't think many folks, even gadget and tech bloggers, have a very good bead on what Nokia has been up to. So I wouldn't be surprised if they were just reporting on the availability of the updated Nokia 770 (i.e., ROM updated 770). I don't really see Nokia changing the form factor of the 770 substantially, it's basically fine the way it is.
Nokia has been making moves for some time towards internet data synchronization and a good web browsing experience. It seems to be their overall strategy for competing with Windows Mobile smartphones and PDA phones: propping up Symbian OS, supporting data synchronization with a PC and USB/BT modem functions, going with Linux, and moving towards internet services and real internet browsing without a full OS PC. Real internet browsing is a big weakness of PDA's and PDA phones, what with the limited screen resolutions and odd dimensions, etc. In general, Nokia has quietly been on the move, while most of the attention has been paid to HTC, which has kind of just exploded all over the cell phone market. But no one seems to synthesize the data about Nokia. So, Nokia recently bought Intellisync, and I think I heard that they are hoping to open some retail stores. They are working on designs for a high quality camera phone and a music phone to compete with Sony-Ericsson; in fact, the upcoming Nokia music phone will be the first phone with a built in hard drive (we'll see how well that works out). And recently Nokia released some free Symbian OS downloadable games that seem designed to run on the Nokia 9300, which is itself kind of interesting. I just played with the Nokia 9300 in a Cingular store, and it has a great wide interior screen for web surfing and simple PIM management. Overall, I found using it to be very pleasant; kind of the anti Blackberry, anti HTC Wizard experience. Apparently it has super battery life as well. It has a unique design that is not at all similar to any other phone device with a keyboard on the market, and it was clearly built from the ground up. It seems like it's built to last twenty years. In fact, it's substantial enough that you could probably knock someone unconscious with it. In any case, it's true that Nokia and Google make a pretty powerful combination. Web services mean you can use any internet device without locally installed apps, sync your data between the web and any device(s), and share your information selectively with others who also aren't required to have special apps installed. Nokia, in the meantime, has started prioritizing internet browsing just like it is on a full sized PC, minus the PC. You have it hand it to Nokia for taking huge design risks while maintaining basic ergonomic and design principles. Nokia has released all kinds of designs to address wifi, web browsing, and text entry: the fold-out keyboard for text messages, the 770, the 9300, and the upcoming communicator-style blackberry-like phone. Of all these devices, IMO, the 770 has a unique role in allowing people to own whatever phone they want (including Nokia's own crazy fashion phones) by giving them a serious web browsing tablet that accesses the real web. I wonder how Skype feels about this Google talk stuff. Anyway, I found these pics of the Nokia 9300 showing Google Local maps: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyimage/127038755/ |
Yea, I don't think any news sources know what they're talking about. This one says that the new version of the Internet Tablet comes pre-installed with Google Talk, no mention of hardware change. Also, it says the device was launched in September. Wasn't the official launch in Europe in November?
http://www.betanews.com/article/Noki...let/1147461058 What we really need is the source of all these news articles: that Wall Street Journal article. Anybody here have a subscription? |
See, this is the problem with the media. They get the story twisted. The true story comes from the company's own mouth. The news is either so anticlimatic that it'sdisappointing or is actually horrible news that was expected to be good and starts riots (okay, so no one is gonna start a riot, but still). The worse part about it all is that all the news sites and blogs are copying from the same twisted news source. Just because the WSJ is a well known resource doesn't make it flawless when it comes to some of its reports.
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technodoc: There are a couple of Nokia blogs which are relevant, Ari Jaaski's, tigert's, tko's etc. All syndicated on http://planet.maemo.org/, however they'll not be talking about rumours etc.
Having slept on it: Quote:
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IMHO, it's quite clear that nothing's going to be launched next week except an announcement about the partnership. Once announced, how long until there's a 2006 OS beta (hopefully), SDK, or the release itself is unclear. I'd guess we'll see a PR exercise and maybe some screenshots/demos etc. next week. |
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Same applies, although not as much, to Contacts and E-mail. Quote:
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Hi
I think Google Talk needs a Gmail account, but in the UK these are not offered. Does this mean Google will allow UK GMail accounts to be setup via the mobile SMS? Or does anyone have a spare invitation... :) Cheers Rich |
What would be great is if Google allow the Google Talk software to break away from the Gmail account requirement and let users set up a separate account for Google Talk. There are a lot of people that don't have/want Gmail but would like to use the Google Talk app for a VoIP/Chat solution.
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, will unveil on Tuesday a new version of its Internet tablet device that runs Google Talk communications software, sources familiar with the plans said on Friday.
The pact between the Finnish company and Web search leader Google Inc. would offer consumers the ability to chat with other users of instant messaging software via the Nokia Wi-Fi device, which relies on short-range wireless networks. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, introduced last year, offers wireless access to digital music and video playing on a high-contrast color screen, as well as to check e-mail, surf the Web and read computer documents or play video games. At a press conference to be held in Stockholm on Tuesday, Espoo, Finland-based Nokia will introduce a new version of the Internet Tablet with upgraded software and hardware elements, one source said. Nokia's 770 is available worldwide via its Web site. The 770 is a rectangular, 5.5-inch by 3.1-inch device with a big color screen that is slightly bigger than a mobile phone. It has a retail list price of around $400 in the United States. In contrast to phones, the Nokia 770 relies on unregulated local wireless connections rather than cell phone networks. Google Talk, which allows users to chat via text or to talk with other instant message users, will be one of the featured applications on the Nokia Internet Tablet, a second source confirmed. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. The deal with Nokia marks the Mountain View, California-based Google's latest move beyond computers and into the mobile communications market. Earlier this year it announced a plan with Nokia's biggest rival, Motorola Inc. to feature Google search software on Motorola phones. Google rivals Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are also pushing to have their services featured on handsets. Yahoo is offered on several Nokia phone models. If Nokia is going to upgrade both hardware and software, means Nokia is listing to the end users feedback they have received during the last few months. From this point of view, it's a very good decision. However, I hope the new software release will also be available for the current user base with the current hardware version. |
with new hardware elements..and 390$... sounds that it's the same 770, with the new os version and a bluetooth headset. :)
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If there's already a physically new version of the tablet coming out, yes, I'm pissed off. No, I won't buy the new one. I haven't bought a single Sony product since they screwed me on billing for StarwarsGalaxies. That $50 they got out of me lost them several hundred in other purchases. I'm bitter like that and more consumers should be.
I hope that should a new device be released, that they might offer some sort of trade in/trade up offer. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit and swapping my old tablet for a beefed up new one... But after spending a few hundred on V1 and being an early adopter, it's people like the ones frequenting this forum that kept the device alive by using it in the meantime... and the developers who kept at it cranking out apps for it... So far as VOIP goes, VOIP is just that. Voice Over IP. Nobody promised the ability to do this over the phone system. ;) |
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so we will be having 2006 OS, finally. They will be maybe doing only the unveiling of the teamwork on tuesday, hopefully they will release the OS 2006 to developers (in maemo.org and as in us.). And the additional hardware ? I hope something along the line of a webcam that integrates to the Google Talk and lets you show your funny face as you talk with your frinds, how to do this when the usb-port cannot push 5V i have no idea, maybe a webcam with one AA -battery inside that will power the webcam and they have host-mode enabled by default? Next, what do i think about this whole stuff. I think its awesome, with google having a ton of webstuff, i think they will have a lot of usefull software. If they make client software to use them as someone pointed allready. If they dont do this then its kinda pointless because you would need to have webaccess allways when you want to use them and on the road, this is not the case. I mean, think about something like google desktop in 770 that lets you browse your own files that you have in your desktop computer. Or something similar. And if this isnt enough, if they integrate google software to symbian, were going to have three different devices, that all link to eachother. Of course this is my dream, and i doubt google and nokia will have it done now, or in the next few years. But let's say in the period of 3-5 years things will move gradually towards this. |
Think marketing
This Google partnership stuff could be awesome, relaunching the 770 with VOIP along with google would make some reviewers give a 2nd look to the tablet, and hopefully allow them, those that took the what-no-phone position, to jump on board. From a marketing point of view, it would be a good move.
The only thing that dsturbs me is the higher price tag though. Regards, |
I agree that you would need some kind of client app to run as a "front end" for web calendaring, etc. But I think there is a move towards format compatibility for this kind of thing anyway, on Macs and PCs. I tried Intellisync to synchronize my Outlook 2003 data with Yahoo's online services, and it worked fine. The problem was that the process was cumbersome; it took a few minutes, and it didn't have any automatic features that I recall, like background operation or scheduling. Given the relatively small amounts of data involved in PIM applications, the process of synchronizing data with web resources should be capable of a lot of improvement.
I wouldn't be that unhappy if there were a new piece of hardware coming out down the line. In a lot of ways, the 770 never really saw a major product release. If I remember correctly, the default homepage for the 770's browser was the Nokia Europe customer feedback website, which I thought was pretty telling (I live in Boston). So if Nokia is gearing up for another push for the 770 (much in the way that Bryan Adam's "Heaven" made two runs on the top 40, once with the single release, and again when it was part of the soundtrack of some unmemorable movie), that would be a sign that Nokia has decided not to scrap the 770. In that case, we might see a wider release of the 770, which would be an opportunity to do something with the hardware. But I don't buy the idea that a major hardware update will come in so soon at basically the same price. Either it's the same piece of hardware that has about the same initial MSRP, because that's the price point Nokia was shooting for to begin with, and they would like to get some profit from a wider release after supporting the development for the past year or really more. Or it's slightly upgraded hardware, or the same 770 plus an accessory that we would be able to get separately. But for current 770 owners, the question is, will the existing 770 hardware support all the expected functions of any hardware update to the Internet Tablet? If not, then we might be in the same situation as the people who bought iPod v1. But to be optimistic, a wider release for the same form factor in an updated device always means more accessories: face plates in multiple colors, etc. I would love to see an attachable thumb board in the form of a dock or a hinged screen cover. And I don't see why you couldn't route 2-way voice quality audio over USB along with KB or mouse data. And adding standard BT profile support for HIDs and headsets, along with increased web app support like Google Talk, would push the 770 a long way just by themselves. By the way, I got my first gmail invitation from eBay. Finally, let me add that my very long post of last night was in part due to my having been somewhat intoxicated. |
This might have something to do with the timing of all this:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone...res-170247.php Summary: high end Nokia retail stores in NY and Chicago on June 21st. Nokia moved their top design guy to a new division, so that he can focus on fashion phones. This officially creates a two-tiered system for product design. So this is a clear strategic commitment to pushing into the US and other markets with higher end gadgets, like the music phone and the communicator phone, which are also seeing releases, giving the new retail stores something to show: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone...ter-173458.php http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellp...e61-171277.php http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone...ted-171010.php The 770 is Nokia's only non-phone product that I know of. It would be helpful to have a popular non-phone product for Nokia to get into the US market: since we tend to get our phones through cellular carriers, fashion phones and "phone accessories" that are not readily available through US carriers are a good way to get in. And on the other end of things, after watching the UMPC release, I believe the 770 is pretty safe from competition from a $1000, 2lb. Windows PC with a 2 hour battery life, as long as you can Google Talk, Google Map, and do some banking on it. And I have some suspicion that the basic design of the 770 could be a winner, in the way I suspected the iPod would be a winner when Apple added the touch wheel and Windows compatibility at v2. No other product comes close to delivering something that consumers want, IMO. The dualcor cPc has a 5" 800x480 touch screen, and runs WM5.0 (a first for this video resolution) and Tablet XP. But dualcor decided to have no built-in wireless hardware in the cPc, and it comes in at $1500. I think Nokia was dead on accurate about the 770s form factor and design, the size, the basic operating environment, the screen quality, the wifi and BT hardware, the battery life, and the MSRP. I don't think you can expect much more success in a "gamma" release product, or whatever. Another thought: if Nokia is 'partnering' with Google, at the least we can hope for continued improvements in web browsing, flash support, etc. |
A somewhat unflattering rehash of the WSJ article on the The Register.
The Reg suggest Nokia are launching a successor to the 770 but to be honest their story is based entirely off the WSJ article without offering any further insight or substance, and thus appears to be as confused as we are about the upcoming launch. |
I don't know whether there's a connection but the Nokia UK link to the 770 software update page has been unavailable for about a week.
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I hope if it's a true v2, that we can send them the old units with upto $100.00 (depending on what the upgrades include, I only say that much because of depreciation over a year, I'd really not be happy giving them more then $50.00) for the upgrade. |
People keep mentioning how google will allow a web-based pim. Fine and good, but since I don't live my life on line (regardless of what my family says) I would like a pim that doesn't require a net connection to access it.
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