Hello,

I'm new to the Tablet arena and need a little help deciding which one to purchase. Intially i was going with an Ipod Touch, but i've found out that files can't be stored on them, and the Battery/Mem is locked for all intents and purposes.. so thats been dropped a few notches on my list..

My needs are:
Good internet capabilities(flash, java?).
Versatile Video capability(divx, xvid, ogg etc.)
Document storing(word processing, spreadsheets)
IM
Easy/swift Email client
Wifi(use phone as wifi hotspot)
Bluetooth for tethering to 3G


I'm also adept at customizing electronics(cooking roms for winmo phones, pandora batt for psp) to fit my needs, so that wont be a detriment if there's an IT with potential, that would need extra input once obtained.

So far i've been looking at the N810, Archos 5, and unlocking a Touch(could continue to use phone for MS office).
I also saw the Benq S6 thread(looks great minus battery life), but im not sure if i could even acquire one of these in the states?

Are there any other realistic options? which would you purchase?

I'll detail the N810 in your points:



Good internet capabilities(flash, java?): The built in Mozilla browser has the latest Flash 9 support, although no Java.

Versatile Video capability(divx, xvid, ogg etc.): Mplayer will play many formats, and can play xvid files at around 400x240, and even up to 640x360 in some cases.

Document storing(word processing, spreadsheets): Gnumeric is practically identical to Excel, and works very well, even supporting graphs and charts. Word documents are still a bit iffy, they can be easily viewed, but not so easily edited. Abiword has been in private testing for some time, although it can be pretty buggy, and very annoying when it locks up and you lose your document.

IM: Pidgin is my personal favourite, as it is very minimalistic and works perfectly with the hardware. It also has the most popular protocols, such as MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, and more. Rtcomm beta gives you these on the N810's default chat application, tying your IM'ing well with the operating system. However, I've never been able to install it properly, so I can't recommend it.

Easy/swift Email client: The built in email program is a bit shoddy, I'd recommend Claws Mail, which is a very robust client.

Wifi(use phone as wifi hotspot): I'd imagine so? Although your next point erases the need for this.

Bluetooth for tethering to 3G: The N810 internet tablets have bluetooth 2.0, and support nearly every phone, both for file browsing, and internet connection sharing.



Also, if you're not too fussed about the sliding keyboard and GPS, you might be best off with an old N800, the specs are identical (afaik?), and it's much cheaper. And, the N800 has two full size SD slots, while the N810 relies on MMC cards.

Hope I've been of help!

You have been a great help! question though(if you happen to know)..

Im now seeing umpc's like the Wibrain, Aigo mid, BenQ s6.. how tough are these to bring stateside? And are they overlayed in english?

I don't know if I can help so much on the UMPC front, but, looking at the specs (and price) of those things, they far out-do the puny little Nokia tablets. I feel that you would be sorely disappointed by the N810, as it doesn't have a universal OS, or any kind of horsepower compared to those. For a cheap, open source, basic use device I would recommend a Nokia internet tablet, but if you're going to be using fully blown XP applications, there's no way it can compete with the UMPCs out there.

Put short, I think that you're paying a bit too much for power you won't really use with the UMPCs. If you're considering a Nokia tablet, it's a cheap device, designed for handheld use (I hardly think Windows XP is designed for handheld use), with no frills. I think you'll have to have someone a bit more in the know than me to help you.

Sorry to hijack this thread.... what is the difference between MMC cards and SD ? in terms of price, performance ?
I have heard it could be troublesome to use the numeric key pad, is it true ?
How is the FM radio in N810 ? I suppose you need a WIFI to listen ?

Thanks,
Richard

MMC cards are an older standard. The Nokia 770 uses RS-MMC cards (reduced size). The N800 can read both SD cards, and MMC cards. The N810 does not use MMC cards. It has a mini-SD slot. SD cards exist in three sizes: full size normal SD, mini-SD, and damn tiny micro-SD which is mostly used by cell phones.

The N810 doesn't have a FM radio. The N800 is the tablet with the built-in FM radio. You don't need WiFi to listen. You just need to plug in a headphones cable as antenna. Reception is good, depending on the "antenna" cable and its orientation.

Sorry, I meant Mini SD. Normal SDs (as used by the N800) are faster, cheaper, and more widely used than Mini/Micro SD. They also go all the way up to 32gb (not sure if 64gb SDs are about yet), whereas Micro SD only goes up to 16gb.

Well, except for battery life.

Just wanted to chime in here...

So far (AFAIK) you cannot use the N8x0 as a Wifi Hotspot.. the drivers don't work for that.

You can use the N8x0 at a wifi hotspot... but I don't think internet sharing works.

(could be wrong?? especially when using deblet/mer?)

You will see many of these devices in 2009, although probably the second half of 2009.