http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7033352.stm

Comparison of the N800, iPod Touch, Archos 605wifi and Sony PSP (slim)

Aside from the usual propensity for inaccuracy (eg. the Archos has the highest res/DPI and not the N800, the N800 uses miniSD) it seems a reasonably fair comparison of the devices with no particular axe to grind.

The winner (based on being the best all rounder) is the Archos 605wifi, with the iPod Touch receiving special praise while the N800 is a "hobbyist" device (is this another way of saying "toy"?)

For me, the important point to take away is the reviewers experience when web browsing on the iPod Touch and N800 (the PSP and Archos failing miserably here) - apart from the lack of Flash on the iPod, I'd say the reviewer is more impressed by the iPod than the N800. Which is not a good thing for a product that is billed as the "Internet Tablet" with browsing as it's main selling point.

The unique selling point of the NIT is no longer unique, nor is it even best of breed to a lay person - Nokia really need to begin adding more value to the tablet, perhaps even de-emphasising the "internet" nature of the devices and focusing on more general functionality that ordinary people can perceive as having real added value (ie. PIM synced with a mobile and PC, for starters).

EDIT: If anyone wants this moved into one of the N800/iPod threads that's fine with me however I thought it might be useful to discuss any issues raised in this "review", which is likely to be one of the most mainstream N800 reviews to date, perhaps reaching a larger and more diverse global audience than the review which appeared in the Washington Post.

Imho, that (de-emphasis) would be the worst thing that could possibly be done.

With all these "me too" devices now on the market, some of which arguably offer a better web browsing experience than the NIT (and more to come that surely will be better than the N800), does it make any sense to persist with the "Internet Tablet" theme to the exclusion of other useful functionality that will be provided by these "me too" devices? Eventually the NITs will appear limited by this naiive and slavish adherence of Nokia management to the internet meme.

NITs are fully fledged pocket computers, and restricting out-of-the-box functionality to internet browsing/communication to the detriment of all else isn't going to help sales in the long run - Nokia tablets need to be more functionally rounded devices offering a wider breadth of functionality that appeals to the general consumer. Niche devices rarely survive in the long run, and the "Internet Tablet" has "niche" written all over it.

The community can and will help develop useful software, however non-tech savvy users will consider purchasing the devices based on their out-of-box functionality rather than what may be developed by a third party as a hobby.

The n800 will always never be good when used for the first 5-10 days..... but after the initial getting around period ..... then one will understand the true limitless possibilities it can offer. The reviewer clearly shows that he used the n800 for a very short time and in that time what really matters is the itouch's eyecandy. But after 5-10 DAYS after teh end of the honyemoon.... you cannot do much with the touch except to look at the album art... but from there on the n800 has multiple possibilities which will keep you addicted all the way.
The touch is like the beautiful wife where you would love the initial honeymoon period.... the n800 is like the true love..... she is not that pretty but is really a nice person to be with!!!

For me NITs are promising due to UMPC capabilities. I hope "N900" will strengthen this direction: slide out keyboard, USB host, maybe more RAM and CPU power.

@sachin007 - didn't your Mum teach you that first impressions count?

Thats what i thought how the world works but..... with experience i learnt otherwise..... I dont just fall for looks anymore!!

And i am sure that nokia is going to include multi-touch and accelerometers ... that is what i think the VP meant when thought fix asked about the fcc documents.

I found just the opposite with my old Tapwave Zodiac; I shoved all sorts of apps and games and music and video on there at first, then realised that after running PalmVNC once and going "hey, VNC!", and running Doom once and going "hey, Doom!", I never bothered again, and mostly used it for the built-in stuff; contacts, the calendar, reminders, simple solitaire games to kill a couple of minutes, e-books...

I'm looking for a replacement, and the N800 and iPod Touch are at opposite ends of the spectrum; the N800 could easily do everything I'm after, and way more, but call me shallow and rescind my geek card I'm looking for something that's more "just works" than "can do anything (with sufficient poking)". The iPod Touch, on the other hand, what it does, it does brilliantly, but between Apple's crippling (disabling editing in the calendar??) and the difficulty of getting 3rd party apps on them (I thought they might turn a bit of a blind eye to hacking, like they seemed to be doing initially with the iPhone, but maybe not...), they managed to make it fall short on even the most basic PDA functions.

Based on the comments here, I'd have to slightly disagree.

I think the connectivity is important, but nowadays it's expected. Milhouse mentioned first impressions-- well, my first impression when I see any device in the form factor we're discussing is "Surely it can browse the internet". I'm betting that's a common perception. If so, then the other strengths of the tablets need to be emphasized. Granted, that gets tricky-- most users will glaze over at the mention of Linux. But I know that there are ways to sell those features, including the potential Linux brings-- it's just a matter of some creative thinking (man I'd love to come to Helsinki for those sessions! ).

I still say the tablet is a palmtop or somesuch laptop alternative...