I only belabored that particular point myself because I feel that a lot of people have their minds all mixed up looking only at price points. To me the fact that the Kohjinsha SA1 or the Asus eee may be more or less expensive than the Nokia ITs is totally irrelevant.

I don't think the tablets are actually that cheap -- and they don't have to be, because right now they don't compare to anything else available. Maybe some day.

A Kohjinsha SA1 or Asus eee, on the contrary, can be deemed cheap or not, because they directly compare in form factor and use cases to UMPCs and ultra-light laptops.

But comparing the two camps on price factor is IMHO pointless, because they're just totally not the same thing. No one says, "if the price of 5.1 movie theaters comes down to that of an iPod Nano, I'll buy that instead", do they ?

I myself own both a 770 and a SA1, and find very little overlap in usage between the two, if any. None of them has relegated the other to the bottom drawer(*)...


(*) only Nokia themselves could do that to my beloved 770, wink wink :-)

Soundly put. But I'm entering troublemaker mode, and thinking we need a poll...

I think it depends entierly on people's expectations and personal usage models. I think there are a lot of people (you know the kind im talking about, they pop up on the forum every so often) that ahve 'different' ideas about the usage model of the ITTs than Nokia does. Some people seem to expect the ITT to be a cheap UMPC, and some seem to think it should be an ultraultraultra portable laptop, or even a PDA. To some of us, nothing can replace our ITT because there really isn't anything else that is in quite the same class. To others, there are other options, because they are trying to stuff the ITT into a hole it might not be designed to fit in. So it depends on the person and their perception of the ITT and the usage hole they need to fill.

Well I was not trying to compare Nokia to ASUS but OLPC to ASUS. While like I said these are not in direct competion with the Nokia (yet), it could cause a price reduction in the future. Look at the 770 you can get a new one for $130 now. N800 is surely not worth $300+ more. Unless you really really want one If you took that same ASUS machine and spec's and slammed into a tablet shape and design. While it may not fit in your pocket, a 9in tablet with intel processor for 200$, I (personally) would no longer need a Nokia. I know thats not what we are talking about, but it not that far out. A change I am personally welcoming!

If I had a choice for a Noika or UMPC for same price, I would pick UMPC. If I could get a Nokia with a intel processor or a UMPC, I would choose the Nokia because its smaller.

The double-edged sword of the Linux basis. I think my Nokia Research Center compadres still disagree with me that it's an issue, but it has to be. By and large N800 users are not the average user, we all know, and they are keenly aware that it has unfulfilled potential. That factor alone adds some extra value to the device, but it's value that will erode if not quickly realized in some practical fashion.

I think it is an ultraultraultra portable laptop and a cheap UMPC.

I can browse the web, do email, IM, mp3, video, games, streaming video and audio to and from, GPS navigation, Terminal, rdesktop, vncviewer and server, and so many many other things

What exactly can a laptop or UMPC do that my Nokia can't?

so basically they are selling a redesigned r2h like i bought without the bloatware/spyware loaded for $300 compared to $900... i had no idea bloatware developers demanded that high a salary to warrant the difference. I'm sure (or at least hope) its a cooler running 900mhz cpu than the cel-m they put in mine though that thing is a space heater.

i think they say the eee weighs 1.9 lbs but with three different battery configurations i'd say that's for the 2 cell version. the 4 cell might be close 2.2 which is a little on the heavy side to use like a pda/canola/gps... you wont drag it into a store or a walk with intent of potentially using.

my perspective :
nok 800 = 7.2 ounces + no (significant) heat + no noise + size/dimensions to fit in pocket (allowing me to forget i am carrying it) uses maybe 2 watts

r2h = 2.2 lbs (enough that i never take it mobile -- or even use while at home) + very hot + clumsy; uses 17 watts (double that if simultaneously charging)

The eee weighs just as much but being a clamshell i could 'sling' it around if i took it on the road. No hard drive means maybe cooler/quieter. Theres still something about a completely solid state device that seems elegant to me but if only $300 i could easily see buying it if i didnt already have something like it. Using around the house it might be its best purpose.

Will be fun watching reviews... one of the key criteria i will be measuring is weight/watts because too high of watts per weight is my main means of guaging how well the product was designed. Performance should track that as well.

Nokia = 7.2 ounces (round up to 8 ounces with cover/sd) = .5 lbs @ 2 watts or around 1:4 lbs/watts r2h = 2.2lbs @ 17 watts or around 2.2:17 which is around 1:7.7 almost half as efficient for the weight.

eee will likely be better since the weight includes a keyboard but i like the sound of the fanless 9" 1024 model i think that might be better for me. Since it is clamshell it will also have better 'slingability' since you dont need a case to protect screen. So much better than my r2h!

Type on a real keyboard. Use any website, including Ajax, Java and Flash. Use any off-the-shelf app you need. Play any video file you happen to have, without recoding. Use just about any peripheral under the sun, including USB host. Print. Enough ? There's much more though.
An IT is only a laptop/UMPC if you're willing to limit your usage of the one to the capabilities of the other. But they're definitely not the same thing.

Actually, don't you have to strike issue #1, fpp? It's my understanding some have used real keyboards with their tablets.

Oh, and I can't wait until you guys see what's coming...

a) I meant one that's part of the device, obviously. Moreover, compact, folding BT keyboards hardly qualify as "real" ones...

b) Oh no, not again ? :-)