The Nokia 770 caught my eye when it was first announced. I've always like loved the idea of having a web browsing tablet for around the home (veyr Star Trek style). I just cannot decide if the 770 would be a worthwhile purchase for me or not.

I guess the biggest thing holding me back is the screen size. When I first saw the Nokia I thought it was A5 size (7-10 inch screen). To me that would be the ideal device providing it was still relatively thin (unlike the Samsung Q1) and light. However I've read so many comments here and elsewhere that the screen really is great and the optimised browsing works really well. Web browsing would be my main function but I cannot get rid of a nagging feeling that the screen is too small. Unfortunately where I live in the UK there aren't any shops that stock one to actually look at and the screenshots on the web all tend to be captures of the 800x480 screen rather than showing a true representation.

Maybe the hive mind can decide for me!


Edit: Ok made my mind up. Just ordered one!! I was looking at Maemo Mapper and the bluetooth GPS receivers and thats just a cool additional function that has sold me.

Just to put your mind at ease: the screen is indeed great, and surfing is a breeze.

Maybe a tip: certain old geezers (me, a. o.) fnd the default font of the Opera browser just too small for comfortable reading. Obviously, the 770 has easy zooming capabilities, but I found it more convenient to make the default font a tad bigger (from 7 point to 17 point, in fact).

Warning! This procedure requires modification of a configuration file (/home/user/.opera/.opera.ini) and cannot be done without additional software (e.g.: Osso Xterm + the Joe editor). Personally, I use Osso + Midnight Commander, the latter has its own built in editor that I'm more used to.

Thanks for the tip Karel. Looking forward to it arriving now!

Oelph, I had some of the same concerns prior to my own purchase of it.
But I am fairly convinced that you will not be disappointed. The device is really great, but the key to making a succesfull purchase is to understand what the 770 is - and what it is not.
For instance, it is not a laptop replacement. It has a full, well-functioning OS. But the small size will always prevent it from gaining laptop-equivalent functionality. It misses several important apps, and it does not run Java. I realize that someone is building an office suite for it, but unless you have a very special needs, you should never use this device to write long documents or managing your spreadsheet pivot tables.
Nor is it a PDA. It will eventually end up having a lot of PDA functionality. But whereas the Palm was a 100% PDA, which had hardware buttons designed around the core PDA functions, the 770 is more universal, and that also makes it less suitable (though still potentially useful) as a PDA.
So what it is then? I have yet to come across a real good one-line description for it, and it is so far almost in a class of it's own. But I would call it a "wireless surfing and entertainment device". Sit down in your best chair and pull it up as you would with a book or a magazine. Check the latest news and your email. Read a couple of pdf files. Turn on the radio. Check your latest vacation shots or watch a sitcom episode.
Yes, you can use it for practical or work-related purposes. But really, it is a device for the guy who can't be without web access.

Web surfing is excellent and easily outperforms the compromise-rich browsers of Win CE or Palm OS. Turn it on, and you are online in 25 secs and with a real good browser too. Radio is surprisingly well-functioning, though in real life limited to shoutcast stations. Image and video viewing is good, though watching video on it requires a lot of preparation (i.e. conversion).
You can download additional programs to it, but if you (as I) had no previous Linux experience, you must prepare yourself for a world, where the effort is put into the porting of applications, not the writing of user manuals or installation instructions. "The zip file contains the binary only (no deb). Copy it to /bin using xterm." Eh, ok.

I could easily live without my Nokia 770. But I'd rather not. I have not have so much fun with a device since I got my first Handspring Visor.

Thanks for your thoughts JJ. My primary use will be browsing the web and secondary will be playing with it and some of the apps that have been developed. Part of the appeal of the 770 is the opensource nature of development behind it. I think the 770 will be a great device but not my perfect device - which I don't think exists yet. I'm looking forward to version 2 and more of the product and hope Nokia are avidly reading all our comments.

I can imagine Apple will be the next on the tablet pc bandwagon. They've got the marketing clout and brand awareness from the ipod to really make tablet devices a mainstream product.

I can also see myself owning two devices in the future - the 770 for a more pocketable and in car device and (hopefully... please Nokia ) a nice Nokia 880 7-10" 1024x768 device for around the home and office! One can dream!

There really is nothing out there equal to the 770 at it's price point . As for the openness of the OS, that is really a bigger factor than most realize. Nokia pays attention to comments, but there are not a lot of them, they are overworked and, in the end, they must obey the commands of the company.
I certainly would not hold my breath on that. Apple was severely burned with the Newton and is quite gun-shy over tablet-based anything. Yes, I can guaratee you they are playing around with the notion at the "Apple Campus" in Cupertino and there is most certainly a MacTablet sitting on a lab bench out there--but that is about as far as it goes. Unitil they see the shiny glint of market share, they will not budge on this.
Who said "Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly"?

One of the killer features for me (before I bought a GPS) was the ability to play RealAudio streams, such as those provided by BBC radio stations.

The trick is to play them in the "Video Player"!

You have to dig a little to find a the direct rpm link (or click 'play in standalone player' when that option is present), but it works great.

eg. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/shows...ybaker_mon.rpm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagai.../rams/1930.ram
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/realplayer/media/fmg2.ram

Apple are a strange company sometimes

Great tip re the radio broadcasts!

Hey, the RA trick is real neat!

Apparently, Real Audo contents is getting poorer and poorer. But a guy has managed to collect a decent station guide. Virtually all these links will be valid of the 770 video player:

http://radiotuner.wuersch.net/stations.php

Thanks for the great links. The utility of the 770 soars with these links and the super little radio player.

Don't overlook movies too...DVD Catalyst formats movies expressly for the 770 and the video player (with the help of a 1 Gig chip) plays they in fine style.