Sure a pop-in card isn't the best solution and probably very unlikely. They do make laptops with replaceable graphics cards, and I have had laptops that could be upgraded by adding in a wifi card as a pop-in type solution (not a pc card). I wouldn't expect Nokia to go that route, I was just throwing it out there.

I think it would be very foolish of Nokia to not include cellular data on at least one model. There is certainly a large market for that. Plus it opens up several possibilities, such as a wifi hotspot as GeneralAntilles believes will be possible.

I receive large amounts of data over wifi connections every day. Thus, I would consider that to fall under the generic "data connection", and have tried in my posts to differentiate between that and a cellular connection Henceforth I will strive to add "wifi" where appropriate so as not to confuse anyone.

I would expect that in areas where I have wifi coverage, I would be able to use all programs without a loss of functionality. I also consider the inability to check email etc, during my 15 minute drive from home to work, fairly minor.

In fact I'd much rather see an extra sd/micro sd card slot in place of a sim card slot, but I gather from what I've read this isn't very likely.

So, to all those that don't think one model will be wifi data only, what do you think the differences between the two models are likely to be?

Just call it "WiFi only". When you talk about data it sounds like cellular data.

Formfactor seems likely to me, but there's not telling until we get an announcement.

Your first point here is valid. The fuzzy click detection logic would be nice to see on the ITs, if possible.

The second point, however, is wrong. I mentioned this:

The screen on the iPod Touch is physically smaller than the n810's (3.5" vs 4.1"). Therefore, when both are zoomed out all the way, the iPod Touch would actually display physically smaller links. What you said would only be valid if I was zoomed to a 1 to 1 pixel ratio on both devices, which I wasn't.

Suppose a user does not order a cellular data plan, but just uses the tablet using wi-fi when they want connectivity, and also uses it for music, other things with no connectivity otherwise. What are the ramifications for this type of user? Are they negative? If not, what does it matter whether it assumes a data connection or not? (Or maybe I am misunderstanding the question.)

I don't know. I'm only restating what I've heard from a Nokia employee (ragnar, I think, actually).

A title like "idle speculation" implies that there is nothing productive going on.

I see valid potential in most of the posts here, "idle" or otherwise.

EDIT: but since we're "idly speculating"...

It saddens me that Nokia *seems* to be moving away from elements that made the tablets distinct and toward homogenization that would make them more or less like anyone else's offerings.

Nokia had a chance to create and seize a new market, and fumbled the ball... despite the evangelism of many inside the company in favor of pushing the tablets hard.

It later became extremely frustrating for me due to a singular event: when one of my fellow QA engineers approached me with what he swore was going to be one of the coolest devices, a Nokia 770. When he saw my excitement he got me a prototype model with a cracked case and no battery cover. I didn't care. I duct-taped the battery in and went to town.

In no time I was developing a web-based mobile auditing app with the tablets in mind. Unfortunately, VPN was not officially supported. A colleague in Finland cobbled up a rough gui vpn tool for internal use only and before long I had a working alpha of my vision: a means of freeing our product and delivery auditors to enter defects as they found them instead of trotting back to a desktop PC. My manager was ecstatic. This was working smart!

I blogged (internally) and emailed about the experience and pushed for an enterprise project to incorporate the 770 into our operations. There seemed to be little corporate interest at that time (there was later).

Then the N800 was placed into my hands, and I had hopes that all that was changing.

Shepherding the N800 through production was one of the most exciting times in my career. I worked extra hours without caring or complaining. I wrote specs, trained people relentlessly, hosted traveling engineers from Oulu and evangelicized every chance I got. I saw the N800 as the hope for our factory, the hope for Nokia, and I was going to do my damndest to make it succeed. I took that role to HEART, baby.

When product defects threatened the CES launch at the last minute, I worked around the clock to make sure they got the required number of perfect devices: 200 for the show, 5500 for retail launch immediately afterward. That was rough. People in the company didn't understand the product and I had to babysit them to ensure they Got It. It took a 17 page test procedure and days of repetitive instruction.

I loved every minute of it.

So I have a personal interest here. A foolish one I admit. Our factory closed, I was moved to different things, and eventually Nokia lost sight of my value and cut me loose. I am still looking, frustratingly, for work. Nokia execs could not care less.

I'm biased toward the promise the N800 held and I won't apologize for it. I do like the N810, but for different reasons. Like an idiot I assumed we were platforming, and something like the N800 would continue in some similar form or fashion. Stupid me.

People can speculate all they like. And when fundamentals change, drastically, I think those with a vested interest in the product line have a right to feel let down, annoyed, misled, etc. The burden of explanation for severe changes lies with the changers. Sorry, I agree with daperl: very little substantive rationale in what I've seen so far to favor a continued move away from the basic goodness of the N800. And sorry, 770 lovers-- I still think it looks like a Radio Shack product.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I've held that in for 2 years.

I agree, most of the posts here are valuable. At the very least they have provided food for thought for us and perhaps even Nokia, if not foor this series of tablets then perhaps the next.

I meant idle not in terms of content, but in terms of lack of new information from Nokia. We are currently idling along in between tidbits released from Nokia. I'm sure we are all looking forward to the beta sdk release, which should answer some of this speculation, and I'm sure create more speculation in turn.

In the meantime, here we are having lively discussions based on tiny factoids (probably taken out of context).

If only Nokia listened more attentively, and with less arrogance. And yes, I'm anthropomorphizing.

I feel the pain and consider myself lucky with so many people getting cut from jobs/companies they love. As a Manufacturing Technician, I have built a lot of the chips that are in these devices. At least I used to. I was fortunate to not have a lot of time unemployed. It's not just Nokia, but all the suppliers too.

I would love it if Nokia could just find something they could make ENOUGH money with and stick with it. I use my N800 enough so I go through one every 14 months (plus or minus 4 weeks).(Screen develops lines and starts going wavy)

Stay frosty

A lot of present day applications (some of which ship with the NIT) already fail in various connectivity scenarios. For example, the IM can't keep it's status between connection changes even if it's life depended on it. Canola also has this nasty habit of disrespecting flight mode. Yes, I know, the canonical answer is that I should have filed a bug report - except I think if more app devs get it wrong than right, IMO it's not an application bug.