Fennec alpha 2 has been released for the Internet Tablet and I gave it a quick spin today. While it still takes longer than I’d like to get going it’s starting to look quite nice.

A bug definitely worth noting is that some of the Google sites (like Gmail and Reader) may be hard to use with this release. Unfortunately without Reader, the browser is worthless to me. I think it’s still worth exploring here as it’s likely we’ll see some real progress with Mozilla on Maemo – at least that’s my hope!

Just released from Nokia Beta Labs:

Download it here

And YES I know it’s been MONTHS since I posted here …

Boingo Mobile has been updated across platforms. If you use a Nokia Handset (N or E Series), Nokia Tablet or a Windows Mobile Handset it’s worth checking out the new download. If you’ve used Boingo on your tablet I’m sure you’ll agree the auto-connect feature is very slick. I’ve gotten a ton of use from Boingo in my travels and definitely recommend it.

Technorati Tags: boingo, mobile, wifi, travel, nokia

I was just browsing Facebook and ran across this little issue … There is no way to install Flash directly on a mobile device as a browser plugin! Looks like I will have to wait it out for an update to the OS, but since we just got one this week, it may be a while …

Technorati Tags: Maemo diablo N810 Flash Facebook

Last night I noticed that there was a new update to OS2008 designed to enhance the email and browser … My last experience with the software update was from a re-flash and I remain very impressed with how this worked as well.

I chose to do a backup (safety first) but had no need to restore. After a required reboot, my system was humming again. I can’t say I am noticing any real changes with this update, but I was not having any problems with the browser or email either …

Doing this without a computer is impressive and something I hope makes it to more mobile devices.

I love the Nokia Tablet!

The battery life is amazing and the applications I have installed enable a very rich and capable mobile experience. I am currently sitting in the Toronto airport enjoying a beer (or two) while connected to Boingo enabling me to post this while enjoying streaming last.fm, IM and Mauku.

There are few if any MID / UMPC devices with the power to weight ration of the NIT. I chose the power to weight automotive metaphor because that’s really a key variable. I am definitley interested in what’s happening on the MID / UMPC front, but so far none have appeared to deliver more than 2-3 hours of life in a form factor that fits in your pocket. The netbooks are also interesting devices, but I already have a 3lb laptop for work I carry most everywhere and am definitely not looking to double the weight of my existing ear bag for a less capable device.

The Lenovo X61 I use for work can get close to 5 hours of battery in careful use and that’s awesome, but it’s still too big for every day while mobile tasks. The N810 is intantly on, ready to connect to my phone or an available wifi connection and deliverss most of what I need for information consumption – and creation.

I’ve made this point previously here, but it’s worth repeating, the Nokia Tablet truly is an outstanding ultra mobile product. I find it to be the standard by which I compare new things. Additional CPU capabilities seem great on the surface, but to only be able to consider 2 hours battery life is a joke. The main thing I feel it lacks is an independent cellular connection. That would seriously add some flexibility to my connection options and offer that much more power to an already rocking system.

Technorati Tags: Maemo N810 “internet tablet” MID UMPC Nokia Boingo

The previous mention of Mauku was an unstable version supporting Twitter concurrently with Jaiku. Today though we get a nice update to the official release in .5.1 which seems far more stable and able to handle the volume of connections both services require.

If you participate in either or both Twitter and Jaiku, Mauku is the gold standard for staying in touch. While twitter offers considerably less organization than Jaiku, Mauku makes it easy to stay connected.

Technorati Tags: Mauku maemo twitter jaiku n800 n810

The results are in on the Tabletblog poll and looks like the majority would love a 3G enabled N810 over the pending WiMax device. I know I’d love the 3G tablet! I tether regularly with my phones (currently the Nokia E71), but having an independently mobile connection would be killer.

Having wireless beyond wifi really makes the Nokia Internet Tablet that much more powerful. The initial plans, as seen in our current devices, were to pair with your phone and extend the online experience. As I think many of us clearly realize there’s been a lot of action in the MID and UMPC space as of late, but I’d be willing to bet that few if any of these devices have yet to match the N810 in capabilities. Sure some have more power on the CPU or grpahics end, but none can offer 5 hours of battery life or fit in your pocket.

3G would certainly impact battery life as it does with everything else, but it seems like an acceptable give, in order to get a considerably greater range of use.

Technorati Tags: maemo, nokia, nokia internet tablet, n810, 3G, wimax, tabletblog

Mauku has long been the best way to stay connected to Jaiku regardless of platform and today we’ve received a very nice update that adds Twitter into the fold as well. I’ve gotten a lot of questions on how to stay connected to twitter from the tablet and outside of IM which has not worked for months, the web site was the only solution until now.

In the above screenshot, Twitter updates are green and Jaiku are yellow. In one view, you’ve got a simple dashboard into the social conversation. The Mauku UI is optimized for finger touch over stylus and supports gestures as well if you’ve never seen it in action. For now the update is only in the unstable repository (change user to unstable in the repository setting after you install), though I’d imagine with the excitement around this release, we’ll be able to sort out the bugs and move it to release very quickly.

Technorati Tags: mauku, jaiku, twitter, socialmedia

Nokia Chat is a new beta labs release from Nokia for their handsets, but because it’s a jabber based chat system, you can easily take advantage of the basic features on your tablet as well. In my case, I’m extending my usage on the E71 through my desktop (Adium and Digsby) and also on the N810.

With your account created, you can simply add a new jabber IM account on the tablet using chat.ovi.com as the server and stay in touch just like any other IM account. Nokia chat offers some very cool location based stuff along with address book integration which unfortunately does not extend to the Tablet just yet. I have no idea if we’ll get to see anything connect with the pretty limited contact list on the tablet, but certainly the location settings would be very cool to use. On the handset, you can use Landmarks saved from either Nokia Maps or Google Maps. I’d imagine we’ll have to wait until the launch of Nokia Maps on the web which will hopefully also include Plazes integration.

I’m atmasphere [at] ovi.com if you’d like to connect.