Nokia N800 running VMware from Eric Sloof NTPRO.NL on Vimeo.

Thanks @s_constantine!

UPDATE — here’s a another closer look:

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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!

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Download it here

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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I had to reflash in order to get video playback working again. Apparently either the rotate or Android hacks I’ve installed (no idea which) caused a glitch that made clear video impossible. Since I use my tablet for movie viewing on planes, this was a non-starter.

My process tonight was to remove the things I did not want restored (5 min), run a backup (5 min) and then reflash (< 1min). After setting the date and time, I followed the prompts on startup to restore from backup and choose the one I'd just made. The restore process too somewhere between 5-7 minutes and I would have been quicker if I'd just clicked "yes to all," but I prefer to watch what's going on a bit during these times. From there the tablet prompted me to restore my applications. I chose update all and it then proceeded to download everything and install in sequence. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that my custom folders from my prior build were ready to receive my freshly installed apps. This used to just add even more time to the process of rebuilding ...

My wireless connection failed at one point during the restore process which stopped the installations. The fail was on my router not the tablet and when it was ready for connections again, I simply choose, Tools / Restore Applications and the installation process resumed.

I’m back up running without worrying about anything for my trip tomorrow. No time wasted getting things back in order, just a fresh tablet yet familiar with all my apps, settings and prefs restored! This is great work by the Maemo Team!!

BTW - If you’ve been waiting to get an Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, Amazon (and others) have them as low as $299 which is a great price!

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Just tried to rotate my screen to see an iphone web app and … whoa. I found the menu’s were in order over on the left side, but I had to “use the force” to figure out where to click to get things restored.

Technorati Tags: android, maemo, n810, rotation, bug, kernel

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Technorati Tags: android, google, mid, N810, Nokia, maemo

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Via the Maemo Extras repository, download an application called gconf-editor, which will let you control all kinds of interest settings for various apps. I imagine you might be able to do some damage if you are not too careful, but for this purpose, all should be fine.

Once installed, fire it up and navigate to Apps / Modest. You should see something that looks like this:

I’ve already checked the fetch external images option which is what you need to check in order to get HTML mail fully enabled. That’s it. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: modest, diablo, chinook, maemo, html, images email

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The email client has been updated quite substantially as well. While I’ve been using Modest since it was initially released, having it as the default system preference is great. IMAP performance is stellar on my gmail account and the settings wizard certainly makes it easy to get going very quickly. My only nit is that there is still no support for graphics in HTML mail which renders very well otherwise.

I noticed some excellent updates to the Applications Manager also which now not only proactively reports that updates are available, but can also update multiple things at once. I look forward to putting this to a more serious test when the next OS update hits and I don?t have to reflash my device.

As to be expected with any update there are a few bits worth watching for like repositories that are now seeking Diablo when Chinook might still work. I’ve just tweaked the Mauku repository setting and have that back running without issue.

All told this seems like a great step forward for our Nokia Tablets. With non-destructible firmware installed we can finally start moving more mass. Though I’ll still probably have to help my dad update things on his N800 …

While many still question the need for a device like the Nokia Tablet the converted, like myself, see no way but up for this platform.

Technorati Tags: maemo, nokia, nseries, diablo, chinook, mauku, mobile, mid, n810, n800

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Nokia has published the OS2008 Feature Upgrade for the N810 and N800 Internet Tablets. This release is based on Maemo 4.1 (codename Diablo) and provides the Seamless Software Update feature.

Users still need to reflash the device in order to install this release. Further OS updates will be made available over-the-air, without needing to reflash. Now users will get automatic notifications in the home screen about the availability of OS updates or single applications, including those installed from third parties. This works only over WLAN connections. It is still possible to check for updates manually from the Application manager.

This release brings a new open source email application based on Modest and the tinymail framework. Users will find a simplified account setup and presets for various service providers. Another major improvement is the introduction to Chinese character rendering support in Email, Browser and RSS feed reader. There are numerous issues fixed all over the operating system including updated openssl. Smaller improvements have also been introduced to several areas such improved browser panning performance. [Maemo.org]

I was just about to mess with screen rotation hacks, but this seems like a slightly more substantial change. I’ll try to report back after flashing today if possible.

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Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags:
Internet Tablet, Maemo, mobile, N-Series, N800, N810, Frefox, Fennec, Mozilla

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I got an email about the release of the new beta (2) for the Palm Garnet VM and checked it out briefly tonight. The main features seem to be functioning in full screen mode in either portrait or landscape which is slick. You’ll of course have access to the full library of Palm applications which is nice, though honestly as interesting as that seems the low-res nature of things compared to how my Maemo apps view on the N810 kills this for me … that and it’s been several years since I actively cared about Palm OS.

I did a quick install of ChatterMail and connected to my Gmail IMAP account. Seemed to generally work as expected though between the richer native web UI or Modest this still remains a proof of concept.

Technorati Tags:
Internet Tablet, Maemo, Palm, Virtualization, Garnet

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I shot this quick video on the N82 in my kitchen so I apologize for the out of focus text. I think the point is still quite clear … this is a great way for anyone to enjoy Google Reader on the go!

I’m definitely switching from the standard /m site which only offers a single item at a time. This is MUCH more efficient and works well even over EDGE.

Technorati Tags: google reader, iphone, rss, mobile, nokia, nseries, n82, n800, n810

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