In the first part of the review, I discussed the general functionality of the Internet Tablet. Where the N800 really shines is its large and dedicated community that contributes third party software.
Nokia is often praised for making their device completely open source (often contrasted with the Apple iPhone). Since the Maemo operating system is based off of GNU/Debian Linux, it is rather simple to develop applications for. And many people have done just that, bringing tons of different software to the device.
In this second part of the review I will talk about some of software I have chosen to install. Keeping in mind that the Python runtime can be installed, it is very easy to develop programs for the N800. In fact, many of the applications described below are developed in Python (hence the “py” name).
FBReader
FBReader is a multi-platform eBook reader that has support for many formats including HTML, CHM, RTF, OpenReader, and plain text. Its pretty straight forward and works without a hitch. It does not support finger scrolling though so that’s kind of annoying but isn’t a deal breaker by any means. Support for both horizontal and vertical viewing is nifty but holding the device vertically feels awkward. Coupled with the default built-in PDF reader, you can turn the N800 into your own portable library.
Pidgin
Pidgin on Maemo is a port of the popular multi-platform IM program that supports all popular chat protocols including MSN, AIM, Yahoo!, ICQ, GTalk and Jabber to name a few. (Formerly known as GAIM).
Skype
I’m sure everyone knows what Skype is but with support on the N800, you can now make both voice and video calls (with the built in VGA camera) anywhere you have a Wi-fi connection!
Canola 2
Canola is an all-around media player for pictures, music and videos developed specifically for the Nokia Internet Tablet series. Because of this, the interface is entirely streamlined for finger use. The GUI is very nice and Apple-y for lack of a better term, definitely worth a download to turn your. Media streaming is also supported and coupled with the free TVersity, you can stream music and videos directly from your computer!
Other Media Players
mplayer - A very plain but very speedy media player that can play almost every format available. Other media players may need this installed to function properly.
UKMP - A nice interface with “Coverflow-like” browsing.
Media streamer - An alternative to Canola to view streamed media from an UPnP media server (i.e. your PC via TVersity).
Maemo Mapper
The default GPS mapping program appropriately named Map is nice but not does not provide driving directions. Maemo mapper is a free alternative that pulls its map data from online sources (i.e. Google Maps) and supports GPS driving directions. You can opt to save the data to your memory card so you can access map data on the road as well.
Games Games Games
There are many games available for the N800. Some of my favorite include:
- Bomberman
- Doom
- Bejeweled
- Civilization
In the next part of the review, I will be discussing using the N800 Internet Tablet as a portable web development platform!
Click here to read part 1 of the review covering basic functionality of the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet.
Click here to read part 3 of the review covering web development on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet!
