Nokia 770 Internet Tablet PC Reviews

Nokia 770 Internet Reviews

Very good engineering with only a small glitch, December 24, 2005

By Nicholas J. Thomas (Phoenix, AZ) -
Purchased mine from Nokia for $360 (didn't mind the wait) less a coupon of $50. Outstanding value for the price. Coupla glitches though (I am a SysAdmin). Most important: If you are planning on using the Bluetooth connectivity to "dial out" through your Bluetooth-capable phone and a data cellular account, be prepared for considerable frustration. Read the boards. It simply does not want to "pair up" to other devices (in my case, a Sony Ericsson P910a smart phone with T-Mobile data service). As of today I have not been able to get it to pair with the P910a. My notebook pairs and can use the Internet through the P910a just fine. However, the P910a is a Bluetooth 1.1 specification. The Nokia is a Bluetooth 1.2 specification. That shouldn't matter, but others report problems with Motorola phones too. The second issue is an issue, not a problem. The OS is, of necessity, simplistic (after all, it isn't a notebook PC for $1,000!). It does everything it says Nokia 770 Internet Tablet PC will do (exception noted above) but there isn't a bunch of flexibility. The browser (Opera) works fine (bit spooky with some stylesheet depiction, but so are other browsers). WiFi is FAST. Connectivity with WiFi is easy. Some other posts claim the WiFi is weak. Not so. It picks up my entire neighborhood and office park! My new HP WiFi notebook can't compare! Screen is bright and easily visible. External (non screen) browser controls are a great benefit. Battery lasts quite a while. E-mail function works well. There are enough tunable parameters to satisfy most e-mail users (corporate servers, etc.) I don't care about "entertainment" but there is a sample video film trailer which is smooth and clear, and the MP3 player works well. No camera - thank you Nokia - so it can be used in a corporate environment. First additional purchase needs to be a screen protector for Nokia 770 Internet Tablet PC large screen. The screen keyboard is great and easy to use. It would get a solid 5 if it weren't for the Bluetooth problems.

Unusually mature for a "1.0" product, February 18, 2006

By George F. Rice "free software fan" (Arlington, TX USA) -
I'm a bit of a geek, and have been waiting for a *good*, under US$500 "real" computer that fits easily in my pocket.

Nokia delivered.

The 770 oozes quality, with a solid but not too heavy feel. WiFi performance is excellent - it picks up more neighborhood networks than any desktop in my home, and connecting to mine (ahem) was simple and quick. Downloading is FAST.

Put an RS-MMC card (up to 1 GB; a 64 MB is included) in the slot and connect the 770 to your desktop via USB, and it acts as a disk for transferring media or office files. The removable battery is also a nice touch; my PDAs usually required factory assistance in case of rechargable battery failure.

The 800x480 display is simply gorgeous, and well-supported with the dedicated "Full Screen" and zoom / unzoom buttons on top (in audio apps, zoom / unzoom becomes volume control). A "normal" 3.5 mm headphone jack makes the unit suitable as an MP3 player as well (my Palm has a "small" 2 mm jack for which headphones are hard to find).

First charge took about 4 hours while using the WiFi heavily; unplugged, the battery gauge dropped to half in about 2 hours. With WiFi off (a single click), I haven't budged the battery gauge yet.

The included Opera-based browser works exceptionally well. Video, audio and Internet radio worked glitch-free out of the box, and the other included software has been stable and reasonably functional.

Since it's based on very popular standards (*geek speek alert*: Debian Linux and GTK+ aka Gnome graphics), a LOT of software is already available for the 770, including productivity apps, games, and 2 Personal Information Managers. Neither PIM holds a candle to Palm (yet), but both are in active development and free. DON'T buy the 770 if that's your primary use, though - if the screen is off, you won't get an audible alert for your meeting (I'm told Nokia 770 Internet is a software rather than a hardware omission).

As with all Debian-based Linux's, installing or removing an app is trivial - two clicks, almost identical to installing or removing an extension in FireFox. And, of course, no reboot required.

A few other "1.0" artifacts keep it from 5 stars: The runtime memory is a bit low, allowing only 4 or 5 programs before a "Low Memory Event" tells you to close something (of course, my Palm can only run one program at a time, so maybe that's a feature). The stylus is flat rather than round, and can only be removed if the case cover is moved a few millimeters first (a small notch is needed here). And although the unit has a surprisingly good speaker, no provision is made for a microphone, built-in or external - an odd omission for a phone company product.

Those qualms aside, however, I'm generally very pleased with my new "Tablet PC in a Pocket". Now, any time I drop into Starbucks or another WiFi-ready location, I'm ready, too.

Is this the future? It isn't a phone yet but Nokia 770 Internet will be using VOIP, Meanwhile..., December 15, 2005

By K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) -
This is really a pretty cool device, kind of like having a portable internet connection, with the ability to browse the internet and make emails.

WHat is PARTICULARLY impressive is the relatively large screen size, amazingly large for an item that is meant to be small enough to stick in your pants pocket. The graphics are clear. You can listen to music, store files, check email and browse the web.

Specs are:

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
* OS based on Debian Linux, Nokia has made all their changes open source as the "maemo" project
* 4" 800×480 touch-screen
* 64MB memory plus RS-MMC card slot
* Size: 141mm x 79mm x 19mm
* Weight: 230g

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet PC is NOT a phone (yet) but Nokia 770 Internet is set to be able to make calls pretty son using VOIP technology when a software upgrade comes out in 2006 and then it will also do IMS at that point - pretty cool! . Until then, you'll have to be satisfied with what it can do as far as searching the internet and listening to music. If yo like the "latest" thing, this should keep you entertained.

By the way, it is also hard to get. Sold out everywhere but that ought to change after the holidays. When VOIP and IMS become available for this device and if they are reliable, I'd upgrade my rating to a 5.

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Nokia 770 Internet Tablet PC