ThoughtFix Interviews Ari Jaaksi of Nokia
Thanks to ThoughtFix, we have more great information about the N800.
Some highlights for me:
- The primary use case is the Internet.
- This (and the 770) is the first device built from the ground up for the Internet experience.
- Leaving out the keyboard makes the device smaller, more durable and cheaper. Makes sense, but I’d like to see a keyboard that optionally attaches as a slide-out device.
- Adding proprietary software (Skype, Rhapsody) is not a departure from open source. The 770 and the n800 were only possible because of Open Source and they are maintaining a commitment to open source.
- Development and support for the 770 will not end. I actually think this is true, but not necessarily because of Nokia. Developers are not going to stop supporting the 770, because they’ll most likely be keeping them. Ari does make the point, too, that the 770 currently beats the pants off the n800 for in car navigation.
And some lowlights:
- No ETA set for getting Youtube to run well on the N800. Could a more n800 optimized version of Flash solve the problem? This is a HUGE oversight.
- I was hoping to hear about upcoming accessories for the N800. Navigation kit?!
Also, Ari repeated that the SD slots can handle 2GB cards. As mentioned previously, at least one user on ITT forums says 4GB cards work.
Consumer Confusion
It seemed inevitable that Cisco would sue Apple for their use of iPhone. It sounds like they actually tried to work out a solution where the name would still be on Apple’s phone, but in the end they couldn’t agree. Very interesting! Having multiple devices with the same name, but very different functionality is a big problem, even for us tech-weenies. It makes it harder to web search for the product you are interested in. It causes a lot of confusion for our non-techie peers and family members. And if a name change does happen because of it, the confusion gets even worse. All of a sudden, you’d have to search for iPhone(ignoring cisco stuff) and applePhone to get a complete picture.
The iPhone – 3 Lies
Yes, the iPhone is awesome. Multi-Touch, beautiful interface/apps, landscape/portrait auto flip – ROCK! However, there are lies (damn lies) abounding about the product and I think it’s best if I correct some of those right now.
Lie #1: It’s a closed system. You can’t run your own code on it. Truth #1: Yeah, right. Our people will set that thing free just DAYS after launch. Homebrew code will run. Period.
Lie #2: It will be EDGE at launch, not UMTS or HSDPA. Truth #2: I think Steve and company are pulling our legs. No WAY is that thing going to be released without something faster than EDGE. Imagine the negative experience people would have when they can’t stream video on their $500 (+2yr contract) phone and a guy with a $100 phone in the next seat is streaming CNN. Too risky to release without at least UMTS. Come on Steve, get real. Kam will back me up on this.
Lie #3: You can only use the phone on Cingular. Truth #3: Almost all phones have unlock scripts. I think we’ll see unlocked iPhones on eBay just weeks after the launch. For $1000.
So, there you have it! The truth about the iPhone. Brought to you by the AMAZING Eric Albert (who, coincidentally, also brought you OSX86)!
Oh, and you know how apple says this is first device to have a full size browser on a phone? Well, check out the N800 if you want the first full size browser that fits in your pocket!!!
Scoble put up his take on the iPhone. He complains about no GPS, cingular-only and no replaceable battery. I’m with him on the cingular thing (especially EDGE only), but I can live without GPS. External battery packs are all over the place for the ipod and that kind of solution is fine with me. That being said, I can see why someone who relies on those two features would be put off. Paul’s comments all have merit, too.
ReaderMini.com – New Version for all you Google Reader fans on the run!
ReaderMini is coming along nicely. It’s a Feed Reading front end for Google Reader, using the Google Reader API. It’s built primariy for use on small internet tablets (like the Nokia 770 and n800). Here are the changes that went live tonight:
Changes in Release .9 – 1/9/07
- ReaderMini is now secure (HTTPS / SSL) on the production url (readermini.com). Also, the app will force you to use HTTPS. alpha.readermini.com is not HTTPS.
- Categories of feeds can be collapsed/expanded.
- Expand all, Collapse all
- Titlebar now contains current feed name.
- Fixed: links now open in a new window.
- Fixed: Apostrophes no longer block feed loading.
- Click a category’s river (right most) button to see all posts for feeds in that category.
- Changed the ‘open connections’ Ajax indicator from images to text.
Ari Jaaksi Answers Some Nokia N800 / 770 Questions!
On his blog, Ari had a lot to say about the N800 launch and what it means for the Internet Tablet line of products.
- Apps compiled for the N800 will not work on the 770, but the platforms are similar enough that many apps can and will be built for both devices.
- Nokia will continue to support the dev community on both devices.
- Internet Tablet OS 2007 will not be back ported to the 770.
The pressure is on from the dev and user community. They want Nokia to make OS 2007 available for the 770. That would be ideal, yes, but I’m not upset. I do hope Nokia sees the community reaction and keeps it in mind when they launch the next device, though. Really, I’m just glad that the platform was successful enough to launch another product.
John Tokash 