Going against what seems to be popular opinion among gadget gurus, I’ve always been a fan of the tablet PC concept. People always ask me, if it’s the wave of the future, why does it continue to stumble so badly? Simple. No one has gotten the formula right yet of cheap, lightweight, with the proper design and functionality. I still see a future where you have a digital hub PC in your home, a few dedicated Net appliances, like an entertainment server, and a couple of cheap wireless tablets that float around your house as needed (looking up recipes in the kitchen, checking email in bed, surfing websites while watching TV, reading newsfeeds on the can, etc.).
Nokia may be teasing us with at least parts of that future with the introduction of their new 770 WiFi Tablet. Slated to retail for US$350, the device has an 800 x 480 pixels screen, runs on Linux, and comes with software to do email, Web browsing, use Internet phone service (Voice over IP), and has an RSS newsfeeder. Rather than try to cram a PC into a tablet formfactor (a la MS), this device relies on a home PC for storage (i.e. no hard drive) and has a MultiMedia Memory Card (MMC) slot for data storage/transfer. Also has Bluetooth and USB as other options for talking to your other devices. I’d love to try and get ahold of one of these and take it for a test spin.
UPDATE MobileBurn got their hands on one of these Nokia 770 devices and offers this quick review with pics.