Nokia N800 review

Can't wait for the iPhone?

We know how you feel. Apple's announcement had jaws dropping all over MacUser's office - and beyond. However, if you want one now, you're going to need to have an extraordinary reserve of patience, given that it isn't due to hit the UK much before Christmas 2007.

At first glance, the Nokia N800 is the pretender to Apple's nearly finished throne. It has a 4.1in, 800 x 480 touchscreen and, like the iPhone, it runs a Linux-based operating system, although in this case one that's Open Source. Further, it ships with a media player, a web browser and an RSS reader. You also get a Pop3 client, plus a VoIP application that works with Google Talk and Jabber accounts. Its party piece is the webcam - push it in to release it and it pops out of the left-hand side.

However, the similarities to the iPhone largely stop there: the N800 isn't a device that lends itself to being out and about. It only has 802.11b/g and Bluetooth connectivity, for instance, so no 3G, no Edge, not even GSM compatibility. This isn't a crippling disability, but it does mean you can only get online where there's a wireless hotspot.

There are features elsewhere that atone somewhat. The N800 is UPnP-enabled, so as long as you have a compatible device somewhere on the same network, you can stream music to it. The built-in speakers are inevitably weak, but the 3.5mm headphone jack means you can take music out to the garden with you.

In spite of the meaty-sounding 330MHz CPU and 128MB of Ram, though, playing back music at the same time as browsing the web reduced performance. We also found playing back video next to impossible. The N800 is theoretically happy playing most popular file formats, but only at very low bit rates. This means if you have a decent, high-quality media library residing somewhere, you'll need to re-encode it before you can watch it.

There's not enough internal storage, either. 256MB of flash memory isn't enough for a decent-sized music collection, much less any videos, although there are two SD card slots, one external and one internal, which means upgrading will at least be cheap.

We enjoyed surfing the web on the N800, and there are a few nice touches that make life easier. By default, the on-screen, Qwerty keyboard is sized for use with the stylus, but prod a text box with the pad of your finger and you get a full-screen keyboard suitable for use with your hands. Turning up the clicker simulates tactile feedback, and with a little practice, we found ourselves posting full blog entries.

The N800 is a unique device, but the appeal of reading blogs on the sofa is dampened by the fact that it simply isn't as comfortable to use as a laptop. The fact that you can't use the device away from wifi coverage is another insurmountable problem. If you simply must have a touchscreen internet device, the Nokia N800 is worth a look, but at more than £300, it's no real threat to the iPhone.

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