Me and my Nokia.

As soon as I saw this I knew I wanted one. Couldn't quite put my finger on why but I knew it was important. So I got myself on the list and got one of the first to be delivered in the UK.

Nearly everyone I show this device to asks one of 2 almost completely irrelevant questions:

"What's the local storage capacity" (If they think its an MP3 player)
"Does it run Outlook" (If they thinks its a PDA)

So I feel a need to evangelise about the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which, despite a few weaknesses, is the first really transformational device I've had my hands on for a long time. So far my 770 has:

• Stopped me slouching in front of the computer at home after a day of slouching in front of the computer at work.
• Persuaded me to dump POP as an email protocol and go totally IMAP (with a bit of webmail thrown in) as I now really want to read email 'anywhere'
• Encrouaged me to ditch those ridiculous personal information management programs that pretended to help me stay organised. What's the point of keeping things locally when you can (like I now do) keep my contacts online in Plaxo, my tasks in Remember the Milk, my calandar on Eventful, write using Zoho (thanks to Stow Boyd's blog for the tip on that last one) and communicate using Gaim and stitch most of the output together in a personalised Google page?
• Convinced me to shelve my plans to put up more shelves.

These things might seem strange, unconnected and/or items I could have done without a 770 but in posts to come I'll try and explain the device to the unconvinced. Today - item number 1.

Prior to the 770 I spent way too much time in front of the computer(s) at home, not doing 'computer related stuff' like playing games or working but simply reading blogs for news. A task that I should be able to do in a newspaper reading environment (like the armchair in the living room or the breakfast table in the kitchen) not hunched in front of a computer.

The astonishing screen of the 770 and its wi-fi connection has freed me from the computer room. I can now/do now read anywhere with the same ease as I would carrying around a book or a newspaper (something a laptop could never emulate).

More later. You can follow the enthusiatic 770 community here.

[technorati tags: Nokia+770, Internet+tablet, Plaxo, Zoho, Eventful, Remember+the+Milk, Gaim, Stow+Boyd]

Comments

[Chris Radcliff]

Nice. How is it for Web reading? I tend to use my powerbook to read at the kitchen table, but it's pretty dim in full sunlight.

I'm also interested in hearing how the Eventful site looks (and works) on Minimo (the included browser).

[Chris Radcliff]

Whoops. I guess the 770 is running Opera, not Minimo. That makes me even more curious...

[Will Sheward]

Chris, Opera (the default browser for the device) works fine, so far I've had none of the 'issues' I'd expect browsing via a mobile device.

Is Eventful known to be a problem site? On the 770 it looks and works exactly as it does via my desktop and laptop. The key here is the 770's screen, you really have to see it to believe it. 800x480 resolution on a screen this small looks very good indeed.