Maemo Mapper for Nokia 770 is released. From the author’s site:
After a brief foray into the world of GPSDrive, I decided that it was far too useful for my needs. That is to say that it included much functionality for which I had no use or desire, and the result was a quite large program that ran quite slowly on the Nokia 770. Yeah, okay, some people want kismet integration, but I don’t, and since I don’t think kismet yet works on the Nokia 770, it’d be nice not to have to carry that overhead in memory all the time.At first, I thought I could modify GPSDrive to suit my needs - cutting out things that I felt were unnecessary. When it came down to it, though, that was almost everything, and my specific map requirements (which were largely incompatible with GPSDrive) led me to decide to start from scratch.
The result is Maemo Mapper.
This Nokia 770 projects site has two pretty interesting projects - Flasher Utility for the Nokia 770 and a tutorial on USB Host Mode and USB Devices on the Nokia 770.
To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Maemo, Nokia started Maemo Garage, which provides project hosting for Nokia 770 developers.
Today at the VON Europe conference in Stockholm, Nokia introduced a new software upgrade for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. The upgraded features of the introduced OS 2006 edition include support for rich Internet communications, including pre-installed Google Talk(TM) - all on a portable broadband mobile device. Google Talk(TM) is Google’s free instant messaging service that enables people to chat and make calls through the Internet.
Additional features of the new software edition include enhanced text typing with full-screen finger keyboard, improved memory performance and refreshed look. There is also an improved home view desktop allowing users to choose from a variety of small applets to enable fast access to Internet services.
“We are pleased to offer this software upgrade to both the existing user base of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet as well to new users. Since the launch of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, we have received a lot of positive feedback along with requests for both small and large improvements. It is a credit to the internal team, here at Nokia, that many of these wishes are addressed in today’s’ upgrade”, says Ari Virtanen, vice president of Convergence Products, Multimedia, Nokia.
“The Internet Tablet OS 2006 edition features pre-installed Google Talk and Jabber compatibility for Instant Messaging as well as Google Talk compatibility for Internet calling. This will give Nokia Internet Tablet users the power to instantly communicate with people, both through instant messaging and Voice over IP”, continues Ari Virtanen.
In addition to Google Talk(TM), which is based on open standards and is compatible with all instant messaging clients that support Jabber/XMPP, the tablet also offers Google as the default search provider, making it even easier for users to get the information they need quickly and easily.
“By extending the power of real time communications, Google Talk will provide users with easy access to one of today’s most popular methods of communication,” said Deep Nishar, director of product management, Google Inc. “Because Nokia has made it even easier to access Google search, users will be able to get the information they need, when they need it and regardless of where they are.”
The upgraded Internet Tablet software platform can also support SIP based VoIP solutions for broadband business benefit. Standalone software applications, like the popular Gizmo Project by SIPPhone Inc, is planned to be available for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. The Gizmo Project has a rich feature set including the capability to make and receive calls from public telephony networks.
The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is a Wi-Fi enabled device optimized for Internet communications in a slim pocketsize format. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet features an impressive high-resolution (800×480) 4.13″ widescreen display with zoom and on-screen, full-screen finger keyboard or handwriting recognition, ideal for viewing online content over Wi-Fi. Aside from Wi-Fi, the device can also connect to the Internet utilizing Bluetooth wireless technology via a compatible mobile device.
The Internet Tablet OS 2006 edition which is based on popular desktop Linux and Open Source technologies is planned to be available during the second quarter of 2006 in selected countries in Europe and the Americas. It is downloadable free of charge from the Internet www.nokia.com/770.
Google and Nokia are expected to announce the upgrade at an event Tuesday in Stockholm, said a Nokia spokesman who asked not to be identified. He declined to provide other details, such as the whether the $360 price tag will change with the update.
It appears that an anouncement may come soon. I almost ordered one this week. I’m glad I waited.
Google and Nokia formed a partnership for a version of Nokia 770 to have Google Talk on it. Google Talk currently incorporates text messaging and VOIP features.
It’s not yet clear how the partnership will work out. According to MSNBC report,
Nokia expects the device to go on sale globally and cost about 300 euros, or about $390, the person said. Nokia also is talking to other companies about incorporating their Internet communication software onto the device.$390 is a hefty price, and one would expect that with such significant branding and sticking to just one kind of VOIP client Google would subsidize at least part of the cost to get its client out there.
Adam Wolf shares his experience of using Nokia 770 as an e-book reader.
Washington Post today has an article completely dedicated to Nokia 770:
But while this $360 gadget might fit in great on “Star Trek,” in the real world it competes with a galaxy of other handheld devices - most of which do more than the Nokia 770, and do it far more reliably and gracefully. The Nokia 770’s aptitude at providing a pocket-size window on the Web can’t overcome its ineptitude at almost everything else.