The Nokia 770 (and the latest incarnation, the Nokia N800) are "internet tablets": small, portable devices specifically for accessing the Internet, including web-browsing, email, instant messaging and VOIP. The Nokia 770 has a large touchscreen, a small directional keypad and some other function buttons. It can connect to the Internet via Wifi (IEEE802.11b/g) or Bluetooth (i.e. connecting through your phone to use dial-up or a data plan).
The 770 is based on Linux and a Gnome-derivative user interface called "Maemo". As both Maemo and Linux are open source, there is an active developer and hacker community writing different applications and software for all sorts of things -- e-book readers, intrusion (detection) tools, integrated media browsers and players, automotive telemetry, GPS and even aeronautical displays for experimental aeroplane designs.
For home automation, the 770 supports application programming in a number of languages, including Python. Also, the default browser (a version of Opera) can do AJAX, which opens the way for dynamic web-based interfaces.
Resources
Developer
- Maemo - Programming environment
- Nokia 770 HowTo
Tips
I just watched Rise of the Silver Surfer. That's a Nokia 770 that Reed Richards is obsessed with! I hadn't thought of hooking the tablet into a world-wide satellite network, I must admit ...
--glennji 03:58, 4 October 2007 (PDT)