Nokia 770 vs TabletKiosk UMPC volume 3: Alternatives.

The most criticism I've received from this line of blog entries is from people who consider a comparing a UMPC to an Internet Tablet equivalent to comparing apples and oranges. One forum member suggested it was more like comparing a Porsche to a Prius. I consider it more like comparing a Mars rover to a lunar rover.

Why? Well there has never been anything quite like either device before or since. The only reason I am writing about them is because I have both and like both but for wholly different purposes. Each has a different purpose and each has strengths over the other. In this post, I will attempt to compare each device to something “more similar.”

A few ground rules I set for myself: All compared devices must currently be available for retail or online sale, but did not include auction sites. The prices and specs are for “new” products with their full warranty. I allowed specialty importers to be included in this as long as they carried the manufacturer warranty.

Choosing a device against which to compare the Nokia tablet was difficult. There are no tablet form factor high resolution devices running Linux readily available on the market. The Sharp Zaurus SL-C series runs Linux but has a smaller, lower resolution screen, an integrated hard drive, a swivel screen, and a swivel keyboard form factor. It's also available only through importers at very high cost. The closest thing I could consider was a high end PDA with a high res screen, Bluetooth, WiFi, and flash memory as storage. I chose the Dell Axim x51v – the best PDA I could find at a comparable price to the Nokia 770. For the purpose of this review, I will compare it to both.

The choice for the TabletKiosk was easier. I wanted to choose the small tablet with no optical drives. Limiting myself to current retail items, I found the HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC to be a contender. Additionally, I will compare the TabletKiosk eo to the OQO 01+ mini tablet, since OQO has been doing this “super small computing” thing for a while now.

	Nokia 770	Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200	Dell Axim x51v
Retail Price	$349	$545	$499
Dimensions (in. HWD)	3.1x5.5x0.7	3.43x4.88x0.99	4.7x2.9x0.7
Weight	8.1 oz	10.5 oz.	6.2 oz
Screen size	4.1"	3.7"	3.7"
Resolution	800x480	640x480	480x640
CPU	250 MHz OMAP	416 MHz Xscale	624 MHz Xscale
RAM	64M SDRAM	64M SDRAM	64M SDRAM
Storage	64M Flash	6G HDD, 128M Flash	256M Flash
Expansion	RS-MMC	CF, SD	CF, SDIO
Rated battery	3 hours	7 hours	4 hours
OS	Linux (Maemo)	Linux (OpenPDA)	Windows Mobile 5
Applications	Maemo application catalog	I couldn't find any in my searching. Is there a list?	Windows Mobile catalog
Advantages	High resolution. Active developer base with free applications.	Keyboard. Mass storage.	Smallest. Wide range of commercial applications
Weaknesses	No synchronizing PIM applications currently. Weak CPU. RS-MMC storage	Japan only except through importers. OpenPDA developer base not as active as others.	Commercial applications cost money. High cost of SDK for developers.

The Nokia 770 is the better for web browsing than the competitors. For go-everywhere access to your Email, news feeds, and favorite web pages, the Nokia 770 is your choice. If you want a strong PDA, portable media player, or full computer, consider an alternative.

	TabletKiosk eo v7110 (512M upgrade)	HP Compaq tc4200	OQO 01+
Retail Price	998	1547	1699
Dimensions	8.98x5.75x0.98	9.3x11.2x1.3	3.4x4.9x.9
Weight	32 oz	73.6 oz	14 oz
Screen size	7"	12.1"	5"
Resolution	800x480 (zoomable display to 1024x600)	1024x768	800x480 transflective
CPU	1GHz Via C7-M	Pentium M 740	1GHz Transmeta Crusoe
RAM	512M	512M	512M
Storage	40G HDD	40G HDD	30G HDD
Expansion	USB	PC Card, USB.	USB2, Firewire
Rated battery life	2.2 hours	Up to 5.5 hours	Up to 3 hours
OS	Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 with TouchPack	Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005	Windows XP Home (Tablet PC edition $200 extra)
Docking	Not included and not available yet. Pricing TBA. (Will include VGA, USB, Ethernet)	$189. Includes full array of standard PC ports plus DVI and more.	Included. VGA, USB, Firewire, Ethernet
Advantages	Price. Optimized interface for small tablet computing. Stick cursor.	Full workhorse machine.	Size. Sliding keyboard. Universal power supply.
Weaknesses	No keyboard, limited expansion, high cost of factory upgrades	Cost. Size. Weight	Extreme cost. 802.11b only.

The price point for very small tablet computers has been obnoxiously high for a long time. This is likely because OQO ventured into the territory of a "full yet mobile PC" some time ago and is likely recouperating their R&D costs in the high price. However, with Microsoft's backing on the Origami project, other competitors are creeping forward. They're not taking the slice out of the market: They're creating an entirely new market.

Compared to the OQO 01+, the hardware advantages simply do not bridge the cost gap. Compared with the HP tablet computer, the TabletKiosk eo shows that you will pay more for more functonality, but you'll get weighed down by it too.

Both devices (The Nokia 770 and the TabletKiosk eo) compared to more "similar" products are actually very good values for what you get out of them.