OS And Applications

New units ship with the 2006 OS installed but you can upgrade any 770. You need to back up your data before you start because upgrading wipes applications and files off the tablet. Nokia provides a Windows-based tool for flashing the 770 via a USB connection; Linux and Mac OS X users need to use the tools provided at the Maemo.org site Restricted Downloads, with ROM images at Software Authentication. I used the Windows software from Nokia 770 Internet Tablet Support to upgrade my test device. The 4 MB download tool bootstraps the 60 MB OS update; Nokia suggests the whole install process will take around 20 minutes, but download times will vary depending on the speed of your connection.

The user interface is clear and colourful; the menu bar doesn't work like any other device but it's intuitive. Not all of the applications are as helpful and adding a bookmark, an RSS feed or an Internet radio station is more difficult than it needs to be. The Opera browser copes with cookies, multiple windows and most but not all JavaScript and Flash apps; you'll have trouble with Ajax sites like the new Yahoo! Mail and we couldn't view videos on YouTube. Video playback is clear and smooth, especially if you resample to the screen resolution, but the player is picky about the codecs, frame rates and resolutions it will play.

The home screen of the Nokia 770: you can drag and drop the apps to re-arrange them.
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Stream Internet radio on the 770: you have to add the stations yourself.
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The new OS adds VOIP and IM tools based on Jabber and Google Talk (a SIP phone is under development). We tested the XMPP-based IM with Google Talk IM and LiveJournal's Jabber services, and found it easy to configure and use, although it's odd to have to go offline to edit account settings or add new services and working with more than 100 contacts is slow, especially when scrolling. Speech quality was good with Google Talk's VoIP service, even with the built in microphone and speaker. You can comfortably use the 770 as a speakerphone from several feet away or plug in a headset (there's no Bluetooth headset support yet).

It doesn't look like much, but this is a GoogleTalk VOIP call in progress.
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You can chat on any Jabber-compatible IM system, complete with emoticons.
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