Archive for September 4th, 2007

After I bought the Nokia N770 for my husband, I found it hard to put in down.  When I told him I was going to get one for myself, he suggested that I buy the N800 since we already had a N770 in the house.  I was somewhat hesitant given the price difference, but I am glad that I took my husband’s advice.  So how do they compare?

Aesthetics:  The N800 certainly has a slicker look to it compare to the understated finish of the N770.  I think the screens are the same size and from the specs they also have the same resolution.  However, in use I feel like the N800 seems a bit bigger.  Since the N800 also has a built in camera it doesn’t lie flat.  This makes it a bit more bulky.

Hardware:  I like the finish on the N770 more.  My hand doesn’t slide as much as it does on the N800.  The only time I notice it though is when I am reading in portrait mode.  I also think that the N770 is made sturdier.  The buttons don’t feel like Chiclets.  The separation of the Home, menu drop down, and escape key makes it easier to use.  The same thing goes for the zoom, power, and full screen buttons on top of the tablet.  I really think that I have more control with the N770.  I have nails (not long ones) and often on the N800 I slip and end up pushing the wrong key.  The N800 has dual speakers and the sound is much better when listening without earphones. The N770 has a separate stand, which means another thing to carry. It’s built into the N800, but it covers the USB port.  I use Velcro to attach mine to a case, so that means that I have to remove my tablet to hook it up to my PC.  That can be a pain.  Another thing that Nokia dropped when they came out with the N800 is the slide on cover.  The hard cover on the N770 puts the device in suspend mode and protects the screen.  There’s no need to get a case. I hope that the next generation tablet includes the hard cover and either has a separate stand or moves the USB connection port.  The only gripe I have about the N770 is that it only uses RS-MMC cards.  That limits me to 2 gb.  The N800 has two memory slots, that means that I can have up to 16 gb of space, fantastic for storing movies and music.

Use: I mainly use my N800 for reading.  Since I like reading in portrait mode, I think that I would rather read using the N770. It’s just easier to grip and feels better in my hand.  I recently got a Bluetooth keyboard so now I also use my N800 to take notes in class (for some reason people ask me if it is a Blackberry or iPhone).  I also downloaded Maemo WordPy.  It’s a Wordpress client that allows users to create blog entries and post directly from the tablet.  The N800 is definitely faster, but not noticeable when reading e-books.

I can’t recommend one over the other.  They are both great devices.  I think that it all depends on how you plan to use the tablet.  If you are looking for something to read e-books then you can save some money and just go for the N770.