Nokia N800 and O2 Joggler

After seeing the adverts for O2’s new product the Joggler I decided to revisit my Nokia N800 Internet Tablet as I saw several similarities.

The N800 operates on a Linux OS (Maemo platform) so may be a little confusing for the regular Windows or Mac OS crowd. However, installing applications is a simple matter of going to the Application Manager and following the instructions to install programs from the well-serviced list available.

I was looking at ways of mimicking some of the Joggler services and found that, on the whole, I could – with extras.

Firstly, the best way to keep a calendar is to install mcalendar, of all the ones I tried this was the easiest and (as a plus) you can synch it with your Google calendar. The only glitch is that it only synchs from Google to mcalendar but not both ways. Once installed you can also install an applet (small program that runs on the desktop) so your today & tomorrow appointments are on display whenever you view the desktop.

Other applets available are a clock, internet radio, RSS reader, internet search and speed contacts with a few others available once you install the applications. The applets can be moved around the screen and re-sized to your own liking.

I installed a weather forecast app and set it to my location then put the applet on the desktop so I now have a forecast for the next five days which is updated regularly.

The next thing I looked for was a quick launch application – I found Personal Launcher which is easy to personalise and also has applet for the desktop. Now all my main applications can be launched quickly from the desktop.

Unlike its younger brother the N810 my N800 does not have built in GPS but this is easily remedied with an external BT one I had from a Palm TX I had ages ago. With this I can now use any of the mapping services available for download (if I so wished).

Canola is a great multi-media player for looking at pics, listening to music & radio or viewing videos. There are also some add-ons such as one for Flickr and another for LastFM. You can also get various skins for it if you don’t like the default.

Once I had the major apps installed I went on to play stuff. I found a very good app for tidal details (gtktide) so now I know quickly whether it’s worth going down for a walk on the beach. I found a note-taking app (quicknote) and a tuner application for musical instruments. I didn’t install any games but there are plenty available.

So now I have a device that I can leave in the kitchen and everyone can see what’s going on, listen to music, laugh at pictures, check the time & tides, make notes and so on – you have to check out the Application Manager for the lengthy list of things to install. Almost everything regularly used is there on the desktop for quick access and there’s a nice kickstand so it can be displayed upright on a flat surface.

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