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Nokia 770 "pocket browser" ready for launch as FCC approves - but is the market interested?

Nokia is trying to do what Microsoft failed to do: sell a small, hand-held wireless browser for home use. The launch of the Nokia 770 is now pretty close, with this week's approval in America by the Federal Communications Commission - but why would this sell, if "Mira" couldn't? Why is it better than the Gizmondo? or the PepperPad

The enthusiasm for the Nokia product can't be denied. There are new blogs/ news sites devoted solely to this device. What's interesting, however, is the source of the enthusiasm. Most of it seems to be the Open Source/ Linux community, and seems to be based on the fact that the device is based on Debian Linux.

Here's the list of headlines from one site, Linux Devices - with a clear mandate to focus on open source:

It's clearly a genuine trophy for the Linux community... but the concept has so far proved a dud for several of the companies who tried it.So what's the difference, this time?

The Microsoft "Smart Display" was bigger, and smarter. It was, quite simply, a moveable computer display; you could pick a (fairly costly!) flat screen up off its stand, and take it into the kitchen. It then had most of the abilities of the computer it was connected to, wirelessly (WiFi). What it couldn't do, was play games with fast graphics, or video. But in all other respects, it was a PC in your hand; smaller and lighter than a Tablet, and a lot cheaper. Price was very similar to the expected $350 of the Nokia 770. Screen a full XGA resolution, however.

Next, Sony. Twice the weight of the 770 is the Sony Vaio U71P - rather smaller than the Smart Display, rather larger than the Nokia. A pretty decent review can be found at The Gadget Blog. It does cost a lot more than the Nokia, at $1,700. Main advantage over the Nokia is storage; it takes a standard disk, as well as Flash memory, where the Nokia takes a RS-MMC memory chip only. The Vaio is a PC, running Windows XP - significantly, perhaps, the Linux community has dismissed it for that reason.

There's a good sales pitch  on Dynamism

How does the 770 stack up? Too soon to have any real reviews, since the first production machines are only going out to journalists this week.

However, InformationWeek did manage to get a prototype play  - an article which the web site, itself, can't find - which was pretty bad. The main complaint, however, may not be valid: the reviewer found that it was slow - very slow. That's usually a sign of software with lots and lots of debug code left in.

Nonetheless, the feature list of the 770 isn't impressive, compared with what we've seen in other "home hand-held" browser slates. It has a tiny display, 4.1 inch diagonal; the resolution is poor at 800 by 480; and the complete list of applications looks like a gamble with applications (in 2005 software edition) listed as:

The media player means it can play wide-screen DVD. So can many PDAs however; and many of those have a mobile phone built into them - while the Nokia 770 doesn't.

The best reason for doubting that it will succeed on a grand scale is the price. Competing with phone/PDA devices which can be sponsored by phone companies, this one is a pure toy... you pay the full retail price.

The next reason for wondering whether it will be successful is that it requires the user to have a working WiFi network at home. WiFi networking is growing fast, but is nowhere near ubiquitous; it's not only a minority but it's a technically competent minority.

Finally, there's the question of how useful it will be when not connected to the Internet.

The Microsoft Smart Display destroyed its chances by being a dead piece of electronics if you took it out of range of the PC it was attached to.It also suffered badly - or would have suffered, if anybody had actually bought the thing - from disabling the home computer; it wasn't possible to use it downstairs while someone else worked on the PC upstairs - a wretchedly stupid decision designed to sell more licences of Windows XP - a plan that would never have worked.

Has Nokia made the same mistake? Can you leave it in your pocket when you leave home, and find yourself holding something that still functions when you get onto the bus? Or will you think "I wish I'd brought my PDA!"?

Watch for reviews this coming month.