Nokia N810

The N810, like its predecessors the N800 and N770, isn't a phone. It's a Linux-based handheld computer that connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or with a Bluetooth connection through a mobile phone. Nokia has finally gotten the form factor right; the N810 is a pleasure to hold and to use. The 2.8 by 5 by 0.55 inches (HWD), 7.9-ounce metallic body feels solid, and the richly colorful 4.1-inch 800-by-480-pixel touch screen slides up to reveal a thumb keypad. There's a VGA camera built into the side for video calling, and a little stand pops out of the back if you want to prop the N810 up on your desk. On the top, a lock switch lets you use it as an MP3 player in a coat pocket without worrying about bumping the screen. Overall, it's an attractive, thoughtfully built piece of hardware.

The N810's home screen consists of "widgets," including a Google search box, RSS reader, clock, and Internet radio app that you can move around on the screen, showing the Debian Linux–based operating system's attractive transparency effects. Big icons on the left-hand side of the screen let you launch other apps with your fingers. It's a well-designed interface, though it isn't quite as simple to navigate as its direct rival, Apple's iPod touch.

The N810 connects to the Internet effortlessly, either through Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g (with WPA2) or using a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone. If you choose to go the mobile-phone route, you'll need to subscribe to a relatively expensive tethering plan—around $50 a month—from your carrier. This has nothing to do with Nokia, though. Web browsing is the device's real strength. Nokia is the true king of handheld Web browsers. The company's Series 60 phone browser is the best in the business, and the N810's browser renders pages that look just as good as they do on a PC, including Flash (but not Java) plug-ins. That's superior to the iPod touch, which can't handle Flash.

The e-mail program supports only POP3. When I tried to use its IMAP option, the device choked and crashed. But messages are rendered in HTML, and reading text on the crisp-looking screen is a pleasure. The interface did seem a bit sluggish sometimes, with responses trailing after button presses—a surprise considering the device's relatively powerful, 400-MHz processor. The N810 has 2GB of onboard flash memory, and a slot on the bottom of the device takes miniSD cards for additional storage; an 8GB SanDisk card worked fine.(www.pcmag.com)