Maemo is an open source development platform to create applications for Nokia Internet Tablet products like Nokia N800 and Nokia 770. The platform gives developers a powerful Linux based development environment and optimized end-user interface for handhelds.

Nokia officially launched the N800 internet tablet computer, which available from retailers and www.nokiausa.com for $400 USD, at the CES show in Las Vegas.

The N800 browse the internet via its built in Opera browser and access RSS feeds. , send and receive e-mail and instant messages, download audio and video and get RSS feeds. The N800 also has an integrated Web cam for videoconferencing and a microphone for Internet phone calls.

As a media player, the N800 handles MP3 and Windows Media files and other common audio and video formats, displaying images on a 4.1-inch color screen and playing audio through built-in stereo speakers or a headphone. Content can be loaded from SD or MMC memory cards, streamed from the Web or downloaded through a U.S.B. connection from another computer. The tablet uses Wi-Fi networking, but it can also connect to a compatible Nokia phone via Bluetooth and use it as a wireless modem.

The N800 has an on-screen keyboard, but can also recognize text written with a stylus. For a full list of features visit Nokia’s N800 page.

“It is quite an interesting product but it is lacking a few essential features, such as 3G, which would enable fast data connections,” Vanjoki, whose multimedia unit is a direct rival to Apple, was quoted as saying by Finnish business daily Taloussanomat.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs indicated that the company’s goal was 1% of the mobile phone market by 2008, or approximately 10 million iPhonesout of a market total of close to 1 billions sold in 2008.

Mr. Vanjoki was quoted as saying that “Apple’s objective is not at a very high level,” but that the iPhone’s entry would give an additional boost to the multimedia phone market, proving Nokia’s multimedia strategy was correct.

“This is another piece of evidence that we have been on the right track from the beginning,” he said.

Nokia indicated that it has sold close to 70 million phones with integrated MP3 players in 2006.

Source:  Reuters.com

Users can pay for groceries and other purchases by swiping a phone over a reader that electronically communicates with a microchip on the phone. Phone owners confirm the purchase with the push of a button and the deal is complete.

The platform is the result of many years of trials around the world and will enable mobile contactless payments, remote payments, person-to-person payments, and mobile coupons. Consumers will also be able manage their payment accounts and funds from their mobile devices, Visa said in a statement issued at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Source: Reuters.com

Nokia says it is co-operating with a leading provider of Internet-based phone to enable cellphone users to make wireless calls without using precious paid minutes.

The world’s largest mobile-phone maker has also announced new models at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and claimed a lead in the market for smart phones with 40 million units sold last year.

Nokia said its new N800 Internet Tablet will permit wireless phone connections through eBay Inc.’s Skype service. The model is available immediately in the United States and selected European countries. The Skype features will be available for download by June, Nokia added.

“Working with the leading mobile-handset manufacturer puts us in a unique position to get Skype to the mobile masses,” said Eric Lagier, head of Skype’s business development in hardware and mobile operations.

Skype is among several Internet-based phone services that work by splitting voice conversations into data packets just like email and web pages. The packets are then sent over the Internet, in this case using a wireless Wi-Fi connection. The packets are reassembled at the destination.

Voice calls over Wi-Fi networks are far cheaper than minutes on cellular networks because they use free radio spectrum and the Internet and do not require large cell towers.