An Internet appliance is a consumer device whose main function is easy access to Internet services such as WWW or e-mail . The term was popularized in the 1990s, when it somewhat overlapped in meaning with an information appliance , desktop computer , network computer , or even thin client , but now it has fallen out of general use.
7-638: The Nokia N810 Internet tablet is an Internet appliance from Nokia , announced on 17 October 2007 at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco . Despite Nokia's strong association with cellular products, the N810, like preceding tablets produced by Nokia, was not a phone, but instead allowed the user to browse the Internet and communicate using Wi-Fi networks or with a mobile phone via Bluetooth . It built on
14-492: A menu bar, and a large customisable area that could display information such as an RSS reader, Internet radio player, and Google search box for example. Maemo was a modified version of Debian Linux . The N810 was bundled with several applications including the Mozilla -based MicroB browser, Adobe Flash , Gizmo , and Skype . Mobile Firefox "Fennec" was also made available for N810, and promised to make users "forget about
21-635: The clunky, stripped-down mobile Web you're used to". Installation added the Mozilla repository to the Application Manager, allowing automatic notification of updates. Internet appliance Internet appliances were contrasted with any general purpose computer , but unlike personal computers, internet appliances were low cost and low margin products, usually using highly optimised low power silicon specifically built for internet use. Modern smart phones and tablet computers do approximately
28-643: The hardware and software of the Nokia N800 with some features added and some removed. The Nokia N810 featured the Maemo Linux distribution operating system based on Maemo 4.0, which featured MicroB (a Mozilla -based mobile browser ), a GPS navigation application, new media player, and a refreshed interface. The Nokia N810 had much in common with the N800 and Internet Tablet OS 2008 operated on both, but there were some significant differences between
35-421: The same things, but are more powerful, more successful in the market, and generally not classified as Internet appliances. Internet appliances were promoted by a variety of technology companies during the 1990s but, as the price of full-featured computers dropped, never met the market expectations. Jim Louderback would later describe the concept as one of the "eight biggest tech flops ever". An Internet tablet
42-502: The two. Here are the new features in the Nokia N810: On 1 April 2008, Nokia announced a WiMAX equipped version of the N810 called the "N810 WiMAX Edition". This device was to be identical in specifications to the original N810 but included a WiMAX radio for use initially on Sprint's Xohm network, and featured a color change from Light Gray or dark blue to Black, as well as a larger case-back bulge to accommodate an antenna that
49-579: Was more efficient at the required bands. The production of the Wimax Edition of the Nokia N810 ended in January 2009. The N810, like all Nokia Internet Tablets, ran Maemo, which was similar to many handheld operating systems, and provided a "Home" screen – the central point from which all applications and settings were accessed. The Home screen was divided into areas for launching applications,
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