The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, the latest model in the lineup, is now $90 cheaper than its original launch price. Nokia took a big bite out of the suggested retail price which brings the gadget down to $389.99. The N800, which is the N810's predecessor, is still available but the price has plateaued at about $230. The N800 doesn't have GPS or the hardware thumb keyboard.
The N810 includes a QWERTY thumb keyboard and built-in GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi. It runs an open-source Linux-based operating system and has a user interface that is specialized for touch-screen interaction. The svelte handheld has an excellent screen and offers a pretty good Internet experience with its Gecko-based browser. Although it has decent Skype support, the N810 is not a phone, and it also lacks 3G wireless capabilities.
There are several factors that are potentially behind the $90 price cut. There has been some speculation that a WiMAX-enabled version of the device will be reaching the market soon, which means that the N810 could be supplanted by a newer model. It is also possible that Nokia is responding to Apple's mobile SDK release, which could tilt some prospective buyers towards the iPod Touch.
Either way, the N810 is a pretty good value at $389 for users who don't need 3G in a mobile device. The third-party software ecosystem is extremely diverse, and there are already a plethora of good Linux applications that have been ported to the system, including Pidgin and XChat.
