"Nokia Corp. is straying from its core cellular business with its first non-phone mobile device, a handheld Internet tablet for accessing the Web around the home over a wireless broadband connection....Priced at $350, the Internet Tablet is being positioned as an alternative to buying an extra personal computer or laptop for different rooms, providing a cheaper, quicker and less-cumbersome way to connect to the Web...The new device, weighing half a pound, is three-quarters of an inch thick, 5.6 inches wide, and 3.1 inches deep. The touch-screen display is 4.1 inches long measured diagonally."
Photo from MobileTrackerBelieve it or not, this is something I might buy - though I'm not convinced that a 4.1 inch screen is big enough. There's no mention of screen resolution, but I'm betting that given the price point and screen size, it won't be a VGA screen, which makes it of dubious use. When my wife and I are relaxing in front of the TV, I often bring my laptop upstairs to do research - I regularly consult
IMDB to look up details on an actor or actress that we saw in a movie or TV show. I've often thought it would be useful to have a small Tablet PC-like device just for that room, but the costs of current Tablet PCs make that a frivolous desire. Devices like this have been on the market before, and failed, although this one is smaller and less expensive than previous versions. And if it's subsidized at retail, it just might be a success on price point alone.
Here's another article with further details.
I have this grand theory about the cost of semiconductors and LCD screens needing to hit a ridiculous price point before we see the proliferation of multiple connected devices in a home, but I'll save that for another day. ;-)