LinuxDevices has posted a detailed, hands-on review examining Nokia’s Linux-based N800 Internet Tablet first as a consumer electronics device, and then as a platform for open source software development.

The N800 has a beautiful 800×480 display showing 64K colors on a screen approximately 10.5 cm diagonally. The goal was to achieve a screen size large enough to display web pages in essentially the same way as they are on a laptop or desktop computer. Anyone who has attempted to navigate the web on a cellphone or PDA, with their severely limited dimensions resulting in a quite different experience, will appreciate Nokia’s efforts on this front.

Somewhat surprisingly to me, Nokia has largely succeeded in this endeavor.