Nokia N800 with WiMax in Development

Sprint reportedly plans to release a version of the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet with the 4G cellular-wireless networking standard Mobile WiMax.

The N800 currently offers Wi-Fi, but when away from a hotspot it depends on a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone for Internet connectivity. A WiMax-enabled model would need this far less often, as carriers -- Sprint most notably -- are planning on setting up networks to offer this service all across many large metropolitan areas.

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This will allow users of this small Internet Tablet to access the Web, exchange email, or make VoIP calls with Skype virtually wherever they go.

Neither Nokia nor Sprint has officially announced a version of the N800 with WiMax, but Dr. Ari Jaaksi, Nokia's director of open source, told LinuxDevices that this model will be released next year.

Sprint and Mobile WiMAX

Sprint expects to begin offering Mobile WiMax in the coming months, with a rollout in most major cities across the U.S. before the end of 2008.

Exactly what data transfer speed users can expect from this upcoming service has not yet been revealed, but it will certainly be noticeably faster than Sprint's current EV-DO network in most situations.

This carrier said early this year that it expects to charge $55 per month for unlimited data transfers on this service.

More About the Nokia N800

The N800 is smaller than most Tablet PCs -- 5.7 in. by 3.0 in. -- and at less than $400 significantly more affordable. Nevertheless it can perform many of the tasks users turn to Tablet PCs for.

This device runs a version of Linux, and includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a built-in web camera, dual memory card slots, and stereo speakers.

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• Nokia N800 Internet Tablet OS Update Adds Skype and SDHC Card Support

Via Mobility Site