With all the talk of Palm OS now going to a Linux OS I decided to pick up a handheld that runs Linux to see what's so special about this open source OS people rave about.

I have never used a Linux device, ever, so this is all new to me. I have only had the Nokia 770 for a few hours, and being a long time and current Palm OS user am still trying to get used to this device. One thing for sure, out of the box this does not even come close to the Palm OS, but I want to really give it a shot. I can already tell you now this will never replace my Treo 650, but there are some very cool things about it, and it has me realizing that the move to a Linux OS can be very beneficial for us Palm OS users if PalmSource/ACCESS execute it right.

The screen on this device is AMAZING, it's 800 x 480, a big step up from my Treos 320 x 320 screen. It has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g built in so I could connect it to my home network, or my Treo using BT DUN. It comes with a verison of Opera 8 web browser which is actually a pleasure to use so far. Built in e-mail client, a RSS new reader program, audio player, video player, internet radio, image reader, pdf reader, a few games, 64 megs of internal flash memory, and an included 64 meg MMC card.

Like I said, I've only used it for about 2 hours, and haven't really tried out everything this device has to offer. It really shines as an Internet Tablet, the main purpose of this new category from Nokia. The 770 handles webpages just like a desktop, something I did not expect from a device of this size. It supports multiple windows, Flash 6 plugins, Javascript, SSL, cookies, bookmarks, caching, zooming, optimized mode, full screen viewing, something I have never been able to do on a Palm OS or Windows Mobile device. Surfing on a device that has a screen resoltuion of 800 x 480 trumps any handheld I've used.

Nokia has said that there will be an OS upgrade coming soon that will add VoIP, and an IM client. Thanks to my friend Joel from Switchblog and 1src , he has given me tons of resources of places to get free software, and I already have an instant messaging program called GAIM, and a few games installed on it currently.

It's still too early to tell if I am going to keep this device, or return it, but I'll be sure to keep you updated. Stay tuned.