Nokia could be developing a new, much larger portable device that sits above its Internet Tablets in features, a new research note by UBS analyst Maynard Um says. Where the existing N810 has just a 4.1-inch display, investigations by Um point to the existence of either a notebook or tablet with a 9- or 10-inch display and features that have never existed on an Nseries tablet, such as a touchpad for input, HDMI out, a secondary OLED screen and Near Field Communication (NFC) for very close-range wireless links.
The Linux-based device would potentially be much more expensive than the N810 and so may push the Finnish company towards bundling services and negotiating carrier subsidies to discount the price to where it competes with netbooks, which Um estimates sit at around $400.
When this would be released if at all is unclear, though the company is due to kick off its Nokia World show on Tuesday and should focus on one or more new Nseries devices.
Nokia has regularly struggled to find success for its tablets, which have largely been hurt by a lack of wide-area wireless until the advent of the N810 WiMAX Edition as well as prices closer to some entry-level notebooks. In addition to the appearance of netbooks, the Internet Tablet line has also had much of its functionality duplicated by devices like the iPod touch, which cost considerably less for more storage and similar capabilities for media playback and web browsing.
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