Nokia unleashes latest Linux tablet — without WiMax

Nokia has released the latest in its line of touchscreen Internet tablets, the N810 — the first device in the series to come with integrated GPS and a slide-out keyboard.

Nokia announced the tablet, which runs on the company's Maemo Linux operating system, at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

The tablet — which includes no cellular connectivity, but does sport Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — is the third such device Nokia has produced in the last two years, as part of its drive to reposition the company's handsets as "multimedia computers" rather than mobile phones.

The N810 will come with Skype and a Mozilla-based browser pre-installed and, unlike Nokia's other tablets, will come with a slide out keyboard and integrated GPS — a feature Nokia expects to feature on all of its phones in time.

The device will ship from mid-November in some territories, for around US$479. It's scheduled to launch in Australia in the first quarter of next year but local pricing is not currently available, according to Nokia.

Despite the inclusion of new features, one expected improvement is yet to appear — WiMax connectivity. Nokia has already committed to launching WiMax-enabled products from next year and has previously hinted that the Linux tablet is in line for the connectivity upgrade.

Nokia has yet to make any concrete announcements on its WiMax line-up, however, a spokesperson noted that the phone maker will be working with US carrier Sprint, which expects to rollout its own WiMax network shortly.