Nokia unveils handheld Internet tablet

The new Internet Tablet, slated to go on sale this summer, is based on the open-source Linux operating system.

Nokia Corp is introducing a handheld tablet for Web-browsing over a wireless broadband connection, the company's first non-phone mobile device and the latest in a long line of attempts to create a so-called "Internet appliance" for quick online access around the home.

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The new Internet Tablet, unveiled on Wednesday and slated to go on sale this summer, is based on the open-source Linux operating system rather than the Symbian platform Nokia uses for "smart" cell phones.

Priced at $350 (euro278), the Internet Tablet is being positioned as an alternative to buying an extra personal computer or laptop for different rooms, providing a cheaper, quicker and less-cumbersome way to connect to the Web and e-mail at home.

There's no hard drive but rather 128 megabytes of onboard flash memory and a memory card slot. Nokia says the device is not intended as a rival to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod or other MP3 music players. A software update is expected early next year to add features such as voice-over-Internet telephony and instant messaging. While fairly unique in terms of its handheld size, the Internet Tablet can be seen as another variation on a concept that has repeatedly failed to catch on -- a device that offers easy Internet access and basic tasks such as e-mail for which the computing power of a full-blown PC is unnecessary.