WiMax coming to Nokia's N810 Internet tablet

Turns out the rumors were true—the feature-packed N810 will, indeed, be getting WiMax connectivity, although finding a WiMax network to use it on will be a challenge.

Nokia just announced that the N810 WiMax Edition will hit the streets this summer, in "areas where WiMax connectivity is available." Pricing hasn't been set yet, although it's worth noting that the standard Wi-Fi N810 goes for $480.

WiMax, as you may recall, is the upcoming wireless technology that promises much greater speed and range than standard Wi-Fi; in fact, a few WiMax access points could conceivably cover an entire city.

The only problem, however, is that WiMax is just barely getting off the ground here in the States. Sprint is the prime mover for WiMax here in the States, and the last I heard, its planned WiMax network (dubbed Xohm, pronounced "Zoom") will soft-launch in just three markets—Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.—later this month. Beyond that, Sprint's WiMax rollout plans remain maddeningly nebulous.

Besides its WiMax capabilities, the new N810 will comes with the same basic features as the Wi-Fi version, including a WVGA touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keypad, GPS, Nokia's Web browser (complete with Ajax and Flash support), Bluetooth 2.0, and a VGA Web cam.

Related:
Press release