Feature upgrade release to the Internet Tablet OS 2007 edition
Nokia has just announced an update to the Internet Tablet OS 2007 edition, feature upgrade release is now available for download. The update (version number 4.2007.26-8) includes Skype client support, Adobe® Flash® 9 browser plug-in …
Context & Ripple Effects
Nokia is closing a loop it opened in late June, when it announced Skype support for the N800: this firmware release (4.2007.26-8) is the actual delivery vehicle, pairing the Skype client with an Adobe Flash 9 browser plug-in in one download. The pickup was broad for a firmware note — GigaOM framed it as 'Nokia N800 does what iPhone doesn't,' while TabletBlog treated the drop as breaking news — a sign of how invested the enthusiast base around Maemo already was.
First-order effects
- Nokia N800 owners gain free PC-to-PC Skype calls and Flash 9 video in the browser via an over-the-air update, turning a Wi-Fi-only tablet into a functioning communications device without new hardware.
- Skype extends beyond the PC onto a pocketable Nokia device, and Adobe's runtime reaches a Linux-based mobile browser months before Flash 9 is common on phones.
Second-order effects
- The update sharpens the N800 against Apple's newly launched iPhone on exactly the points the iPhone lacks — third-party VoIP calls and Flash video — forcing the comparison reviewers like GigaOM are already drawing.
- For mobile operators and handset rivals, a carrier-free voice client shipping inside a Nokia tablet raises the stakes on whether VoIP-over-WiFi becomes a standard device feature or stays confined to niche hardware.
Third-order effects
- If firmware cadence keeps delivering headline features after purchase, differentiation in handheld devices shifts from the box to the update channel, and communities like Maemo's become a durable asset for whoever owns the platform.
- Widespread VoIP clients on general-purpose handhelds point toward voice becoming an application riding any broadband connection rather than a metered carrier service — a restructuring phone incumbents would have to answer.
The trend: Handheld makers are using over-the-air firmware to add desktop-class services like VoIP and Flash to existing devices, shifting competition from hardware specs to platform update velocity.