From open source hacker to Nokia project manager

I am Urho Konttori, former software consultant for Enterprise Systems. Before joining Nokia I was Open Source coding for Internet Tablets on projects such as UKMP, Media Converter, UKTUBE and Theme Maker.

When I first read about the Nokia 770 on the net, I was immediately captivated by the concept and the fact that Nokia was taking a totally new perspective on what a personal computer should be. I saw significant potential so I bought one, did some coding, and at some point got more and more involved with the project - and here I am today, hopefully making the next releases even better ones.

We have just released our software for the Nokia N810 and now we are targeting future development. I have to say that the whole Nokia OSSO team has been making great progress on OS2008. It looks initially like a small step, but the whole usability of the device is just so much better now. Kudos!

The future

As far as I can see, the Internet Tablet or personal internet device will become more and more popular. I can really see this thing catching on in two years. I really don't know whether it will stay in the current form factor but the beauty of the platform is that it's quite easily customizable. I can see more automatic online interaction with the device, more information being aggregated for the user, more interaction between applications, and emphasis on ease of use.

Me and my Tablet

What I do every day with the device is listen to music. I use UKMP for that. What I truly love doing with the device is taking it to the sofa, getting really comfortable, opening Google Reader or some web site, pushing the keyboard up just slightly so that I can use the space bar to move to the next page, and reading! Another really big thing for me is reading ebooks on FBReader.

For parties, internet radio is perfect for changing the music with the mood. Love it! In the future I can also see myself using IRC and messaging a lot more to be in touch with my friends. The keyboard makes a huge difference. Ahh... pretty soon I'll be listing all the applications ;) But it's true, this device is perfectly suited to my needs.