Yesterday I reviewed the recently released Nokia N800 Internet Tablet as a mobile Casual Computing device capable of executing many Internet activities.

Ken Camp is currently attending a IT security conference in Minneapolis where he found several attendees who had actually purchased this device. Why were they so keen on it?

I was curious why so many. That penetration rate seems huge to me. So I asked around. And I learned why - Maemo. The N800 is not an S60 device. It doesn't run Symbian. It's viewed as a Linux workstation. Someone showed me Kismet (a very popular wireless sniffer tool) on their N800. They use it for wireless security.

One person described working on getting Metasploit running on the N800. That's a serious security and vulnerability assessment tool. We are not talking casual computing. We are not talking about simple surfing with an Internet tablet. We're talking serious security assessment technology...in your pocket.

Somehow I think we are going to see a lot of Linux addicts writing enterprise class applications that will take advantage of its large screen and the stability normally associated with Linux platforms. And all the more reason to get the previously announced N800 Skype client out there. He goes on:

I'm curious who will be the first company, industry, or vertical sector that will roll out N800s pre-configured with custom apps oriented to very specific use. Truckers who hit WiFi enabled truck stops for fuel, maps and such. Real estate agents and brokers. Insurance adjustors. There are some possibilities that are both broad and deep.

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