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TechCrunch Wants To Create an Open Source Tablet

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-prefer-gelcaps dept.

RKo618 writes "TechCrunch announced that they are planning to design their own $200 web tablet device. Quoting: 'The idea is to turn it on, bypass any desktop interface, and go directly to Firefox running in a modified Kiosk mode that effectively turns the browser into the operating system for the device. Add Gears for offline syncing of Google docs, email, etc., and Skype for communication and you have a machine that will be almost as useful as a desktop but cheaper and more portable than any laptop or tablet PC.' The aim is for the tablet to run on modified open source software, which will be released back to the community along with the specifications for the hardware."

11 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Don't get me wrong: by Deaddy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Firefox is a great operating system it lacks a good browser, though.

    1. Re:Don't get me wrong: by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Funny

      Surely someone could write a lynx plug-in though.

  2. Re:Skype isn't Open Source by Mark+Trade · · Score: 5, Funny

    Asterix for voice communications.

    I hear Obelix is way better.

    (But other than that I agree. Skype is not open source and a security liability.)

  3. Re:I'd buy that for a dollar by orasio · · Score: 4, Funny

    At a dollar a piece, I'd buy a few. But what would you do with 200 of them?
     

    Sell them at the (two) dollar store.

    And what the hell is 200 hundred?

    Twenty thousand.

    Next customer!!

  4. 3 hour of sleep by Tatsh · · Score: 2, Funny

    Read that as 'TechCrunch Wants to Create an Open Source Toilet' and I was like 'Hell...yeah'.

    1. Re:3 hour of sleep by Spatial · · Score: 5, Funny

      An application you really, really do not want to debug.

  5. Re:Hopefully they will get it right. by H3g3m0n · · Score: 5, Funny

    "realh4x0rZuseemacs4shell" happens to be a common emacs keyboard short cut.

    --
    cat /dev/urandom > .sig
  6. Re:Kinda like the N800? by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

    Multitouch would be nice of course, but I don't hold 2 styluses at the same time.

    You mean you're not into chopstick-stylus computing yet? All the cool kids are doing it.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  7. Re:Hopefully they will get it right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Any hints why you didn't mention the N810?

    .

    Dang, I thought I did. Perhaps it was 810 by a grue.

  8. Re:Skype isn't Open Source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Asterix for voice communications.

    I hear Obelix is way better.

    Asterix has a smaller form factor, but Obelix has more capacity.

  9. Re:Kinda like the N800? by DingerX · · Score: 2, Funny

    MMMMMeeeee tooo