CrunchPad Will Be a 'Dead Simple Web Tablet'

Hugh Pickens writes "TechCrunch's Michael Arrington has been talking for a year about building a touch-screen tablet for Web surfing and now it appears that the CrunchPad is close to becoming a reality. 'We're going to make some really big announcements,' said Arrington, who predicted a prototype would be ready for unveiling by the end of July. The purpose of the CrunchPad will be very simple: surfing the Web. Turn it on and up comes a browser — 'an Internet consumption device,' for reading, checking e-mail or watching video. The CrunchPad will not have a hard drive or keyboard and photos of the latest prototype show a device with a 12 inch screen. 'The screen is now flush with the case and we've decreased the overall thickness to about 18 mm,' writes Arrington. 'The case will be aluminum, which is more expensive than plastic but is sturdier and lets us shave a little more off the overall thickness of the device.' The CrunchPad boots directly into the browser with a Linux-based operating system and a WebKit-based browser. A video of an earlier CrunchPad prototype in action shows a device which, unlike the iPhone, runs flash. 'The next time we talk about the CrunchPad publicly will be at a special press and user event in July in Silicon Valley,' writes Arrington. 'We're full on. These prototypes are real.'"

Comments

Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[da5idnetlimit.com]

Then please add a strong (8\10 meters) IR interface.

It can then become my universal remote AND my (potato) couch web browser.
Otherwise, I already found some solutions to browse from the couch (aka iphone)

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[sam0737]

Build an embedded system, hook to your LAN that serve an Remote Control Webpage...Emitting IR when command is received.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[bjwest]

An iphone for general browsing? You're kidding right? There is no way a device with a 3.5 inch display could be used for serious browsing. A quick lookup or banking transaction maybe, but if you're doing your daily browsing (news sites, research, what ever) you need more than a couple of five or six word lines at a time, and forget about serious posting. A remote replacement, yeah, general browser replacement, no way.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[ceoyoyo]

It works great for reading RSS feeds or flipping through Slashdot comments (before the redesign started putting them all over the place). I wouldn't want to use it all the time, but it works quite well for on-the-couch type stuff.

You're not going to be doing any "serious posting" with this thing either. It doesn't have a keyboard.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[michaelhood]

An embedded device with an IR transmitter..

I'm off to the patent office to file for protection on this! "Remote controller," I'll call it.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[iluvcapra]

I've posted some relatively long comments from an iPhone, it's when you want to start linking to things the impractical aspects start to show thru.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

An iphone[sic] for general browsing? You're kidding right? There is no way a device with a 3.5 inch display could be used for serious browsing.

You've clearly never used an iPhone. The 3.5" screen is very high resolution, so the text is quite sharp and readable at smaller sizes. Safari's ability to zoom the page (scaling everything, not just increasing the font size), its ability to zoom to specific sections of a web page, and the overall speed and smoothness of the multitouch interface makes it a very viable web browsing device.

Coupled with the fact that it's always with you (pocketable, which is not possible a larger display), and always connected increases its utility.

I'm not saying a larger screen wouldn't make web browsing better, but to say (as you did) that a 3.5 inch screen can't be used for serious browsing is demonstrably false.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[bjwest]

My on-the-couch surfing is done with an HP 1100 tablet (12 inch screen). It's a bit slow, so I'm thinking of getting an 8.5 or 10 inch netbook to replace it. I don't think I could go smaller than the 8.5 incher, my couch surfing is more than casual. I read news and do slight research while watching TV.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[CrashandDie]

You obviously never used an n810, which has well over double the resolution of an iPhone.

Not saying one is better than the other, but the resolution of the iPhone really isn't one of the things to gloat about.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[bjwest]

You're right, I've never used an iPhone. I do, however know how small a 3.5 inch screen is. I don't care how high of a resolution is has, it cannot, in any way, be used for anything but extreme casual browsing. It can zoom all it wants, but the fact is for casual browsing, I need more than a portion of each line viewable. Scrolling back and forth and up and down would be too much of a bother for more than a few minutes at a time.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

You obviously never used an n810, which has well over double the resolution of an iPhone.

Actually, the N810's resolution, which is greater than the iPhone's, is not "more than double". I'm not talking about screen dimensions, but resolution (dpi). I do realize the term is more ambiguously used in the computer realm, so I'm not knocking you for misunderstanding what I wrote.

Regardless, the iPhone doesn't have to have the highest resolution in order to have a "very high resolution" (which is what I wrote). Very few displays, even on high end notebooks and desktop units, have a resolution greater than the iPhone.

Not saying one is better than the other, but the resolution of the iPhone really isn't one of the things to gloat about.

Who was gloating?

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

You're right, I've never used an iPhone. I do, however know how small a 3.5 inch screen is. I don't care how high of a resolution is has, it cannot, in any way, be used for anything but extreme casual browsing.

In other words, your assumptions about the usability of the iPhone are superior to the actual experiences of millions of iPhone users.

Interesting...

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[oakgrove]

The iPhone has a 480x320 resolution for a total of 153,600 pixels.

The N810 has 800x480 resolution for a total of 384,000 pixels.

So, yes, the N810 does indeed have more than double the resolution.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[Blublu]

Why stop there? Why not build a full-fledged home-control system. Control the lights, turn the TV on/off, lock/unlock the front door, etc, etc, etc. All from a neat web interface. (just make sure it's good and secure so someone won't start blinking your lights through the internet).

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[mwvdlee]

Assuming this crunchpad thing has some sort of wireless internet connectivity, wouldn't it simply be possible to create a dedicated webserver on some tiny computer have it deal with the technicalities of communicating with the rest of your house? A new type of wireless router could be an ideal computer for this purpose.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[mvdwege]

It's not an assumption. Vehicle analogy warning: a little 12HP engine is great for a commuter bike like the Honda CBF125, but it is impossible to win the MotoGP with it.

Parent is right. I have seen the Jesusphone in action, and for casual browsing it is OK, but the screen is too small to present readable text for long periods. For that, you need something that can at least display 80 characters in decent resolution on a single line.

Mart

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

It's not an assumption. Vehicle analogy warning: a little 12HP engine is great for a commuter bike like the Honda CBF125, but it is impossible to win the MotoGP with it.

Your analogy is an assumption. It's an extremely reasonably assumption, but an assumption nonetheless.

Parent is right. I have seen the Jesusphone in action, and for casual browsing it is OK, but the screen is too small to present readable text for long periods

You just go ahead and believe that. Meanwhile, I and countless others will continue to do the this thing you seem to think is impossible.

Saying you've "seen it in action" shows that you really don't have any actual experience using the device in the manner you're criticizing. At most, you played with one at an Apple store, or took a quick peek of a friend's iPhone, and judged the screen too small.

In other words, you have no experience with the topic at hand, yet you somehow believe that your imagination of how things are is more valid than my actual experience is. Astonishing!

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[mvdwege]

No. The screen is too small. Thirty years of human-computer interaction knowledge has taught us that the minimum resolution for 80-column text is 640 pixels wide. You can try to argue that the Jesusphone is too brilliant to throw away something that was obvious by the 1980s, but it just makes you look like a stupid fanboi.

Mart

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

No. The screen is too small. Thirty years of human-computer interaction knowledge has taught us that the minimum resolution for 80-column text is 640 pixels wide.

Um, the top selling computer of all time, Commodore 64, had specs far below your "minimum".

And there are people using the iPhone right now in a manner that violates your "minimum". How fucking stupid do you have to be to believe a fact (that you just pulled out of your ass) is true, when there are people violating at this very moment? Seriously, how stupid are you?

You can try to argue that the Jesusphone is too brilliant to throw away something that was obvious by the 1980s[1], but it just makes you look like a stupid fanboi.

The two words I've highlighted show who is acting like the "fanboy".

All I've said is that the iPhone can be used to browse the Internet. OH NOES!!!

[1] Those same 1980s which were dominated by the C64. Idiot.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[mvdwege]

As a former C-64 hacker, let me tell you one thing: the fact that it could but display 40 columns of text was a common complaint about its suitability as a business computer. In those same eighties, people who had to deal with large amounts of text used 80-column displays, as on Commodore's CBM range of business computers, or on the CP/M machines.

So, why don't you stop digging any further? The RDF is not going to change history for you, no matter how much you wish it would.

Mart

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[node 3]

As a former C-64 hacker, let me tell you one thing: the fact that it could but display 40 columns of text was a common complaint about its suitability as a business computer. In those same eighties, people who had to deal with large amounts of text used 80-column displays, as on Commodore's CBM range of business computers, or on the CP/M machines.

People complaining about something is different from "Thirty years of human-computer interaction knowledge has taught us that the minimum resolution for 80-column text is 640 pixels wide".

So, why don't you stop digging any further? The RDF is not going to change history for you, no matter how much you wish it would.

The history that the C64 was the greatest selling computer of all time? That history?

Sort of makes your assertion of minimum requirements a bit silly. The C64 didn't just sell, but it outsold every other computer ever.

Re:Wanna sell them like hot bread ?

[badkarmadayaccount]

Not to mention that it (C-64) was envisioned as a open-platform console that comes pre-modded than as a general purpose computer.

Obligatory...

[maxume]

It's not a netbook and I don't see why anyone would possibly prefer a larger screen in a format that is easier to hold to something with a keyboard.

Re:Obligatory...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not a netbook and I don't see why anyone would possibly prefer a larger screen in a format that is easier to hold to something with a keyboard.

I hope i'm missing your sarcasm. The 4th of July alcohol is getting to me.

Sony Reader
Amazon Kindle
TC1100

For certain applications, a tablet is often an ideal device for human interfacing. (for me) It's easier to curl around a tablet on a bed, in a chair, on a hammock with a tablet than a laptop. It's also more enjoyable for me to read comic books and other full screen files on my tablet (Tc1100) than on my netbook or my 17" laptop.

If it isn't expensive, the tablet format is great. My only concern with any device such as this is what's the battery life going to be like.

Re:Obligatory...

[maxume]

Yes, the 'larger screen in a format that is easier to hold' was supposed to be a dead giveaway to the sarcasm.

Re:Obligatory...

[Phoghat]

This is pretty much what I've been looking for as you could see from my post

http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=4692787

Small, inexpensive, would be nice if it could use SD flash memory for downloads (so I could read while off line), but hey, can't have everything. I'm betting that there's gonna be a hack-a-day for that too.

It needs some method of data entry

[Kupfernigk]

"Browsing the web" also involves buying online. For this to be useful for many users, it needs a reasonably efficient means of basic text entry that is not some horrible onscreen keyboard. A small Bluetooth keypad/touchpad combo would be better.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[tiananmen tank man]

... so you would hold some small keyboard in your hand and your other hand could be holding the tablet? Sounds horrible.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Captain Splendid]

that is not some horrible onscreen keyboard

As someone who uses the Ipod touch onscreen keyboard, and has huge gorilla hands, an onscreen keyboard on a 12" screen will be a piece of piss. Of all the criticisms of the Crunchpad, this is the one that baffles me the most.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Soul-Burn666]

I've got a 8.9" tablet-convertible netbook installed with Windows 7.
Even with this relatively small screen, the built-in onscreen keyboard is really quite nice.
While I can't easily touch-type on it, I can definitely "hunt-and-peck" with 2 hands. On a 12" screen I should be able to use all my fingers.

In a previous video of the Crunchpad, they used some clunky looking onscreen keyboard and I hope they switch to something better (like the Win7 one).
A multi-touch screen will make it even better.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[generic.individual]

I was thinking something like a slide out keyboard, like g1 phone style. A keyboard is really so much nicer than touch for entering data. In my book it is an essential requirement for serious web browsing and email but shouldn't get in the way or be there when you don't need it or you might as well just be holding a laptop.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Procasinator]

How about making a detachable touch screen. Oh wait, these guys have done it.

I know I'd prefer to use a design more similar to Always Innovating, as:

• I can get the same usage from it as the CrunchPad, if I want
• I can use the keyboard if I keep the screen attached, and use it like a normal laptop (with a fully feature OS)

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[maxume]

Do you thumb type on the Ipod? A 12" tablet may not be conducive to that, especially to people with normal monkey hands.

(I don't think the lack of a physical keyboard matters, but I don't think the devices are directly comparable either)

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[zarzu]

i am still waiting for a small tablet with a keyboard on it's back. that might sound kind of crazy and it probably is, but i imagine it being absolutely awesome. a keyboard that doesn't take any additional space and can be used by just normally holding the device, it would be split, one keyboard-half for each hand (stuff that already exists for desktops) and obviously would be rotated some. the only problem is that you can't see it and need to actually know where the keys are, but any frequent user wouldn't have a problem with that, so gimme my tablet with back-keyboard, now!

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[ceoyoyo]

This thing is obviously designed to be your lounging-on-the-couch, don't-want-to-have-your-notebook-in-your-lap machine. Have we degenerated so far that any new device is useless if it doesn't allow us to buy stuff and that we're too lazy to get off the couch and walk over to our regular computers when we want to buy stuff?

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[eric-x]

Put a keyboard on the back which can be folded to the front, depending on the position you can use it as a pad or a netbook.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[edittard]

I'm sure I've nevr seen anything like that!

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[edittard]

the only problem is that you can't see it and need to actually know where the keys are

Just stand in front of a mirror. And, er, learn to read miror writing or hack the screen driver to reverse the image.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Captain Splendid]

Yes and no. Thumb typing works best in landscape mode, but not all apps provide that, so sometimes I do a one-handed, 2 to 3 fingered hunt and peck. I suspect that method would work best on the Crunchpad for me, although, with my hands, thumb typing would probably be quite feasible.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[sootman]

Hmm... I think you're on to something. Maybe if the screen and keyboard were attached... perhaps with a hinge...

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[FlopEJoe]

"an onscreen keyboard on a 12" screen will be a piece of piss"
Way to sell it! Are you in advertising? :p

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Hecatonchires]

Forget buying, it needs some way beyond pre-loaded links of entering target destinations.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[ciderVisor]

"Piece of piss" is Brit-speak for saying something is simple/easy to do. He's saying that operating a touch keyboard on a 12" screen would be very simple in comparison to typing on an iPhone.

If you knew that, then my apologies.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Phoghat]

I've got a 8.9" tablet-convertible netbook installed with Windows 7.

What brand? Where did you get it? I'm looking for something like that.

Re:It needs some method of data entry

[Soul-Burn666]

Kohjinsha SX3
It's 8.9" with 1280x768 resolution. Sounds small, but it looks good.

Pros:
High-res
Small
CD/DVD burner
Tablet
Up to 2gb ram
Can play 720P H.264 vids with some tweaking
3 hrs with a 3 cell battery
Tablet/Touchscreen
Synaptics touchpad
Two webcams (front for self, back for taking pics)

Cons:
Atom 1.3ghz does make some tweaking necessary for 720p video or aero
Small 60gb HD - but with easy access
2 USB slots
1.25kg
Immature graphic drivers, tho every new release ups the performance by over 100%

It isn't officially sold outside Japan, but you can find in specialty places like Dynamism or Conics.

-------

If you're really a fan of ultra-portables, you could check the Fujitsu Loox. It's 5.6" tablet-convertible, with the same 1280x768 resolution. Tiny, but looks extra crisp!
The keyboard is not horrible as one might think, though not made for programmers ( [,],F8-12 buttons need fn pressed ^^;; )
It has an Atom 1.6ghz (and a new 2ghz version) which runs 720p movies smoothly with no special tweaks. Weighs 0.6kg and runs for 3 hrs.

CrunchPad

[Renderer of Evil]

A $300 digital photo-frame that runs Firefox.

Sign me up.

Re:CrunchPad

[SlashGordon]

Yes, isn't this a step backwards? Do we really want to go back to carrying three different single use gadgets around?

Re:CrunchPad

[FlyingBishop]

It's a browser, e-reader, and ssh client. If the Flash support is sufficient, it's a TV. So it's not a phone. You try to cram too much crap into one device, all you get is something that does none of its intended tasks well. I would probably just use this thing around the house so I don't have to bother with my more power-hungry computers.

Re:CrunchPad

[larry bagina]

WebKit, not firefox.

Re:CrunchPad

[SaDan]

It's not about finding a use for it, it's a question of "How many can we sell?"

This device is going to flop. I thought it was originally supposed to be sold for $99? Then it was $200. Now it's $300, and I'll bet they can't even sell it for less than that once they get production rolling. If it sold for $99, it might have a chance. At $300, it's now in competition with much more capable (if not the same form factor, close to it) hardware and more flexible software.

Toss Android on it, and you immediately have access to thousands of apps, brand recognition (Sorry, but TechCrunch is so obscure, it's not even funny), and a mature interface. Partner with T-Mobile for even more exposure and outlets to sell your hardware.

For someone who's supposed to be some kind of valley insider, this guy has really missed the boat.

Re:CrunchPad

[tolan-b]

Unfortunately Flash's video performance in Linux is awful, and I'm doubting the Crunchpad is going to be sporting a very fast processor, so I wouldn't hold out for full screen video. A video linked from the article shows it doing fullscreen flash video (not Flash's idea of HD either) and it looked like it was managing a few FPS.

Still, I'm quite tempted by one of these. I was considering getting a netbook for the livingroom / kitchen, or just to hand to my girlfriend when she wants to look something up online but can't be bothered to wait for her Ubuntu box to boot.

The price is looking a little high to me though. It might end up being a netbook after all.

Re:CrunchPad

[cbhacking]

Well, more like it run Chromium (WebKit-based, not Gecko-based). Still sounds pretty cool. Quality of the input is going to be the real gotcha, though - on-screen keyboards can be done well, but usually aren't. They have enough screen real-estate it shouldn't be too hard, though.

Re:CrunchPad

[tolan-b]

Well my laptop is far from state of the art, but it's still running an early Core (1) Duo processor and it can't manage 'HD' (YouTube's idea of it) Flash. This is with the official Adobe Flash 10 plugin.

Really the performance is awful compared to the Windows version.

Old News

[Anonymous Coward]

Article originally posted June 3rd. Old news.

Re:Old News

[gEvil (beta)]

Article originally posted June 3rd. Old news.

Someone apparently can't tell the difference between June and July.

Re:Old News

[maxume]

The newspaper articles/blogs are from July (one is even from 2 days in the future), but the TechCrunch article (arguably the 'original') is from June.

Re:Old News

[gEvil (beta)]

So the incorporation of Crunchpad, Inc. and the mention of prototypes by the end of July are supposedly sourced from that "original" article, even though it makes no mention of either of those? Interesting...

Re:Old News

[maxume]

I didn't say 'certainly', I said 'arguably'.

flash video

[Anonymous Coward]

A video of an earlier CrunchPad prototype in action shows a device which, unlike the iPhone, runs flash.

Yes, it's quite impressive. I like watching my YouTube videos at 1 frame every 3 or 4 seconds.

Re:flash video

[mvdwege]

Which is still better than 0fps.

Fanbois! Sheesh.

Mart

Virtual Keyboard

[dean.collins]

Will it have a virtual keyboard though? I cant wait for these to be released to use for watching baseball games and chatting on http://www.livebaseballchat.com/ but the only problem is that with a netbook and wifi i'm not sure what additional value this is going to be offering. I think i'd miss the keyboard for typing. Cheers, Dean

Re:Virtual Keyboard

[1 a bee]

Will it have a virtual keyboard though?

Sort of. About 40 seconds into the demo video cited by the story, you see a so so virtual keyboard overlayed on top of a dimmed background.

It's a shame that the virtual keyboard is so small that the user must type with one finger. There's plenty of screen real estate there to have a very nice large (virtual) keyboard. (I imagine this single finger text input interface might be deliberate--e.g. multiple fingers touching the screen might confuse the touch-screen hardware?)

But, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

It has no tabs!

Web "Consumer" device

[presidenteloco]

Overall cool - iphone with big enough screen

But they really should focus on design of a virtual keyboard that is large and ergonomically laid out.

We have to avoid trending toward encouraging passive web surfers who are only "channel surfing"
just like the advertisers want you to.

The internet is way more interesting and useful when it is truely two-way, peer-to-peer.

Re:Web "Consumer" device

[ceoyoyo]

Really? I've found that it's particularly inane when it's too easily two way. Publishing something should at a minimum involve getting off the couch or picking up and opening your notebook.

Re:Web "Consumer" device

[cbhacking]

Dont' forget Flash support. I don't personally *like* Flash, but it's a pretty important part of the modern web. The fact that the iPhone lacks it (and don't give me any of Jobs' crap as to why; lower-spec ARM devices support it) could be a big deal in promoting this thing. Additionally, the larger (and presumably much higher-res) display should make a big difference... except it's too big for a pocket.

Re:Web "Consumer" device

[tlhIngan]

Dont' forget Flash support. I don't personally *like* Flash, but it's a pretty important part of the modern web. The fact that the iPhone lacks it (and don't give me any of Jobs' crap as to why; lower-spec ARM devices support it) could be a big deal in promoting this thing. Additionally, the larger (and presumably much higher-res) display should make a big difference... except it's too big for a pocket.

Yeah, they support it poorly. Jobs has a point.

I have two ARM-based devices (Archos 605, Nokia N810) which support Flash. The worst thing is to actually go to a web page with flash crap on it, because it causes the machine to drag. Bad flash ads cause the browser to virtually lock up, and while you can play YouTube videos (Archos cheats and use their own player once it recognizes it's trying to play a FLV, while Nokia plays it by running the Flash player natively), some other sites cause it drag again - at one point the Archos only played the audio, while the Nokia virtually locked up, but you could get 1 frame every 30 seconds, and audio that plays for 2 seconds every 5. And you can't scroll, close the browser, etc., because the CPU is busy doing the flash, and there's not enough CPU time to handle the browser UI.

Effectively, you'll need a browser with a built-in FlashBlock, but unlike FlashBlock, it needs to work when the page is rendered, not when the plugin recognizes an embedded flash video in the DOM. Because it really sucks when you're surfing the web, and then hit a page with flash (ad, or other flash thing) that causes your browsing to come to a halt as the CPU is busy doing the Flash playback, instead of rendering the page or letting you do UI things like page scrolling.

I will note that both devices actually run Linux inside. Flash is cool, but really, the implementation of the browser with flash needs to be improved significantly.

Also, a 12" display, the CPU really needs at least a 2D graphics accellerator. 1024x768 is painful on a framebuffer only display.

Re:Web "Consumer" device

[derGoldstein]

To me, this looks far from an iPhone with a big screen. At least in this demo the hardware seemed unresponsive, sluggish, and several attempts had to be made to get a gesture to work properly. And it was being used by someone who was already used to the device. Notice how much trouble he was having just exiting full-screen mode in YouTube, which was displaying a video that was clearly choppy (Flash uses no hardware acceleration for video).

Having said that, if they *did* manage to get the production model to a semi-usable state, enabling users to "theme" the keyboard will be important. At the very least, they'll need to give several keyboard layout options.

If all I had to go by is the demo video linked here, I'd say they're not even close to a marketable product. Which is a shame, because the overall idea is nice.

Missing from the feature list

[CubicleView]

It must come with velcro on the back to hold it to your lap like in the picture.

Once more around the block my friend

[westlake]

With each new generation of hardware the geek seems determined to re-invent the web appliance.

Which no one wants and no one buys.

Not in the numbers which matter to WalMart.

The Kindle stores 1500 e-books for your off-line reading pleasure.

The Atom netbook running XP or Win 7 can play hundreds of MSDOS and Windows games - available as dirt-cheep downloads from places like Gog.com ["Good Old Games"]

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[maxume]

No one wants a shitty, expensive web appliance.

I would guess that the market for a nice, affordable web appliance will surprise you (I'm not sure this device will meet either of those criteria...).

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[basementman]

Not just MSDOS games, my netbook can run counter strike source.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[Fallingcow]

This sucker's a portable smart screen big enough for two people to view comfortably.

If you can't think of a dozen awesome uses for this, you must consume very little media (or lots of it, but all alone)

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[0xdeadbeef]

The Kindle stores 1500 e-books for your off-line reading pleasure
The Atom netbook running XP or Win 7 can play hundreds of MSDOS and Windows games

A pitifully small library of crappy books, and games I didn't want to play when they were state of the art? Where do I sign up!

I seriously can't believe there are people who don't understand that there is a market for lightweight, touchscreen tablet. It's the fucking Internet, stupid! How much time do people spend on their ass, surfing the web? Who wouldn't rather do that in a comfy chair, in a manner doesn't give them carpal tunnel or make their balls sweat like the foolishly named "laptop"?

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[maxume]

If the software is slow and cumbersome, it will fit the definition of shitty. If I am broke, $300 (for what is mostly a toy) may not be affordable.

The first of those questions is yet to be answered, and the $300 is what they sort of hope they can charge for it, not the actual launch price. So I agree that the general idea has lots of potential, but 'this sucker' isn't something we can have a concrete discussion about just yet.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[iluvcapra]

With each new generation of hardware the geek seems determined to re-invent the web appliance. Which no one wants and no one buys.

It's a challenging use case. For the form factor we're talking about, lacking a keyboard but being very thin, having limited proc, and being only marginaly cheaper than a netbook, the real competition in its market is paper. If this thing isn't as useful as paper, why bother getting this for someone to use when an actual nominal "computer" is only marginally more expensive.

I think it's clear that someday something like this will replace a lot of paper, not all of it, but lots of ephemera. I already use my knidle to read my screenplays, and that's already saved 500 sheets in the past 3 months. If something like the kindle had better searching and browsing, and could actually read HTML documents in the manner they were intended, I could be keeping phonebooks full of film codebooks and sound library stuff in their right now.

Something I've noticed with my iPhone, on the other hand, despite the fact that it's a little small to use properly as paper, is that it's extremely difficult to be browsing something on my computer, and then to continue my browsing session on the phone, or vice versus. The only way to do it is to email links to yourself, and that's a supreme pain.... Something I still think about from Minority Report were the larger pad-like storage devices they used to move files from one rig to another, like when Tom Cruise's assistant would look up a series of mugshots on one machine and bring them over to his. The assistant would collect the mugshots, drag them off his screen and ONTO the screen of the pad, as if the pad, by nature of touching the computer, were an extension of his monitor, and then he could take the pad, which had a display and could show everything it held, and carried it to the other computer. From there, the pad then became an extention on Anderton's monitor, and he could look at the material directly on the pad or drag it to his system, completing the loop. Why the fuck can't someone build an internet tablet that can do that? All that haptic stuff was cool, but for some reason, in my work, I'm constantly wishing I could take something I'm working on at this moment, drag it to a pad, and carry it somewhere, perhaps to move, perhaps just to work in-situ on the pad.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[evilviper]

With each new generation of hardware the geek seems determined to re-invent the web appliance.

It's exceedingly clear that people want a computer which:
    A) Works better (fast, responsive, stable).
    B) Is simpler (UI & maintenance).

Which no one wants and no one buys.
Not in the numbers which matter to WalMart.

You could have said the same thing about MP3 players, before the iPod came along.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[nurb432]

Netbooks and 'pads' are different markets.

Lets hope they don't price themselves out of their target market.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[lawpoop]

My thought exactly. Didn't Nokia have a somewhat unpopular product in their web tablets, which did slight more than just surf the web?

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[westlake]

It's exceedingly clear that people want a computer which:
A) Works better (fast, responsive, stable).
B) Is simpler (UI & maintenance).

I'm not so sure.

There have been many attempts to make a go of an alternative UI. Sugar, The Simputer, and so on.

But the traditional school desk has been around at least since the 1890s - and I have a strong suspicion your great great-grandad would have found the desktop UI easy to understand and easy to learn.

His dad's "secretary" was most likely a great walnut cabinet with dozens of pigeon-holes. Files and folders. Drag and drop.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[JesseL]

Yep. The N series of tablets. I just got an N810 from buy.com fro $179. It's got an 800x480 touch screen, slide out keyboard, 802.11b/g, bluetooth, GPS, flash enabled browser, webcam, mini-sd for expansion, huge battery life, can function as a USB host, etc. It also has a nice selection of free software available. And it fits in a pocket.

For something with a 12" screen like the subject of the article, I'd rather just use a netbook.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[evilviper]

There have been many attempts to make a go of an alternative UI. Sugar, The Simputer, and so on.

Just because all attempts have failed doesn't mean the desire isn't there.

But the traditional school desk has been around at least since the 1890s

Computers don't work like a desk, and trying to make the fit stretches the metaphor to the point of ridiculousness, and adds tons of unnecessary overhead and tedious human-computer chores that need not exist.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[Jacques Chester]

You know what I remember about that scene? Wondering why the future had reverted to Sneakernet.

Re:Once more around the block my friend

[iluvcapra]

Yeah that's the tradeoff. On the other hand, it was perfectly secure. The storage medium could be walked anywhere and acts as a physical token.

What is the need ???

[Archfeld]

I can buy a laptop that will do everything this does and MUCH MORE for like an additional $100. Seems like this device is a dead end niche minus the niche. Without a keyboard, how much email can you do ? Read but not reply ? While a virtual keyboard might work for a few keystrokes, a simple 2 paragraph email becomes torture using a non-existent KB.

Re:What is the need ???

[quasigenx]

It's probably not for you, then. Buy I netbook. I'm getting two of these things.

Re:What is the need ???

[maxume]

I award myself 5 points and hand you a pickle:

http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1291861&cid=28580643

Re:What is the need ???

[mrchaotica]

I can buy a laptop that will do everything this does and MUCH MORE for like an additional $100.

A $400 laptop isn't one pound and a quarter inch thick (my estimate from the pictures). A $400 laptop can't be easily held like a clipboard. A $400 laptop doesn't have battery life nearly as long as this ought to have. And even if a laptop did manage to have one of these characteristics, it sure as Hell wouldn't have all three and still be $400!

Without a keyboard, how much email can you do ? Read but not reply ? While a virtual keyboard might work for a few keystrokes, a simple 2 paragraph email becomes torture using a non-existent KB.

It's got a USB port; if they include USB-host (and they'd be brain-dead not to), you can just add one of those roll-up keyboards or something.

Of course, I'm personally hoping for a stylus and handwriting recognition (or at least character recognition, which they could add easily).

Re:What is the need ???

[SaDan]

If you watch the demo video, this thing looks chunky, way more than 1/4" thick.

A $250 netbook will cream this thing's capabilities in every aspect. That's my prediction, anyways... It's been in the design phase for four years, before netbooks even took off. This device will now have to compete with hardware that didn't exist at the time of its conception, because other corporations moved faster.

Re:What is the need ???

[mrchaotica]

A $250 netbook will cream this thing's capabilities in every aspect.

A $250 netbook creams this at having a 12" screen? I don't think so!

Re:What is the need ???

[cbhacking]

Wow, try readking the fucking SUMMARY at least.
18mm / 25.4mm/in = .71 in. It's a bit short of 3/4 of an inch thick. Based on similar devices, weight will probably be in the 2-3 lb range. It will have a larger screen and probably much better battery life than a netbook (lots of room inside that case, and netbooks have much poorer battery live than I would have expected when I first heard about them).

Re:What is the need ???

[pbhj]

It's been in the design phase for four years, before netbooks even took off. This device will now have to compete with hardware that didn't exist at the time of its conception, because other corporations moved faster.

I take it you didn't notice the evolution in the prototype design to incorporate changes in the market?

If you can show me a touch screen laptop/tablet with the same (or better!) screen size and weight then I'll be a happy man.

Re:What is the need ???

[derGoldstein]

The 12" screen will suck the battery life out of it very quickly. For the resolution they mentioned, I actually think that the screen is too big. Something around 10" would be easier to carry around, because as it is, it seems like a rather large thing to carry around except indoors (which, I realize, is currently what it's being marketed for).

Also, he's right about the netbook aspect at least in the sense that a netbook is a feally-featured computer. This will only give you a buffed up browser, and you're going to need to depend on their software for all of the UI and functionality. In this respect, a netbook will indeed "cream" a device like this. It's far more versatile.

Android?

[MaggieL]

Sounds like a natural for http://www.android.com/

Re:Android?

[SaDan]

If it doesn't run Android, it should.

do touch screens need wind shield wipers?

[1 a bee]

Compared to my screen, my keyboard is awfully dirty. It's shiny with grime, even though I clean it about once month. I'm thinking if I had a touch screen, I'd have to wipe that screen clean about once an hour, at least.

Either that, or stop licking my fingers.

Will it be possible to close the browser?

[arrenlex]

Is it at all possible to close the browser and use the tablet as a proper computer? That would be magical.

Re:Will it be possible to close the browser?

[drgould]

Is it at all possible to close the browser and use the tablet as a proper computer? That would be magical.

It runs Linux and I find it difficult to believe that they are making any serious attempt to "lock it down."

If you can't access at least a shell prompt out of the box, I'm sure someone will post a youtube how-to video within 5 minutes of release.

Dead simple products, for dead simple people!

[Hurricane78]

For users like
- Simple Jack
- President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho
- George W. Bush
- Joe Sixpack
- The drooling guy in the wheelchair.
- Your baby that is still in the womb.
- And even Flippy the chimp!

Nobody has to feel left out from the forums because he can't even enter some simple letters. The possibilities are endless!

With just one clickwheel, you can wheel all day long! Whooo! Wheeee! *lisping* It's so simple!

Company Boss (deep voice, huge pack of muscles, looks like a peasant in a suit): "Our clients love it! Some of them even came to company headquarters to.. stand there... and... like... drool... and make cavemen noises for no reason. Of course there is also some grunting. But we take that as a suggestion, about where to make our system even simpler, and what feature to remove next. We always listen to our clients, and fullfill their every wish, no matter how lazy and stupid, and lazy and fucking idiots, and stinking creepy retards and stupid and backwards and plain and simple the most retarded stupid fucks that mother nature ever shat out of her ass they are." *takes out hankie* *wipes sweat* *pops his pills*

Now for only one plus one plus one plus one plus one ...(goes on for half an hour)... plus one credits from that big hole in the ground where you hack the dirt out of the ground for the great monkey of steel that tells you what to do!

Don't miss it! Buy now!

Re:Dead simple products, for dead simple people!

[maxume]

It must be awfully hard, going through life thinking you are that smart.

Re:Dead simple products, for dead simple people!

[Hurricane78]

Yeah, being stupid has the advantage of numbing you down, so you can be the cattle of the population. It's so nice because you do not have to use any good arguments of proper reasoning. You simply say "it is so", and it will be. And because your imagination of intelligence is limited you can not imagine what it is to be intelligent anyway, so you assume people being just as dumb as you, or dumber, when their arguments are so far out of your complexity meter's limit, that they go into the negative integers again.

Also you get the "retard protection"(TM) anti-discriminatory protection. Which means nobody is allowed to call you dumb. Ever. While you can spit the biggest hatred since the nazis on intelligent people, and it is just awww-right.

Also with everything you do, you do not have to think before acting, and so you do not come up with a thousand and one possible endings, before you even start doing it. So you get to do all the stupid things, like putting your caravan into speed control, and going in the back, to make yourself a coffee... on the highway at full speed. Just blame someone else for it! Sue if you want! Your "retard protection"(TM) protects you, and so you win in court.
This also makes picking up girls easier, because you approach her before without coming up with the thought that she might not like such a half-chimp like you. You do not have to numb yourself down to a IQ of below 120 with alcohol, to clear your brain of the constant chatter of reasoning, pattern detection and prediction-making.

You do not come up with intelligent sentences that the mob will make fun of. You do not get called a nerd because you get an above-average score in school.

And it is just soo cool to be dumb. You can say "Hey, I do not know how to program a video recorder, but I can go online! Thanks AOL!", and get away with it. Because in society, it is cool to refuse to use your brain. Homer Simpson doesn't have to, so why do you? After all, the meat comes pre-cooked, pre-cut and pre-eaten on a plate, and the chair has a hole to shit trough. And everything you need is transported right into you trough TV.

You really have no idea, how much better you have it in this world!
You have no idea!

Re:Dead simple products, for dead simple people!

[maxume]

Why so angry?

Anyway, I was criticizing your attitude, not your level of intelligence.

I'd buy it if..

[Anonymous Coward]

it was double the price and had an apple logo on it.

Re:Michael Arrington is a Troll

[SaDan]

He makes his living writing a blog. What do you expect?

Got Impatient and Got Myself a Real Tablet

[jacksonyee]

Between waiting for the Pandora and the Crunchpad, I found a real tablet at BetaMacs - the Motion Computing M1300 with a USB keyboard for $310 including shipping (They no longer have any stock here at the time of this writing, unfortunately, but GainSaver still has a couple). The battery only lasts about two hours, but I can run a full Windows XP/Ubuntu installation with almost 640x480 x264 playback (stutters a bit during busy scenes).

Thanks for the concepts, Mike. If you had used a Cortex A8 with a 7 inch screen and slide-out keyboard, I might have had a niche for you in my gadgets collection. See you next time!

I'll take two

[Bysshe]

For the two most important places in my house: The kitchen table and the porcelain throne. More real-time than tucking a newspaper under my arm!

Apple's Safari Pad

[Udo Schmitz]

John Markoff in the NY-Times in March 2008:
"Apple's multitouch technology began life not as a cellphone, but as a notepad-sized skunkworks project internally dubbed Safari Pad, run by Tim Bucher, then Apple's head of Macintosh hardware. To his credit, Mr. Jobs seized on the technology and morphed it into the iPhone.
At Macworld, when I asked Mr. Jobs about the idea of an iPod Touch in a larger "Safari Pad" format, he snapped at me, "I can't talk about unannounced products.""

Originally at http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/reading-steve-jobs/

Yeah, and the iPhone is just a phone...

[cjonslashdot]

A dead-simple web tablet. That's like saying that the iPhone will be just a simple to use phone.

I believe the real appeal of the thing will be in the simplicity and elegance of its design, but also in its ability to do just about everything once one installs add-on apps to it. After all, it has a CPU and Linux - why woundn't one do other things on it?

Now if only it can eventually have a super low power display (like the Kindle, but color), so that we are finally free of the tyranny of being near an electric outlet.

Horrible UI

[vertigoCiel]

The UI gestures on this thing are terrible. They're not at all obvious. I don't imaging anyone will be able to figure out how to bring up, say, text entry without being told. It's also unclear how some of the gestures (such as the upward swipe) are distinguished from scrolling. Just stick an address bar and a few buttons in there, it'll make all of your user's lives easier. There's definitely room. Sacrificing usability for a "full-screen-web" aesthetic isn't a good idea.

Re:Horrible UI

[Wobble-U]

I saw exactly those problems when I was watching the video. If they want to mass produce this and have it used by the general public, they need to do some serious usability testing (which it looks like they haven't done).

Re:Horrible UI

[vertigoCiel]

It's a bad sign when the guy demonstrating the thing has trouble bringing up the keyboard!

Ebook format support?

[Hecatonchires]

If I can get it to read the various ebook formats - mob, lit, pdf, htm (you'd be surprised how many devices with web browsers won't let u load a html file from disk) I'm sold.

Re:Too much masturbation renders Iphone useless

[Ned Scott]

I read novels on my iPod touch via the Kindle app. Doesn't bother me at all

huh?

[demonrob]

what's a 40 column display got to do with discussing what is the minimum for an 80 column display? C64 sales vs sales of PCs (all basically the same so put them together). Not sure if the C64 really wins. What is your historical count of C64 sales anyway?