
TechCrunch Tablet makes an early debut - vaksel
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/09/crunchtablet-hits-the-net-a-little-early/
======
whacked_new
I don't understand why it had to be TC to create this device. Its usefulness
is blatantly obvious; all Arrington did was list the specs and declare his
intention to have it made.

To rephrase, why hasn't the industry been able to do this? They are the ones
who have made this possible anyhow; it is not very innovative on a technical
level; it is obviously a good idea. What took them so long?

~~~
axod
>> "Its usefulness is blatantly obvious"

Please explain for me. I have an iPhone for portability, I have a laptop for
semi portability. I have a mac mini for watching movies etc.

I can't think of how a tablet device like that would be useful. It's sort of
too big and delicate to take traveling - nothing to protect the screen, so a
laptop or netbook wins there.

The only use I can imagine is having it in the kitchen on the wall to look up
recipes :/

Perhaps "the industry hasn't been able to do this" because there's not a
proven market there. Further, there have been several tablet type laptops with
flimsy swively screens, most of which seem total failures.

I can completely see geeks buying this. But that's a small market and one
which I don't think you can make a lot of money from.

Also could the packaging _be_ any more copied from Apple packaging?

~~~
fiaz
I can see my parents each buying one of these. I can see my siblings buying
one of these for each of their kids.

I would never buy one of these because my tech needs, like yours, are a bit
more "nuanced" depending upon my need at the moment.

Look at this as a "gateway" device for people that aren't as "hardcore" as you
or I.

~~~
skwiddor
Mom, Davey stood on my tablet and all goo is coming out of it

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socialtistics
This is great and I am glad to see TechCrunch making great strides here.

In my view the problem with the tablet market has been a combination of high
pricing and bad timing. The market for tablets now is increasing though and
the benefits can be great. I think many of the naysayers here are thinking
there is no way a tablet can replace a laptop or phone for various reasons,
but I say that the market for a tablet is not directed at them. A tablet is
not meant to be a replacement device, but instead a compliment to your current
devices and/or a business tool. Here are some immediate benefits/uses I can
think of:

1\. Faster boot time (great for presentations, looking something up quick on
the internet, inventory management systems, sales professionals) 2\.
Lightweight compared to laptops (remember cost is a factor here too) 3\. No
clunky equipment inside, making the lifespan a little longer 4\. So the
monitor sits wide open and may not be durable. This opens up a market for
accessory companies to build durable covers. Both my Blackberry and iPhone
have screens that came with no protection, but I was quick to buy covers for
them both. 5\. Can be mass produced for cheap. Take away experimentation costs
and development costs, Arrington has said that the cost to produce will be
$200 or less. This makes them accessible to everyone.

Before knocking tablets, you must remember that not everyone has a computer on
24x7x365 and easily accessible. Being able to easily check web-based email or
surf the web is the entire point of this device. No boot-up, zero to minimal
errors, no complex operating system to fight with, the list goes on.

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smidwap
My ignorance will show here, but I would imagine engineering one of those
devices is nothing trivial (duh), let alone something that a small company
could afford. I wasn't even aware that TechCrunch developed consumer products.
Can someone enlighten me on how a company such as TechCrunch can reasonably
expect to design, develop, and sell (they have 2/3 of those down) a tablet
(netbook) and profit? There are seemingly high barriers to entry in such a
market, are there not? Just curious!

~~~
luckystrike
Just in case you are not aware about it, here is how this 'venture' started:

[http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/21/we-want-a-dead-
simple-w...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/21/we-want-a-dead-simple-web-
tablet-help-us-build-it/)

Updates:

[http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/30/update-on-the-
techcrunc...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/30/update-on-the-techcrunch-
tablet-prototype-a/)

[http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/19/techcrunch-tablet-
updat...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/19/techcrunch-tablet-update-
prototype-b/)

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TFrancis
If it has/can use a pressure sensitive pen, it's the end of the road for Wacom
tablets.

~~~
stcredzero
I don't think so. Not all pressure sensitive touchscreens are created equal.
Wacom pays particular attention to details, and there will always be a high-
end market for quality tools. (Otherwise, Apple wouldn't still exist, much
less the "high end" of Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc...)

In particular, artists can be quite finicky.

~~~
wallflower
I saw a Wacom Cintiq the other day in use. Wow. If you have $2k, it's better
than pen and paper

[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22i+love+my+wacom+...](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22i+love+my+wacom+cintiq%22&btnG=Search)

~~~
froo
_I saw a Wacom Cintiq the other day in use. Wow. If you have $2k, it's better
than pen and paper_

As someone who has used both the Cintiq and pen and paper, I prefer the
pencil/paper combination for storyboarding and general sketching as you get
more feedback (feeling on your fingertips) than with a Cintiq because of the
rough vs smooth surface.

Don't get me wrong, the Cintiq's are awesome and can allow some amazing tasks
to be completed (especially with storyboarding & appropriate software), but
often times I feel people need to make a deeper connection with the task at
hand that the cintiq's just don't allow in certain creative arts.

I guess it's all a case of perspective. Sometimes imperfections are the key to
making things special.

~~~
mhb
Electronic Stylus with Writing Feel patent:

[http://www.google.com/patents?id=6MceAAAAEBAJ&dq=berkson](http://www.google.com/patents?id=6MceAAAAEBAJ&dq=berkson)

~~~
froo
Yet this has no visual feedback (there's a quantum leap between using a Cintiq
and say one of the Bamboo's or Intuos'.. I have an older Graphite, used a
Cintiq and fell in love instantly)

Plus, to Wacom's credit they have the many different pens to be able to
quickly simulate different effects (and make it more like a traditional
workflow) while the artist is using it - yet this stylus has no such thing.

The Cintiq's also have a very cool swivel stand for turning/tilting the device
to make it more reminiscent of an animation disk. There's also a special
wrist/pinky finger strap to help your hand move over the device more smoothly
and reduce smudging.

Plus this patent looks like it has a rolling ball. I don't know of many
artists who use ball point pens to draw with.

Specifically, most use felt tip pens, markers or pencils. Some of those
artists even stop using pencils when the shaft becomes too short because it
throws off the balance of the whole thing and becomes less intuitive for them
to draw with.

In fact, in the pencil community (go read some pencil niche blogs, these
people are REALLY passionate about their writing tools) there are several
people who refuse to use a pencil with an eraser on the end (and the opposite
is true) because of the counter balance effect.

Then there's also the fact that different pencils (both brands and grades)
move across surfaces in different ways. I know of at least one artist who
actually switches between 2 pencil brands of the same grade to achieve
different effects while drawing.

Moral of the story, not all writing instruments are created equal - you can't
just substitute one for another and expect the same result.

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bodhi
I'd really like to know how open it will be. Does anyone have any info?

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swaroop
Reminds me of Peek ( <http://www.getpeek.com> ) which is a dedicated email
device.

Looks like one-functionality devices are making a comeback.

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10ren
Tablets are a great idea. But when tried, they failed.

Specifically, what's different this time?

~~~
icey
If it's only $200, I would say the price is the big difference.

~~~
10ren
Thanks. Tablets were comparable in price to laptops, and today's netbooks are
around $200, so relative price hasn't changed... with respect to that
particular competitive set.

But the absolute difference in price might make a difference with respect to
other alternatives, especially non-computing ones. That is, new applications,
new markets.

Are there any? Historically there's only one way to tell (try it).

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TweedHeads
Goodbye Kindle, we barely knew ya

~~~
nanexcool
They serve different purposes. Reading for extended periods of time on a
device such as the Crunchpad, iPhone, LCD, etc., is torture.

~~~
david927
But I can't imagine ever buying a Kindle, and I'll most certainly get this
device. I'm already reading digital books on my PC or laptop, but I'd prefer
to read it on this.

In other words, I don't think Kindle will die immediately, but its time is up.

~~~
Andys
One critical difference: the Kindle only uses battery power when changing the
display. Tablet PCs have a similar power profile, size, and weight to a
regular laptop.

~~~
skwiddor
I have a Sony e-book and the battery discharges without page turning, even
when the screen is off.

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access_denied
Do I want to use Emacs with a pen?

