CrunchPad Appears Anew, Looking Seriously Viable
The CrunchPad appeared again this week, with news that a launch prototype is getting very close. The photos of the prototype show a massive improvement in the web tablet dreamed up by the TechCrunch folks. The Linux-based tablet is designed to surf the web, and not much else, but that was originally deemed to be a good enough reason to keep the price below $200. As the work on the prototype progressed, that price kept growing, as skeptics thought it might, and if this new model is analyzed, I suspect we’re looking at $400 or more. That puts it way out of the “restricted web appliance” territory and into the “I can buy a laptop for that much” realm. It’s a nice-looking device in any event; let’s hope it makes it to market.
Image courtesy Techcrunch
At two to three hundred, I’d consider this thing, as a toy purchase.
At four to five hundred, I’ll pass. That’s just getting a little too pricey for a single function computer.
This is one of those devices I really want to see suceed. It would be great to have a device that I could use to junmp on the internet for a minute or two during a tv commmerical. It would be nice to have some sort of document reader too. But I can’t see buying one if it is over $300.00. And even that is pushing in my mind.
I agree. If I’m going to spend that kind of money, I want a more versatile device.
No matter what, I don’t think this is the netbook competitor that Arrington thinks it is. I think a lot of folks look at netbooks as a laptop replacement. There’s no way this thing can pull laptop duty.
I agree about the price points. If they can get this thing out around $200 by this fall, they may be looking at the next big thing for Christmas.
Why will this be single function ?
The old youtube video showed it is capable of doing more than browsing.
I am guessing they’ll have ereading capabilities right off the bat given that evince, calibre and fbreader are all free linux products.
If it supports those then at $300 to $350 it kills the kindle dx in terms of size, colour etc. Let’s hope the battery life is good, which is possible if it’s say a snapdragon chipset.
Aside from browsing, what other functions have been shown?
As far as I know, this thing boots up to a browser, and that’s it. If you can’t do it in a browser, you aren’t doing it.
It looks great, but $400 is about $100 too much.
You guys are right, $400 is too much.
Which is good, because the price is expected to be $299, maybe less.
Slight price-creep from the original design of $200. Still, very worth it. Sh!t, the Kindle is $360, and it can’t do anything except books (with DRM)
Surfing, access to Google apps, ability to view pdfs, watch video. That’s about 90% of my recreational computing. Not bad at all.