Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by chime on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:26PM
(#555284)
Even at $300, I would buy 10 of these for my company. Touch-screen + WiFi + Browser = ability for me to get rid of every single bulky PC on our assembly line. If it has USB, then I can hook up a barcode scanner and completely change how our process works. Right now, it is such a hassle to setup a PC with touch-screen and deal with maintenance etc. Good touch-screen LCDs cost $300 at least and it's a pain to deal with the drivers. Netbooks are good but I don't need a keyboard and don't want to deal with a full-fledged OS. Tablets are perfect but so expensive and a hassle to lock-down. Given all the time in the world, I'm sure most of us could rig up something under $500 similar to what the Crunchpad tablet aims to be. But I'd rather get a stable/solid system that I can easily buy more of when needed.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by jerf on Thursday April 09, 2009 @08:01PM
(#555416)
If the topmost port in the fourth picture of http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/19/techcrunch-tablet-updat... is not a USB port, I don't know what it is. Since a barcode scanner is basically a keyboard, you almost certainly don't even need any extra support from them. I think you're in luck.
(Also, I don't want to make a separate post: That link also says "we were aiming for $200, it looks like $299 is more realistic".)
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by catone on Thursday April 09, 2009 @07:19PM
(#555362)
TechCrunch would never respect a company asking them to take down leaked photos... and these weren't leaked, they were published publicly. By which I mean: Can someone who has local copies of these put them up somewhere? (Dustin?)
I'd be interested to see them.
Also, not sure what the netbook comment in the post really means. It was pretty evident how big netbooks were going to be after the first Eee PC went for sale, which was late 2007. But that doesn't really matter, since Arrington's tablet isn't really anything like a netbook (at least, not as they're traditionally defined now).
We're going to start to see a lot of cheap, touchscreen tablet PCs running Linux and Android (and maybe Windows 7), though, over the next couple of years.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by dcurtis on Thursday April 09, 2009 @08:02PM
(#555418)
If I was going to launch something like this, I'd want to keep it secret until it was ready for market. Arrington obviously made a mistake by posting the photos, and it ruined the surprise.
I took them down to be nice. TechCrunch has never done me harm. But I put them back up because they seem to have propagated everywhere now.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by patrickg-zill on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:56PM
(#555333)
They should add two white knobs along the bottom ... and an accelerometer that allows you to hold it over your head and shake it to put it into screensaver mode ...
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by noaharc on Thursday April 09, 2009 @09:03PM
(#555487)
I think it is astounding that Arrington (and everyone else on the team -- I'm sure there are many) was able to pull this off. A lot of people have bones to pick with him, and he can certainly be a little brusque (speaking as a former TechCrunch intern), but he is one incredibly capable guy -- a consistently excellent writer, bitingly funny commentator, and, apparently, a mean product designer/manager. I almost wish TechCrunch didn't take up so much of his time -- there's probably a lot more he could be doing.
Info on an earlier prototype + video. 3 months ago the software was pretty workable and the had the hardware, albeit thicker than it should've been. So it seems perfectly plausible that it's ready now.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by veteran on Friday April 10, 2009 @10:28AM
(#556082)
not if you want to make some money out of it..you need to justify you own domain because your have business tied to it and nothing to do with their brand..and then only you can hold it/may be later sell it..careful, arrington is from domain industry so it is tough party on other end ..so be smart in how you handle.. (assuming you want money..) if not then it is pretty easy just send email
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by kirse on Friday April 10, 2009 @10:39AM
(#556103)
I'd agree with this guy. WIPO is ridiculously quick to snipe away your domain name and give it to someone with a trademark if you don't have a legitimate business or use for the name.
I would highly recommend creating at least some fake company or intention out of the page so you can say you wanted the domain for something else. With a name like "Crunch-Pad" I'd suggest making it a simple Web 2.0 to-do list like pat.io.
At least that way you could let them buy it off you if they were interested.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by vaksel on Friday April 10, 2009 @11:58AM
(#556211)
well
a) I registered the domain about 6 months before Techcrunch started calling the thing crunchpad, so they don't really have any claim to the name. In fact it wasn't them who came up with the name itself in the first place, it was one of the comments.
b) Plenty of companies make the same mistake of failing to register a domain name. If Apple didn't sue over something like iPhone and Dell over Adamo, I doubt there is much of a leg to stand on. + There is no trademark yet for crunchpad
c) I don't really plan to bend Arrington over the barrel on this. But I think it'll play better if he contacts me, instead of me just emailing out of the blue offering the domain. Since we all know how unlikely it is to get a response from Techcrunch
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by nanexcool on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:46PM
(#555320)
If the $200 price tag is real, I see myself putting one of these babies in my bathroom in front of the toilet, another one in my kitchen. Imagine one in your living room hooked up to your media center/TV/etc.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by icey on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:56PM
(#555331)
I'll hang one in my garage for when I'm out working on something... At 200 bucks, if it gets a little motor oil on the screen, I'm not going to worry about it too much.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by lsb on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:28PM
(#555290)
It looks so slick, and then picture 4 is the power adapter with a guy holding a soda can in his crotch at the top of the frame.
What's amazing about Apple (from whom they seem to have taken packaging design cues) is not an initial sheen of beauty, but that they keep the beauty going throughout the experience.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by noodle on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:26PM
(#555285)
regardless of arrington's involvement, i really like this idea and really would like to see it have at least some success. it could only mean good things for the direction of netbooks.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by blasdel on Friday April 10, 2009 @12:13AM
(#555685)
Capacitive touchscreen! I was pleasantly surprised, I thought it would be resistive. Almost all Windows Tablets have inductive digitizers, where you can only use a special stylus (like a Wacom), but you get angle/distance/pressure information.
Most new Tablet PCs also cost 6-10 times more, and have awful battery life because they are overpowered.
Re:Did Arrington actually pull off the CrunchPad WiFi tablet?
by jrnkntl on Thursday April 09, 2009 @06:40PM
(#555309)
As stated in the comments over there: it's a mockup.
And I'm pretty sure it is, been a while since an update on the crunchpads and all of a sudden they're in production? Nahhh, don't think so.
crossing fingers
(Also, I don't want to make a separate post: That link also says "we were aiming for $200, it looks like $299 is more realistic".)
I'd be interested to see them.
Also, not sure what the netbook comment in the post really means. It was pretty evident how big netbooks were going to be after the first Eee PC went for sale, which was late 2007. But that doesn't really matter, since Arrington's tablet isn't really anything like a netbook (at least, not as they're traditionally defined now).
We're going to start to see a lot of cheap, touchscreen tablet PCs running Linux and Android (and maybe Windows 7), though, over the next couple of years.
http://zee.posterous.com/did-arrington-actually-pull-off-the...
[update] pictures are back up at the original posting
I took them down to be nice. TechCrunch has never done me harm. But I put them back up because they seem to have propagated everywhere now.
Info on an earlier prototype + video. 3 months ago the software was pretty workable and the had the hardware, albeit thicker than it should've been. So it seems perfectly plausible that it's ready now.
I would highly recommend creating at least some fake company or intention out of the page so you can say you wanted the domain for something else. With a name like "Crunch-Pad" I'd suggest making it a simple Web 2.0 to-do list like pat.io.
At least that way you could let them buy it off you if they were interested.
a) I registered the domain about 6 months before Techcrunch started calling the thing crunchpad, so they don't really have any claim to the name. In fact it wasn't them who came up with the name itself in the first place, it was one of the comments.
b) Plenty of companies make the same mistake of failing to register a domain name. If Apple didn't sue over something like iPhone and Dell over Adamo, I doubt there is much of a leg to stand on. + There is no trademark yet for crunchpad
Funnily enough, that story was posted on Techcrunch only a few weeks ago: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/28/dell-belatedly-buys-ada...
c) I don't really plan to bend Arrington over the barrel on this. But I think it'll play better if he contacts me, instead of me just emailing out of the blue offering the domain. Since we all know how unlikely it is to get a response from Techcrunch
That sounded smart before I typed it.
What's amazing about Apple (from whom they seem to have taken packaging design cues) is not an initial sheen of beauty, but that they keep the beauty going throughout the experience.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/09/crunchtablet-hits-the-n...
Most new Tablet PCs also cost 6-10 times more, and have awful battery life because they are overpowered.
Actually, I'd prefer this to a netbook, especially if it isn't locked down.
I thought puns were the lowest form of wit.
I also just read that wit is the highest form of sarcasm. Does that make puns a high form of sarcasm?