AMD joins MeeGo

Sure it does, it's called a browser. Most of those things are just input devices. The important use case are already covered either by the browser or the default system app for those things. Sure, there will be niche areas which require apps just as there will always be niche devices. I am not claiming that apps won't exist, just that they aren't needed on a simple tablet. A large portion of people (perhaps even a majority) will never install a single app on these lower end devices. Apps simply aren't a differentiator when comparing a $100 device to a $500 one (for the person buying the $100 one).

see phonegap for a solution until the native api makes it into the browser.

Virgin mobile(http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/) has similar plans in the U.S.

No contract and you can buy a contract in 10 days 100 megs of data in 10 days intervals.

MertoPCS has similar plans.

All I was saying is having the option for a 3G/4G connection that can be shared with other devices is going to be important. It could be over usb or bluetooth.

One issue with tethering over a phone is:
1. it uses a lot of phone battery
2. It is annoying if you actually want to use your phone.

I work with cellular for a living. Right now the carriers are trying to figure out how to balance the cost of running their networks and price it accordingly to meet the vast bandwidth needs of customers.

Back in the day(2006) you could buy a monthly plan from most the U.S. carriers and get unlimited data for a monthly fee($60). I have set up systems that were streaming 5 gigs of data a day. This can take down a whole tower. The carriers realized this and put limits to protect their networks. The carriers would just over subscribe the networks with unlimited plans and the system would go to sh@t. Now they realize there needs to be a better system.

Those rates, while nice, do not seem reasonable for a family of 4 (2 teens) with at least 4 smart phones and 6-8 tablets. No, likely we will need 1 plan per person with limits on operating devices simultaneously, no combined torrent downloads. ;)

> They need to get a product out _RIGHT_NOW_. They should of been done with the initial release LAST YEAR.

> They are losing time and time is the most precious resource they have. If they don't move their asses they are going to be dead on arrival.

I think that you are probably right for high end devices, but right now, low end device manufacturers will put anything that runs on their devices on it. So, perhaps Nokia and Intel (and AMD) will lose with MeeGo, but it still might have a chance to run on some low end imports. Of course, if MeeGo itself dies because it is only supported by these high end device manufacturers, you aren't likely to see it on low end devices either. These low end manufacturers are not pushing android development, so they are unlikely to push MeeGo development either. But, perhaps Nokia could figure out the low end reliable market (they are good at that), but I suspect they do not see MeeGo that way, I wouldn't hold my breath.

>> An ipad is a $500 plus device, it will never be something you let your 4 year old handle roughly.

> No, not "never". Last night I visited a friend who has given his 3 year old a cheap digital camera. It probably cost less than many of the other presents she'll get for Christmas, yet has a resolution and general quality that would have cost hundreds of dollars just a very few years ago.

Hmm, seems to be the same point I am making, no? If the device is cheap, you will give it to your 3/4 year old. Cameras are an excellent example. When we got our first digital camera ~$350, we did protect it and treat it well. Eventually it broke, the replacement was way better and cost $200. We no longer feared the kids holding it. The kids got a cheaper one too... Cameras are now on our phones (despite having and still often using the better one). The low end device is ubiquitous despite higher end ones being owned by the same people.

I was not implying that ipads will never get cheaper (although, it is an apple device, obsolete ipods still cost a bundle). I was implying that you would not give a currently priced Ipad to your 4 year old.

> The most important issue is the cost of the high-quality screens. The difference between a good touchscreen (like the Galaxy Tab) and a poor one (like the Always Innovating TouchBook) is enough to change the device from something that you actually enjoy using into something that you will use only when you have to. It's a visceral thing, like how people put more effort into cooking when they have nice stuff in the kitchen.

There will be some of that, that is why I specified a higher res screen. The 10inchers today have 1024x600 and they are useable for browsing. The 7 inch 800x480 can be painful. But the 7inch size is nice and certainly can handle a higher resolution without being unreasonably small. That resolution increase will cost more, perhaps even doubling the price (but not a year from now,) but it will not cause a device to go from $100 (today's low end) to $600 (Galaxy). That sorta high pricing is ridiculous and naturally will not yield ubiquity.

> I would buy only one, and it would sit in a corner and decay. Other people would return it - like the Folio 100 that I linked to above - and keep saving until they could afford something better.

Afford something better than the Folio100, that was a $1000 device? Of course, it was going to fail. It is exactly the kind of device that has no chance of ever competing with the ipad! It was a piece of junk compared to cheaper laptops. If you are looking for a laptop, forget it, a $100 tablet won't do it. But if you want a picture frame and weather station, perhaps, maybe it controls your stereo and thermostat... and, of course, it could allow you to read that email that just came in easily without squinting on your phone (likely in its cradle, not your pocket) when you are on your couch... it will allow you to show that Xmas present you are thinking of buying the kids to your wife while she cooks dinner... the kids will watch youtube on it at the airport. These device are infinitely more useful than TVs (since they can act as TVs even), yet TVs are everywhere, where is the household with only 1 TV? The TV aspects of these devices alone ensure their success.

I suspect that even those who buy quality devices will find use for the cheaper ones. It is easy to underestimate the uses people will find for something cheap. It has no relation to the failure of people to buy expensive better devices. It will become easier to own two devices and swap them in and out the charger while the other one is charging than it will be to exchange batteries. :)

*blink* I didn't know you were a ham! Awesome! Chalk up another ham hacker. :)