...That's it? The iPad. - by Fafhrd
Rug Burn Junky on 28/1/2010 at 18:23
I have a similar model of the picturebook, and it's one of the best "laptops" I've ever owned. I used it right up until last year (even after I upgraded to my current streak of IBM tablets), and only stopped using it because it died last year - haven't tossed it yet, because it's so useful I still consider fixing it up. It's pretty amazing how ahead of its time it was - several of my friends who scoffed at it almost a decade ago now rely on their own netbooks on a day to day basis.
lost_soul on 28/1/2010 at 18:50
It makes me love my $258 (shipped!) netbook with a 160 gig HDD, 1 GB of ram, and atom CPU that much more. It was a heck of a deal!
thefonz on 28/1/2010 at 19:42
Loving that this is getting way more media attention than Obama's State of the Union.
Well actually, I'm not - I'd be far more interested in reading about that than what was, 20min of watching Steve Jobs browse the net.
If ANYONE buys this on ttlg, I suggest a sound beating. But we'll do it using Adobe Flash. Because then they wont be able to fight back.
SubJeff on 28/1/2010 at 19:54
I think it looks great. The big downside is not having a screen that is suitable for reading for a long time. Apart from that it will be a hit, and deservedly so.
It doesn't have any new features but what it does have is the portability, the "cool" and the iPod apps with further apps to come - its a piece of technology convergence and that is what will sell it. I'll never get one but I can see how appealing this might be and Mark 2 will likely fix all the things people are moaning about like no SD slot, no camera, no multitasking.
Al_B on 28/1/2010 at 20:10
I'm not so sure. The iPod touch and iPhone can already run the apps and one of them allows you to make calls with it too. I may be missing something but so far it looks like an iPod touch but with less convenience.
I couldn't justify buying one for business use as I couldn't easily hook it up to a projector, connect a mouse or keyboard or use it with a USB memory stick (without an adapter). I am struggling to see why I'd want it without a camera for personal use and to be honest even using it as an e-book reader I would prefer a real book, but I'm just old fashioned.
They may fix these things in version 2, but why did they release this now in such a crippled form? Even if they sell some they'll still have to do the work to plug the gaps and it's only going to give the product a bad reputation in the meantime. I'm not anti-Apple at all, but I'm struggling to see what logic they had in releasing this product.
heywood on 28/1/2010 at 20:15
I played with one at the local Sony Style store along with the W and X. I love the size & weight and mostly love the screen (though I suspect it could become fatiguing), and the keyboard is OK for the intended use. But I had a hard time getting used to the trackpoint and the battery life isn't good. The W also had a nice screen for the size, but the battery life with the standard battery isn't good either. Also, the small Sony models share the same difficulties with video playback as the iPad and other netbooks.
I'm finding that if you want to watch 480p or 720p video on Hulu, YouTube, etc. the smallest options right now are ultraportable laptops with 11.6" screens. They're closer to full fledged laptops than I'm really looking for, but I can't see dropping $500+ on a netbook/netpad that can't handle an important segment of web content.
Quote Posted by Al_B
I couldn't justify buying one for business use as I couldn't easily hook it up to a projector, connect a mouse or keyboard or use it with a USB memory stick (without an adapter). I am struggling to see why I'd want it without a camera for personal use and to be honest even using it as an e-book reader I would prefer a real book, but I'm just old fashioned.
I can't see the business use, but for personal use it serves mostly the same purpose as a netbook: a small device with good battery life for browsing, email, IM, web camming, facebooking, etc. Unlike an iPhone or iPod Touch, it's got a big enough screen to browse the web comfortably and view pictures & video at a comfortable size. It doesn't have a real keyboard, so it's not as useful for students as a netbook would be, but the size is more convenient and the touch screen interface will be nice.
Renzatic on 28/1/2010 at 20:27
Quote Posted by Heywood
I'm finding that if you want to watch 480p or 720p video on Hulu, YouTube, etc. the smallest options right now are ultraportable laptops with 11.6" screens. They're closer to full fledged laptops than I'm really looking for, but I can't see dropping $500+ on a netbook/netpad that can't handle an important segment of web content.
Look at the (
http://www.amazon.com/Seashell-1201N-PU17-BK-12-1-Inch-Black-Netbook/dp/B002ZLOR56) Asus 1201n. The best of the Nvidia Ion equipped netbooks from what I've read, and can handle HD movies at 1080p, all web content, and just about everything except the latest and greatest games with ease.
I'm still torn between getting a netbook or a MacBook. But if I get a netbook, it'll be this one, no question.
Al_B on 28/1/2010 at 20:29
Quote Posted by heywood
I'm finding that if you want to watch 480p or 720p video on Hulu, YouTube, etc. the smallest options right now are ultraportable laptops with 11.6" screens.
Agreed - but AFAIK (and it's not a site I use regularly) Hulu uses flash - which the iPad doesn't support.
Quote Posted by heywood
web camming, facebooking, etc.
Without a webcam it's a bit limited for that (but I'm sure you could bolt one on with duck tape) and most people I know on facebook like their flash applications.
I would live this to be a nice, portable, slick product but I'm just not seeing it.
lost_soul on 28/1/2010 at 20:34
I do think the name "Islate" would have been better. We wouldn't have all of these tampon-related jokes.
