Ipad

[HaaTa]

Buckling Spring Netbook...

It'd be an interesting mod project. Dunno how I'd fit in enough keys though without building my own keyboard from scratch.

I have a spare EeePC 701 back in Canada if people have ideas (and I find some spare time).

[Rajagra]

when a c++ app segfaults - do you blame c++

I would.

No, I'm not a professional programmer, but I don't understand why in this day and age any environment (be it the OS, a sandbox, a compiled program, or whatever) shouldn't have enough error checking built in to stop uncontrolled crashes from happening.

For how long have we had hackers/virus writers exploit buffer overruns and the like to cause mischief? Why do we still put up with this nonsense?

========================
Back on topic...

• PCs are great because they are general purpose computing devices. You can get them to do pretty much anything you like with some effort.
  
  
• Gadgets are great because they do one thing really well.
• And the  is an Apple product designed to turn you into a revenue stream.

Hopefully Apple will remember to put the missing 'i' back in the logo before final release.

We need to value and protect that "general purpose computing device" concept. Digital rights management is already eroding that fine principle, and restrictive products like the iPaid do not bode well for the future.

[ch_123]

Like them I find netbooks still sluggish for simple web surfing tasks and don't want a full powered laptop in the living room.

Waah?

The iPad isn't going to be any faster than an average notebook, and there are plenty of decent 'full powered' laptops that aren't that big.

[hyperlinked]

So, buy your ****ty ipad which will be as trivial as an ipod was to all the other mp3 players, but shut up ok?

Yeah, I think the general consensus is that the iPod is the worst device ever made in history. May the iPad dwarf the iPod's obscurity.

Jesus man, what the hell got into you today? Did someone stuff burnt rabbit **** in your Data Hand or something?

[hyperlinked]

The iPad isn't going to be any faster than an average notebook, and there are plenty of decent 'full powered' laptops that aren't that big.

I think the article goes on to say that it may actually be good for the average iPad user that it'd run iPhone like apps rather than full notebook apps because it'll allow the interface to be much snappier than what you'd get through a netbook or a cheap laptop. As the sometimes suffering owner of an Asus EeePC, I can understand what they're getting at.

[ch_123]

I think the article goes on to say that it may actually be good for the average iPad user that it'd run iPhone like apps rather than full notebook apps because it'll allow the interface to be much snappier than what you'd get through a netbook or a cheap laptop. As the sometimes suffering owner of an Asus EeePC, I can understand what they're getting at.

Time to get rid of that XP installation and put a good Linux distribution on it.

[elbowglue]

Webwit added to my ignore list.  I'm sure he'll have something venomous to say about it but he's just too much for me.  I'll be happier for it, and you may be happier about it too.

[bigpook]

Time to get rid of that XP installation and put a good Linux distribution on it.

I second that. I got my wife an asus eeepc that came with some crippled version of linux. Ditched that and put ubuntu remix on it.
For web surfing and email  it works just fine. I don't find it 'sluggish' at all. The small size is a plus when traveling too. Plus the remix loads more stuff then I would even want to use on a eeepc...f-spot for example.

oh yeah, ALL of the hardware works too.

[bigpook]

Yes do that, and post about it. Burn that witch. But I repeat: do not mention defective by design. Another creep.

webwit, why the vitriolic responses? Calm down man : )

[bigpook]

no worries,man. no worries.

[ch_123]

I second that. I got my wife an asus eeepc that came with some crippled version of linux. Ditched that and put ubuntu remix on it.
For web surfing and email  it works just fine. I don't find it 'sluggish' at all. The small size is a plus when traveling too. Plus the remix loads more stuff then I would even want to use on a eeepc...f-spot for example.

oh yeah, ALL of the hardware works too.

It's almost depressing to contemplate how much computing power is wasted by Windows and bad software in general.

[Rajagra]

It's almost depressing to contemplate how much computing power is wasted by Windows and bad software in general.

Almost? It makes me feel like crying as I watch the hard disk light flashing madly when the machine is doing nothing. Nothing at all. :Cry:

[bigpook]

I find it easy to dismiss windows in general.
But to be fair, maybe the problem is more XP then the netbook.
After all,isn't XP a bit long in the tooth nowadays?

Anyone try out a netbook with windows 7?

[msiegel]

the machine is doing nothing. Nothing at all

yes, this happens to me on a machine with Gigabytes of RAM.

something is definitely wrong...

[itlnstln]

You're probably not setting a fixed swap file.

[ricercar]

An ad Hominem attack is a fallacy because a person's interests and circumstances have no bearing on the truth or falsity of the claim being made.

The Appeal to Ridicule is a fallacy in which ridicule or mockery is substituted for evidence in an "argument."

A fallacy is an "argument" in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support.

[msiegel]

You're probably not setting a fixed swap file.

it's a mac; vm has no user-level controls :-/

[itlnstln]

Back to topic.
 
Another thoughtful article.
 
I defend Gizmodo's writing staff with a wet noodle!
 
Nice insults though!

Thoughtful, perhaps, but it's a lot like socialists fighting fascists.  Two extremes fighting each other.  In the end, niether side has a compelling argument.

[ricercar]

The iPad isn't going to be any faster than an average notebook

This turns out not to be the case. By hardware, this is almost true. The Intel Atom is 800 MHz single core. Apple A4 is 1GHz dual core. By user experience, untrue. The UI responsiveness is screaming fast, which, in the entire history of mankind, is something no one has ever said about MacOS, Windows or Linux.

Holding an iPad in my hands is an unparalleled experience. The closest experience I can think of is the speed of GEOS (The only GUI ever written in assembly, AFAIK) on a 386. Wicked fast.

[itlnstln]

This turns out not to be the case. By hardware, this is almost true. The Intel Atom is 800 MHz single core. Apple A4 is 1GHz dual core. By user experience, untrue. The UI responsiveness is screaming fast, which, in the entire history of mankind, is something no one has ever said about Windows or Linux.
 
Holding an iPad in my hands is an unparalleled experience. The closest experience I can think of is the speed of GEOS (The only GUI ever written in assembly, AFAIK) on a 386. Wicked fast.

And this is my main complaint.  They have a device that could be revolutionary, and they hamstrung it with an OS that in no way maximizes its potential.  It could kill netbooks.  Instead, they have a big iPod Touch.

[ricercar]

they hamstrung it with an OS that in no way maximizes its potential.  It could kill netbooks. Instead, they have a big iPod Touch.

I do not disagree. However, the iPhone also was castrated on 1.0 release, and look what it did to its target market. On a deceptively minor scale, the iMac was laughable without a floppy in 97, yet all computer manufacturers followed suit, and the floppy was dead within a decade.

Additionally, the iSteve SDK (released on announcement day--compare with iPhone SDK release) reveals API for much-called for features they didn't mention in January (multitasking, USB, etc. No Flash, thankfully). Why? Because they weren't solid enough for a Jobsian Ego to demo in front of 6 billion people. Imagine what Apple will accomplish in the next two months.

Personally, I never bet money against Steve Jobs. NeXT, his only notable failure, is invisible against PIXAR and Apple, which have released multiple landmark products in their respective fields. Even NeXT is a success if you grant that Steve Jobs always corrects all his mistakes. Following Steve Jobs on the stock market has been profitable enough to buy plenty of non-Apple hardware until the 2.0 version of the Apple Product is for sale to consumers.

It's also fun to play devil's advocate. People show their true colors under stress.

[itlnstln]

And I don't disagree with you, either.  I think the difference in this case is that the usability, capability and interface of the iPhone as a "smartphone" (however you define that) was taken to a whole new level, and it was delivered with applications that made it usable (at least as usable as other smartphones) right out of the box even if EAS was missing.  That said, I don't think the iPad does this in it's current state.  If anything, it's a step backward in terms of the market it's trying to go after which leaves it in a odd and limited niche.
 
Now, with all that out of the way, I think Apple will make changes to the OS to really maximize its capabilities.  I also think that it will be successful in any incarnation for a variety of reasons, but I don't think it will be successful due to it being a good device (or at least a viable netbook alternative) on its own.*  Even then, the Newton was a flop, too, so we'll just have to see.
 
 
*Provided they ship with the current OS

[onowak]

i think the iPad will make a great ubiquitous computing/convergence device IF you buy into the "apple ecosystem". you have to see iPad in relation to the rest of apple's products, not in spite of them. on its own, iPad is gimped. as part of a larger apple ecosystem user-experience it will - allegedly - work really well.

i can see the iPad being useful as a home-based ubiquitous computing hub, with the rest of the apple ecosystem being its spokes. youd be able to control all aspects of the ecosystem from iPad - stream video from your desktop to your tv, drag/drop pics from the iphone to your desktop, control your apple tv experience, etc etc, all using iPad.

integrating computing into the background of your life, seamlessly. thats what the iPad is for. (i think, anyway.)

-0.

[ch_123]

i think the iPad will make a great ubiquitous computing/convergence device IF you buy into the "apple ecosystem". you have to see iPad in relation to the rest of apple's products, not in spite of them. on its own, iPad is gimped. as part of a larger apple ecosystem user-experience it will - allegedly - work really well.

i can see the iPad being useful as a home-based ubiquitous computing hub, with the rest of the apple ecosystem being its spokes. youd be able to control all aspects of the ecosystem from iPad - stream video from your desktop to your tv, drag/drop pics from the iphone to your desktop, control your apple tv experience, etc etc, all using iPad.

integrating computing into the background of your life, seamlessly. thats what the iPad is for. (i think, anyway.)

-0.

Ecosystem? I wanted a tablet, not a biosphere...

But yeah, I agree with you otherwise. A rather cynical attempt to jump into a new market whilst simultaneously protecting your pre-existing cash cow. It's been done before, and it has a funny habit of exploding in the guilty party's face in the most unpleasant way.

[alpslover]

i can see the iPad being useful as a home-based ubiquitous computing hub, with the rest of the apple ecosystem being its spokes. youd be able to control all aspects of the ecosystem from iPad - stream video from your desktop to your tv, drag/drop pics from the iphone to your desktop, control your apple tv experience, etc etc, all using iPad.

so it's a bulky, expensive, apple-only universal remote then.

[itlnstln]

Ecosystem? I wanted a tablet, not a biosphere...
 
But yeah, I agree with you otherwise. A rather cynical attempt to jump into a new market whilst simultaneously protecting your pre-existing cash cow. It's been done before, and it has a funny habit of exploding in the guilty party's face in the most unpleasant way.

Wow. I could never put my own feelings into so few words. It's like he was reading my mind.

[onowak]

i dont own any apple products - not even the iphone - however the potential for a ubiquitous computing ecosystem that encompasses mobile computing, desktop computing, and any number of household appliances (be they lightswitches, my tv, my router, my thermostat, my glasses, etc etc) in an easy-to-use GUI that seamlessly integrates all these devices sounds really attractive. all the better if its one company providing the "glue" to make it happen in a consistent manner.

i want my computer to make life easier, not harder. i dont have time to troubleshoot why CUPS isnt working, or fiddle with .ini files in emacs at home. professionally? - yah sure - at home? - id rather spend the time with the CUDA API...

right now ubiquitous computing - the kind where its so seamlessly integrated into our lives we dont even notice it - is still just a research group at the MIT MediaLab. i think this is where "house-hold" level computing is going. everything connected to everything else. apple just has the jump on everybody else.

[kode]

If CUPS is giving you a headache, you really should blame Apple.

[ch_123]

i dont own any apple products - not even the iphone - however the potential for a ubiquitous computing ecosystem that encompasses mobile computing, desktop computing, and any number of household appliances (be they lightswitches, my tv, my router, my thermostat, my glasses, etc etc) in an easy-to-use GUI that seamlessly integrates all these devices sounds really attractive. all the better if its one company providing the "glue" to make it happen in a consistent manner.

i want my computer to make life easier, not harder. i dont have time to troubleshoot why CUPS isnt working, or fiddle with .ini files in emacs at home. professionally? - yah sure - at home? - id rather spend the time with the CUDA API...

right now ubiquitous computing - the kind where its so seamlessly integrated into our lives we dont even notice it - is still just a research group at the MIT MediaLab. i think this is where "house-hold" level computing is going. everything connected to everything else. apple just has the jump on everybody else.

Stuff like that could be cool, but I'd never go within a million miles of it unless it was using completely open standards.

Ever decide to hook up an old computer, look for it's VGA port, but find one of these staring at you instead?'



That's what it's going to be like when you need to replace last year's model of iDishwasher with this year's one.

[kishy]

Hey, a DB13W3 video connector! Someone's got a Sun or SGI box...

That actually *is* VGA, ch. Passive adapters exist.

[Rajagra]

i think the iPad will make a great ubiquitous computing/convergence device IF you buy into the "apple ecosystem". you have to see iPad in relation to the rest of apple's products, not in spite of them. on its own, iPad is gimped. as part of a larger apple ecosystem user-experience it will - allegedly - work really well.

I think that's very well put. The trouble is, that idea benefits Apple more than its customers.

[ch_123]

Hey, a DB13W3 video connector! Someone's got a Sun or SGI box...

That actually *is* VGA, ch. Passive adapters exist.

I know, I have my Indy hooked up to a Dell flatpanel with one.

Interestingly enough, implementations of 13W3 varied from vendor to vendor. Whilst the configuration of the coaxial RGB pins was constant, the small pins in the centre that dealt with synch, monitor info, GND etc. are different. This means of course that a monitor from Vendor A will expect it's synch info on pin x, but Vendor B's implementation might cause x to be NC, or have monitor info sent over it, causing the monitor to **** itself.

The adapter I have is a Sun one, but in order to use it with the SGI 13W3 connector, I had to pull all the small pins out of one end of a 13W3 cable, connect one end to the Indy, and the other to the adapter. In the absence of any info on the synch line, good VGA monitors will synch off green.

What I never figured out is why all those companies bothered. Maybe really old monitors benefited from a sharper signal over the coax RGB pins? Or more likely they didn't want people using standard monitors with their $10,000+ machines. Either way, it probably is one of the coolest looking connectors of all time.

[HaaTa]

If you have memorized the color coding you are not a iPad target customer.

Damn...

[HaaTa]

Not yet, but I'm going to Hokkaido on Saturday for a 10 day ski trip. :bounce:
If I don't blow too much money I'll pick up a G80-3600LYCEU-2 on the way back.

I know a guy in Kagoshima, so I may go visit him. And going to try and make a trip to Okinawa as well.

[HaaTa]

Sure!

Yeah, definitely too many people in Tokyo and Osaka. The train stations are the worst.

[kishy]

If anything, that photo relates more to TrackPoints than anything else.

[In Stereo!]

What I never figured out is why all those companies bothered. Maybe really old monitors benefited from a sharper signal over the coax RGB pins? Or more likely they didn't want people using standard monitors with their $10,000+ machines. Either way, it probably is one of the coolest looking connectors of all time.

Technically speaking, you shoud have some signal loss when using a non coax connector. But I seriously doubt, that it is in any way perceptible by the end user. I think it has more to do with engeneering consistency -- you have a coax cable, you use a coax connector. This gets rethinked when cost cutting is introduced.

[itlnstln]

I find this device much more intriguing.

[hyperlinked]

I find this device much more intriguing.

I'm not sure why this would be much more intriguing if you thought the iPad's a total dud. It's not an Apple device, but aside from that, it's not radically different and they're going to need to do better than their current specifications if they're basically trying to be the non-iPad iPad at the same price as the entry level iPad.

Key differences:

• Camera (better)
• USB Port (better)
• 1080p Video (better)
• Flash Support (better)
• 1366x768 Screen (neutral)
• 802.11b/g (worse)
• 5 hour battery life (worse)
• 4Gb storage (worse)
• 3G Connectivity Unknown/Rumored (worse)

Like the iPad, it's basically a super sized version of a mobile phone OS.

In other news, it appears that Amazon is looking to beef up the kindle with the acquisition of a touch screen company.

Things are starting to get interesting.

[onowak]

the joojoo will also have a linux OS.

i can come up with the link if you need to see for yourself...

-0.

[hyperlinked]

the joojoo will also have a linux OS.

i can come up with the link if you need to see for yourself...

-0.

Nah, I believe that. It has to be running something after all. Their tech specs just identified the OS as a "Browser Based OS." Obviously, they don't have anywhere near the marketing dollars that Apple have.

They're probably just playing for a favorable acquisition.

[Chao]

At least the JooJoo plays flash (the guy says "the whole Internet is our iTunes store...").

Unfortunate name.  Also means 10-10 in Japanese.

Also Japanese onomatopoeia for frying food. Does it also function as a hotplate?

[onowak]

im sure theres an app for that...

-0.

[sethstorm]

I expect a boom in iPad clones.

Show Image

Given that it's China that makes them, they've already made them as we speak.

[hyperlinked]

OOOoooo.  Microsoft bashing time.

NY Times Op-Ed on why Microsoft will never do an iPad

Sometime around ten years ago, I found myself walking through the Minnesota/St. Paul airport on my way to a connecting flight and seeing this random Microsoft booth in the middle of the concourse. A representative there was personally demoing the upcoming Microsoft Tablet PC. After a short demo, he handed me the bulky slate and a stylus and told me to try my handwriting out with its handwriting recognition features.

I remember finding the device to be really cool and the handwriting recognition worked well enough with my chicken scratched excuse for penmanship. The guy told me the device was set for launch after about another year or so. That year passed and I remember hearing some murmurs about some Microsoft Tablet PC and then nothing followed by more nothing for years.

[itlnstln]

OOOoooo. Microsoft bashing time.
 
NY Times Op-Ed on why Microsoft will never do an iPad

Why when they have this (I can't remember the name, though):
 

Sometime around ten years ago, I found myself walking through the Minnesota/St. Paul airport on my way to a connecting flight and seeing this random Microsoft booth in the middle of the concourse. A representative there was personally demoing the upcoming Microsoft Tablet PC. After a short demo, he handed me the bulky slate and a stylus and told me to try my handwriting out with its handwriting recognition features.
 
I remember finding the device to be really cool and the handwriting recognition worked well enough with my chicken scratched excuse for penmanship. The guy told me the device was set for launch after about another year or so. That year passed and I remember hearing some murmurs about some Microsoft Tablet PC and then nothing followed by more nothing for years.

[itlnstln]

It was the "Courier."  Here is a vid (there are a ton, and some with live usage).

[kishy]

It was the "Courier."  Here is a vid (there are a ton, and some with live usage).

Now THAT is a useful device. I do kind of remember some murmurs about it too...it's a shame it never really 'happened'.

Kinda bugs me that it's a Microsoft product, but I'll give credit where credit is due.

[itlnstln]

I thought I read somewhere where the Courier is due out later this year, but I could be wrong.  For sure, though, they are actively working on it.

[erricrice]

Microsoft has given no official indication when (or if) the unit will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost, though there have been some reports that the delivery goal is "mid-2010".

Meh, Wikipedia can be helpful sometimes...