Archive | Original Site

How Big Should a Tablet Be?

Posted by Harry McCracken on December 23, 2009 at 12:04 pm

The Boy Genius Report has a post up with the title “Apple tablet definitely coming in 7″ size?” Seems to me that the uses of “definitely” and a question mark in the same headline cancel each other out. Either Apple is doing a 7-inch tablet or it isn’t. We just don’t know yet. (Boy Genius says the source of the rumor has been amazingly accurate; oddly enough, nobody ever publishes an Apple rumor and says that it comes from a source that’s erratic and unreliable.)

But the “news” does present an opportunity to ponder what size an Apple tablet–or any tablet–should be. I think we can definitively say that it needs to be enough larger than the iPhone and iPod Touch (which have 3.5-inch screens) to be a distinct beast, and that it needs enough resolution to handle modern Web pages without excessive zooming (let’s say 1024 pixels of resolution, at least on its longer side). E-readers like the Kindle are in the right ballpark, but their displays are a tad on the cramped side if you’re going to be using an on-screen keyboard much. So yes, seven inches sounds logical enough.

But you can feel free to disagree with me:

7 comments

Sub $100 Tablet on Tap from OLPC by 2012

Posted by Ed Oswald on December 23, 2009 at 11:42 am

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) officials on Tuesday outlined an ambitious program to bring a tablet PC to market within two years at a price of less than $100. This would be combined with efforts to upgrade and bring down the cost of the current XO laptop which has become the effort’s signature product.

An upgrade to the current model is due at a $200 price point next month. This will be followed by a touchscreen version of the XO laptop in 2011 at a price point of around $150, and finally the tablet which would make its way to market the following year.The tablet would be made of flexible plastic and would be a drastic departure from the current design of the laptop, officials say.

OLPC has struggled recently as the company was forced to lay off 50 percent of its workforce earlier this year. This likely had a lot to do with the worsening economy, which hit the tech sector fairly hard. But the initiative is trudging on, determined to complete its mission of providing technology to children in the developing world. Admirable, but of course a bit costly.

I for one am super curious as to how these folks are going to pull this off. I know you can’t tell much from pictures, but that looks like an awfully advanced device. How are you going to be able to build something like that for $100? I understand that advancements in technology these days are moving faster and faster, but we don’t even have products like this available to the general public right now, much less underprivileged kids around the world.

Hopefully this isn’t going to end up as vaporware, but right now it sure looks like it.

2 comments

Amazon Kindle DRM Broken, eBooks Set Free

Posted by Ed Oswald on December 23, 2009 at 9:49 am

An Israeli hacker going by the handle “Labba” claims he has found a method which breaks the copyright protection on the Kindle, allowing the user to transfer eBooks purchased on the device as a PDF to another device. Kindles use a proprietary format “.azw” which prevents transfer to another device.

Not all books for Kindle include DRM — Amazon leaves it up to the publisher to decide whether or not they would like to protect their content. It is likely the company will rush to patch the hole opened by the hacker, although it was not immediately responding to requests for comment Wednesday.

The hack was developed as an entry to a contest on hacking.org.il, where participants were tasked with finding a way to open up the AZW format to allow it to be read on other devices. The hack took about eight days for Labba to complete. The hack is actually an application that is installed onto the device, which then converts the files to the mobi format. Be forwarned though that Amazon has apparently already pushed out code for the Kindle that breaks these scripts, although it is reported it does not auto-update the device.

8 comments

My CES Wish List

Posted by Harry McCracken on December 23, 2009 at 8:48 am

Most of my time at the moment is being eating up by preparations for two annual events involving shiny new toys. One of these events is this Thursday. The other one is in a couple of weeks: It’s the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where I’ll head to learn what the tech industry thinks is going to matter in 2010. (Well, all of the tech industry except Apple, that is.)

In the meantime, I’ve been reflecting on what I hope I’ll encounter at the show. I share some of them in my newest WePC.com contribution, Six Things I’d Like to See at CES (But Probably Won’t!). Check it out–and while you’re at WePC, you might want to investigate how to get a shot at winning a free PC.

Oh, and any of you going to CES?

One comment

Nexus One Specs

Posted by Harry McCracken on December 23, 2009 at 8:25 am

Engadget has what are allegedly detailed specs for Google’s Nexus One Android phone. (They look nice, but not particularly enthralling–although it’s supposed to have an OLED screen, which is a pro.) Engadget’s tipster says that the phone will be invite-only at first (like Gmail or Google Voice, I guess). It’s also said to run a flavor of wireless connectivity that only does 3G on T-Mobile in the U.S.–on AT&T, you’d drop back to EDGE. That sounds like a major limitation, and one that essentially makes this a T-Mobile phone, whether or not it’s sold unlocked and/or without a subsidy or contract…

One comment

Ladies and Gentleman, It’s Game Awards Time

Posted by Harry McCracken on December 23, 2009 at 12:32 am

It’s time for one of Technologizer’s most hallowed traditions–actually, come to think of it, it may be the only hallowed tradition we have so far. For the second year, our gaming correspondent, Jared Newman, is commemorating the year that was in gaming by doling out some awards. We don’t have a famous venue, celebrity presenters, or exclusive afterparties, but we promise no long-winded speeches or Beyonce-related commandeering of the festivities.

And you can come as you are–just click here to view the Technologizer’s Second Annual Game Awards slideshow.

No comments

Technologizer’s Second Annual Game Awards

Posted by Jared Newman on December 23, 2009 at 12:20 am

Tail between its legs, the video games industry tried to retreat from 2009. Heavy hitters like Splinter Cell: Conviction, Bioshock 2, Bayonetta and Heavy Rain were pushed back to next year, ostensibly to allow more development time, but more likely to avoid competition from Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST during a time of frugal gaming. Despite it all, there were plenty of games to love no matter what genre you’re into. I’ve got my favorites, upon which I’ve continued the tradition of bestowing arbitrary superlatives instead of arbitrary numerical rankings. Read on to find out what games were Technologizer’s best of 2010.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
4 comments