EnGadget has in-depth coverage of Intel’s Ruby PC.
Built-in wireless with Windows Vista (complete one, not CE version).
Note that this device is a prototype, and Intel has not been very good with pushing consumer electronics. I was at Intel Developer Forum 2001, when they showed off their wireless Web tablet in San Jose. Yes, at some point Intel indeed had a wireless tablet that had a larger screen than Nokia 770. The engineers showed it to the reporters and press, but any question regarding release date or pricing was met with the excuse “We’re just engineers, we don’t know that marketing stuff”. Not too long after that Intel Consumer Electronics division was shut down, and Louis Burns, who never liked me calling him Mr. Burns (Simpsons reference), now runs Digital Health.
Gizmondo is 770 competitor inly by a stretch of imagination, but nevertheless they also try to sell a handheld that supports wireless. CNN runs a pretty negative story on Gizmondo:
Two years ago, Nokia introduced the N-Gage, which quickly became viewed (by the community, if not the industry) as one of the worst hardware launches in gaming history. Hold on to your hats, folks: Here we go again.
Engadget writes about new OQO model, which, depending on how you look at it, might be considered a worthy 770 competitor (except, of course, the price). For a mere $1,899 you can be a proud owner of the device with:
1GHz processor , 30GB hard drive (shock-mounted), 512MB RAM, 4.9″ x 3.4″ x .9″ dimensions, 14 ounces, 800 x 480 W-VGA 5″ display (indoor/outdoor readable), 3D accelerated graphics with 8MB video RAM, QWERTY thumb keyboard with mouse buttons and TrackStik, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, FireWire (1394), 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, Microphone, Pen-based digitizer
NEW support for screen rotation, NEW support for network boot (PXE), Removable lithium polymer battery, Battery life up to three hours, depending on usage
NEW universal power supply with auto and air adapter, Desktop stand, Digital pen, Carrying sleeve, Docking cable with following ports: 3D accelerated 1280 x 1024 VGA video output, Additional USB 2.0, Additional FireWire (1394) , Ethernet (100/10) , DC power , Audio out
Perhaps I agree with Mike Masnick of TechDirt, who compares all the hype surrounding OQO, and says that at $1899 price sticker it’s more likely to cause a yawn than excitement.
PC World runs a review of PepperPad, a 20 gig Linux-based tablet that is somewhat competing with Nokia 770 on many fronts (except the price factor). Looks like the PC World folks weren’t terribly impressed with it, but they still have some good advice that perhaps Nokia 770 engineers would note:
My dissatisfaction started soon after I powered up the Pepper Pad. From a cold boot, this “instant-on” device takes nearly 2 minutes to get up and running. You can then put the unit in a sleep mode for faster subsequent startups, but the battery continues to drain. And I was surprised by the battery’s short life span: During my informal tests, the unit lasted less than 2 hours on a full charge.
Yes, for a mobile device like this users tend to get pretty picky on things like battery life and speed of startup.
Thanks to The Gadget Blog for pointing to the Sony Vaio U71P model, another entrant in the field of Internet-enabled tablets. The Gadget Blog points the main advantages of the Sony model:
It beats the Nokia in terms of storage options since you can plug in a 20GB/30GB Hard disk, Compact Flash or Memory Stick whilst the Nokia supports only the RS-MMC storage
However, the model is not too easy to find in the United States, and the only site that had something interesting to say about the U71 that was not in Japanese was Dynamism shop, a well-known importer of Japanese goodies that are not available in the States. Dynamism, however, still doesn’t quote the price, but with the functionality shown it looks like U71P is more of an entrant into the PC Tablet field, than it is a competitor to Nokia 770.
From TeleRead I learned about PepperPad. It has Wi-Fi support, stereo speakers and support for gaming. However, it seems to be more loaded than Nokia 770, with Bluetooth support, mini-keyboard, support for Secure Digital and MMC, and 20 GB disk. The price reflects that however - $799.99 on Amazon.
Their software package, according to the site, includes:
- Web Browser - Directly access the Web with our Mozilla®-based browser. Keep and organize your bookmarks and Web page clippings (for offline viewing).
- E-mail - POP3, IMAP4 and AOL® Inbox support
- IM client - A completely integrated AOL® Instant Messenger™ compatible IM client with tabbed session management.
- Music, video and photo libraries - Collect, organize and watch (or listen to) your favorite MP3s, MPEGs and digital photos.
- Remote Control - Control your TV & Stereo equipment (only available with the Pepper wireless pad).
- Journal - A rich text editor lets you resize and color your text, change the font, add hyperlinks and Web clippings, and bulleted and numbered lists. Create a journal you can share with family and friends or simply record your thoughts.
- Internet Radio - Listen to your favorite streaming radio stations.
- Games - Improve your hand-eye coordination (oh, who are we kidding? Just have fun) with our entertaining, ad - free games - quick, simple and always a hoot.