Apple Tablet Rumored To Be Announced Today at 1PM EST (Jan. 27)

[TrueGrit]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358684,00.asp






Apple's iPad—what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again. Actually, those are the lyrics to the song "War," but they also apply to the iPad, methinks. I'll tell you why.

First off, it's really just a gigantic iPod touch. It's good for all of the things you can already do on the touch, like listen to music, look at pictures, and run a few, weird iPhone apps. The flashlight app should be really entertaining on the iPad, right?

According to various apologists, this tablet is the perfect device for watching movies and reading books, magazines, and newspapers. You know, the kind of stuff that other tablets have been doing all along.

I was hoping that some new paradigm would arise, so this device doesn't become yet another flop (albeit a pretty flop). But it's not much prettier, and I cannot see it escaping the tablet computer dead zone any time soon. It's a black hole that was created 20 years ago with machines like the Momenta. It was reignited by Bill Gates some years back, when he predicted that these things would rule the roost by 2003, or some such thing.

Everyone thought that Apple's entry would be able to turn around this nearly non-existent space. After all, the company revolutionized the MP3 player and smartphone markets, so why not the tablet?

The fact is the space was created long before the invention of the smartphone and MP3 player. The idea can be traced back to Alan Kay's Dynabook concept in the 1970s. Unlike other duds, the tablet computer has been tried over and over again. And let us not forget that Apple itself tried it before with the ill-fated Newton. Let's face it, the idea just isn't flying. The most successful pad thus far is actually the brain-dead Kindle. But it's not a tablet computer—it's an e-book reader.

What did we all expect Steve Jobs to deliver with the iPad? It seems like everyone had their own idea for the device. And now everyone has their own gripe about the thing, including the lack of a camera, the inability to multitask, and the absence of a stylus for drawing and note taking. It seems like not even Steve Jobs could make everyone want a tablet. I can take or leave the thing. If it were $95, I'd buy one. That's not going to happen.

So, what happens now? Well, first people are going to wait and see if the thing sells at all. They will analyze and re-analyze the market, attempting to understand what went right or wrong. If things trend toward wrong, then we'll all have to suffer through endless articles with titles like "Has Steve Jobs Lost His Touch" and "Can Apple Innovate Anymore?" Then the agony begins, as Apple is subject to extreme scrutiny. To avoid this whole scene, I would like to see the iPad become a maxi success.

But I'm doubting this outcome.

The question now is, "what can be done to fix the iPad?" I'm jumping the gun here to make a few suggestions. Here goes:

1. Put a camera and a real phone on the thing. It would be a great teleconferencing machine.
2. Make it multi-task. Cripes, why is this so hard?
3. Add a stylus so people can draw and take notes on the thing. This is actually the strength of tablets. Why was this ignored?
4. Make it cheaper (yeah, right).
5. Give it a handle. Why not?
6. Do something magical. What? I don't know…

Maybe you guys have some terrific suggestions. Write them up in the comments!

[TrueGrit]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358684,00.asp

Steve Jobs felt compelled to take jabs at the netbook market when he announced his magical Apple iPad  stating at one point, "The problem is that netbooks aren't better than anything." But don't ditch that netbook just yet. Here are 42 reasons (ranked in no particular order) why I think netbooks can give the iPad a run for its money.

1)    Netbooks are cheaper. The majority of them run between $200-$400. And after you spend all that money on accessories and upgrade options for the iPad, you'd be able to buy three netbooks for the same amount of money.
2)    With a netbook, you can multitask, allowing you to run several apps at the same time.
3)    Though it hasn't been confirmed that there is absolutely no Flash support in the iPad, we at least know netbooks have full Flash support.
4)    Netbooks have USB ports, about two to three on average. The iPad has none.
5)    Higher Resolutions. There are several 10-inch netbooks that offer 1,366-by-768 resolutions, namely the HP Mini 5102, Dell Mini 10, and Sony VAIO VGN W-Series. The iPad tops out at 1,024 by 768.
6)    Netbooks have options for bigger screens. You can get one with an 11-inch or 12-inch widescreen.
7)    Removable batteries. You can buy an additional battery for your netbook if you want, allowing it to last for multiple days.
   Every single netbook comes with a webcam for video conferencing and chats.
9)    They have physical keyboards, so you don't have to spend extra money to buy a physical one that docks.
10)    Multiformat card readers are built into every netbook, so you can download photos and videos from your camera.
11)    Netbooks have the potential to support handwriting recognition. Handwriting recognition is built into Windows and convertible netbook tablets already exist, so it's only a matter of time before Wacom bursts into action.
12)    Netbooks have a clamshell design, so their screens are less likely to get scratched.
13)    Netbooks use faster processors.
14)    Yeah, spinning drives on netbooks are less durable than the solid-state drives (SSDs) found in the iPad, but they come in greater capacities; and at least you can upgrade a netbook up to a 128GB SSD.
15)    Netbooks can easily be "modded" with more RAM, bigger hard drive capacity, or a different operating system.
16)    The Dell Mini 10v can be "hackintoshed" with a full-blown version of Mac OS 10.
17)    With a netbook, you can get apps through other means besides iTunes.
18)    Netbooks have widescreens, which aren't necessarily better, but at least rotate, which gives you true portrait mode. The iPad screen can rotate, but it's square-ish in dimension.
19)    Netbooks have an Ethernet port and some have a Gigabit Ethernet. Thus, if the Wi-Fi's throughput is not enough for streaming HD video, you can always plug in a network cable.
20)    Some netbooks can play back 720p and 1080p HD videos, using the latest Nvidia Ion chips.
21)    Netbooks have shown that they can last longer than 10 hours on a single battery charge.
22)    There are countless netbook designs to choose from. So if, say, the Toshiba mini NB305-N410's plastics don't suit you, the metals in the HP Mini 5102 might.
23)    Netbooks can run a full-blown Windows OS.
24)    You're not tempted to spend hundreds of dollars on accessories for netbooks.
25)    Some netbooks have both VGA-Out and HDMI-Out, without the need for a connector.
26)    Gaming is more advanced on a netbook, albeit not by much.
27)    Some netbooks, like the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and S10, have ExpressCard slots, so you can add expansion cards for FireWire, TV tuner, legacy ports, or 3G/4G wireless.
28)    You can choose different 3G wireless carriers with a netbook.
29)    Netbooks purchased from Costco or ASUS come with two-year standard warranties. The iPad will likely give you one year standard.
30)    You can print files from a netbook.
31)    Netbooks have more networking capabilities, such as the ability to map to drives and printers.
32)    We know Intel and AMD processor and chipset technology will scale each year. The iPad is using an unproven, homebrewed chipset, so we don't know how well it will scale.
33)    With a netbook, you can connect an optical drive for all your Netflix and Blockbuster rentals.
34)    You can buy turn-by-turn direction software for netbooks that have embedded GPS options.
35)    Netbooks can support multiple OSes. Most netbooks have Linux pre-boot environments that will get you access to a browser and e-mail data within seconds.
36)    Netbooks are more child-friendly. Disney and Nickelodeon have launched netbooks with a ton of child-friendly software. And netbooks like the Dell Latitude 2100 and HP Mini 5102 are being deployed in schools.
37)    The Dell Mini 10 has an option for a built-in TV tuner, so you can watch and record live TV.
38)    Your netbook can run multiple browsers, so you're not stuck with Safari only.
39)    Netbooks can run Java.
40)    Netbooks can run multiple Exchange Mail accounts.
41)    You don't need another computer to sync your data.
42)    Netbooks with Nvidia's Ion chipset can support external Blu-ray drives.

[HTexan]

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/alienware-m11x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Check out the alienware M11x

[TrueGrit]

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/alienware-m11x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Check out the alienware M11x

Now that is sexy..