TechCrunch decided to go with the flow and post more details and pictures of the CrunchPad. In this recent post, TechCrunch gives us some tantelizing details:
“What you see is a prototype, equipped with an Intel Atom processor and a 12″ capacitative [sic] touchscreen. Looks a little different than it did last time, doesn’t it?”
Capacitive touch you say? All right! I’m hoping we’re potentially talking multi-touch here. That would be tremendous. My mind is whirling because an Atom processor-based system with multi-touch just might, I say might, be twisted into a very compelling Windows 7 Tablet. Why? Because smooth touch scrolling is supported in multi-touch systems. We’ll have to wait a little while to see what the device actually supports though.
According to the blog post:
“As for more details, they’re in flux or double-top-secret at the moment, but you can expect a full disclosure during the next week, along with video of the new text input and all that other good stuff.”
Can’t wait.
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Looks cool but I hope you don’t run into any patent problems because I bet a bunch of other companies are working on something similar.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I sure hope it can read pdf files (as an ereader) and has a SD memory card slot. If so, I’ll buy two. Seriously. Right now. Will it work as a reader?
If it can do decent video (OTA type broadcast quality) off a SD card, I’ll buy 3. Even for $350.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
What is taking so long? You Guys have a gold mind here. I want one right now! in white!=(
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Count me in for a couple too!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I smell someone pooping their pants, it’s coming from that direction. *points toward Cupertino*
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
How about command line access? SSH abilities would be great on something like this.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I want at least four of these ASAP: One for the living room, one for the briefcase, and one for each bathroom.
Would love to hear that this works with Foxmarks (now Xmarks) — would save a world of time.
I second the “notepad” request for handwriting. (In a perfect world, something that I can sync with OneNote…)
Ability to connect my old Stowaway BT keyboard and mouse would be awesome, too. And an ebook reader (my fave is ereader.com).
Include a strong IR so I can use this thing to control my entertainment center while surfing, and I’ll personally nominate you guys for a Nobel Prize.
Or, ignore me and I’ll buy them anyway.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Hey, instead of using the normal onscreen keyboard, how come you guys never went with something like Dasher?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasher
With something like Dasher, I can get up to 40 WPM, compared to maybe 10 WPM if I tried to use an onscreen keyboard.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I want one. Is the display switchable? Portrait and landscape?
Joe
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I think there is something to be said for running Android, because there are many apps that one could then download to augment the use of the device. It also has Webkit browser, if I am not mistaken.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Really great job guys, considering that you are really trying to scratch your own itch.
Just wondering, why is the s/w footprint still at 100MB?
Linux distro like DamnSmallLinux manages a full GUI OS w/ many apps at that quite well within 50MB. Considering that you just want a browser & flash plugins on the apps side, it should ideally be even smaller?
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Perfecto! There was never a better time for a gadget so sweet. Surfing from the couch will be soooo good.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
That thing looks completely awesome. I agree with limiting the specs to be optimized for one function. If you could include synergy in the system it would make it a pretty sweet desktop companion too. For $300 I would definitely go for one vs the kindle.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I have a tablet pc without keyboard and I love it. This thing might work out. I personally did not like the cheap plastic look. If you can pull of better looking design(thinner frames maybe) and good viewing angles on the lcd I might consider buying after recession is over.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I Love it’s design And Idea to put T9 keyboard in touch screean >.<
But it migh have more multipurpose just using moblin 2 and make universal touch screean keyboard
drop to it’s stand connect usb keyboard and have a linux desktop.
got web, multimedia, bookreader, work in one place
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Add multi-touch display and blue tooth. Then we can buy 2 one as a monitor and use the other as a lcd keyboard…..check out the new XO concept from OLPC
http://gizmodo.com/assets/reso…..ptop20.jpg
I have been looking for a gadget like this that I can use as a e-reader. They are (e-readers) just to expensive and don’t have colour.
Was thinking of building my own using an old laptop and integrating the lcd into the base. Might be a bit thick but I just want to lie in bed and read my e-books without paying R5000 /$500.
I am inspired…
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I will buy TEN – please let me know when – my CC is burning and im drooling –
where is the info to build one myself – ‘ please please
i want one bad – now
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I may have missed something in the posts here but this looks like a better version of the compaq tc1100 (check it out on ebay). I never understood why HP/Compaq stopped selling this device. The time has come to come up with a different way of entering text. Handwriting recognition is good but my handwriting is terrible. Maybe something like the system Hawking uses would be better.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
wowwieeeeeeeeeeeee………….may I should show this to my professor.. !!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Looks like an iPhone with a 12″ screen.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
thank you
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I really hope you would build this and sell.
This would be perfect for a project I’m trying to start – providing a video/web tablet for deaf people to use in hospitals to call interpreters when they meet doctors/nurses etc.
Build it and they will come.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
One more addition… An IR transmitter so you can build a web app that turns it into a remote for your tv and stuff.
Awesome work. Let me know when it’s ready. I’m ready to buy.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Please add a usb for a keyboard and to be able to save stuff or upload to a website.
Could be very usefull for web based instore kiosks….and exhibitions etc – FANTASTIC stuff
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Mike this sounds great and would sell well here in the UK. Could this handle stremaing stuff that needs its own app like spotify and skype? if there’s no desktop to fall back to and the pad just runs Firefox as its interface would this preclude any additional apps? This type of device and spotify would eb a match made in heaven.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
mike, folks, hi – absolutely great to see that you’ve done this project. i’m sorry i didn’t encounter the project before – i’ve been hunting around and advocating exactly this approach for years.
i trust that you picked a 1024×768 screen or a 1280×800 so that geeks/programmers will be interested in it. anything less, such as a 1024×600 or an 800×480 and programmers simply _will_ not help you.
the absolute minimum screen resolution required to get programmers’ attention is 1024×768, even if it’s a 6in screen, because you can get two 80×56 terminals side-by-side in a crystal-clear readable font. 1024×600 means you can only get 80×43 and that reduction – even of a mere 13 lines – is intolerable.
also, firefox is intolerable for developers on a 1024×600 or less screen. at only 600 deep, firefox takes up nearly 2/5ths of the tiny amount of screen real estate with menu, url, bookmarks, tabs, find bar and status bar – it’s ridiculous.
so – assuming you’ve done that – a 1024×768 or 1200×768 or 1280×800 screen – the next thing to say is that the use of webkit, or at least the provision of browser-only (pretty much) is pure genius.
i say that because i’m the developer of http://pyjs.org which is a python port of GWT and you can do an _enormous_ amount with just javascript, in the right hands. you can even do a full, complete window manager (in python, that ends up being javascript) with very little code.
also, combining one of these devices with an openmoko is a match made in heaven: with the openmoko only having a 640×480 touchscreen, something bigger is needed (but not all the time); the crunchpad needs phone capability (but not all the time).
so i’m intrigued, delighted to see what you’ve done, and look forward to hearing from you, as i can put you in touch with various resources that may prove fruitful to you, with this project.
l.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Fantastic! I just found out about this project from Slashdot.
This looks like the ideal upgrade from my N800 which I use for web, e-mail, and e-books (FB Reader).
As soon as there is something available for testing or purchase, I’ll be there in line!
Walt
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Hopes it views PDF !!!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Yes I would like it to be able to view PDF as well…
Also flash, (Could play some cool games with this)
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Sold.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Great utilitarian status symbol…in White ONLY. Very salable KISS Principle product.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Build it! I don’t like to buy things that cost more than $50, but I would almost certainly buy this.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
This needs to be able to run unmodified Linux software. The best way to achieve it would be to add a hardware button to cycle touch mode between left-click, middle-click and right-click, so that the touch screen behaves exactly like a regular mouse. A couple of additional hardware buttons would make it even more user friendly: one button to call up the virtual keyboard and another button to send drag events so that any desktop environment would run without changes. So, no new software to be written (except for drivers) and lots of options for users to choose the software they want.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
A piece of hardware like this is badly needed, but the key is that any such device should be totally independent of the software installed. People then could choose to install anything they want on it. My ideal tablet would behave exactly like a notebook computer without the need to have custom software or modify existing desktop environments. One way to achieve that would be to have a touchscreen plus 3 additional hardware buttons that interact with the OS at the lowest level possible (maybe even below driver level). The 3 buttons should work like this:
– A button to show a virtual keyboard so that the OS receives key-press events
– A button to send drag events so that the OS receives button-pressed-while-mouse-moving events when pressed
– A button to cycle between left, middle and right clicks as the event sent to the OS when the user touches the screen
Any OS would think it was running in a regular notebook with a regular keyboard and a regular mouse, so the hardware would not be handicapped by the lack of available custom software. I see no reason why a tablet like this does not exist today, as there are lots of things one could do with it even if CPU power was low. The Nokia N8xx tablets were close to this goal, but their dependence on custom software (applications had to be hildonized) made them much less useful than they could have been otherwise.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Looks great. Just keep it as simple as possible.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Have you considered the ARM processor? Cheaper + better battery life. Seems like the perfect solution for your project.
Also, is the on-screen keyboard resizable? Not everyone has the same size fingers. Maybe have it set up so that you can touch opposite corners and drag to set the size.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
The little pad that is… How cool. Congratulations, Mike.
With all the cool things one can do on the web! I could totally see myself developing a website on one of this (online ftp, online editor, online image editor, online everything!). VNC via a hosted Java client!
Even if this doesn’t make it into a product, would you share your experience with us on how to develop such an idea? I mean, there are tons of cool hardware gadgets waiting to happen (such as this one) but the lack of knowledge or “where do I begin?” might be keeping it only on a napkin somewhere.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Its a niche product. If people really wanted something like this, they can go out and buy an iPhone for less than $300.
How do you get on the Internet, only Wi-Fi?
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
I hope this comes out before the end of this year. I’m dying for a large touch screen MID, and I’ll buy it from whoever can get it to me first.
My only suggestion, put one or two mini PCIe slots behind a user accessible panel so that we can add what we want. I know PCIe SSDs, bluetooth 3G wifi and videos cards exist so by having this ability we can totally trick out the system.
P.S Can you put me down for two :0
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
You need better spies.
The pad is cute, but definately don’t blink. And hurry.
My guess is it never happens. Sorry.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Apple is working on this and they have all the technology.
Thin computer (air)
Distribution (itunes store app store)
Tuch Screen Support (iphone)
All the softeare (mac software and app store)
Money
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Interesting. Ideally this is what cell phones are evolving into, albeit in a smaller format.
I think the Crunchpad could shine as a way to prove how FOSS and potentially open-source hardware as well can go mainstream.
You should approach the people who make the Sciphone i68+ and ask them to manufacture your device. They can make anything cheaply. (See link)
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Do Want!
Hope you can start knocking these out as soon as!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Oh man, congrats guys. I remember the original story, great work!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
keep up the great work! Is the final OS going to be some variant of Ubuntu?
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Dude, Michael. Good stuff. I want to see projects like this succeed and grow. I had some interesting Idea’s and would love to throw them your way.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Sorry Mike, this has been done already. Features and color not the best but cheaper and faster.
http://www.world-of-toys.com/S…..asp?Cat=10
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
This is amazing, crowd-sourcing the R & D of this device. Cheaper, faster – smart move by whoever is behind this.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.techcrunch.com/)“>Techcrunch
Yeah, right, like Apple would make something for $300. haha
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