Dell working on pocket-sized Internet gadget

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Comments

  • Reply 81 of 97
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    Sony makes some really cool stuff. The hardware group is just as good as Apple. Unfortunately the media side of the company runs to the board and makes them cripple every device they sell.



    I absolutely agree. Though the hardware group isn't without faults. They've made their share of mistakes prioritizing technical capability over feature usability and product sense.

    E.g. Even though they -could- make a good optical drive and great CPU/DSP it wasn't a good idea to put both brand new parts inside a game console in the same generation.
  • Reply 82 of 97
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Roc Ingersol View Post


    They outsource like everyone else. I wasn't trying to suggest they had some special ability to do it, just that they were positioned to actually produce something like the described product and make money from it. They're not a fly-by-night, they have room to make money and they don't mind making those small margins.



    HTC is a phone company. Why would they spend resources building a non-phone 'android touch' when they could instead leverage their core competency making newer and better phones for the various providers and networks?



    Sony could technically do it, but their corporate culture would never allow it. Watch their rumored phone show up with a CrossMediaBar UI and no general computing app support to speak of.



    Acer could definitely do it, but third party distributors would cut into their margin in a 'beige box' price war with Dell. They also seem happy to stay in the 'doesn't fit in your pocket' segment.



    And the primary 'point' of an iPod touch is not having a data plan contract. A 3G/WiMax non-phone pocket computer could certainly be made, but then you've got all the drawbacks of a cell data contract -and- you're carrying/charging two devices (none of the up-side).



    No one called Dell a 'fly-by-night.' Of course they are not, so that's stating the obvious.



    And, just because HTC is a "phone company" does not mean they couldn't become a touch-pad or netbook company (after all, Apple became a phone company from being a computer company). Your points about Sony and Acer are pure speculation, unless you happen to know some serious inside details. (Which I doubt).
  • Reply 83 of 97
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    There are cheaper PCs than Dell around- they must be doing something right. Don't just slam something just because it sells well and is not Apple.



    You have the inside scoop on what all corporations pay to lease Dell PCs? Or are you comparing retail prices which have nothing to do with what corporations pay.
  • Reply 84 of 97
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Ive has designed some crap- dop you remember the toilet seat iBook- a woman's purse for god's sake!. Not every design has been a home run.



    I've never seen a woman's purse that looked like a toilet seat.
  • Reply 85 of 97
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gustav View Post


    I've never seen a woman's purse that looked like a toilet seat.



    I rather enjoyed the first iBook. I would like to gut a netbook and install it into one of the blue shells if I could get my hands on one.......
  • Reply 86 of 97
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    Apple should do something like the OQO with the full Mac OS X inside and video-out for Apple Keynote and PowerPoint presentations. Instead of carrying the laptop + extras + luggage of 3 kg of weight, you just carry 300 g in your pocket.
  • Reply 87 of 97
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Valid points...each person has their own opinions/priorties. To follow up...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    as such devices become more popular you can expect alternative billing plans.



    True, but I still expect we'd get screwed having to have a data plan for your phone and your internet device.



    Quote:

    I'm not at all sure where this idea cAme from but if thing are setup right there is no issue. In my case I use @mac.com and it works perfectly fine with my MBP and iPhone. They are kept in sync and I can reference mail on either machine.



    And now add another $99/year for a MobileMe account? Oh great, more cost! Not everyone will have MobileMe, and I don't see any carriers offering any equivalent solution as part of your monthly service.



    Quote:

    Putting more functionality in place does not imply a bigger device. What it does imply is fewer devices. This is a key point and is one of the reasons I'd like to see FM in the iPhone, it means one less device to keep track of.



    Funny I thought iPhone was to small as it is.



    To each is own. You want FM, I want a bigger screen for a mobile itnernet device. But for a phone I want something small enough and robust enough to leave in my pocket when I sit down. I laugh when I go out with my friends and they all have to take their iPhones and Blackberry's out of their pockets and put them on the table before they sit down. I wonder how many iPhones are lost because people set them down and then forget them?



    Quote:

    I still don't know what is up with the one account thing. Since one can do this with an IPhone and a MBP already what you are asking for is possible and already here.



    Again, I expect you are always going to have to pay more to have two devices on the carrier's network, no matter how creative they get with their packages. Do you have a router at home? Why not just get a seperate modem for each of your computers? Because it would be silly to duplicate the functionality for each computer, that's why! Why do you want two radios having to keep in contact with the cell network? You are drawing twice the power and taking up more network bandwidth with two devices having to check for messages, sync info, and even the extra protocol overhead.



    And then what if you have more than two devices? A phone, a touch-type device, and some other as-yet uninvented device that can't be integrated into the touch? Or maybe just a regular laptop? Now you want three radios? Why can't your phone simply act as a wireless network modem/router for your personal area network instead of each device having to maintain a connection to the carrier's cell network. (In fact, didn't Apple or someone have a patent several years ago for a personal area network?)



    Quote:

    the problem is most of us like what comes on the current iPhone. Taking away features or adding a low end model won't lead to lots of sales. I just don't see the industry or consummers going backwards here.



    Hm, yes, and it would make no sense for Apple to offer the Mac mini. After all, it's going "backwards" to offer such a limited machine!



    Apple is too narrowly focused on their entire product matrix. For the volume of business they do, they could easily add more options (on both the Mac and iPhone product lines) and have little if any impact to their overall operating efficiency.



    Quote:

    I think you are confused about how e-mail works.



    I know exactly how email works, but please note that I never said email. I said "message". I purposely left it generic, but should have pointed that out. So it could be email, instant message, text message, MMS, etc. You are correct, IMAP email can sync to multiple clients, but what about those other messages? Unless you are going to ask every wireless carrier to re-engineer their backend services to make those other message formats operate in the cloud, replies to those messages are only going to go back to the device (based on phone number or whatever) the orginal message came from.



    Either of our methods are technically feasible, but I personally would prefer to only have to worry about a single connection to the network. Just like my cable modem at home, why do I need multiple network connections for my mobile devices? And most importantly, I no longer have to have every device approved or sold to me by the carrier. This more than anything hurts innovation. The carriers have had a stranglehold on phones (until the iPhone). I pay the cable company for my home internet. What devices and how many I put on my home network on my side of their modem is my business. I'd like the same model for cell networks.



    Quote:

    All to get that one device per person goal meet.



    Tell that to my friend whose mother gave her a combination toaster oven/toaster/steamer/rice cooker/fryer. And no, I am not making that up. Basically, the thing should have only been sold to pyromaniacs and arsonsist because it was a severe fire hazard (and sucked at all of it's supposed intended functions).
  • Reply 88 of 97
    kzbk81kzbk81 Posts: 29member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Dell, which has long been searching for an answer to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch handhelds, is reportedly in the intermediate development stages of a new pocket-sized gadget that will let users access the Internet on the go.



    The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday cited two people familiar with the matter as saying the device will run Google's open Android software and possibly employ ARM-based microchips similar to those currently found in Apple's multi-touch handhelds.



    Dell reportedly began developing the gadget last year with the help of engineers that were once tasked with conceiving a direct rival to the iPod. That project was aborted, and the Journal noted that there's no certainty that the electronics maker's latest efforts to develop a mobile internet device (MID) won't be similarly "delayed or scrapped entirely."



    Still, Dell is said to be exploring the idea of marketing its embryonic MID with the help of wireless carriers who would presumably supply the device with 3G or other connectivity. Those carriers would likely subsidize the cost of the gadget alongside lengthy service agreements.



    People familiar with the project told the Journal that Dell would ideally begin selling its new MID, which is slightly larger than an iPod touch, later this year alongside a series of mobile handsets that will also run Android software.



    Dell made the thinnest notebooks in the world - but never had the opportunity to sell it well.



    Dell made the MP3 player - but never had the opportunity to sell it.



    Again - for the third time they are trying. Alexander took several more attempts.
  • Reply 89 of 97
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kzbk81 View Post


    Dell made the thinnest notebooks in the world - but never had the opportunity to sell it well.



    Dell made the MP3 player - but never had the opportunity to sell it.



    Again - for the third time they are trying. Alexander took several more attempts.



    "Never had the opportunity to sell it" ?



    What exactly does this mean?
  • Reply 90 of 97
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    "Never had the opportunity to sell it" ?



    What exactly does this mean?



    No Stores would carry it
  • Reply 91 of 97
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    Valid points...each person has their own opinions/priorties. To follow up...













    Again, I expect you are always going to have to pay more to have two devices on the carrier's network, no matter how creative they get with their packages. Do you have a router at home? Why not just get a seperate modem for each of your computers? Because it would be silly to duplicate the functionality for each computer, that's why! Why do you want two radios having to keep in contact with the cell network? You are drawing twice the power and taking up more network bandwidth with two devices having to check for messages, sync info, and even the extra protocol overhead.



    And then what if you have more than two devices? A phone, a touch-type device, and some other as-yet uninvented device that can't be integrated into the touch? Or maybe just a regular laptop? Now you want three radios? Why can't your phone simply act as a wireless network modem/router for your personal area network instead of each device having to maintain a connection to the carrier's cell network. (In fact, didn't Apple or someone have a patent several years ago for a personal area network?)





    ).



    ts called the MIFI.
  • Reply 92 of 97
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    Valid points...each person has their own opinions/priorties. To follow up...











    Hm, yes, and it would make no sense for Apple to offer the Mac mini. After all, it's going "backwards" to offer such a limited machine!



    Apple is too narrowly focused on their entire product matrix. For the volume of business they do, they could easily add more options (on both the Mac and iPhone product lines) and have little if any impact to their overall operating efficiency.

    .



    APPLE mini is a great idea That will bring back the whole cube form . A future mini/apple-tv/game console with large amounts of storage and and powerful processors seems like the way to go .



    Right now some people use 2 or 3 mini's and still find new ways to see them . I will buy a mini instead of an apple tv.



    The insides of our devices are getting so small and powerful Who even needs an i mac as they make it now



    just saying

    9
  • Reply 93 of 97
    olternautolternaut Posts: 1,376member
    Ok so why does this seem to be the cool thread for future hardware at the moment?

    This thread is about Dell right? I mean..........Dell?



    What about Steve Jobs appearing at the August event and the significance of such? What products could be showing up besides ipods if Steve himself is headlining? I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm just saying let's move on.
  • Reply 94 of 97
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    No one called Dell a 'fly-by-night.' Of course they are not, so that's stating the obvious.



    Just about every company to openly announce a plan for an Android tablet has been. All I was saying was that I find rumors from Dell more likely to result in an actual device, than every similar 'announced' product.
    Quote:

    And, just because HTC is a "phone company" does not mean they couldn't become a touch-pad or netbook company



    I never said they couldn't. Point of fact: they're already a successful netbook company and are looking like they'll become a UMPC company as well. I said they won't make an android-based pocketable computer. Not in the next couple years.
    Quote:

    Your points about Sony and Acer are pure speculation



    They're my informed opinions, based on how those companies have been operating for the last decade and more specifically the last few years.



    Feel free to disagree. You might be right.

    I was just explaining the reasoning behind my opinion, since someone asked.
  • Reply 95 of 97
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Roc Ingersol View Post


    Just about every company to openly announce a plan for an Android tablet has been.



    "Just about every company"!? Please provide some numbers.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Roc Ingersol View Post


    I said they [HTC] won't make an android-based pocketable computer. Not in the next couple years.



    Really? How can you possibly know this?!
  • Reply 96 of 97
    futurepastnowfuturepastnow Posts: 1,772member
    Competition is good.
  • Reply 97 of 97
    olternautolternaut Posts: 1,376member
    Well, the only other tablet I'm waiting on other than Apple's is Techcrunch's CrunchPad. A $200 - $300 dollar web surfing tablet that will be open enough to be hackable is something that interests me greatly.
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