April 25, 2011
January 19, 2011
Time to Pop a Tab?
The new year is here, and has ushered in another flurry of technological frenzy. The just concluded CES event at Las Vegas was home to hordes of tablets. Of course Apple was conspicuous by its absence. This only led to more excitement and attention being drawn to the other tablets at CES. Motorola Xoom was launched as the first tablet with Google's official Android Platform, Honeycomb. And then there was the impressive Blackberry Playbook, Toshiba's upcoming tablet, Viewsonic, Archos, Asus and the list just goes on.
The first decade of this century may have belonged to Apple and its technology innovations. But towards the end of the decade, Google had quietly sneaked in on Apple and suddenly is as prepared and equally innovative as Apple is today. This doesn't augur well for Apple's products, particularly with Android handsets marching on ahead of the iPhone. Of course, one should not compare a zillion Android smartphones to one iPhone. Perhaps, therein lies Apple's problems. The sameness in its line of products will eventually drag it down, because the consumers have choices galore with Android.
When the iPod was a big hit, anyone who purchased a non-iPod mp3 player would be asked - "Oh, you got an iPod"? Oh well, an iPod is an iPod, which is an mp3 player. But the synonymous reference was more an appreciation and acknowledgement of Apple's innovative technology, than the lack of other mp3 player options. And a decade ago, the press coverage and the technology awareness among the public at large was much less. This decade is different. The consumers know they have choices, and its not just an iPhone or an iPod out there. There are the Droids, the Evos, the Incredibles.
The first decade of this century may have belonged to Apple and its technology innovations. But towards the end of the decade, Google had quietly sneaked in on Apple and suddenly is as prepared and equally innovative as Apple is today. This doesn't augur well for Apple's products, particularly with Android handsets marching on ahead of the iPhone. Of course, one should not compare a zillion Android smartphones to one iPhone. Perhaps, therein lies Apple's problems. The sameness in its line of products will eventually drag it down, because the consumers have choices galore with Android.
When the iPod was a big hit, anyone who purchased a non-iPod mp3 player would be asked - "Oh, you got an iPod"? Oh well, an iPod is an iPod, which is an mp3 player. But the synonymous reference was more an appreciation and acknowledgement of Apple's innovative technology, than the lack of other mp3 player options. And a decade ago, the press coverage and the technology awareness among the public at large was much less. This decade is different. The consumers know they have choices, and its not just an iPhone or an iPod out there. There are the Droids, the Evos, the Incredibles.
December 24, 2010
Amigos with Archos ...
So after a long long time, finally a post. And why not, when I am all excited about what I am about to reveal in the next few paras. The iPad launch has taken the world by storm. Prior to the launch there was mass speculation on how it will be received across the tech world. With the sales of iPad in millions within months of launch, it was no surprise competitors started hastening their own tablet plans. Though I never prefer Apple products, to be fair, iPad gave much of the tablet world the confidence to pursue.
The relevance of the tablet cannot be understated. Simply put, it is a device for entertainment and web surfing. While a laptop is heavy duty, a tablet is more mobile and portable. Unfortunately, the iPad weighing over a kilogram and being 10'' is nowhere near portable. There are already rumors that Apple may consider a 7'' tablet version, where Samsung Galaxy Tab has already taken a huge headstart. While iPad runs the same OS as that of the iPhone, the Tab runs the Android 2.2 Froyo. Though Google till date is apprehensive of how the smartphone compatible Froyo would scale up to the tablet version.
Even before the iPad though, Archos had started with their Tablet variant with an Android powered Archos 5 and another Windows powered Archos 9. With a bit of experience and vast knowledge of the multimedia experience, Archos unleashed 5 Gen8 tablets during August this year. The 28,32 are so small, many buyers consider them as mere mp4 players. The 43 is more like a smartphone. The 70 and the 101 are the real competition with other Tablets. And where Archos 70/101 stand apart is the lack of any carrier network tie up (like for the Tab or iPad), but still having commendable hardware. There is no need for a carrier tie-up to buy the Archos, no need to jailbreak it, and you can pocket an Archos 70 for $278.
The relevance of the tablet cannot be understated. Simply put, it is a device for entertainment and web surfing. While a laptop is heavy duty, a tablet is more mobile and portable. Unfortunately, the iPad weighing over a kilogram and being 10'' is nowhere near portable. There are already rumors that Apple may consider a 7'' tablet version, where Samsung Galaxy Tab has already taken a huge headstart. While iPad runs the same OS as that of the iPhone, the Tab runs the Android 2.2 Froyo. Though Google till date is apprehensive of how the smartphone compatible Froyo would scale up to the tablet version.
Even before the iPad though, Archos had started with their Tablet variant with an Android powered Archos 5 and another Windows powered Archos 9. With a bit of experience and vast knowledge of the multimedia experience, Archos unleashed 5 Gen8 tablets during August this year. The 28,32 are so small, many buyers consider them as mere mp4 players. The 43 is more like a smartphone. The 70 and the 101 are the real competition with other Tablets. And where Archos 70/101 stand apart is the lack of any carrier network tie up (like for the Tab or iPad), but still having commendable hardware. There is no need for a carrier tie-up to buy the Archos, no need to jailbreak it, and you can pocket an Archos 70 for $278.