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Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebski (Post 288543)

But given the choice between the two - at this moment - why would one select Mer over Android?

Archos. Let me repeat. Archos. Now, the point with Android is that the license allows Archos to do pretty much what it wants with it. Even when they use(d) linux, they crypt(ed)/lock(ed) the hell out of it and fought endless battles to keep geek tinkerers as far from it as they could. I can easily imagine they see Android as the ideal free (as in beer) OS that they can lock down without the hassles of the GPL or Linux in general.

Think about it this way - what on Earth prevents Archos for billing you 10$ whenever you install an app, whatever the source ? Or allow installing only 'signed' applications, in the vein of iPhone ? If it was any other company, I'd give them the benefit of a doubt. With Archos, I'm just looking for the catch, they never failed to present me with one.

Maemo on the Archos is a bit of a conflict in interests for Nokia, hence my conclusion Mer is (or at least would be) the best fit, if the Archos can be jailbroken (as I have no doubt flashing non-Archos firmwares will not be possible by default).

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Quote:

Archos. Let me repeat. Archos.

atilla77, thanks for the response. In my naivety I equate Android with openness, as you say the jury is out on Archos here.

Actually my question was intended to be more general and i am curious as to the intrinsic benefits of the two o/s's. I can see that Mer is the favourite on this forum and work on porting Android has faltered to a dead stop.

Yet Android is pretty well supported now and I find it frustrating not to be able to take advantage of it. Is there is reason for it being sidelined I wonder? Or is simply that developers work on what personally interests them.

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Thanks, Rebski, I've wondered about this, too.

What is better about Mer or Fremantle or Maemo than Android? I suppose Mer is most relevant since the community could have chosen Android over Mer.

Do these OSes have fundamental advantages over Android, or is it just historical happenstance arising from the first NITs coming out before Android, or do they have inherent NIT-specific hardware-related advantages, or ... ?

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeraldKo (Post 288611)

What is better about Mer or Fremantle or Maemo than Android? I suppose Mer is most relevant since the community could have chosen Android over Mer.

Do these OSes have fundamental advantages over Android, or is it just historical happenstance arising from the first NITs coming out before Android, or do they have inherent NIT-specific hardware-related advantages, or ... ?

Well, we can start with Android being all Java (and their own at that) - that means no funky advantages of all the Ubuntu/Linux software. Philosophically Mer insists on open devices (as in that you can make firmware images for your own device), whereas Android is notoriously known to have locked down systems (typing in telnetd doesn't count).

Android has technical advantages in their own power management and shiny UI and own UI framework, but it is practically not a typical Linux userland. You can't run nethack on it. In my opinion, Android is a kneefall to the mindset that thinks these tablets and netbooks and phones are embedded systems that need a custom made locked down system for it.

Is your tablet an embedded system or a powerful, power-efficient, economical handheld computer? Your Nokia tablet is just as capable and even more power efficient than the 400mhz computers you used 7-10 years ago. It's a PC in your pocket - and that's why we have Mer (which focuses on bringing both the Linux experience, touch interface and power saving)

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

The problem with Android on the current tablets is that most people with tablets aren't really Android fans, and most people on Android forums aren't really tablet fans. So the Android-on-NIT efforts tend to get a lot of attention initially ("ooh, ain't it cool!") but then interest dwindles because the Android-on-NIT thing is neither fish nor fowl and neither Nokia nor Google are interested in supporting it.

Mer gets all the attention because it is probably going to be the Maemo 5 Hackers' Edition. Fremantle / Maemo 5 won't be supported by Nokia on current hardware, so Mer will fill the gap. It is also a lot more interesting to many people because it is built on standard Ubuntu Linux.

The main problem with getting newer versions of Android on the tablets is that there are drivers for the current hardware that are not open source, and they are not easily portable to the new Linux kernel that Android requires.

The good news is that if the Mer guys get the new kernel working on the tablets, and Nokia provides binary drivers for the new kernel for Mer (there seems to be some hope that this will happen), the Android porting guys will be able to use all of that to port new versions of Android to the tablets.

(My personal biggest complaint about Android in general is that it has its own little runtime environment, and only applications written for Android can run on Android. Mer is standard Linux, and most Linux applications will run on it, and lightweight applications designed for Gnome (GTK+ toolkit) run quite well on it.)

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

So, where is frank.wagner now that we need him ? Still in hibernation ?...

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

there's probably still - nothing news from Nokia

but the competition brings (more) innovation in 2009 - September 15th ???

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget....9-pctablet.jpg

Just under a month ago at Archos' Paris reveal, we were somewhat dismayed that an Android-based device didn't show up... officially, at least. We were told to expect more information about a Google-powered unit this September, but it looks as if said wait has been hacked considerably. According to The Inquirer, Archos has informed it that a 5-inch internet media tablet loaded with Android will be unveiled on September 15th, a date that certainly jibes with prior information. The handheld will boast Google's sauce underneath with a layer of Archos applications on top, and while the Windows 7-equipped Archos 9 PCTablet (pictured) is expected in October, this here device should hit shelves a few weeks prior. In related news, the briefing also included word that Archos was working on a few "telephony products," which is just barely enough to get you simultaneously excited / hot and bothered.

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

If "A" application is for Maemo, then there is a similar application for Android of some kind. And this goes on for every "kind" of app. Correct me if I am wrong please.

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Nokia - thousands or more of developer - but no products in the future market "ultra-mobile tablet and mobile tablets" - no announcement no product - still in hibernation
i say - time to markets - who comes too late - market share goes down - faster than you think

Archos 9 tablet gets priced in the UK

http://mos.techradar.com//classifica...os9-728-75.jpg

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We've heard a few different prices and release dates for the Archos 9 tablet since it was introduced early last month, but it looks like Archos has now come out and finally clarified things a bit -- in the UK, at least. Apparently, it'll be offering both 80GB and 160GB versions of the tablet in the UK, which will run £449.99 and £499.99, respectively, or roughly $735 and $816. Stuff.tv is also reporting that the tablet will be available in September, although that conflicts a bit with the October 22nd launch date for Windows 7 -- which would be a bit of a problem for a Windows 7-based tablet. So, still a few details to sort out, not the least of which is word of availability 'round these parts.

Quote:

Archos has launched a 9 inch ultra-mobile tablet PC that runs on Windows 7.

At an event in France yesterday, Archos kicked things off by announcing the Archos 9, a 9 inch touch screen UMPC running Microsoft’s soon to be released operating system, Windows 7. Weighing in at less than 800g, and just 0.63 inches thick the Archos 9 packs Intel’s Z515 Atom processor, an 80 GB HDD, Bluetooth to tether wireless accessories, and dual DVBT TV atennas.

This sexy looking piece of kit is pegged for an October release (in or around the same time Windows 7 starts to ship and should retail at about €450 ($635).

$635 is a way too much for an MID but at the same time, this thing would be perfect for browsing in front of the television or taking on long flights when boredom is almost guaranteed. Coupled with the fact that many airlines are rolling out in-flight WiFi, it would be a great device to have in your carry on. What do you guys think? Would you fork out more than $600 for one of these or would you just drop heavy hints around your birthday and Christmas?

Viliv X70 Premium 3G review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvZvGgaoqe8

http://vilivboys.files.wordpress.com...liv_x70_01.jpg

CrunchPad tablet coming soon, CrunchPad Inc. is already here

http://www.liliputing.com/wp-content...ad-thinner.jpg

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TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington has been working on a tablet PC called the CrunchPad for the last few months. The idea was originally to create a touchscreen device that’s basically a portable web browser that offers a better web experience than you get from smartphones like the iPhone. With so many applications like email, news readers, and even image editors now available online, the idea was that there wasn’t much need for large hard drives or other old-school PC components.

Whether you think it makes any sense to release a product that will sell for the same price as a netbook but which will have a larger display and no keyboard, it looks like it’ll be available pretty soon. The San Francisco Business Times reports that Arrington has incorporated a new 14-person company called CrunchPad Inc to work on the product, which will be produced in China.

According to the article, Arrington is spending about three quarters of his time these days working on the CrunchPad. He also happens to have a 21 person team of full time employees working on his network of technology blogs.

Re: Where is Nokia - no announcement no product - still in hibernation

Hey Frank! Welcome back! Long time no see!