Yeah, I was referring to the 1080i, that TI says these boards can do,(which is and isn't HD).

The screen size is exactly why I was hoping Nokia would ccash in on their OLED investment for these..but maybe next time. But really, I was thinking about off device image displaying for "HD", which wouldn't burn any of the device's power if power management allowed you to turn off the device screen when you attached a peripheral.

I'm sorry about my comments being confusing with the discussion about hard drives.

That's exactly what I don't want in a mobile device, even a full-powered laptop. Translates all too easily into "lose (or get robbed of) ALL my data at the blink of an eye "... :-)

The only storage I want on my mobile device is solid state storage. And most of it should be removable. Having a hard drive on a mobile device is so 2001.

If you're going to put a hard drive on it, better include a DVD drive too.

I have no problem with a HDD (or DVD) backpack that you can mount (physically and logically) when you need it, but that keeps it optional, independent (if you break it, you don't lose the OS), and stable (heads parked when you're not using the extra capacity). It's unlikely I'd buy one, unless I can get the same pack in a solid-state + extra battery configuration, but it's a way of keeping the device suitable for both types of use.

Someone on irc yesterday indicated that their 770 had just passed the "punt test", to wit: been dropped and kicked by its owner into said owner's boss. While no bosses have been involved, my EDC N800 has taken a similar fall or two, and is quite fine. As long as the screen doesn't land on something, they're practically indestructible; you just can't say that about a HDD device.

To be fair, Archos does/did sell some of it's models with SSD storage (605 wifi for example has 4GB builtin + SD slot), but apparently they did not sell too well as they discontinued this practice with newer models. I guess it fits the profile of the users - people who don't like to erase stuff once copied, and people who use it as an external hdd. And of course the hamster style, who just has to have all Trek episodes on him, all the time

Also, the announcement says *up to* 500GB. Now, 10mm thickness means 1.8" drives and 500GB models aren't even announced yet in that form factor. Knowing Archos I would not be surprised if this meant you can get a, say, 120GB model at the given size, or have a 500GB model with a 2.5" drive with a different backplane (and no longer 10mm thick).

Thanks for the education Professor. I didn't have the Human Factors Engineering/Ergonomics Dictionary handy at the time.

In fact, I didn't think the meaning you choose, for the words that you use was the topic of this thread. My bad.

***

Regarding what I thought was the topic: Serious Competition
It is my humble opinion that for the vast majority of potential customers, the concept of an Internet Tablet may not be very well defined. Further, if one is "usable" (capable of being used/convenient and practicable for use) may very well depend on the format and content available on the web. This is changing every day. Also, content requirements and expectations are different for each user.

A strong user community is needed to help focus these expectations. Again, IMHO the NIT's have a head start in this regard. Strong support is also required. In addition, a strong commitment from within the manufacturing company is required and Nokia so far has held up their end, from what I've seen.

Given these requirements for the very small margin of success Nokia has enjoyed with their Internet Tablets, a new offering from another company using a new form, new hardware, and a new OS; that was not developed from within that company, will have a hard time competing. Particularly in a new market that isn't well defined.

ARCHOS 5 160GB - $399.99

http://store.archos.com/

http://www.archos.com/products/imt/a...global&lang=en

http://www.archos.com/products/imt/a...global&lang=en

Just say no to moving parts.

1080i doesn't really matter to me, personally. My "HD" stuff is almost all in 720p, and my only goal with having it support 720p is so I don't have to transcode any of this media if I want to watch it on the tablet.

HDMI or some other sort of high-resolution video-out would be nice, but the probably size of the device and the necessary hardware support and cost rule it out (I doubt that the framebuffer could drive 720p, and an HDMI transceiver isn't the most power-friendly thing in the world).