CrunchPad Dead, Droid Collapsing?

The End Of The CrunchPad

The CrunchPad was a highly-anticipated device that even I was looking forward to. Now the shockingly amateurish story of its collapse and burn is revealed. I’m not sure I buy the entire tale, either. Arrington is an attorney — and this can happen to him?

Droid Doesn’t: It’s Not Ready For Prime Time
My Droid decision

Two tales that reaffirm my commitment to Never Buying First. After all the jillions of words of praise about the Motorola/Verizon Droid, two people have decided to ditch it based on software and hardware.

Previously here:

What One Big Change Would An Apple iTablet Bring?
The CrunchPad: For Home Only?
Will This Change The Entire eBook Market?

Stop The Nook Madness!

This just happened a few minutes ago on eBay:

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Look, stop throwing away your dignity and money like this!

It’s not something that will save your soul!

It’s crappy eInk with an LCD grafted to the bottom!

Save your money for next year! You’ll have your choice of the Apple iTablet or one of a ton of Android mini-tablets. Barnes & Noble’s eReader software will run on all of those. DRMed Adobe ePub will also make its way onto them too — because Adobe isn’t about to pass up that money!

If you must line up on December 7th, do it only if you want one for yourself or to give personally as a gift. If you try to sell it on eBay, you will get burned.

And you will deserve it too.

Android OS/Archos 5 Internet Tablet Notes For Saturday November 28, 2009

I didn’t think I’d be doing another one of these so soon!

Apparently while I was busy yesterday, Archos kicked out yet another firmware update: 1.4.09. Nothing having to do with that new YouTube issue, though.

Camangi published a new image of its WebStation. Look:

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A custom skin over the Android OS. Notice that eBook is in the bottom dock as a primary function.

Two Android Mini-Tablets: Promising NEC But Avoid Smart Q5!

Earlier this month NEC showed off three models of a possible Android device, one of which is a take-along mini tablet.

I’m swiping one photo from the Akihibara News report because this is what some touch-enabled desktop computers will — foolishly — look like:

The wedge!

Go to the report to see photos of the grab-and-go mini-tablet mockup.

After the break, I have two videos.

Android OS/Archos 5 Internet Tablet Notes For Friday November 27, 2009

It’s been a while since I did one of these.

Archos kicked out another firmware update yesterday. Apparently they are really serious about this product.

However, with changes comes breakage — and this one is awful.

Happy Happy Turkey Day!

This blog will be closed tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day in America.

Not because I’ll be doing anything special — but all the rest of you will.

We cannot break bread with you. You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now, my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations.Your people will wear cardigans and drink highballs. We will sell our bracelets by the roadsides. You will play golf and enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres. My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken. They have said, “Do not trust the pilgrims.”

Syntron Android Mini-Tablet: 3G, 8.9″ Screen

Companies are beginning to use YouTube to pimp their products.

I haven’t seen this make news anywhere else (according to a Google search), so you’re seeing it here first.

Its the Mirror from Syntron. It boasts an 8.9″ screen, 3G, WiFi, and a multi-windowing modification of the Android OS.

What interests me is they’ve thought about eBooks. CoverFlow:

And Vook-like thinking:

See a video after the break.

Camangi Android Mini-Tablet: ePub Built-In

I was very, very interested in this — moreso than the five inch-screen Archos — but then I discovered it cannot play DiXV AVI videos. Such a tragedy!

On the other hand, early-bird buyers can get this for US$400.00 (with a coupon code that must be requested by November 26th). That price makes it superior to any dedicated eBook device in my mind since it’s color, interactive, and can also access the Internet. And it has a seven-inch screen too — larger than most eInk gadgets.

And today it I learned it will also have ePub capability built-in:

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eBook functionality is specially featured in Camangi WebStation. Camangi WebStation supports standard EPUB and TXT format; therefore you can easily download and read almost every eBooks from an online store or read Google Books online easily. Furthermore, unlike other eBooks readers that only produce black and white images, your book reading experience will be enhanced by full color pictures within an article when applicable.

Go here to read more — click on the eBook icon.

And remember this too: eReader was just released for Android. Once Barnes & Noble does its version of that and adapts its code for a larger screen, who would need a Nook?

Previously here:

The Coming Android Mini-Tablet Flood
Barnes & Noble eReader For Android Coming?

UPDATE: Simplicit.E.Reader NOT On Sale

See Update at bottom:

Got this via email today:

So, it’s on.

This is a new eBook device unearthed over at the MobileRead forums.

This is the ordering page.

This is what it looks like:

The lack of screen specs makes me suspicious. I think it might be a paltry 240×320 — a repurposed photo frame screen.

Update:

Robin Lenz on Twitter dug up the email address of the company making this.

They said:

The product is actually not going to
release until 1st quarter of 2010.

And when I pressed about J.C. Penney allowing orders, they responded:

Apparent miscommunication. Should not be live on JCP site.

So put away your credit card, kids!

YOUR Creation, YOUR Work, YOUR Art

Still Bourne

One explanation for why Van Lustbader’s Bourne books are so bad – and they are truly terrible – is that as a sober and professional author of made-to-order literature Van Lustbader is the wrong man to craft entertainments whose major selling point was that they appeared to have been written by someone who was seriously unhinged. Lacking Ludlum’s inspired sense of lunacy as well as his convulsive plotting, Van Lustbader sucks all the fun out of books whose appeal was never their plausibility. His world is a dry, flat place where the action only moves in one direction and you can spot a plot twist from a mile away.

Boldface emphasis added by me.