Reply to: HP Touchpad Sale

[PAH]

Well, decided I couldn't wait for colour e-ink and have ordered a refurbished Kindle (WiFi version, as I'll use the USB to update it) at £67.99 to see what all the fuss is about.

Hopefully it will be ideal for reading technical ebooks. Will be interesting to see how it copes with PDF magazines.

Found it via the HotUkDeals site. Apparently still over 100 left in stock despite it always saying "1 refurbished from £67.99":

Kindle Refurbished £67.99 WIFI or 3G for £98.59 @ amazon warehouse - HotUKDeals

The comprehensive details on the product page is what sold it to me:

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Bag yourself a bank holiday bargain!




Edit: The refurbed WiFi versions are now all sold. Still 999+ 3g versions.

Seeing as they sold over 300 refurbished ones in about 24 hours maybe Amazon should take a leaf out of HP's book and offer the brand new ones at this reduced rate.

[Sysman]

Yeah it was pretty much same price as the iPad but with a tuliptier interface and not as much bling. Like that's going to sell.

Not sure why they didn't try flogging them at half iPad price instead of just throwing them out the door at peanut prices. They may have still sold like hot cakes at 150-200 quid range.

I'm not sure why they went straight to the bottom either, unless it was to do with that billion buck write off.

[doodab]

I don't know why none of the hardware providers have tried to come up with a non Google branch of linux for mobile devices.

Well there was meamo or whatever it was called from Nokia / IBM but that has quietly disappeared.

I suspect it's because Android offers an established "ecosystem". Any totally new platform is going to be ignored by users, developers and big companies (e.g. BBC, mobile operators, banks etc) who commission apps until it makes serious inroads into the market and it won't make serious inroads into the market until it has a critical mass of users and developers. It's a real catch 22 and even though android is big and backed by google you still see a lot of paid or site specific apps that are iPhone only.

I think for Samsung, HTC, Motorola etc trying to reach critical mass with their own platform would be a struggle and probably a flop extraordinaire. Aside from Samsung they don't really have the resources. Apple are a bit bigger than Nokia, twice the size of google and ten times the size of HTC. Samsung and Sony are bigger but they aren't as focussed on the same markets and their smartphone phone / tablet arms are obviously much smaller. It's hard to see how anyone could mount a credible challenge to Apple without collaborating.

[PAH]

Let's face it. The original price was wrong. If it's going to be so close to Apple's prices, then it has to offer a perceived advantage, and the TouchPad didn't.

Yeah it was pretty much same price as the iPad but with a tuliptier interface and not as much bling. Like that's going to sell.

Not sure why they didn't try flogging them at half iPad price instead of just throwing them out the door at peanut prices. They may have still sold like hot cakes at 150-200 quid range.

[PAH]

That belies the entire point of the device.

Only the video bit. The first device to offer colour e-ink and an A4 readable size (not necessarily A4 in size, just scale) at a reasonably affordable price will clean up.

Maybe Apple will bring it to market first, now they've got plenty of cash to throw at R&D. I see an iBook to sit alongside the iPad.

[PAH]

I can't use a camera to record the startup sequence without seeing an outline of myself during the dark screen bits.

Wear a Gaddafi mask and post the video on YouTube. Guaranteed mega hits if you title it "Gaddafi found...".

[minestrone]

I don't know why none of the hardware providers have tried to come up with a non Google branch of linux for mobile devices.

[AtW]

You're out of date. The iPad1 competitors are not as good but the new generation are pretty much identical. I've gone in to play in Currys a few times and the ones that cost as much as the iPad2 are as good...

WHS

Tried Samsung 10.1'' tab and it's very nice, very slick - next versions will be very good, that's probably why Apple has become so aggressive, if it was tulip competing product they would not mind it being on sale!!!

[Sysman]

Bonus for HP. They managed to sell them without offering any support whatsoever.

In the latest twist of this saga, it looks like HP will be offering support after all.

The really good news is that if you bought one at full price, or even low price, and then realised that the firm was dropping the tablets, you will still get support and service from HP. An over the air update is expected at some time for WebOS, and Budgell said that this will increase functionality, of course.

[Sysman]

Will be interesting to see if these are just the remains of the manufactured stock, or if they decide there is an opportunity here following the unexpected demand over the weekend.

If the factory is already tooled up, they could probably make extras relatively cheaply. There may also be a stack of components waiting for a home, and therefore cheap at the moment.

Whatever, it's certainly a wake up call to other tablet manufacturers in terms of what price will shift stuff like hotcakes.

Let's face it. The original price was wrong. If it's going to be so close to Apple's prices, then it has to offer a perceived advantage, and the TouchPad didn't.

[d000hg]

Yet sometimes, as with the iPad, all the alternatives are crap: maybe OK for geeks to dick around with, but completely unsuitable for the target market (hint: if you know what an operating system is, you are not the target market).

You're out of date. The iPad1 competitors are not as good but the new generation are pretty much identical. I've gone in to play in Currys a few times and the ones that cost as much as the iPad2 are as good... the cheaper ones are noticeably not as slick but the top-end ones definitely are. Plus they support Flash which IS target. I imagine Flash will fairly soon not be as key for video but right now, it still is.

[d000hg]

An e-ink device might be a better proposition. Battery life measured in weeks as it only uses power to change pages. Supposedly a more natural paper like display, so easier on the eyes.

If only they would hurry up and mature the technology so the screen was in colour, had a quicker refresh rate so could do video, and could display a magazine full page.

That belies the entire point of the device.

[Sysman]

Yeah, glossy is the bane of professional ITers. Can barely find a decent laptop or monitor without added reflections these days.

I noticed this on the shiny new monitors that have just arrived at clientco. I can't use a camera to record the startup sequence without seeing an outline of myself during the dark screen bits.

Tripod it is then...

[PAH]

Connect four.

[PAH]

Update: HP promises more cheap TouchPad stock

Will be interesting to see if these are just the remains of the manufactured stock, or if they decide there is an opportunity here following the unexpected demand over the weekend.