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…unless it’s from Apple!

I admit, I’ve got no patience; it’s why I write about technology. I’m invariably bored with it after a few weeks and itching for the new thing to arrive. Having said that, I’m also really quite tired of the cycle of phone upgrades – so when my 3GS got broken, I hoped that the new iPhone 4 would do everything I needed. This premium-priced gadget is stacked high in shops everywhere, so why was buying it so hard…
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After completing the review and a couple of other articles, the Windows 7 tablet went back to The Tablet Store; as a quirky and endearing little unit I missed it! Fortunately, it came back to complete some other articles – but with a difference. Jay’s been researching what can be done with the J-10, and in place of the Hitachi SATA Hard Disc, there’s a 64GB SSD drive.

Whilst there are no other charges to the J-10 currently, how does the SSD affect the J-10′s performance?
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Usually I don’t do news on this site; there are plenty of sources for it and it simply increases the amount of “noise” for people looking for real information. However, the latest releases from Archos look to be the first serious attempts to bring Android tablets to market as a viable consumer product – whilst offering decent spec for the cost (Archos tends to charge for plugins and similar, so the functionality may vary and the cost to reach the same functionality as a competing device could be similar).

Have the Archos 28, 32, 43, 70 and 101 got the spec, pricing and performance to offer a similar experience to the iPad for Android fans – or even, with Android 2.2 Froyo and Flash support, provide an even richer user experience?
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Apple’s iPad is hailed as a new device, bringing the iPhone’s success to the tablet market. You couldn’t be more wrong; iPad is a device which has somehow escaped or evolved to become part of Steve Jobs’ world vision – a true follow up to John Sculley’s “Knowledge Navigator” in a way that Newton could never be, but always promised. Sharing the same relationship to the Macintosh that Newton did within the context of available technology the iPad clearly demonstrates that just as consumer tastes and desires have become more sophisticated, so has Apple’s design process. So where will iPad go next?
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The Archos 9 has been doing the rounds for about a year now and was launched for sale in October 2009, enjoying a good run as one of the few low-cost UMPC style devices to make it into the mass consumer marketplace. Standing at the top of their odd-numbered range of Personal Media Player (PMP)/Tablet style devices, the 9 deviates from their crossover nature by being a full-fledged Windows system, albeit at sub-netbook specifications. Revitalising the appeal for the Archos 9, this weekend Amazon lowered their price to £369 from an RRP of £449 – making this one of the cheapest UMPC devices ever sold officially in the UK. Is there a value equation to be solved here or does the UMPC genre benefit from a few years and the Tablet’s newly-reconigsed status as a consumer product?
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This is, first and foremost, a site for me to put the content that won’t fit in other, print media outlets. It’s full of half-written entries as work gets in the way, it’s sporadically updated. If something grabs me, then you’ll see it here eventually. Currently I’m enthralled, baffled and generally confused by the “iPad-killer” market of Shanzai tablets typified by the Eken M7001, iPed and the Apad (which has been adopted as the name for Shanzai/OEM Android MIDs, but actually refers to a 7″ Rockchip RK2808 based model commonly sold as the “iRobot”).

Amongst these, the Rockchip architecture has been out for ages – the Archos players are based on it – and MIDs have been showing up in various forms at consumer electronics shows particularly in Eastern territories for years. So why the sudden buzz?
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As a pretty neat UMPC, the Teso J-10 (aka iiView M1Touch and also sold as a “Windows 7 Tablet” by Tablet Store UK currently – I’m not aware of any other UK importers) is already well equipped for most purposes. Most of the time, people want to add bluetooth, 3G and so forth; those are already present. However, it’s interesting to get a look inside and see how the J-10 is assembled.
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Shanzai gets it right sometimes, and Tablet Store UK’s Windows 7 tablet is one such case. Coming in at £449, with the 3G-equipped model tested at £499 with 160GB HD, HSUPA wireless from a Sierra Wireless 8781 and Bluetooth and WiFi via a combined module, this tablet is also known as the TESO J-10 and iiView M1Touch; it identifies itself as a THD PX1. Whilst many sites have opted to view this as an “iPad Killer”, such a concept is laughable – it’s an evolution of the Ultra-Mobile PC concept. So where has the concept been taken, and has it matured sufficiently to be worthwhile – and have the Chinese OEMs cracked something that few startup firms have managed…
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The netbook genre has exploded during the time I’ve been hosting this site – and I’ve overlooked most models despite owning two of the most popular ones due to a lack of time to review them. However, as the market for the devices matured, the need for something that wasn’t simply “good enough”, but was actually “complete and useful” became quite pressing. Having started with the obligatory 4GB Asus Eee and moved on to the exceptionally good value Acer Aspire One A110, the time taken for these models to acquire internal 3G networking and decent storage was frustrating.
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Amongst Logitech’s extensive range of keyboards, there lurks a near-ideal combination of features. Bluetooth, full size keys, a built-in trackpad with scrolling, and all for under £35. The catch? It’s designed for Sony’s Playstation 3.
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