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there

Credible Android-based tablets (e.g., Xoom) should emerge later this

later this... week?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/21/visualized-motorola-xoom-...

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/20/motorola-xoom-up-for-in-s...

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Thanks! :-) I changed the wording to "Credible Android-based tablets will arrive soon..."

If you consider a $600 vs $500 tablet credible.

I spent $3000 on the laptop I'm using, and these tablets are positioned to replace it. I think it's a good deal at any sub-$1000 price, even if it's not quite as absolutely powerful in the areas I'm used to having power.

No 500-800$ tablet will replace a 3000$ laptop

Fair enough, but that depends entirely on what you're using that $3k laptop for... Personally, a $500-1000 tablet + $2k desktop would give me considerably more value and mobility than a $3k laptop.

All depends on use case. I'm surprised that hackers here who have to type , see multiple windows on screen, etc. could make such a replacement.

A $500 tablet certainly can't replace my $400 (used) laptop.

A $500 tablet can't replace my $200 (new) netbook.

I'm a writer, a touch screen tablet where a usable keyboard obscures my work area (IE being able to see what I have written) makes the device useless for work. It becomes solely a glorified ebook reader with the added perk that I could actually edit something should I want to go through an excessive hassle of dealing with no keyboard.

Wouldn't a Bluetooth keyboard solve that problem?

I think once tablets have HDMI out I become very interested.

Meh. Wires. While others are struggling to squeeze in an HDMI connector, Apple has already moved on to wireless HD video with its AppleTV. Plug 2 cables into the $99 box, tap AirPlay -> AppleTV, and it's on.

You'll be interested in tablets when also-rans catch up to obsolete tech. Apple's move pushes video interfacing toward the middle of the 21st century, not the latter 20th.

Exactly, Meh. Wires. Why I still need to physically plug my Ipad to my computer just to deal with Itunes is beyond me.

with that regard i prefer android for syncing to my music library. And the Xbox360 beats the pants off the AppleTV.

Itunes is the cable that holds this platform, at least where i see it, Itunes is obsolete.

Your comment suggests you don't know about DNLA, which all sorts of Android devices and Consumer Electronics (TVs, DVD players, games consoles) have had for ages.

I'm personally excited for Mobile Hi-definition Link which Samsung is rolling out right now to high end phones. It makes the standard USB micro connection do double duty as video out and can power your device from the TV at the same time via a single cable. Should make big screen gaming using the mobile device as a combined controller and game console a lot more viable.

It is of course an industry standard, rather than some Apple-only proprietary cable, dongle or licensing scheme, which I thought we had moved past.

So your saying that Apple should simply drop a protocol they invented in 2004 for one that came wasn't developed until 2006 and didn't gain any traction until 2010?

It's not obvious what you're referring to, but the answer's "yes", Apple should be working with others instead of re-inventing square wheels that happen to fit only their car and come with licence fees and usage restrictions.

I personally decided I was tired of this behaviour when they made a crappy copy of FLAC and even stole the name (they just took out the "Free" and replaced it with "Apple", how appropriate) instead of just using it as-is. There's plenty of other examples.

I'm referring to you saying that Apple should drop years of development and investment in their proprietary protocol for someone else's. And still doesn't support DRM. DLNA is great if you own all your media and have taken the time to encode it but fails miserably once you get into online purchases and rentals.

FLAC, ALAC who cares. They both do what it says on the tin Lossless Audio Codec.

Apple does what Apple does and the world can certainly support more than one type of system. They go off and do their own thing and have been punished and rewarded for it.

This type of concept is common in our geeky nature.

A tablet does not need HDMI. The average user would never use it. If you are waiting for HDMI for a tablet...you are doing it wrong. Get a 100$ apple TV thats always plugged into your computer and control it with your iPad as an amazing touchscreen remote.

A tablet does not need HDMI.

Think presentations. One of the first things my girlfriend asked my about the iPad was "can I plug it into a projector and run presentations?" To her this was the first use that came to mind. I imagine she isn't the only one. More and more projectors are coming with HDMI as standard and being able to plug in your tablet directly without worrying about needing to buy a separate adapter will be a boon to many people.

if you're looking for a tablet to be a laptop replacement, it needs HDMI out. i don't consume 100% of media in my own house, and 100% of my friends aren't upgrading to a web TV with me.

Surely one of the key features of a tablet is mobility - doesn't plugging it into a TV with a HDMI cable kind of defeat the point?

One of the key features of laptops is mobility, it's still nice to plug in a big screen and a keyboard for when you need to. People seem excited about that feature in a phone, why not in a tablet? (Note this may not make sense if you've accidentally bought a tablet that only functions well when paired with a full computer).

not if you're looking for a tablet to be a laptop replacement

It's hardly a mortgage either way.

In terms of absolute dollars I agree. As a consumer though, I'm going to be looking very hard at what I am getting for an extra 20% cost over the iPad. Many consumers are still going to consider the iPad a much better value.

Presumably there are at least a few people who don't buy the absolute cheapest iPad out there, right? My understanding is that there are a few different iPads with different amounts of storage and whatnot, with prices that vary by a few hundred dollars. (Correct me if I'm totally off-base here.)

Someone looking to buy a $500 iPad might well be put off by a $600 price tag on another tablet. On the other hand, someone looking to buy a $700 iPad (or even a $500 iPad plus a $30 case for it) probably won't be, I wouldn't think.

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