Via Says $100 Android-Powered Tablets Will Challenge the IPad This Year

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

You "cheap B*stard"! I bet that you don't (over)pay for Starsmucks Coffee either!

When I first saw this I thought that it was a joke.

Not to defend Starbucks but rather to dispel that myth of them selling nothing but $5 "cups" of coffee. First a true "cup" of coffee is 5oz, by definition. But we all buy 16oz - 20oz "cups" because, well, we are usually OTG and need our caffeine fix in mass quantities.

OK at McDonald's a 20oz coffee is somewhere around $1.60....at Starbucks the same 20oz of coffee is around $1.80 (or is it $1.90 now?)...actually I find I prefer the Mickey D's coffee but if I am at SB I grab a coffee there and use the free wifi or just read on the old K2. The thing is the extras....just like apPlE, but of course EVERYTHING is extra with ApPlE even if the system does not run without it. I believe refills at our SB are only 50-cent or maybe even one free, I don't recall anymore.

But coffee at coffee shops is only spendy if you have to add 18-ingredients and about 2000-calories to it....5x/day...

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, that's very true. The issue is people are comparing the cost of plain coffee at other places to the price of Lattes, Cappuccinos, Frapuccinos etc. at Starbucks.

I seldom get coffee at Starbucks as I usually just make my own and use flavored creamer to approximate a latte, or make my own flavored iced coffee etc. Though I do usually buy my coffee beans at Starbucks as they have some damn good beans available. Always buy something that's bold or extra bold.

[bob1xxx]

LOL you reminded me why the last two times I went into Starboinks was to rent their wifi as long as I could slowly drink Venti drip LOL . Although that's not no longer even a good excuse to subject to StarBoinks overly french roasted to death Blech coffee a lot of Mcdonalds here in So CAl have free Wifi too boot (att is my dsl provider, so no charges) so I can vampire Wifi at McDonald's or Starboink's for free LOL

[watershawl]

Sometimes manufacturers subsidize the cost of manufacturing if they know they are going to make it up in selling the content. This is what Microsoft does with the XBOX and might be what Amazon.com does with the Kindle (or should do), but I don't see VIA doing this unless they are planning on opening up some sort of App or ebook marketplace to coincide with the devices.

[Duiker]

Originally Posted by Tamara

I honestly don't see how they can sell them that cheap unless they are going to use garbage components that will fail in six months.

Ask the people at Foxxcon.

[bob1xxx]

Originally Posted by Duiker

Ask the people at Foxxcon.

Yes which is a major supplier of apple products

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Yeah, that's very true. The issue is people are comparing the cost of plain coffee at other places to the price of Lattes, Cappuccinos, Frapuccinos etc. at Starbucks.

I seldom get coffee at Starbucks as I usually just make my own and use flavored creamer to approximate a latte, or make my own flavored iced coffee etc. Though I do usually buy my coffee beans at Starbucks as they have some damn good beans available. Always buy something that's bold or extra bold.

yup....I enjoy a couple of the special beans from SB but I usually get my beans from Sweet Marias and am learning to roast my own. One think you realize once you have tried properly roasted beans is the true difference from the chain-store beans where they intentionally over roast them in order to get more uniform taste.

I actually like SB Pike's Place and have it Turkish ground (the only time I have my coffee pre-ground) and then make my own version of a good cup of Turkish coffee. Pure heaven...yummmmmm!!

I also really liked the SB Sanani but you pretty much can never find it anymore around here.

I usually drink my coffee when out and about and just in the moode to site and read at a local mom-n-pop place in our old downtown (well, this places ONLY downtown, it just happens to be, well, OLD and broken...hehehehe). Great coffee and supporting a small "guy" just because. To be honest they muct either own the building or the owner is giving them a HUGE break on rent because there is no way they sell enough to earn a solid living right now even with being in walking distance from one of our nicer homey sorta residential parts of town. THey even let me bring my own unsweetened unflavored soy milk so they don't need to try and stock it...I tip the difference to the counter folks.

Still I frequent out SB as well because it is a closer walk to my home. And I never visit Mickey D's simply so I don't need to put up with the zillion screaming snot nosed brats....and I mean what passes for teens these days...

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, I'm no coffee aficionado! Beer is the only beverage/food that I really have a love for and treat as a hobby.

I just get beans at starbucks or other places as I like the bold/extra bold beans--brew it strong, put some flavored creamer in it and I have a poor man's latte, or a flavored iced coffee!

[SameOldStory]

Maybe we should start a new thread "Where to read and use WiFi".

When I was growing up my mother would percolate coffee. When you make or buy drip coffee you're missing the aroma of the coffee. Be warned that your favorite drip coffee may not be the best to percolate.

BACK ON TOPIC

Originally Posted by Tamara

Funny that you consider an iPad a waste but an Android copycat is not a waste

Originally Posted by Avarwen

Not really let's see I can pay $499 to $829 for a device that does far less than my $700 laptop or even a cheap netbook.

If something can do MORE than another product can you really call it a "copycat"?

I've seen the iPad. It looks really nice, no question.

Mobile Internet Devices came out well before the iPad, so you could say that the iPad is a limited MID copycat.

Now that I think of it, the iPad is just a versatile gadget.