A frustrated CEO speaks: Why Android Tablets are not Selling

[madsquabbles]

Originally Posted by wodin

Nook Colors seem to be doing pretty well at $249 USD.

i don't know the exact figures, but they either sell it at a small loss or very little profit. they plan on getting revenue from book & app sales through it's own app store. of course rooting kinda foils their plot.

[=X=]

A tear down of the nook estimates the cost to bet about $200. So they are making a $50 profit.

[anamardoll]

That sounds about right. I can't imagine they're selling at a loss. There's a lot of developer feeling that B&N is tickled pink about all the rooting since it increases sales as much as it does. It's also doing wonderful things for the store brand in general.

[carld]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

That sounds about right. I can't imagine they're selling at a loss. There's a lot of developer feeling that B&N is tickled pink about all the rooting since it increases sales as much as it does. It's also doing wonderful things for the store brand in general.

I don't know if that's true. They just smacked the rooters with a new software version that grabs all but 1 GB of space for the nook color itself. If they were happy about rooting they wouldn't make it harder.

Of course there's already a fix out for it, but still.

[wodin]

All in all I'm pretty happy about my SGT COSTCO special for $399 without contract. It still has 3G on Verizon, but I have the option of turning it off without incurring an ETF. That’s $150 above the price of a WiFi only Nook Color, which is pretty much in line with Apple's $129 premium for 3G; plus I also get two cameras, GPS, gyro, accelerometers, etc.

It’s too bad that COSTCO moved to the Xoom and discontinued the SGT.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by carld

I don't know if that's true. They just smacked the rooters with a new software version that grabs all but 1 GB of space for the nook color itself. If they were happy about rooting they wouldn't make it harder.

Of course there's already a fix out for it, but still.

No they didn't smack the rooters, the whole SD card is still available, and small ones are pretty cheap. And NC's can boot from the SD.

They only smacked the non-rooters who want to sideload, which are the vast majority of their customer base. And even then, SD cards are pretty cheap!

[carld]

Originally Posted by wodin

No they didn't smack the rooters, the whole SD card is still available, and small ones are pretty cheap. And NC's can boot from the SD.

They only smacked the non-rooters who want to sideload, which are the vast majority of their customer base. And even then, SD cards are pretty cheap!

Yeah, you're probably right. I was thinking it locked the nook down harder, but apparently not.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wodin

It’s too bad that COSTCO moved to the Xoom and discontinued the SGT.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

$149.99 and No Contract Required

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by madsquabbles

yes, that kb dock makes it a sweet piece. you should see the faces when i showed everyone my new toy. at first they just dismissed it as another netbook, then i popped off the tablet and !

man i miss it...

The Asus Transformer is definitely what I have been waiting for - I just love my Asus netbook for Its long battery life and ruggedness. I think the main reason people have been holding off buying tablets is because firms like Asus hadn't released models. Apple got in first, and they'll always have a dedicated user base, but I think the techy crowd knew other models were in the pipeline.
The world is still coming out of the last financial slump and I think people are being a bit more picky about how they spend their money.

[tipstir]

Sure interest rates on your money is way to low to really buy anything. Most of us did buy one or two Netbooks and now with tablets coming to be the norm here, still there is something missing about the tablet. Google Voice commands would be cool if it would stick. Show me today's calendar, show me current movies playing at C-M1 at 10pm. This would be cool and neat.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Samsung Galaxy Tab

$149.99 and No Contract Required

Wow! I'm tempted to get a friend from the U.S. to pick one up for me. It would make a really nice gift for me to get my mum.

I tried to give you karma, but apparently I've given you too much lately

[Andanzas]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Samsung Galaxy Tab

$149.99 and No Contract Required

Thanks for the info! What a great deal.

I guess it will sell out real quick, but I'd like to know the answer to this question and I can't find it: Can I bypass the activation or I will have to pay the first month to Verizon? In that case, the real price would be $200 (still a good deal). Does anyone know?

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I own an Android smartphone, an Android tablet (rooted nook color), as well as an iPod Touch and iPad 2. I do not feel "chained into Apple's system".

Virtually all of the most useful apps that I use are available for both ecosystems, and often free. And if the apps are different, they are able to share the data.

I think that sentiment of being chained is rooted more in emotion than it reality.

I think you are right about being "chained" - I've had an iphone since 2008 and have collected a decent number of apps in 3 year. But most of them are free, and I could replace the paid ones I still use for $30 or so. It's not really much of a lock-in.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Why Google ever allowed this is beyond me. It's their OS and they should have complete control over pushing out updates. The carriers need to be totally cut out of this procedure. When it's time for 2.x to be released, all compatible devices should get it at the same time; and from Google, not the carriers.

I agree with this 100%. While I'm not thrilled with the amount of control Apple has over my iThings, I would so much rather that Apple have control over my device than that the carriers would. And, substituting Google for Apple, I think that all Android users feel the same way.

And taking control of the OS is probably what the vast majority of users want as well. I don't think many people interpreted "open source" as meaning "open source for the carriers, but you may be locked down."

And, really, I don't think many people care about open source per se. What people want, IMO, is a phone that works like a PC. Once you install the OS, you are completely free to put whatever programs from whatever source on your device. And neither Google, nor the handset manufacturer, nor the carrier, will put any artificial barriers in your way.

The handset manufacturer is solely responsible for the handset and has nothing to say about the programs you choose to put on the handset. The carriers job is only to provide bandwidth. And the OS developer is solely responsible for producing and updating the OS.

This is, clearly, not Apple's model. But it should be Google's model.

[morriss003]

RE: Linux word processors that can read a Word file.
I'm curious. Once you save the file in something like Open, can Word reopen it? Or is it a one way only thing. I am going to write one of my books using the Google App. Their word processor has gotten a lot better lately. I tried a few years ago, and I found the word processor to be almost unusable for anything except short memos.
I am getting a little leery of Google Inc. I am worried about the direction that they are headed.
Has anyone tried the Notion Adam? It looks interesting.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Wow! I'm tempted to get a friend from the U.S. to pick one up for me. It would make a really nice gift for me to get my mum.

I tried to give you karma, but apparently I've given you too much lately

Thanks

Clarification: I just called their toll-free number and you also have to sign up for a data plan for at least 30 days. Their cheapest data plan is $50, so that really means the Galaxy Tab is selling for $200; not $150.