I'd like to compare three devices in the medium form factor category (netbooks/tablet PCs/e-readers). Two of them fairly well known and the last one not known well enough. Admittedly i'm somewhat biased towards the Touch Book because it's open source however the Kindle also runs on Linux. By default the Touch Book runs a customised version of Ångström called AI OS (Always Innovating Operating System). What sets it apart is the fact that the hardware schematics are also open source and are based on the Beagleboard.
| Kindle DX | iPad | Touch Book (Tablet) | Touch Book (Netbook) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Amazon | Apple | Always Innovating | Always Innovating |
| Category: | e-Reader | Tablet | Tablet | Netbook |
| Screen Size: | 24cm | 24cm | 22cm | 22cm |
| Screen Specs: | Black and white, electronic paper display | Colour LED | Colour LCD | Colour LCD |
| Resolution: | 824x1200 | 1024x768 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 |
| Processor: | ARM (532MHz ) | x86 (1GHz) | ARM (600MHz) | ARM (600MHz) |
| Storage: | 4GiB | 64GiB | 8GiB | 8GiB |
| USB Ports: | None | None | 7 | 7 |
| Keyboard: | Hardware | Software | Software | Detatchable hardware |
| Operating System: | Custom Linux | Mac iPad OS | AI OS | AI OS |
| Alternate OS: | No | No | Yes (Ubuntu, Android, Chrome OS, Maemo and others) | Yes (Ubuntu, Android, Chrome OS, Maemo and others) |
| Battery Life: | 1 to 2 Weeks | 10 Hours | 3 to 5 Hours | 10 Hours |
| Weight: | 540g | 730g | 675g | 1420g |
| Touch Screen: | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3D Accelerometer: | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read e-Books: | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browse Web: | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watch Movies: | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Approx. Price: | US$489 | US$600 | US$299 | US$399 |
Images left to right (seperated from grid due to blog post space limits):
Kindle DX, iPad, Touch Book (Tablet), Touch Book (Netbook)
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