The JooJoo couldn't have started shipping at a worse time. With a price and look to match the iPad and HP Slate, many people will be asking what the device can do and the answer may disappoint those expecting more than Web browsing from their tablet.
When Michael Arrington first revealed his plans for the CrunchPad, he said he wanted to build a $200 Web tablet that you could use to surf the Web from your couch. He wasn't interested in having it do much else. When we wrote about it in January 2009, Arrington had said the price was looking more like $299 but a lot of you were still interested in how the device would turn out.
However, a year later, things are a little different. The price rings in at approximately $500 and judging by your comments, a lot of you just aren't willing to spend that kind of money. Others still thought it looked promising though and although we haven't got a review unit, Engadget got one in yesterday and posted a little walk through of the UI.
As you can see, Web browsing really is the main attraction here, with a few little extras like a clock and calendar thrown in. Check out the walkthrough from Engadget below and let us know what you think! Do you think $500 is too pricey?
- No Web Browser for Xbox 360, Says Greenberg
- Game Designers Make $67,000 Per Year?
- New NES Game Plays via Classic Cartridge
- Netflix and TV Streaming Will Be iPad's Killer App
- WARNING: Today's PS3 Update Will Kill Your Linux
- Crysis 2 to Have 'Best Graphics You've Ever Seen'
- New Orleans May Get Google Fiber; Others Hope
- Wii Game Powered by What You Search on Google
- The Xbox 360 Will Win the Console Wars
- Pre Plus, Pixi Plus Cut to $50, $30; + Free WiFi
- VIDEO: New A-Team & Expendables Trailers
- Firefox Nears 30% of Worldwide Market Share
- Long-Awaited Droid Update Causes Slowdown
- Sharp Announces Mobile 3D/2D Touchscreen
- Microsoft Not Making Office for iPad
- Social Network Gamers Prime Targets for Spam
- Wacky Samurai Robot Serves Food, Dances
- Microsoft Sues Datel Over Xbox 360 Controllers
- Xbox 360 Dipped in 24kt Gold is for Goldmember
If it really is only a web OS (which it looks like), then it is not worth $500. For $299, maybe. Then again, I wouldn't buy it for $100 since I do not want to support Fusion Garage.
If it had Android OS, webcam, suport for mouse, keyboard and storage it would have been like the anti-iPad.
Also, it needs a better name.
I didn't even bother to watch the Engadget video, and I can say, definitely not worth $500. At about $200 - $250 was when the "Tablet formerly known as CrunchPad" (I am no longer refering to it as 'JooJoo') was worth taking note of.
For that price, it should be much more full featured. I suppose you can use google docs, but music/video and chat would be fantastic at $300
How the heck did it go from $200-300 to 500? That's ridiculous. Not worth more than $300.01
I'm still lost on who will actually use a tablet...
500 is too much money.
and yet apple got away with it.....
lol.... it looks better then an Ipad and it has flash.
To bad about all the Fusion Garage crap going on.
I wonder if the court cases added to the cost.
I won't speak to the F.G. / M.A. dispute because half the people seem to swear one side or the other is the devil. I don't know enough about it.
To the tablet itself though, you have to remember that they are smaller and probably didn't have the resources to churn out a full featured tablet in three quarters (or however long). Looking at the date stamps on the posts in the image above I'm pretty sure they worked on this longer than HP or Apple worked on their products. I don't think the tech was as mature back then...and in the end the fact that two larger companies started later and got it done sooner and can reach a better price point does not change the fact that they still want a return on their investment for this tablet. Hence the price, even though the thing doesn't really do all that much.
So I can sympathize with (what I think is) their current position. In that light, I applaud the work they've done and I think it is a nice product, but I'm afraid it'll be too little too late. Sometimes trailblazers and early adopters just get burned. I mean how many VoIP companies crashed and burned (ATT's attempt included) before Vonage strolled in and pulled it off like it was nothing. Same deal IMO.
I wonder how netflix would run on it?
If I got a tablet I'd be looking for more multimedia function like movie and music storage/play back. Plus traveling wise, if you hit an area with no internet you'd be carrying dead weight.
"Do you think $500 is too pricey?" Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?
I dont understand why they would have made the onscreen keyboard that small.
It looks nice, good specs (atom, ion), but way more hardware than is necessary just to browse the web. The only thing it does that the iPad doesn't is play flash, and it doesn't even do that well.
With some custom work it could run a more capable OS however, which is intriguing, but at that point you may as well wait for the HP slate, which will at least come preloaded with a modified UI to make it more touch friendly.
Overall it looks like a decent device that had its potential cut by developers that were too resource strapped or shortsighted to do put any real effort into it.
i wouldn't pay $500 for that. i won't even pay $500 for an ipad. who the hell pays $500 for anything these days? and here i thought spending $200,000 on a bedazzled macbook was in. who in their right mind would pay $500 for anything when we can spend millions for the same item?
For $500 they might as well call it the jew-jew. (I'm jk don't get all pissy)
Everything about that review was exhausting. From the reviewer's attitude of "I much rather be reviewing the iPad" to the multiple swipes to get the screen to scroll to the inability to play HD smoothly despite the tech specs saying it could play 1080p. Still waiting for Notion Ink's Adam tablet. I wish there was the option for Windows 7, Home Premium on the Adam too (w/ better touchscreen support as well as with an Android model being available).
We are really climbing the charts here for uselessness
Just as with the iPad I'm struggling to see any "real" use for these kinds of PCs. I can imagine usage scenarios in the corporate environment but as a portable or home device I really can't see why I would rather use this instead of a CULV or a stationary PC.
Yeah too expensive, definitely love the size and real wide screen, flash is a big plus not to mention usb and what not, i'll stick to my 17" "notebook"