WHAT'S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS

Steve Jobs announced the launch of many new “Dead On Arrival” (DOA) Tablets.

So, let’s check the best candidates for this funeral ranking.

First one: Toshiba Folio 100

An Android 16GB tablet to be launched in November (UK) with these Pros & Cons.

PROS:

Bigger touchscreen than the iPad (10.1 inches)

I doesn’t quite have the resolution of the iPad (1024 x 768)

A 1.3 Mp web-cam for video calls.

Displays Flash animations.

Cheaper (329 GBP): 100 GBP less than the iPad.

USB 2.0 port (not in the iPad or Galaxy).

CONS:

Less intuitive operating system (FroYo).

Less sophisticated design.

Plasticky-feeling chassis

Access to less apps, many of them designed for Android iPhones, so not optimised to run on big-screen devices.

Only seven-hour battery (40% less than the iPad)

Only wi-fi version (3G option later).

Heavy: 750g.

IN A FEW WORDS:

Big but not sexy.

More movie-centric than media-centric.

Not an iPad killer.

AND REMEMBER:

“It’s the wine, not the bottle”.

So, hurry up, and register in the INMA/INNOVATION Harvard Tablet Summit.

The deadline is coming.

Yesterday ViewSonic unveiled the ViewPad 7, not a very good one.

And tomorrow SAMSUNG will present its first Android 7-inch Galaxy Tablet (the iPad is 9.7 inches)

So iPad competitors are here and the winners will be… you and me, the consumers.

Expect immediate reaction from Apple.

And a new, better and cheaper iPad model very soon.

More competition is always good.

Another reason not to miss the INMA/NIEMAN/INNOVATION Harvard Tablet Summit.

Cambridge, December 2-3, 2010.

A Worldwide Summit to learn, master and share new ideas.

Be there!

Amazon and Google are great companies.

But Apple is a more innovative one.

In today’s Observer, John Naughton writes, again, a great column with some strong remarks:

First, forget about Kindle.

“While the Kindle is probably the best of the current eReader breed, it is actually a rather clunky and primitive device.”

Yes, it’s is a bluff.

Second, forget about Google gadgets:

“Google devices (like the Android phone) are excellent in their way, but seem haphazard and unfinished in comparison with the slickly-unified and predictable Apple device.”

Yes, Sir.

Third, stay with Apple:

“If Apple does produce an iPad/iSlate, things will suddenly become very interesting. At present, devices such as the Kindle are like the Daimler “horseless carriage” of 1886: the only difference is that the nag has been replaced by the engine. For electronic reading to become more than a way of carrying lots of texts around, eReaders have to become devices that add significant value to the reading experience. The only company that stands a chance of bringing that off is Apple.”

Wait and see the Apple iPad/Slate/Tablet/Guide!

(Picture by Bill Thompson)