Maybe a better alternative than the Chromebook?

[LandSurveyor]

CoolShip desktop Android computer looks like nothing more than a keyboard

I would like it much better if it were straight Android but this is not a bad idea, at least, not for $120, plus monitor.

[Drillbit]

That really reminds me of the old Atari 800s and Amiga 500s.

[LandSurveyor]

I had a C=64 myself. Strange to think how much more capable this new device is, and for so little money. IIRC, the C=64 was about $600 and the disk drive about half that.

[LandSurveyor]

And so now we have rumors about an Android notebook. Given this Coolship and the cheapo internet devices I've seen running Windows CE, I rather wonder that even if Google itself doesn't sponsor such a device, why wouldn't somebody else make and sell an Android laptop?

[Drillbit]

Asus Transformer Pads, Primes and Infinities, are defacto Android laptop when bundled with the keyboard. But all their mechanical componentry makes them relatively expensive. Even the lowest end of those models, the TF300T, with the keyboard added, ends up being more expensive than even higher end stand alone Android tablets. (But not necessarily more expensive if the high end Android tablet is paired with a bluetooth keyboard). You are looking at a target price of around $400 to $500 here, unless you find one in sale. The Nexus 10 goes for $399 and that's the best of the 10" Android tablets right now (the Xperia Z tablet will go about $500 with more power to boot). In contrast, the Samsung Chromebook goes for $250 and the Acer C7 Chromebook is about $199 and their browsing experience is better than what I have seen yet in any tablet or smartphone. But of course, they don't have much native apps.

The touchscreens and the current transformation components do add up and that is probably a factor why touchscreen Windows 8 laptops aren't making that much of a penetration either.

But lets say, lets make it simple enough. Cancel the transformation components, build a touchscreen on something like the Samsung Chromebook, we might probably see a device around $300 to $350, depending on the quality of the screen. Notebook screens suck compared to tablet screens, you can see how color, contrast deteriorate even after changing in narrow angles of viewing compared to tablet screens that retain color and contrast even at wide viewing angles. But that is how notebooks save money. If Google gets ambitious and throws in a 2560x1600 screen (same res as the Nexus 10 and the Retina MacBook Pro), the price is going to jack up to over $500 (my guesstimate).

[LandSurveyor]

I think there can be a range of low to high end devices. I'm not sure I really need a touchscreen so much with a laptop but Android is touch-centric. It would be silly to totally remove this capability.

I guess I'll remain in limbo for a while yet with my Linux box and my old XP machine. People keep telling me W8 is the new ME. And this supposed AndroidBook is still just a rumor and now that I've seen Chrome, it looks too limited.

[SGosnell]

How quickly we get spoiled. I well remember when laptops cost ~$5,000. As did new desktops. The money I spent on my Transformer Prime is probably one of the best computer purchases I've made, and I've been buying computers for a long time. My first laptop was a 286, way back when. Bad, bad decision, but we live and learn, I guess.

Regards,

Stan