The OpenTablet 7 from OpenPeak looks like a pretty decent little piece of hardware. I don’t see any specs in the release, but it’s based on Intel’s Moorestown platform, has a 7″ screen, and probably is respectable in the areas of RAM and so on. It’s even got two cameras, HDMI out, and more. The thing is, though: it’s all Flash-based. I don’t know about you, but the idea of an entire tablet being reliant on Flash is kind of disconcerting to me.
They say of the device:
…an ultra-sleek, portable, touch-screen tablet that combines high-quality telephony with advanced multi-media communications services and applications to deliver an engaging, interactive experience.
…OpenPeak’s software framework enables designers and developers to create highly interactive applications using Adobe® Flash® CS4, eliminating the need to learn new programming languages or complex APIs.
(from the press release)Maybe I’m crazy, but doesn’t that sound a bit like “make thousands from home” or “lose weight without exercising”?
I tolerate Flash apps on the net because sometimes they’re the only way… but it doesn’t seem like an ideal choice for basing your whole platform on. Just look at how everyone avoids Flash websites like the plague — you think they want their entire computing experience to be like that? I don’t know, maybe for some people it’d be nice to work within a well-established and delimited framework like that.
Also, I have to register my ire at the fact that this thing is called the “OpenTablet” and it’s tied at the hip to something which is not even close to open. It’s open in that developers should feel free to develop Flash apps for it, but that’s about it. I think I’ll wait for Chrome OS or a related fork, running on actual open hardware.
[via HotHardware]