So should you buy this device? I can’t in good conscience tell you to go out and spend $499 on this half-baked experience when the fully baked iPad experience can be had for just a few dollars more.
For Tablets the display is the single most expensive and important hardware component because it determines the quality of the visual experience for every application on the Tablet. There were major differences between the Tablet displays. The iPad 2 was the clear winner in every category. The Asus Transformer was a solid second and impressive for a $399 Tablet. The Motorola Xoom was significantly below the display quality of the iPad 2 and Asus Transformer. It is a cheap low-end poorly calibrated display, which is shocking for the most expensive $599 Tablet.
Are you looking for the best visual experience on a tablet? Look no further: DisplayMate’s President Dr. Soneira has conducted an extensive array of tests and the iPad 2′s 9.7-inch IPS TFT LCD comes out on top.
E-Ink-Info.com: E Ink with video is what this looks like. AU Optronics’ Sipix e-paper technology is good enough for video at 6 fps. By loading the images into buffer memory video performance can be improved to 10 fps according to IRX Innovation. The video pixel format is 640×480 with four levels of gray moving up to 16 in the near future.
HP:
Rocks like nothing else. The ultimate in entertainment with Beats Audio and Adobe Flash.
The two biggest features that HP wants to get across about its TouchPad is Beats Audio and Adobe Flash. My guess is “rock” probably won’t be the word used to describe Flash performance on the TouchPad. I do have a feeling audio coming out the TouchPad will probably sound better than the iPad though.
We find that consumers are not interested in form factors that deviate from the benchmark set by Apple. Few consumers, less than 15 percent prefer the 7″ screen size versus the 10″ screen of the iPad. Over 50 percent of respondents are firmly in favor of the 10″ screen, which leads us to conclude that the 7″ tablet models recently launched, like the BlackBerry PlayBook, are destined for failure. Consumer’s preference for the 10″ form factor explains the lukewarm response to Samsung’s 7″ Galaxy tablet and the rapid introduction of larger screen models in that series.
Build 9.7-inch 1024×768 tablets. That way it will be easier for developers to build apps for other platforms.
John Brownlee at Cult of Mac:
It’s a weird thing, but once you get an iPad, using an iPhone just feels hopelessly cramped. All of a sudden, the profoundly rich experience of using iOS and its apps goes from the context of a frame through which you can do anything you want to do to a tiny terminal. Sure, you have access to all the same stuff, but short of two big exceptions — phone and SMS — it’s all done worse than on an iPad with 3G.
I like taking photos and my iPhone is my always-with-me digital camera. The iPad 2 can’t compete with the iPhone when it comes to photography. Not even close. Even if it did, you wouldn’t want to be taking a lot of photographs with the iPad; it’s just too big.
As a display guy, I’m tempted by the lure of larger displays, but not with the iPad. The 3.5-inch Retina Display on the iPhone 4 is much smaller, but it is simply superior. Yes, I realize it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison since one is a smartphone and the other is a tablet. The 326-ppi Retina Display is pure eye-candy. The iPad doesn’t come close. I will say this: I wouldn’t know what to do when the iPad comes with a Retina Display. I might just have to start taking pictures with it.
But right now, if I were to pick just one between a 3G iPad (plus Nokia dumbphone) or an iPhone 4, I’d pick the later for photographs, portability, and the superior display. Plus I only have to care for a single device, instead of two.
The Eizo DuraVision FDH3601 is a 36.4-inch LCD monitor that sports a pixel format of 4096×2160 or 4K2K. Resolution at 127 ppi sounds less spectacular. Other specs include: LED BLU, 700 nits, 1000:1 CR, DVI-D (2x), and DisplayPort (2x). Priced at a stratospherically high US$36,000. Available September 7.
Yet Apple’s product designs, however impressive, will eventually be mimicked and come under price pressure, just as the mainframe did, predicts Michael A. Cusumano, professor at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In time, he says, Apple may want to borrow a page from I.B.M. and rely increasingly on software and services for its livelihood.
I wonder if professor Cusumano thinks companies like, say, Rolex and BMW ought to shift to “software and services” too? I don’t think this guy understands Apple at all.
Apple’s product designs will eventually be mimicked? There are plenty of examples on the market already. Under price pressure? Just look at the iPad 2: I don’t know of any product that is as beautiful, capable, or affordable.
Don Wambolt, Creative Ministries Director at Worship Center in Lancaster, PA:
I had seen BrightSign at an InfoComm tradeshow. They caught my eye because the media players are solid-state and very inexpensive compared to PC-based players. Plus, BrightAuthor, the content manager software, was included free and was a visual-based application.
The Worship Center has 18 displays that are connected to seven network-enabled BrightSign HD1010 media players. BrightAuthor’s WYSIWYG design interface allows for straightforward creation, publishing, management and monitoring of all 18 digital signage displays.
Wambolt:
The features of the BrightSign Network and its interface make it easy for me to group the displays by location and by the content they each need. With just a few clicks, I can update all of the information displayed in the student ministries area as well as the speaking schedule in the meeting rooms without leaving my desk. If I need a group of signs to change at 2:00 P.M., but I know I will be in a meeting during that time, I can schedule the change in advance.
The BrightSign controllers consume 3 to 5 watts of power, which is considerably less than a typical PC system that requires about 20x. And because they are solid state not only are they reliable but generate less heat requiring less cooling costs.
This is the Worship Center’s main display in the sanctuary. Beautiful.
DisplayBlog is written and produced by Jin Kim. Subscribe via RSS.