So I saw the commercial again tonight and it really struck home, especially after watching the iPad mini preview,’what the hell are they thinking  in the Microsoft marketing department?  There is NOTHING about this advert that makes me want to buy this device.  And that is one thing Apple always seems to get right.  I know what their device is going to do and why I want it.  With the surface, I guess the reason to buy is tonnes of peoples around me will suddenly jump into a choreographed dance.   Not sure if that is good or bad.

Each time I watch the commercial, I’m annoyed more and more.  And that’s too bad.  Because kinds of like Palm’s epic fail with the creepy girl, you only get one shot when you trying to catch up from behind.  And this commercial is strike 1.

Well the tablet still exists, and they are still trying to push it.  And they had one here at IDF. (Intel developers conference)  Although it looked REALLY sweet and has to be the largest ‘pad’ I’ve ever held, it just did not seem to work very well. I tool a video with my droid (sorry about the quality) and you can see its just not quite there yet, but still, pretty nice platform.  Put Android on that bad boy and then we are talking!

So check out this video below. Even when they get the OS working, I think its too late.  They should really explore putting Android on this thing.

The Courier is dead

But Microsoft finally owned up to building one and owned up to dropping it.  Now that does not mean they are give up on the tablet war, it could be a tactical retreat given the success of and lesson learned from the iPad.  Also, the last I heard HP was going to use windows 7 on their slate, but with the purchase of Palm yesterday, now I’m not so sure.

But one thing is for certain, the great tablet war has taken its first major victim, and that its Microsoft is not a big surprise.

Some Specs from the site..

Size and weight

• Height: 4.72 inches (120mm)
• Width: 7.87 inches (200mm)
• Dipth: 0.57 inches (14.5mm)
• Weight:13.75 ounces
  (around 390 grams)

Communication

• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• USB dongle to 3G connectivity*
• GPS module

*Note: Only applicable for some type of 3G dongle devices

System

• Google Android 1.5
• CPU: Marvell PXA303 624MHz
• System memory: 128MB Mobile DDR
• Flash memory: 265MB NAND (system)
• Input: Software keyboard; USB keyboard support

Display

• 7-inch TFT LCD, 16M True Color
• Single Resistive touch panel with hard glass
• High-resolution screen, 800-by-480 pixels
• G-sensor

Image from Mashable

The great (slate) Tablet war moves to the next stage as expected.  The first player on the scene the JooJoo, which used to be known as the CrunchPad, was the first to enter the battleground.  I expect to see it again this coming week at the #CES show in Las Vegas, but already they are being dismissed as YAS (yet another slate) before the main players have even hit the scene.  The good thing is people are not using the term tablet but instead Slate, which is more accurate from this Tablet users perspective.

We all know about the iSlate, and although there are hopes for ‘sneak peaks’, during CES, it is all but certain that we will get a full view Jan 26. Now there is growing rumors that Google will have their own tablet using a variable of Android. The latest word from Mashable is HTC will help build it. That makes sense too. Rumers are also moving around about the device running an AT&T using 3G.  Sure that makes sense.  We know the iSlate is going to that direction.  Although AT&T?  Why not t-mobile or Verizon?  Either way, the business model for the web slate will be the same as with phones.  High price if you want it unlocked, much cheaper if you by a plan. Also, I have a feeling the kindle and Amazons reader will need to step it up.  I never thought those things were worth it because the hardware was just too limited for the price.

Soo..  Where is Microsoft?  Are they going to let these two leaders in mobile tech fight it out to define the battlefield and then swoop in taking the part of the market they want?  In the past, this could have worked for Microsoft. This time, no way.  The speed at which not only technology, but the application of technology to the user is advancing so fast, that you cannot simply through money at the problem. The only known product, the Courier, that is even rumored by Microsoft seems to still be in Vaperware status as seems to miss the mark from a design and spec point of view.

Still, this is the year of the Slate.  The impact will be far greater then just selling new hardware, but will change how those in media will target slate users.