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YouTube: Velocity Micro introduces the $199 Cruz Reader Android Tablet

17 points by mikecane 16y ago

GiraffeNecktie 16y ago
Nice to see it has Android 2.1. According to their site they will have $299 version with capacitive screen which might be a lot more pleasant to use.
JangoSteve 16y ago
It seemed really laggy and the touch-sensitivity seemed less than ideal. I was thinking, as a tablet, that just wont do. Then I noticed it's not branded as a tablet, but as a reader that happens to do other things. That's a very important distinction that I think makes all the difference, especially considering it costs less than my Android phone would unsubsidized.
- joezydeco 16y ago
  Last night I was just playing around with the scrolling on Safari on iPhone. In fact, I was on Hacker News. Placed my finger on an item, wiped up and down as fast as I could without lifting my finger, and after 30 seconds my finger was still pointing to the same item. I think the touchscreen tracking has to be the one core thing that makes the iPhone/iPad experience so enjoyable. The moment you get lag in that area, everything else falls apart.
  - slantyyz 16y ago
    To add to your point, I would say that the touchscreen might be the killer hardware part of iOS devices, while Safari would be the killer software app on the iOS devices. If the browsing experience was not very good, I'd be way more interested in Android's offerings.
  - JangoSteve 16y ago
    I agree totally. But if this "tablet" is actually just a "reader," isn't it more appropriate to compare it to devices such as the Kindle, which don't have a touch-screen at all? The question becomes, would you rather have a laggy touch-screen or no touch screen at all? I think preferences could go either way.
sprout 16y ago
http://cruztablet.com/specs2.php http://cruztablet.com/specs2.php Looks pretty nice. I might have bought it, except I already decided I needed a good portable and bought a netbook. It's everything the Cruz is and more. I can even easily hold it in one hand. And it cost about the same as the 'tablet' model.
keltex 16y ago
I bought a Velocity Micro PC about 5 years ago. It was very well constructed in a solid aluminum case. Hopefully it bodes well for this device.
stcredzero 16y ago
We're getting close. Sub-$200 with decent processors and capacitative touch will get us to another Cambrian explosion of hacker/hobbyist tinkering platforms.
chaosmachine 16y ago
I was a bit shocked when he finally turns it sideways. In my mind, I was expecting something comparable to the iPad, but this is closer to laptop thickness.

17 points by mikecane 16y ago

Nice to see it has Android 2.1. According to their site they will have $299 version with capacitive screen which might be a lot more pleasant to use.

JangoSteve 16y ago

It seemed really laggy and the touch-sensitivity seemed less than ideal. I was thinking, as a tablet, that just wont do. Then I noticed it's not branded as a tablet, but as a reader that happens to do other things. That's a very important distinction that I think makes all the difference, especially considering it costs less than my Android phone would unsubsidized.

joezydeco 16y ago
Last night I was just playing around with the scrolling on Safari on iPhone. In fact, I was on Hacker News. Placed my finger on an item, wiped up and down as fast as I could without lifting my finger, and after 30 seconds my finger was still pointing to the same item. I think the touchscreen tracking has to be the one core thing that makes the iPhone/iPad experience so enjoyable. The moment you get lag in that area, everything else falls apart.
- slantyyz 16y ago
  To add to your point, I would say that the touchscreen might be the killer hardware part of iOS devices, while Safari would be the killer software app on the iOS devices. If the browsing experience was not very good, I'd be way more interested in Android's offerings.
- JangoSteve 16y ago
  I agree totally. But if this "tablet" is actually just a "reader," isn't it more appropriate to compare it to devices such as the Kindle, which don't have a touch-screen at all? The question becomes, would you rather have a laggy touch-screen or no touch screen at all? I think preferences could go either way.

sprout 16y ago

http://cruztablet.com/specs2.php http://cruztablet.com/specs2.php Looks pretty nice. I might have bought it, except I already decided I needed a good portable and bought a netbook. It's everything the Cruz is and more. I can even easily hold it in one hand. And it cost about the same as the 'tablet' model.

keltex 16y ago

I bought a Velocity Micro PC about 5 years ago. It was very well constructed in a solid aluminum case. Hopefully it bodes well for this device.

stcredzero 16y ago

We're getting close. Sub-$200 with decent processors and capacitative touch will get us to another Cambrian explosion of hacker/hobbyist tinkering platforms.

chaosmachine 16y ago

I was a bit shocked when he finally turns it sideways. In my mind, I was expecting something comparable to the iPad, but this is closer to laptop thickness.