First things first. I've never seen anything quite like Michael Arrington's post Monday on TechCrunch: "We Want A Dead Simple Web Tablet For $200. Help Us Build It." I didn't think this was how new products came to be. Obviously Michael doesn't care. It's how he's going about it and the idea is fairly reasonable.
This is no anonymous man-on-the-street looking for attention. Michael Arrington is an attorney turned serial entrepreneur. Though he's run through a lifetime's worth of venture capital, he's also produced some viable businesses. TechCrunch is his. A hobby he says. False modesty?. Michael Arrington sees himself as the Pied Piper of Open Source computing. He just hasn't admitted it yet.
He has put out a call for someone(s) to design a computer "as thin as possible, runs low end hardware and has a single button for powering it on and off, headphone jacks, a built in camera for video, low end speakers, and a microphone." There's more, but I'd rather not linkjack his thunder. Arrington says, with no attribution nor any names, a company he deals with will build it for "just a few hundred dollars." That's a helluva leap of faith for a product that only exists as a concept.
Still, I like the idea. It's a PC for the simplest of road warrior applications--just a touch sensitive screen, no more. Carry it under your arm. Go on the web. Check email. Use Skype. You get a feel for Arrington's orientation once you hear his proposed name, "Firefox Tablet."
With Nicholas Negroponte's OLPC losing much of its luster, is it time already for another hardware project where just plain folks compete with the establishment? There are few details but lots of zealotry in the comments from potential team members. I suspect there will be no $200 tablet computer any time soon. I still wouldn't bet against it.
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