CrunchPad - A Linux-Based Tablet Device For Under $300

Hot on the heels of the newly announced Google Chrome OS that's geared towards only web-use, a technology blogger for TechCrunch has begun working on the mass production of his new simple and cheap tablet device. He has always wanted a small, cheap, yet affordable tablet device to primarily use for surfing the web and since there wasn't one out there already, he made one that he calls the CrunchPad.

The CrunchPad is a very thin and lightweight device used to surf the web. Like the Google Chrome OS, the CrunchPad will utilize a Linux based OS which boots directly to the browser, perhaps even utilizing the new Google Chrome OS. Booting directly to the browser means nearly zero over head in terms services running in the background, starting applications, and etc.

Linux Web OS Security
One of the questions that I have is around security. Would these devices still feature some type of security like Antivirus? I know having AV running on a Linux OS is not usually a trait that you find but I could see these devices being targeted by malicious users, especially if they catch on. If that is the case, we might just have to re-think the whole anti-virus thing on a Linux OS.

CrunchPad Hardware Features
Back to the CrunchPad, we found that it will have a 12-inch touch screen device with a virtual onscreen keyboard and it will use the Atom processor from Intel.

As far as storage and peripherals go, the device will come with 4GB of internal memory and a USB port if you wanted to add an external keyboard. I hope it has an external DVI or VGA connection so that it can be plugged up to an external monitor, that would definitely be handy but may add to the cost and make the device more complex that what was expected.

CrunchPad Where To Buy and Pricing
It's not yet known where they can be purchased, they will probably only be available via the CrunchPad web site for the short-term but the pricing is expected to be under $300 bucks and will be available in a couple of months.

CrunchPad vs Apple Tablet Device
A small start-up vs Apple? This is likely to become true over the next several months. As everyone has been predicting, Apple will be coming out with a tablet device very similar to the CrunchPad but will be always connected to the Internet via a cellular network. The downside, you would have to pay for the monthly Internet service but on the upside, it's always connected, anywhere. The CrunchPad would rely on Wi-Fi which may or may not be available at all times.

The Apple Tablet device would also be connected to the Apple App Store which houses over 250,000 applications. The CrunchPad, while being Open Source could possibly allow for any customization you dream about but will require a lot more time and effort.

Pricing wise, I think the CrunchPad will definitely be a cheaper solution for all of the geeks out there but for the everyday user, I think they will still go for the Apple device.

It will definitely be interesting to see how the two devices fair and hopefully we can get our hands on one to fully review and test.