Interestingly, dealextreme are already selling knock off android tablets !!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39169

and it got slated by engadget


http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/26/ekens-100-android-mid-reviewed-you-get-what-you-pay-for/


When we first spotted the Eken M001 MID, we immediately liked its honest nature. The M001 didnt claim to be an iPad killer, or boast ridiculous specs and decades of battery life; it was simply cheap, and proud of it. Now, Shanzai.com  has discovered the tablet is exactly what we expected. Running Android 1.6 with a VIA WM8505 processor, the device is pokey with terrible battery life, and the 7-inch, 800 x 480 resistive screen has noticeable lag. Still, the M001s moderately capable; think of it as a digital photo frame with tablet functionality -- like the HP Dreamscreen, but affordable and battery powered -- rather than the other way round. Were it readily available stateside, we could see a few souls actually picking it up for $680 RMB (about $100)..

Much in the same way 3G is currently a bit sh*t outside major urban areas - is 4G going to go the same way?

And when I say this, Im not even thinking about our own remote areas - think about the miles of nothingness in the US where youd have to make a phone work!

There may be more use of the cloud but to me its more likely to take over on fixed-line comms before it takes over the mobile world.

Much in the same way 3G is currently a bit sh*t outside major urban areas - is 4G going to go the same way?

And when I say this, Im not even thinking about our own remote areas - think about the miles of nothingness in the US where youd have to make a phone work!

There may be more use of the cloud but to me its more likely to take over on fixed-line comms before it takes over the mobile world.

Agreed. There are many parts of the us where you cannot get a signal. Does that mean I cant use my computer anymore ?

Cloud tech is a nice idea in principle and some of that technology is improving other areas. But with the current level of communication tech cloud technology just isnt practical.

Hell the wireless in my house can throw a wobbler because the microwave is on.

What would I do then?

Cloud isnt some magical solution to all our computing needs. It is a good test bed and idea factory for improving the current tech we have but to replace all we have with that tech is dangerous, we would be completely left in the control of some company.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but....

The future of mobiles is not apple, nor is it android. Its no full operating system.

Its cloud computing! As soon as 4G wireless comes properly on stream, there will be no need for bloated local operating systems.

Up to a point, and ONLY when its online as well as you say.  Lets say 20 years for the US to catch up with Europe.  Talking to a couple of guys I know who spend a lot of time "off the grid" in the US they say that they are lucky when they get a decent signal.  

Well come back to this topic in 5 years, and see how the world has changed....

Mark, I agree the cloud will become an integral part of the computing experience. However to suggest it will replace local access completely is nonsense. Net down = nothing can be done. Thats just silly.

Coupled with all the annoying speed issues still occurring just about everywhere and the Data Caps increasingly being a fan and the ISPs blockig ports and throttling etc so their network they can not be bothered to upgrade quick enough does not fall over...

I know that is a negative attitude but the basics are true. The system can not cope yet.

Cloud will only work properly when we have quantum computers in my opinion. It will come into its own right there and then. With the quantum transportation tech too you would only ever need a fraction of a second to fetch and send across the globe.

Your device could be just a screen and processor and bits and the OS/Data could be at home.

I dont think everyone is quite picking up what I mean by cloud computing.

Its not replacing OSs with nothing, thats the next step. Its moving all applications as we know them to a cloud model, with very little processing taken care of locally.

EG - antivirus will all be cloud based in a few years, all the major corporate ones are already. The client has a very small footprint, if it scans a file and there is no match in the local DB, it sends the signature to the local AV signature server, which will process the request. A small local cache is mantained. This model works extremely well, and the client footprint is now so far reduced, that the system requirements have DROPPED.

Trend officescan with smartscan has been out for over a year on this model, panda AV also has a cloud version.