Well certainly we are forerunners in some respects or we would not use such an enigmatic niche device as the 770. Certainly most of us are some kind of Linux geeks. (But that is not yet enough, some of my peers tried the device as well and didn't find any compelling uses/advantages to it.) In other areas - internet communication, mobile devices - we may present the early majority perhaps. How many of us do even write blogs or use VoIP regularly?

Once the geeks are familiar playing with 770 at their home, it will be interesting to see what uses they put these kind of devices in their professional life. Web-driven, wireless data pads and control boards for medical, industrial and datacenter facilities?

The 770 has been called a niche device by a lot of people here but hold on - even if its niche, it could be the start of a new category of PC's.
I've been struggling to define this middle ground between advanced PDA's and Tablets/Handtops but I really think there's a gap there. Unfortunately, the 770 doesnt completeley fill it.

It does a great job on the browsing front. There is no other device i'd prefer to have knocking around the house. My pocket PC is too small, laptop too big. But there's a whole lot more it could do.

I drafted a big blog over the last month and published it yesterday (blog.carrypad.com) and the more I read, the more i'm convinced that the gap needs filling.

An extract from the blog:

Its a device for these locations:
Sofa, Bed, Coffee Shop, Car, Train, Plane etc.

Its indentifying features are:
Advanded-intermediate output - (5"-7" screen, min 800x480, total size - DVD cover.)
Advanced-intermediate input - (mini qwerty keyboard)

It is the parent of the smartphone (although a potential user of the smartphone long-range data capabilities)

It is the offspring of the pc.

It performs video well (min 320x240, 24fps, 1000kbps, full screen - Approx 620mhz advanced processor (Xscale seems well suited at this stage)

Like I said, the 770 doesnt quite fill the gap but i'm excited about the next gen 770. Another extract:

Nokia have already announced that they might release new hardware with a keyboard. If they address the processor issues, they could be spot on.....

You're welcome to take a look at the blog. It talks about convergence, how the mobile will take most of the applications but why, due to physical constraints and new connected territorys, theres a need for a 'carrypad.' I'll probably publish it in full soon. Blogs are so awkward to read back-to-front.

The Carrypad blog.

Cheers.
Steve.

...

1. About 500 000. At least 3 vendors will offer a convincing product line of internet tablets and carrypads. All of these devices will have at least Wi-Fi connectivity and many of them will combine Wi-Fi and WiMAX on a single chip, being able to connect directly to the MAN. Linux and Windows will both be strong contenders for the OS platform.

2. Pro:

• Tablets are more capable than PDAs, and offer an upgrade path for users leaving the declining PDA market.
• Tablets are similar in usage and capability to PCs, and will attract PC-centric users to the mobile markets. Tablets offer a more powerful and comfortable user experience for internet communication and applications than any current mainstream mobile device.
• Wi-Fi service will be widespread in major urban areas, complemented by WiMAX and its alternatives.
• VoIP over Wi-Fi was introduced to mobile phones in 2006 and may be a usable service by 2008, making tablets increasingly independent of mobile phones.
• With increased standard of living and strong growth in emerging markets, there will be millions of people with money to throw into additional gadgets. Given the strong development and buzz around mobile devices, some of it will end up in tablets.
• To jumpstart the markets, tablets or their connectivity may be subsidized by some Wi-Fi operators or tablet vendors.
• Tablet technology advances on multiple fronts, resulting in a more capable convergence offering for consumers.
• Importance of the Internet as a communication medium continues to increase. There will be a push for free, Internet-style economics for mobile services.
• Tablets will attract the attention of bloggers and eventually mainstream media.

3. Con:

• Telcos may move against competing wireless services and networks. They will not be able to stop Wi-Fi but WiMAX is already threatened.
• The next global economic slowdown is likely to hit by 2008, and will somewhat decrease willingness to spend on new gadgets.
• Ubiquitous Wi-Fi/WiMAX connectivity will still be far away, so some dependence on 3G cell networks remain.
• Most users won't have a VoIP service available that would cater for all their voice needs. Hence they will have to carry a cell phone as well, most of the time.
• In comparison to communicators, tablets are fairly large, meaning that users who are not the primary targets of tablet capacities will be put off.
• Cultural lag in work and freetime means that there won't be much need for powerful mobile applications and communication.

I made an entry with a picture about the markets around internet tablets (surfboards) and what kind of users will be migrating to these devices. As a conclusion I think there are 5 categories of early adopters for internet tablets:

• Laptop users. These people would be looking to complement their laptop with a more mobile device that can do much of the same.
• PDA users. These people are leaving a market that is in a rapid decline and they are looking for a device that is more capable.
• Communicator users (eg. Treo, Blackberry). These people would be VoIP enthusiasts who also require other IP based functions from a more capable mobile device.
• Smart phone (series60) users. They would want something like communicators, but internet tablets can fascinate these users with lots of new functionality. Like the previous group, these would rely heavily on VoIP capability.
• Users of devices from other branches of convergence. This means people who are looking for media player and possibly camera functionality in a device that is also a good communication/browsing platform.

For the blog entry, see the link below:

The 770's success is due to the fact that it is the best-enabled, most versatile, portable, remote display device ever built. It is, in this sense, the perfect antithesis of any display device that was designed without remote display first in mind.

Think of the advantage that a printer has when you unplug it from a PC and put it on the network. Now try to grasp the advantage that a display has when you unplug it from a PC and put it on the network.

Think of the advantage that a display has when it is an input device. Think of the advantage that the device in your hand doesn't have to be a computer - it can cost much less.

A long time ago, at the beginning of UNIX and at the beginning of ARPANET and Ethernet, these things did not overlap or complement each other. As the years went on they all converged. Then the politicians (Gore, Boucher and others) decided that if it was good for some then it was good for all.

We all began using our PCs as terminals (remote display devices), to browse the net. We don't need PCs any more - we need remote display devices and fast, reliable, affordable networking. We need rich user input support - net-attached touchscreens, net-attached wireless keyboards, centralized speech-to-text processing, net-hosted apps & storage, all the things that the 'old guard' have been opposing and ridiculing for decades. These are the new standards for devices and for software

Yep, it's the new age in terminal computing and we are no longer constrained by the "centralized" location of a "remote" terminal. The new terminal is truly "remote" now that it connects to various networks wirelessly and is more mobile. The advantages of a true terminal far outweigh even the most dedicated computer once networks are fast enough and central servers are equipted with reliability, speed, and efficiency in mind. Plus, it probably helps to have minds like Remote User and others here that think outside the box and open the minds of those who are a a little slower to understand the massive potential we are so fortunate to finally possess.

Do you think future software models will be subscribtion based? As in, you pay to use the software on someones server instead of downloading it? Of course, with broadband in an increasing number of homes, perhaps people will just buy a "home server" edition, and use that remotely. Many can do that at home with free, open-sourced software, but if it becomes standard than I am sure companies would want consumers to use their software remotely. Maybe even on a per-document charge. Do users really want to keep paying someone monthly/yearly for remote software?

I think there will eventually be about three different software models in the future. One will be the same traditional local software model that people trust and know as long as the electricity runs through their working computer and that this software has no contact with the Internet at all. The second is the relatively new web-based software model in which the applications and possibly the files created with the apps reside on a remote server. As this model continues to mature, we will use it more and more. The key issues this model faces is security, reliability, and speed. The third (and likely not final) software model is one I predict will become the most widely used model. This software model merges the first two models in a way as to balance the load of the two. The combination of the two software models will greatly depend on the features that are necessary to the function of this hybrid software model. The ability to use the application remotely and store created files locally seems to me the most logical way to do many applications. Of course the opposite could be said to work well also.

...And to answer the question, Yes there will be subscription based as well as ad supported services. This has been a proven and effective way of providing software and services, and I don't see it changing anytime soon. There are few web apps that are neither subscription based or ad supported, but they usually fail or eventually adopt the subscription or ad support options or both.

The real question is what will happen to operating systems in the future where all you need is a file system and a local/remote browser? Imagine not getting spyware or viruses because you no longer have to download applications, and the files you download are filtered through a virus scanner. But wait, who needs a virus scanner if applications no longer run locally anyway? Then all you have to worry about is how to run the remote application that corresponds with the file you attempt to open. Maybe the OS/browser will have the ability to determine which application you choose to view your file in. A company the likes of Google could do this easily by using their ranking algorithms and someone who incorporates this idea could potentially make a hell of a lot of money. The only problem is the current computer is not ready for such advances in technology. Hell, some have yet to accept current technology.

...But I digress, the "future success of Internet tablets, or the lack thereof" is one of much speculation. It is fun to dream of the future none the less.