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Why Amazon's tablet will crash and burn

I'm not an Apple fanboi -- in fact I've never even owned a single item with the Apple logo on it, not even a Chinese knock-off.

However, I did pick the iPad as a winner, even before its release -- while virtually all commentators were claiming it was a stupid idea and totally impractical.

At the risk of ruining my reputation for 100% accuracy when it comes to forecasting the success or otherwise of tablet computers, I'm going to take a punt and say that Amazon's imminent tablet computer/eBook reader will be a bust.

Why am I so boldly confident?

How could a company that has done so well with two models of the Kindle e-book reader possibly stuff up a tablet?

Well the answer is really simple...

Based on information released to date, it's very much an "also ran" in the tablet marketplace, before it's even out the door.

In the wake of the TouchPad's runaway success when it was virtually given away by HP after that company decided to discontinue it, Amazon seems to think that they'll sell heaps of their tablet because it's "really well priced".

Unfortunately, the Amazon unit's US$250 price is still a whole lot more than the HP's $99 and that difference is enough to put people off "taking a punt" on the off-chance that they'll find the device useful or hackable.

Then there's the size -- this thing only has a 7-inch screen. That's pitiful!

You'd think that Amazon would have realised how important screen size is, after all, they have been making increasingly bigger-screened Kindles in response to public demand so a 7-inch screen is going to be a real disappointment, especially when you put it alongside an iPad.

Then there's the OS... they're going with an old version of Android.

Having played with Android, I'm really underwhelmed by this OS. It just doesn't spin my wheels and feels more like Windows 1.0 than a 21st-century product.

Finally, even if you were happy to put up with the small screen, the old software and the other compromises that the Amazon device will represent -- there's the display.

According to early reports, the Amazon device has a backlit LCD -- groan!

So, if you were thinking of buying this tablet instead of a Kindle, to use as your primary ebook reader, think again.

LCDs mean lower battery life and absolutely useless contrast in an outdoor environment where there's direct sunlight about.

If you want an Android-based 7-inch tablet computer then there are already dozens available from places like DealExtreme. Hell, for $100 less than the Amazon offering you can even get a 10-inch tablet with Android 2.2.

Somehow I think that even being branded with "Amazon" won't turn their tablet into a sales winner.

Most people (with half a brain) will probably take a quick gander at the Amazon tablet and say "no thanks" -- opting instead to use a Kindle for ebook reading and an iPad for computing, web-browsing and reading those glossy e-magazines that are filled with coloured pictures and multi-media.

Bookmark this column and email me with your laughter if the Amazon tablet does make it onto the best-seller list.

Remember the word "aardvarkrox" when you go to sign up for the new forums (yeah, I know I haven't customised it yet but bear with me ;-)

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