You know, it's pretty damn rude to talk over the top of someone while they are talking. I also thought it was rude to keep trying to manhandle the tablet while they were holding it -- perhaps they simply didn't want you holding it. Also, they didn't seem particularly knowledgeable about their own device -- I felt a little embarrassed for them.

Gripes aside, the device looks quite nice. Looks like something HTC could have made (although with a little less refinement). I also wasn't aware that Android 2.1+ was available for Atom, but after a quick Google search I see that it has been running on that architecture for few months. Very cool. Not I am going to have to give it a whirl on my netbook.

You're welcome :-) Unfortunately I don't have either a tablet or a Dash...yet. I am considering getting a tablet -- an Archos for myself, perhaps, but a cheaper Chinese model for my boys so they can leave my phone alone :-)

Has the Dash been rooted/hacked, or the tablets? I would be very interested in knowing which tablets have been hacked, if that is the case, because only a limited number of them have Android 2.1 (a new one that just showed up even has 2.2!) and I would want at least 2.1.

Wouldn't a cheap Chinese tablet from Euogo.com fit the bill? As long as you can get Google Calendar syncing on Android 1.6 you should be good to go, and all for about $100 (I presume the cheapest 7" tablet would suffice).

The Sony Dash might fit the bill, too, although I don't believe it runs Android, so maybe not (you may be able to get Android loaded on one, but I don't know).

Scientifically speaking, the tests were _awful_. I think the suggestion to perform the tests on two identical phones (other than the screen) i.e. 2 HTC Incredibles or 2 HTC Desires makes a lot of sense (no pun intended ;-)

Also, what about Super AMOLED? It was my understanding that Super AMOLED was considerably more efficient than AMOLED.

Ultimately, IMHO, if the battery life is good enough to get you through the day (or at least between regular charges) who cares. Take the screen that you prefer. I can go an entire day quite comfortably, browsing the web, chatting, talking, playing games, and not have to plug in until mid to late evening on my Captivate. I have no complaints.

I would like a decent Scrabble-like game, and I had read about Wordfeud. But, seriously, almost constant full-screen ads between turns? That's awful. Thanks for heads up. I won't waste my time on this otherwise nice look app (the website appears quite professional, too).

You would be correct -- I don't part at parking meters much at all. However, I will guarantee that I have enough coins in my car for parking at any time. I have a little compartment in the dash that has nothing but coins in it. See, I rarely use cash for anything (and coins almost never get used), so those coins just sit there. I won't say that I would never park illegally -- it would depend on the circumstance. But generally, no, I will not park in a spot without paying because, at least where I live, you are almost guaranteed to get a ticket within 30 minutes of parking there illegally.

I don't care if you believe me or not. You are free to dismiss anything I say with the belief that I am out of touch with reality, but that would be incredible short-sighted. Perhaps you should be a little more organized. Maybe you should leave a little earlier so you can park a couple of blocks further away where you can pay with your phone, or maybe, you know, make sure you have coins in the car...it's not that difficult. Or just deal with the parking tickets. You might benefit from this app: http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.googlelabs.opensp... :-)

I was mainly referring to the rampant piracy in the US, where we do have access (but I didn't say that). So, I agree to a certain extent -- I can see why people do it if there is no other avenue. Except there are 2 other perfectly legal options: US SIMS and other stores.

You can sidestep the problem by using a US SIM to purchase and load apps over WiFi, as has already been mentioned (but I suspect that many don't know this). While I understand that it is a major PITA, and Google should get their a$$ in gear and get the MarketPlace running across the globe, I cannot accept the argument that people are forced into pirating. Sure, there will be people that will pirate regardless, but there is a perfectly legal avenue to pursue, and it isn't that expensive.

The MarketPlace should be available all over the world. However, Apple's App Store is not entirely global, although it supports many more countries, and they keep adding new countries. It does illustrate that the problem with Google Checkout (which is where the problem lies) is more fundamental -- I suspect it has something to do with local laws, regulations and consumer rights.

On a side note...Seriously? Even though you _know_ there is a chance that you won't be able to park legally without coins if you can't pay with your phone, you do it anyway? You always have the option to going around the corner and parking somewhere your phone can be used to make payments -- nobody forces you to park there illegally. Or you could *shock* keep the proper coins the car *shock*. Similarly, Google isn't forcing you to pirate. There are stores other than the Market Place which don't have such stringent restrictions on location. See SlideMe, Handango, MobiHand, PocketGear/AndroidGear, to name but a few.

Interesting idea. However, I reckon that someone who is savvy enough to pirate an app would pirate the app regardless. Having said that, I can't fathom how cheap some people are that they would actively pirate apps that cost $1-$2 a piece. That's like shoplifting at the dollar store! I swear, some people will steal anything that isn't bolted down...