I heard the iPod Touch is actually selling faster than the iPhone, and I think it is likely that the $479 WiFi-only iPad will sell faster than the 3G-enabled $829 iPad.

And who decides that what can be described as a Phone may not provide Google Voice VOIP, SIP or Skype functionality over WiFi-only or using 3G over a Mifi adaptor or using Bluetooth tethering?

Most if not all the 30'000 Android apps work just as well if not some times better and faster over WiFi as they do over 3G.

Nice to visit your site. Wish you post another good topic like this. I will wait to read it.

While as much as perhaps 50 Android based tablets, laptops and e-readers are featured on my blog, that I filmed demos of these last couple months, none of these are yet on the market. Except for the Archos 5 Internet Tablet and maybe a couple other products such as Spring Design, Nook, and Camangi Webstation and perhaps a couple others in specific markets, perhaps only in Asia for some.

All these plenty of Android tablets, laptops and e-readers are really just about to really be released to the market. So my guess is that many things might be happening just as all those devices come to the market.

Sure it's weird that Google hasn't yet made things very open and official about how they plan to support all those different types of devices. On the other hand, one can perhaps guess that there is a lot of very large investments involved in developing the first batch of HTC, Motorola and Samsung phones, that it may be in the interest of Google's biggest partners of them not rushing too fast with opening up the Marketplace to all kinds of cheaper devices, at least just not yet, and not officially yet.

But my guess is that with not only small manufacturers releasing cheap Android products, but also big manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, Philips, HP, Acer, Asus all comming with alternative Android devices, Google will most likely open up the Marketplace to many more types of devices by many more manufacturers very soon.

right now, the way google is handling android, specifically the bundling of the google services apps and such, confuses the hell out of me. On the one hand, it would make sense for them to allow bundling of these apps on all android devices sold. On the other, they may want to keep some control on the experience of said apps.

thats why i would love to see it happen, but i wont believe it happening until i actually see non-phone hardware with at least market bundled. Its basically my way of avoiding having hopes crushed.

Why would Google want to prevent themselves from competing on the market segments of the non-3G, WiFi-only iPod Touch and iPad?

Most if not all the 30'000 Android apps work just as well if not some times better and faster over WiFi as they do over 3G.

Nothing stops Google from providing different filters for the Google Marketplace, so people using a Tablet without camera for example don't try to install apps that require to use the camera. Same with accelerometer, home/menu/back buttons, resolutions and screen sizes. It would be a piece of cupcake for Google to simply enable filters and have Marketplace available on all types of devices and not only on the expensive smartphones sold by HTC, Motorola and Samsung.

or in other words, when i see a official archos firmware with market, i will believe it. Until then its basically rumor spin.

Apple have been very successful with their ARM based products during the last few years, making record-braking huge profit margins on the devices. I'd even guess most of Apple's revenues and profits come from the iPhone, iPod Touch and soon to be iPad.

I think it is a relevant question to ask what happens once open source Android based competition comes to the market. Especially as Apple has a marketing clout that enables them to bring more light to new market segments. For example, with Apple's marketing about the iPad, it will likely accelerate interest for the Android based Tablets as well, just because consumers and the media will spend more time considering the alternatives.

While I'd gladly cover Apple products if I can get or borrow some review samples, this blog is about diversity and competition on the market to accelerate the technological progress and improve choice for consumers.