Hot on the heels of the Google branded Nexus One smartphone comes the news that they’re going to be dishing out their own 3G enabled netbook!
Apparently “multiple sources” are saying that Google has been talking to at least one hardware manufacturer about building a netbook that Google itself could sell directly.
These ’sources’ claim that the big G is aiming for Christmas 2010 for the netbook’s release and that they’d be built and branded by Google and then shipped directly to consumers.
It kinda makes sense when you look at the facts – the source code for Chrome OS was recently released, Acer is planning a Chrome OS netbook for mid 2010 and Google looks to be heading into hardware.
I guessed that after Fusion Garage dismissed Michael Arrington’s and TechCrunch’s involvement with the Crunchpad as being merely another blog on the release of the rebranded tablet, JooJoo, that the sound of lawyers preparing paperwork could be heard in the distance.
As sure as eggs are eggs the document INTERSERVE doing business as TECHCRUNCH and CRUNCHPAD INC versus FUSION GARAGE LTD has been filed.
According to Arrington, much of the key intellectual property – including the board and much of the mechanicals – is owned by Pegatron, the manufacturing arm of Asus.
”Pegatron was licensing this IP (intellectual property) back to the project exclusively. Fusion Garage is no longer working with Pegatron, they’ve hired a new ODM. They have likely given Pegatron’s IP to the new ODM to speed development. Pegatron has expressed concern to us about this, and I would not be surprised if they sued Fusion Garage separately over this issue,” claimed Arrington.
Unsurprisingly, Fusion Garage CEO Chandrasekar “Chandra” Rathakrishnan vehemently disagreed with Arrington’s claims.
“The JooJoo tablet – including the hardware and UI – was built and designed by Fusion Garage. We have been working on [this device] since February 2008,” Chandra told TG Daily. “Remember, TechCrunch originally wanted to acquire Fusion Garage, but that didn’t happen. [It is also worth noting] that [Arrington's] original [CrunchPad] price point of $200 was utterly unrealistic. In fact, it was little more than a hallucination.”
My only word of advice would be to hang on before preording the Joojoo for the $500 deposit – I know it’s nice and been a long time in coming as the CrunchPad but if Arrington’s lawsuit is true regarding the lack of Fusion Garage’s sound capital resource then this could end up being a long wait and could involve you kissing your cash goodbye.
I for one will be waiting to see it fully reviewed and perhaps even sat on my desk at Gadgety Towers before advising you to splash some cash
Check out the Civil Cover Sheet below if you love litigation
There’s been a lot of “it’s on” and then “it’s off” articles regarding the fate of the fabled Crunchpad.
Unlike a lot of my fellow bloggers, I have resisted in reporting on every twisty-turny-onny-offy rumour about Michael Arrington’s much-hyped internet tablet.
But, as this talked-about tablet has just been unveiled at a press conference by developers Fusion [...]
The Twitterverse tweeted the ‘breaking news’, a Youtube video of the CrunchPad prototype unboxing has been spotted and all kinds of folk got excited – including Gizmodo.
Loic Le Meur, the Seesmic.com founder who has close ties with Michael Arrington, posted the video of what appeared to be the earlier prototype which came in red plastic shown [...]
There has been plenty of chat about a tablet-style device from Apple for a number of years.
It has actually got to the point that people were fed up of waiting so they ended up making and selling one and called it the ModBook!
But Christmas 2009 could finally see a fully legit Apple tablet: The iPad.
Ok, [...]
It went all quiet for a while in the Google Phone camp.
But that could all change thanks to a report in TechCrunch.
They seem to think, and they do know their stuff, that an Android phone made by Google may actually become a reality based on two new bits of information:
Want fast, broadband wireless Internet? Get a BT dongle.
Speed test
If you are unsure of how fast your line is, use our broadband
checker. You just have to enter your telephone number or postcode below.
You'll need a minimum of 2MB speed to be able to get BT Vision.
Enter phone number or postcode
Availability
Want to see check broadband availability in your local area? Enter your postcode in our broadband postcode checker below and find out what is available to you.
Enter postcode
Support
BT offers great support including services for computer
security and media
storage. Contact us and we'll be more than happy to help you.
Hot on the heels of the Google branded Nexus One smartphone comes the news that they’re going to be dishing out their own 3G enabled netbook!![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=74189ba7-bb21-40d0-bfaf-233a735e4cc0)
