Can the Kindle Tablet learn from the XO Laptop?

russianpencil:

I was inspired by the discussion Marco Arment and Ryan Irelan had on the latest episode of Build and Analyze about the rumored “Kindle Tablet.” It got me thinking about the kind of device I would love for Amazon to make — one that I would actually consider buying over an iPad.

I’d like to build on the two seemingly incongruous ideas proposed by Marco Arment and Dan Provost regarding Amazon’s upcoming Kindle tablet. I want the product Provost suggests in his post (because I think e-ink is a feature not a limitation), but I believe Arment’s vision makes more sense given the ecosystem for content Amazon has been developing recently.

But what if there’s a middle ground here? Both writers seem to acknowledge that it will be next to impossible for Amazon to challenge Apple in any meaningful way, so clearly the Kindle Tablet will have to stake out new territory that the iPad doesn’t currently encompass.

A few years ago, when I was imagining what the iTab or iSlate (or whatever name we thought the iPad would take) was going to be, I imagined something that built on the technology of the underwhelming XO Laptop. While the project fell short of high expectations, I always remained impressed by its screen technology. The XO Laptop had a dual LCD/high contrast black and white screen that enabled users to use it in direct sunlight.

The forthcoming Kindle device could satisfy both Arment’s and Provost’s visions by going this route. A color LCD touchscreen for using apps and watching Amazon Prime Instant Video, and high contrast black and white mode for reading.

russianpencil