Before Apple Was The Seed

As the tech crowd waits with breathless expectation over the announcement of Apple's new tablet, I want to throw in a plug for an amazing little netbook that has been around in beta form since last year, and is undergoing continual refinement. I've had my eye on this since before it came out, and think I will be buying it soon:

The Touchbook by Always Innovating.

A combination netbook and removable magnetic tablet, this little wonder uses the same kind of power as your cell phone:

"The Touch Book uses an innovative ARM processor from Texas Instruments that delivers the power of a traditional desktop computer but uses a fraction of the energy.

Like a cellphone, it is always-on, so there is no need to reboot each time. And without noisy fans and disk drives, it's completely silent, so it won't intrude on your inner space."

It runs for around 10 hours without charge, uses open sourcing and is modifiable, and the tablet can be removed from the keyboard as a stand-alone. It's $299 to buy the tablet alone, and $399 for the whole system. There is ongoing refinement that customers can tap into and download as upgrades are made. Personally, I think it's elegant and revolutionary, and would much rather put my money into real, customer-engaged entrepreneurship than into Apple's now massive (and expensive) industrial structure.

Update: A gander at the live blog on the Great Unveiling over at the New York Times reveals nothing that the Touchbook hadn't already got me excited about. Apple apps? I don't have any Apple devices now, so I have no investment in the subculture. It's a shame, though, that a tiny company like Always Innovating can't compete against such free advertising.