back to article Sailfish OS tablet is GO: Fans stuff cash into Jolla's cap in hand

Upstart gadget maker Jolla announced plans to produce a tablet via a crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday – and within mere hours, its fans had pledged well over the asked-for amount. The Finnish firm launched its campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of raising $380,000, and as we go to push the big, red "publish" button on this …

  1. Adrian 4

    So that's about 4000 tablets pre-sold.

    Are they going to sell more in advance than Windows tablets have sold in total ?

    1. James Micallef Silver badge

      No wonder, $200 for a tab of that spec is an absolute snip.

      Or is it just a down payment on the full price?

      1. jalyst

        It won't be in 6mth+, which is when it'll 1st hits shelves.

        I'll eat my hat if they get it out much earlier than that...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Given you can get an Intel Windows tablet for £109 (okay, it's Bush, which means may be shit). I'd say the problem is the press aren't really covering anything other than Android or other groovy new OSes.

      http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2923020.htm

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "it's Bush, which means may be shit"

        Just like Windows then!

        I think the reason you are seeing more Linux tablets in the press is that they are simply more interesting. Either because of the price point, innovation, or hardware.

        Windows, as ever, is just staid and boring.

  2. gerryg

    nice software, shame about the hardware

    I really want to like Jolla and kickstarted the phone.

    The interface is not handed, so for lefties such as me, that's good. The software is very pretty, but not sure it's as open as advertised (show me the source code and I'll recant)

    The other half was an idea in search of a reason, ambience (a colour my mood on my phone feature) is probably best left to those who have "had their colours done".

    The real problem is that you didn't get much hardware for your money. It sort of reminds me of the Meriden workers cooperative that tried to keep Triumph motorcycles alive. My heart wanted to buy one but my head said BMW for this reason or Kawasaki for that reason.

    Obviously a lot of people disagree with me and I wish Jolla well (my much replaced Nokia 5800 only recently abandoned is still a great phone) but a Nexus 7 however mundane is still a safer bet.

    1. ashdav

      Re: nice software, shame about the hardware

      Would you care to repost after you've come down from the high of your choice as I have NO idea what your point is

      "ambience (a colour my mood on my phone feature) is probably best left to those who have "had their colours done"

      "my much replaced Nokia 5800 only recently abandoned"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: nice software, shame about the hardware

      The core weakness of the Meriden Triumphs was the bottom end which the co-operative could not afford to re-engineer (I had a long discussion with Harry Weslake about this, I'm not just spouting off.) As far as I know, Jolla isn't stuck with anything that is a fatal weakness to its products.

      But yes, it is going to be very difficult for them to get economies of scale. A crap-free convenient tablet for around £200 sounds very attractive but they are up against Tesco and the like. God may not be on the side of the big battalions, but one could easily be misled into thinking that she is.

      1. Getriebe

        Re: nice software, shame about the hardware

        "The core weakness of the Meriden Triumphs was "

        Old design all round?????????

        But Weslake, on big/bottom ends???????? I thought he was a head and combustion chamber chappieeeee

    3. msknight

      Re: nice software, shame about the hardware

      You can apply to them for the source code, in writing, blah, blah, but you can get it.

      Like you, I kickstarted the phone, but I'm not going for the tablet. Their e-mails to me were one thing on the e-mail, but another when I went to the provided link. If they're sending e-mails to people, they need to at least allow them to get home from work and read their private correspondence before pumping the price. This drive seems to have been very badly handled, IMHO.

      However, I'm still having problems with the OS. I still believe it is not out of beta. Still supporting them by buying the backs for the phone (including two of the leather flappy things) but no way I'm getting caught up in this tablet mess. Sailfish has a good way to go yet.

  3. petur

    Open source

    Sadly way to much of their platform is closed, with only promises to open in the future. Just look where it brought the n900, the community is still not done replacing all the closed source blobs.

    1. wheelybird

      Re: Open source

      That's why the tablet is Intel rather than ARM - I believe that the intent is all of the hardware will be supported by open-source drivers.

      They're gradually open-sourcing other parts of the OS too, but I think there are still a few apps that are closed source. What I'd like to see is more options to use alternative apps as default and for them to speed up the process of getting apps into their app store.

  4. James 51

    When my playbook finally dies this could be a replacement. Actually, the bridge between phone and tablet could be replicated.

    Otherwise somewhat ironically the nokia tablet looks good too.

  5. Will Godfrey Silver badge

    I wish them luck

    I'm trying to like tablets, but still really no use-case for them. However, I'll be watching this.

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: I wish them luck

      I'm sort of coming round to the idea for my usual browsing etc. I like my Jolla phone a lot (though the last time I looked, the method of getting it to allow access to the Google app store* was fiddly, to say the least, and I haven't done it), so I stuck my $189 (somewhere between £120 and £121) in quickly. If the tablet is as sturdy and pleasant to use as the phone, I will be very happy.

      * I know it will annoy some people, but I'd rather use the official Android app store than Yandex etc

  6. Jim84

    Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

    Because without apps I don't think it stands much long term chance.

    Also, it is just a theory, but device makers seem to make better devices when they control the hardware and OS. The most notable example is of course Apple, but then you have to pay the Apple tax. On the Android side, Google seem to bring out features around 12 months after Apple. But that is not really red hot competition for Apple, and I don't imagine Google have loads of incentive to do more than match Apple, as forcing Apple to spend more on R&D would just force them to do the same.

    I am rooting for Sailfish and BB OS as I think the future mobile computing world could do without being dominated by only 2 companies.

    1. Zola

      Re: Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

      It already does - Sailfish OS includes AlienDalvik from Myriad for the running of Android apps and it works very well.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

      "Also, it is just a theory, but device makers seem to make better devices when they control the hardware and OS."

      Not unheard of. It's called vertical integration. Since Apple specs everything down to the last conduit, they know firsthand how everything fits in. Once you start talking third parties, each one wants their terms and conditions. And since patents make this pretty much a captive market, it's pretty much pay or go without. This is also why we'll never see a completely open mobile OS in the near future. Many of the makers of the under-the-hood chips have patents and/or licenses protecting their stuff, and they refuse to divulge on anything less than an NDA. You can't clone because of the patents, you can't open anything that's bottled under an NDA, and you can't go without due to the demand.

    3. Greg J Preece

      Re: Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

      On the Android side, Google seem to bring out features around 12 months after Apple

      Ummmm....if you mean several years before Apple, then maybe. They had tap-to-pay long before Apple, their NFC and Bluetooth are unrestricted, the notification tray, continuous input keyboard and so-on in iOS were taken directly from Android. Hell, go back far enough and ask which had multitasking first.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

        > their NFC and Bluetooth are insecure....

        Corrected it for you.

      2. wheelybird

        Re: Any chance of Sailfish running android apps like BBOS 10.3 does?

        Well Maemo/Meego and WebOS had multi-tasking first.

  7. Decade
    Thumb Up

    Atom 3700? That's good news

    The Atom 3700 series is the Bay Trail platform with the Intel HD 2000-compatible graphics. I'm not sure what's its performance, but it's way more compatible with open source drivers than anything else out there.

    Now to find out about the other parts. Is it too much to hope for a Qualcomm Atheros wireless chipset, with freely distributed firmware and open infrastructure/monitor modes?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hope its better than Symbian

    1. James 51

      Are you talking about the UI that got laid over it or the underlying OS? In terms of power management at least Symbian was way ahead although I heard it was a pain to program for.

  9. Jim84

    Will Nokia buy Jolla?

    Jolla's interface looks way better than that Z-Launcher on the N1 (admittedly I have only seen each in pictures/videos).

    1. James 51

      Re: Will Nokia buy Jolla?

      The N1 is foxconn rebranded kit so if Nokia wanted to go independent that is how they could do it. Of course the owners of Jolla would have to be willing to sell it to them. Given that most if not all of them were laid off from Nokia that's not a forgone conclusion.

      1. Anna Logg

        Re: Will Nokia buy Jolla?

        "The N1 is foxconn rebranded kit"

        I've still seen no factual evidence that this is the case, is there any?

        1. James 51

          Re: Will Nokia buy Jolla?

          http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/nokia-is-making-an-android-tablet-and-it-costs-250/

          Having sold off the hardware manufacturing division, Nokia has partnered with Chinese manufacturer Foxconn to build and distribute the N1. After the failure of several previous licensing strategies including Symbian, Series 60 and the MeeGo partnership with Intel -- not to mention the relatively short-lived adoption of Windows Phone -- Fogg warns that the company will have to do better with its licensing, especially if it is to maintain Nokia's reputation for decent hardware.

          1. Anna Logg

            Re: Will Nokia buy Jolla?

            "Nokia has partnered with Chinese manufacturer Foxconn to build and distribute the N1"

            So, presumably a Nokia design built by Foxconn then; NOT a rebadged Foxconn product.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Will Nokia buy Jolla?

          Its a fact, and shows how the present board(which is the old in fact) of Nokia sees consumers: idiots/dumbs. They really deserve a kick in their teeth, for going an Atari-like model business...

  10. Jess

    I would have seriously thought about this, if it had an ARM processor.

    1. wheelybird

      It is a shame it doesn't, but I think it's much to difficult to get open-source drivers for ARM SoCs, which is why they've gone for Intel.

      1. Swarthy

        I think the OS drivers for Atom vs. ARM is the first (and so far only) good argument I've heard for an Intel chip in a tablet.

        It is a bloody good argument, though; I'll be eyeing these when they hit the selves. (If the manage to cross the pond this time. I'm still sad that their phone hasn't made it across.)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Devil

          I agreed. And it will be a funny way seeing Intel grabing market from ARM because of the open source drivers :-D

  11. paulc

    Compatibility "layer"?

    will there be any means of running my extensive collection of Android apps?

  12. Andraž 'ruskie' Levstik

    The Jolla devices have AlienDalvik that can run Android Apps don't ask me how it performs because I have yet to bother using it.

    But yeah bought the phone half a year ago, kicktstarted the other half KEYBOARD addon(el-reg report about this as well both are running at the same time even):

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2028347278/tohkbd-the-other-half-keyboard-for-your-jolla

    And now indiegogoed the tablet.

    For my own uses the phone is perfect and the user experience is something I miss from all other devices so far. I was hoping for the longest time for a tablet from them as well... they seem to have a clue/ideas on how to make user experiences that are great and that are intuitive once you break the chains of the android/ios limitations.

  13. TheFiddler

    Looking forward to getting mine.

    I backed the phone at the start, in part because I liked the OS and preferred how it worked over Android and iOS in it's Nokia incarnations. Sailfish is a wonderful user interface and I much prefer it over everything else I've tried. The only thing I didn't like was that Jolla didn't produce a keyboard other half and have had to wait for the kickstartered TOHKBD in order to get one.

    Either way, the preview snippet intrigued me, I was kind of hoping for a new phone with updated hardware. So I watched Marc Dillon's piece at slush and was a bit disappointed with the launch of a tablet. Didn't really fancy it but when I saw the specs for $189 it seemed rude not to. Time will tell whether it'll be a well used device or dust catcher though. In the short term it will nice to see how Sailfish translates to the tablet form factor and screen resolution.

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