Engadget are reportingthat smartphone maker HTC are building the device which will sport a 1280×720 multi-touch screen, 2Gb of RAM and a minimum of 32Gb hard disk storage.  It’s also possible that the tablet will also sport a webcam, GPS, 3G and Wireless G and N.

What’s not clear is if the device will be hardware crippled in any way that would prevent a user from installing another operating system, Windows 7, Ubuntu or Android for instance, as the main OS or in a dual-boot configuration.  Certainly a minimum of 32Gb of storage would allow for this.  It would also make the tablet much improved because the main problem with a cloud-based OS is that it’s only usable if you have an active and stable net connection.

This, presumably, is why Google have partnered with Verizon as a distributor.  It can only serve to put yet more strain on the mobile phone networks though, who have already been complaining that their infrastructure is creaking under the bandwidth-hungry data plans for other tablets such as the iPad.  A completely cloud-based OS can only make this situation worse.

The price?  It’s possible that the device could come completely free on a monthly data plan, though there is no confirmation of this at this time.  Certainly this is where HTC’s expertise would come in, in building the tablet down to a price.

The device is rumoured to launch on November 26th in the US.

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) began the talks on net neutrality after Google and Verizon said they wanted to see faster access speeds for websites that paid extra for the privilege.

“Any outcome, any deal that doesn’t preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet for consumers and entrepreneurs will be unacceptable,” said FCC chair Julius Genachowski.

Google and Verizon both deny that they were close to agreeing on how they would lead a “two-tier” Internet with Google saying “We remain as committed as we always have been to an open Internet”.

Further, Google’s founder Eric Schmidt said ”We have been talking to Verizon for a long time about trying to get an agreement on what the definition of what net neutrality is.  We are trying to find solutions that bridge between the hard core ‘net neutrality or else’ view and the historical telecom view of no such agreement.”

Net Neutrality would mean that no one type of traffic could be prioritised over another.  Failure to maintain this would mean that small businesses and individuals could see their services and websites harder to access than those owned and operated by large commercial businesses with advertising and products to sell.

The move by Google and Verizon would be a big blow for the common man and the general freedom of the Internet.  It has been a thorny issue for the FCC.

A recent court case limited the agency’s powers to police what happens to data when it ruled that the FCC did not have the power to sanction Comcast for throttling some traffic.As a result the FCC said it would reclassify broadband under a more heavily regulated part of the telecommunications law known as Title II. Cable and phone companies claimed the move would stifle investment in next generation broadband.

With the fear that these companies would resort to legal action, the agency began holding what critics termed “secret negotiations” aimed at forging a consensus on how to treat Internet traffic.

The FCC’s move to end these talks with firms such as Verizon, Google, Skype and AT&T suggest they broke down without reaching a decision.

Some public-interest groups believe, probably correctly, that such a move to a two-tier system would end the Internet we know and love today.

It remains to be seen what will happen from here on in.

Overall, the reviewers have liked it and from what I have seen of it, I like it too. But whether that liking will germinate into a purchase is completely up to the individual and I can’t really advise for or against it. To me it is a mixed bag and you have to take your pick.

Here are reasons for choosing it.

That Display

You gotta admit it, that 854×440 display looks really great compared to the iPhone’s puny 480×320 display. And the screen looks positively gorgeous. If I wanted a great smartphone to watch movies on, I would definitely choose this.

Google’s Got Your Back

When you have a company like Google making applications for you, you know you will have things to like. Google’s minimalist approach, tight online integration and great web presence makes it the perfect giant to have backing you up in your connected life.

One of the main features of new Android OS is the Navigation feature on Google Maps. People liked it so much that everyone predicted it being the future and the death of all standalone devices and expensive apps. Best of all, the service is free and integrated with Google Maps. It does have some hiccups but I am sure they will be cleaned out soon enough.

iPhone’s lack of an integrated Instant Messenger app really lets it down and the presence of the very same thing lifts up the Droid. From what I read about the user experience on the Droid regarding this and other Google apps, you folks are going to love ‘em to death.

And if there’s one thing that we all love about Google, it is Gmail. It is what I use for my personal account and it is also what I use on my own domain through Google Apps. Gmail on the Android 2.0 is like a perfect little version of the actual Gmail, complete with full labels and threaded emails. If you like Gmail, you will like it on Droid.

Also, the Wave is coming and the Android might have something special for the Surfers.

NOT AT&T

Not having to put up with AT&T’s finicky (and frustrating) network and working on the best network in the country will really help you love the Droid. Imagine a (almost) headache free network experience… makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

It’s Android!

Some people will choose it simply because it is the first Android 2.0 phone and has the best Android experience so far. Some will also choose Android because of Android’s (mostly) open source philosophy. But that is not a very practical reason. The multi-tasking however, is a very practical reason and Droid does it quite well thanks to Snapdragon and Android.

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And now for the other side of the debate.

Multimedia Meh

If you want agreat multimedia experience, stay on the iPhone. It’s not like the Android cannot play media but the experience is just not the same. It’s like the latest Linux and the Mac OS. One does it and the other does it well.

iTunes Baby!

I refuse to believe anyone who claims that they have it better without the world’s largest mobile app and digital music store. Not to mention movies and the other things that are rumored to be coming. If you have used it, you will miss it on Android and there are no comparable replacements for this. Nothing compares to iTunes.

Show Me 10,000 Apps And I Will Show You 100,000

The Android Marketplace over 10,000 apps and there are quite a few apps there which the iTunes Store does not have. But the iTunes has ten times as many apps at over 100,000. Do you still need me to spell it out for you?

Also, since the Droid runs a standard Android install, it does not do much out of the box You will have to download various apps for doing things like viewing PDFs and different mail attachments, etc. Sure the apps are free but you have to find them and install them. With the iPhone, you can hit the ground running.

Other customized Android phones come with these apps pre-installed though.

Security

You cannot lock the screen with a pass code. There is also no support for a remote wipe. You can get that through another app but nothing as integrated as the Find My iPhone Feature. Plus, you can install apps from sources outside the Marketplace.

That’s a good thing right? Yes but you will also be vulnerable to malicious apps that can cause some serious damage. You will receive a warning if you try to install from outside the Marketplace but it can be done.

Tough Keyboard, No Multitouch

One of the few complaints with the physical parts of the phone is the keyboard. Reviewers and users have been reporting having a tough time with the keyboard. As for the virtual keyboard, it is all good except for the fact that there’s no multitouch. Multitouch has been intentionally disabled on the Droid as per agreements between Motorola, Google and Verizon.

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So there you have it, the most popular pros and cons laid out for you. Choose for yourself and choose wisely.

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If you want to know more about the iPhone, head over to this week’s Saturday Apple Pie at Otaku Gadgets.

This would be equal to force search engine providers to block a full country from appearing in the search index because some domains with the country extension were found to contain child pornography. A highly disproportional move by the Internet Service Providers. Time Warner made the decision to discontinue their Usenet service completely while Sprint / Verizon is blocking the complete alt hierarchy.

The alt hierarchy is known to be the group with the largest bandwidth requirements and it could be that the ISPs saw this as a welcome initiative to reduce their bandwidth costs.

Giganews, my Usenet provider of choice, is offering specials for Time Warner and Sprint / Verizon customers who would like to keep uncensored Usenet access.

Time Warner and Sprint / Verizon customers get 50% off of Diamond access and 20% of every other plan in the first month which is probably a good way to test the excellent service provided by Giganews. I’m a customer for more than 2 years and never looked back to other Usenet providers. Unparalleled in retention (200 days), speed and security in my opinion.

Members must click on the Free Trial link on the above landing pages and sign up with a valid Time Warner / Sprint / Verizon email address to receive the special.

I just realized that they added another ten connections to my Diamond subscription which means I get 20 simultaneous connections now. Speed is already maxed out with ten connections though, and that is 16 Mbit per second.

This was basically the termination of my account at that provider and I decided to read the terms of service thoroughly from that time on. Today I read about Verizon’s Unlimited Data Plan which has a download limit of 5 Gigabytes and restrictions in place that forbid many internet activities such as downloading and streaming movies, p2p or web camera posts. So, the biggest question I’m asking myself now is what exactly is unlimited in the unlimited data plan from Verizon? It is obviously not the data, so what is it? What justifies the name?

I was not able to find an explanation for the term unlimited in Verizons unlimited data plan. It is pretty obvious that there is an inflation with terms like unlimited and flatrate. Many companies use it to lure customers who think that they get the real meaning of the word and not just a way of making more money by fooling the customers.

Back to Verizon, I really like the following sentence in their terms of service agreement:

Anyone using more than 5 GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice

So, all rights to the company, none to the customer. Would you really work with such a company?

The free application aids you by sending you text messages or emails when you reach a defined amount of minutes that are left in a month. All that needs to be done would be to download the Watch My Cell application and configure the application once to add the login details for your cell phone provider, the minutes that are free in your account and when you want to receive a notification.

Watch My Cell supports only a few major cell phone providers at the moment and all seem to be Us-based which makes the application at its current stage useless for users from other countries. Supported companies are Cingular / At&t, Sprint / Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon. It is also possible to check the remaining minutes in your system tray by simply hovering over the icon of Watch my Cell.