As introduced on Monday, the device seems overpriced compared to everything it competes with. And it may start shipping just about them time Apple releases its supposed tablet.

Granted, Apple's tablet may cost every bit of $800, but would you rather buy something from a 12-person start-up that has trouble with Mike Arrington, or a 75,000-employee company that has trouble with lots of people?

There is also Google's Chrome OS sitting out on the horizon, not to mention Android, which already runs on tablets. And, of course, there are the various e-readers, which typically cost less than the CrunchPad/JooJoo.

If someone had simply introduced the device without the major flap we've all been watching, nobody would care about it. "Unknown Company Introduces Uninspired Device" might be the headline.

Now, I am certainly not accusing anybody, but is it possible that someone realized that without "something special" to push it along, the CrunchPad/JooJoo would never earn back even its development costs?