Something interesting is happening over at TechCrunch, a weblog you may have heard of that is "dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies." Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, was dissatisfied with all the options available to him for a low cost Internet tablet device that could be used for browsing the web, checking email, watching videos from YouTube, and generally doing all the web-based things one does in one's browser without all the bulk, cost, and expense of a full-fledged computer to do so.

Back in July 2008, Arrington wrote about what he wanted from the device: a web tablet that costs $200 or less and boots directly into a web browser. TechCrunch now has the second prototype of its device, which is currently being referred to as the CrunchPad. The internet tablet features a 12-inch screen, a Via Nano processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GBs of storage for the browser and related files, and currently runs off of a basic Ubuntu Linux installation with TechCrunch's touch-controllable custom browser. The prototype looks a little bulky at this point and weighs 3 pounds, but Arrington notes that this is 2 ounces less than the 10-inch Eee PC netbook. There's also mention that while the cost for the parts of the device is only $200, it's looking like the CrunchPad will probably cost closer to $300. 

Nevertheless $300 for a fully functional, portable web-browsing experience may be a good fit for a lot of people and it's interesting to see a blog working on producing its own device rather than waiting for companies like Apple or Sony to come out with their dream device (and most likely at a much higher price). Make sure you watch the videos embedded below and let us know what you think of the CrunchPad. Would you be tempted to purchase the final product should it come out at $300 or less?

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