There's room for this product if it's a tablet with internal specs equal to that of a netbook, at a minimum. But I think it's a nonstarter as a subscription device at that price point.

Great idea, except for the built-in subscription model. For $515 I'd rather spend a few extra dollars, get a tablet PC (or the mythological Apple Tablet were it to exist) and use the Internet for free.

This seems awfully expensive for a glorified laptop, with no browser. So the wifi is just for the monthly updates, and built-in weather reports (???). Couldn't you just buy a cheap Dell?

Plus, even if you don't mind the (rather expensive) monthly update fee, if the company goes under you're really out of luck.

As I was researching the Qooq for this post, I was wondering why they would include wifi if there were no internet browsing capabilities (wifi just for monthly updates and the weather?). I am curious if it is something that they perhaps plan to add on later with a device update.

personally, i'm hopeful for a mac touch tablet device with a third party accessory that allows quick mounting/releasing from a wall bracket of sorts...

You can buy really cheap laptops these days for under $400. And an ASUS touchscreen tablet is $500.

This would be a no go for me! $515 for a subscription appliance is unreasonable. I received a netbook for $400 this summer and its been a godsend for not only the kitchen but all around the house too.

Yeah, that would be a no go for me, too. Devices that do one thing don't make a lot of sense.

I also can't wait for a mac tablet that has some kind of wall mount, or that can be propped up on a cookbook stand!

In the meantime I usually use my ipod touch in the kitchen (I store recipes in Evernote)-- it works well and I have a case that covers the screen so I don't worry about finger prints or spills too much.

When I use my macbook in the kitchen, I cover the keyboard with siren wrap to avoid spilling on it.

So what exactly is the difference between this $515 appliance, and a $300 netbook running a recipe managing program? Other than the ability of the netbook to run other programs and play music?

It's a nice thought, and I'd definitely go for it if it were closer to the $150 mark. But $515 is outrageous for something with such a limited use case.

No web browser = FAIL.

Seriously, I have seen a bunch of similar products lately, which purport to be a "kitchen computer", but instead are glorified subscription-based recipe boxes. That's not the same thing.

Any device locked into a subscription model will fail, unless it's absurdly cheap (not the case here!!!). What people would want is a netbook-level machine with form factor suited for kitchen use, and perhaps some finger-friendly recipe software.

The alleged forthcoming iPod tablet would probably work well for this, but I'm unsure if the price will inspire kitchen usage.

i, like geekgirl, simply cover my keyboard with plastic wrap to protect it. silly to spend $500 on something like that.

I love the idea of it, but couldn't you also just print out the recipe before going to the kitchen? Cheaper, and then you can add it to your book if you like it, or toss it in the compost bin if you don't.

I do love the idea of this though, were it less expensive.

Sure, these devices are expensive and hobbled compared to a general purpose computer, but for those of us who love to cook, it won't be the first overpriced piece of kit we've got in there (Le Creuset, anyone?) I've been eyeing the Demy http://www.mydemy.com/, which has a touchscreen. Has anyone seen it? (B&N is selling online, but it's not in any stores.)