CrunchPad makes Popular Mechanics “10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009″

CrunchPad: a brilliant product but will we see it this year?

They would seem to know something we don’t if they’re counting on the CrunchPad to come out, or officially be announced, by the end of the year. The CrunchPad has been quite the mystery as of late, with talk of the device drying up July (except for a brief mention that was discredited by Arrington himself).

Still, it’s rather presumptuous of Popular Mechanics to list a device that has had no viable release date and has been hit with delay after delay. They seem enraptured more with Arrington’s “can-do” attitude than the actual progress of the device. Here’s their brief mention of the CrunchPad:

Tech blogger Michael Arrington wanted a low-cost tablet computer—something to handle basic Web-oriented tasks from the comfort of his couch. No company offered one, so he designed it himself. The Linux-based PC, which is edging toward release, is promising—but the best part is the proof that today a tech fanboy can take the director’s chair and quickly prototype a smarter product.