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Two more potential iPad alternatives: WePad, Moby
March 19, 2010 | 2:51 pm
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By Chris Meadows
Earlier today, Paul mentioned that the HP slate might be a better device than an iPad. Here are another couple of devices that might make promising alternatives.
First, TechCrunch reports on German manufacturer Neofonie’s 11.6” 1366×768 (720P capable) WePad. (English datasheet PDF here.) Due next month, it has a larger multitouch screen, faster processor, USB, card reader, Flash, and even a webcam. It will run “a Linux derivate (sic) with Android on top,” meaning that it can install not only Android apps but also Adobe Air software from Neofonie.
The WePad is being pitched not only as a multimedia tablet, but also as an e-book reader that can read “all open standards” of e-book formats. Exact details about price are currently unavailable, but according to TechCrunch, Neofonie’s CEO claims it will be significantly cheaper than the iPad.
And speaking of significantly cheaper, Wired’s “Gadget Lab” blog reports semiconductor manufacturer Marvell has demonstrated a touch-sensitive 10” tablet at the unlikely price point of $99. The Moby would support Flash, could provide 1080P high-definition resolution, and could run Android or Windows Phone 7. It is aimed at students looking for an inexpensive way to access textbooks and the Internet.
It is unclear whether Marvell will manufacture the Moby itself or farm the design out to a partner company. Either way, Marvell says the device will be available by the end of the year.
The Moby has put ARMdevices.net in mind of the $75 touchscreen tablet that One Laptop Per Child announced as its next design goal. I was as skeptical of that plan as anyone—but a $99 tablet is very nearly there. OLPC or not, this inexpensive device could be quite a boon for education if it works out—as well as to people who don’t mind reading e-books from a color tablet screen.
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Comments:
In regards to the Moby, there is no word on what size or resolution its screen will be. The chips inside are claimed to be capable of handling 1080 resolution video, that’s all. (Just as the iPad claims 720p resolution, though its screen is less than 720×1280)
With a price of $99, we can only hope for a 7″ screen with a resolution of 480×800 as the most likely maximum. (It might even be smaller.) We also don’t know if the screen will be touch-sensitive.
If indeed the Moby has a 9″ capacitative touch screen (the best kind, I think), it would indeed be a breakthrough in price.
The reference to the OLPC project makes me wonder whether the WePad might be able to run Sugar. Or any other x86-based Linux.
— asotir
From reading the marketing material on the WePad, from the WePad site, it doesn’t look like it is aimed at the general public (unlike the iPad, Slate, and etc.) and not as a direct iPad competitor.
It seems to be intended for a publisher. A magazine publisher would commission Neofonie to set up their magazine using WeMagazine and WeFindand then the publisher sells the whole thing as a package to their readers (I can see it being the perfect thing for waiting rooms (Doctors, dentists, lawyers) or for an entire school that wants control of the device.)
From their site:
I suspect, if it is cheap, they expect to get their “real” money from the publishers who buy their publishing package, not consumers. The consumer ens up with something like a cell phone contract.