As both the marketing teams at Google and Apple churn the rumor mill, a quiet tablet contender is setting up shop at CES to show a stylish, powerful, and best of all – affordable tablet computer.
Freescale, located in Austin, Texas, supplies the semiconductors and other ultra small components commonly found in netbooks and small notebooks. This year, however, they have decided to enter the tablet fray themselves. Shunning the marketing hubris, they are simply laying out their invention on a table at CES and saying, “look at it and decide for yourself.”
The Freescale tablet is impressive – a 7” touch screen, 3 megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM, 1GHz processor, and various tablet-centric gizmos like a 3-axis accelerometer and ambient light sensor. It includes WiFi, Bluetooth, and an optional 3G modem.
The showstopper feature, though, is the price tag – only $200 with either a Linux or Android operating system.
The device is designed to run common productivity and social applications – a web browser, email client, RSS feed reader, social networking tools and a complete office suite.
Freescale is seeking manufacturing and distribution partners and the tablet could be available as early as this summer at a store near you.
If you are at CES this year, look for Freescale and check out the concept. What do you think?
Here are the full specs:
- Size: 200mm x 128mm x 14.9cm and weighing 376 grams; no need for fan or heat sink
- Processor: Freescale i.MX515 applications processor provides high performance and low power
- ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz
- OpenVG & OpenGL/ES graphics cores
- HD video decoder hardware
- Memory: 512 MB DDR2
- Display: 7-inch (1024 x 600) touch screen
- Storage: 4-64 GB internal storage; removable micro SD
- Connectivity: 3G modem (option) 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, RF4CE (option)
- Ports: USB 2.0 and USB mini (also for charging), audio in/audio out, SIM card
- Audio: speaker, microphone
- Camera: 3 Mpixel (video recording up to VGA @ 30fps)
- Battery: 1900mAh, USB charging
- Sensors: the MMA8450Q 3-axis accelerometer and an ambient light sensor
- Power management IC
Send email to author
Comments
In both cases, Linux is the operating system. Android is the user environment, running on Linux. The user environment running on the non-Android tablet isn't specified here.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!