CrunchPad tablet to see November release?
July 31, 2009 at 10:16 am
The CrunchPad touchscreen internet tablet will launch by November, just in time for the Christmas buying rush, according to Chandraseka Rathakrishnan founder of Fusion Garage. The company has teamed up with Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, to help get the product out of the door.
Some new specs for the device were unearthed by The Straits Times and include an USB port, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and an unconfirmed price around the $399 mark. The CrunchPad has a 12-inch display that is flush with the aluminium case, weighs 1.2kg and comes in different colours. It will be just 16mm in thickness and be powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and support Adobe Flash. The device has a custom built OS and no storage space, it will purely be an internet consumption device.
Whilst rumours of a touchscreen Apple tablet continue to circulate, Rathakrishnan is not too worried about its release. “It’s two different market segments. The Apple tablet will likely be applications-driven. Ours will be Web-driven.”
Via Engadget.
Apple tablet launch brought forward to September?
July 27, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Today’s Apple tablet rumour of the day comes from the respected Financial Times, who are reporting that the company is aiming for a September launch date for a new project aiming to boost the interest in digital music albums. It is expected that this tablet device may be launched alongside this project, codenamed “Cocktail”.
Apple is apparently working with EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group on Cocktail in a move to revive interest in high-margin music albums, rather than single download tracks. The service will include bundling an interactive booklet (like you would find in traditional CD case) when purchasing a digital album. This would include sleeve notes and other interactive features. You would also be able to play songs directly from this booklet without going back to iTunes.
Little new news on the tablet was given. The report mentions a 10-inch touch-sensitive device, kind of like a larger iPod Touch. Previous rumours suggested a 2010 release for the device. There are now so many different stories on this it’s difficult to know how this device will shape up. The report says that it won’t be 3G enabled, yet will be great for watching movies. Others suggest it could be a competitor for the Kindle.
Apple tablet to launch with Verizon?
July 22, 2009 at 4:03 pm
There have been many rumours over an Apple Tablet or netbook device, but there’s always room for one more. We have already heard that Apple may by releasing a ‘Media Pad’ with Verizon and now we are hearing that it may launch with a subsidy from the carrier.
According to The Street, the Media Pad will basically be a 9 to 10-inch touchscreen device. It will be subsidised by Verizon and arrive in time for the holidays according to an unnamed source. The report suggests that a prototype has been ready for nearly a year now, whilst Apple has considered exactly what market it is targeting with this high cost device. Read more
Apple tablet/netbook rumoured for October launch at $800
July 13, 2009 at 4:35 pm
There have been numerous rumours over whether or not Apple plans to launch a ‘netbook’ type device, to attack the lower-end of the computing market. Today’s rumour is that an Apple ‘tablet’ is coming and will launch in October costing around the $800 mark.
The story comes from The China Times, where it reports that Apple is trying to launch the device in time for the Christmas shopping season. It also says that Wintek will be providing the touch panels, whilst Foxconn will be manufacturing the tablet. Both of these names have been mentioned before in these rumours, adding to the likelihood of their involvement. Read more
CrunchPad tablet landing “as soon as possible” for under $300
July 5, 2009 at 11:52 am
Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, has been beavering away on “an Internet consumption device,” dubbed the CrunchPad. We have already seen a number of prototype pictures and now it looks like we are gearing up for a full retail release. He told the NY Times Bits Blog, that an event would be held at the end of July or early August to make a big CrunchPad announcement. He also confirmed that the device would cost less than $300 and be on sale “as soon as possible.”
This news follows a report from the San Francisco Business Times that said Arrington had set up a separate company called CrunchPad Inc. The company, based in Singapore, will employ a total of 14 employees according to the report. The CrunchPad has been dubbed “Mike’s science project,” of which he has spent two-thirds of his time working on it over the last six months. The device will have a 12-inch display that is flush with the aluminium case and come in different colours. It will be just 16mm in thickness and be powered by an unspecified Intel Atom processor and support Adobe Flash.
Netbooks to spur growth of touch panels
June 30, 2009 at 5:31 pm
The launch of Windows 7 in October is expected to be a catalyst for a number of touch-based devices that utilise its multi-touch gesture software. Apparently, it will be netbooks that lead the way in adopting touchscreen panels over laptops and LCD monitors according to a report from Digitimes.
Industry sources are saying that there is evidence of this already from the models that are currently being sampled and validated. At the moment there is a lot more activity surrounding netbook devices then there are others. The report also says that prices of capacitive panels (for multi-touch gestures) are around $30 for a typical 10-inch sized display. The average cost per inch varies between $2.5-3.0.
Another report talks about something that doesn’t make too much sense to me. It talks of touch panels replacing the touchpad and mouse buttons on netbooks, giving more space for the keyboard. The only way this would work in my eyes is having a device that’s been designed from the ground-up for touch. For a typical convertible netbook (net tablet), I imagine you would still need either a touchpad or trackpoint. That is unless of course the screen is so sensitive it negates the need for one.
Daewoo LUCOMS Solo C920-Mini net tablet
June 22, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Korean manufacturer, Daewoo, may be more known for its cars and household appliances, but that hasn’t stopped it entering the netbook space. Daewoo LUCOMS has released its own net tablet (or convertible netbook tablet if you prefer). The Solo C920-Mini is an 8.9-inch device that also comes with a cute little carrying handle.
The 8.9-inch touchscreen has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The tablet is powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. It comes with 1GB RAM and a 60GB 1.8-inch HDD running at 4200RPM. Other features include a 1.3MP webcam, two US ports, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), a pair of audio jacks and XP Home. It weighs 1.21kg and has dimensions of 241.4 x 209.3 x 27.7mm. There’s no mention of pricing or availability right now, but I’d be surprised if this Solo C920-Mini made it to Western shores.
Via Akhibara News.
CrunchPad tablet prototype unboxed on video
June 14, 2009 at 10:42 pm
The CrunchPad is a 12-inch tablet device being designed by TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. Unlike other types of tablet devices, the sole purpose of the CrunchPad is to be an internet device. It comes with no physical keyboard or hard drive and boots directly into a browser.
A prototype version has been caught on video with a very short unboxing. This is the older design that is seen, the newer version comes with a flush display and appears to be much thinner. The unit wasn’t switched on unfortunately, with the host claiming that there wasn’t a network connection.
The near-final packaging is showcased and it looks like the colour of the packaging will match the actual colour of the CrunchPad you buy, pink in this particular case. The device will be out this year according to the host and I was a bit perplexed to see a huge Bing sticker on the back of the CrunchPad. Check out the video after the jump. Read more
Kinpo demos 7-inch Android Thin Client Tablet
June 8, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Kinpo has shown off a 7-inch Android tablet powered by a Freescale i.MX51 processor. It’s unclear whether it is a prototype or bound for retail soon, but it’s quite a neat little device with the 7-inch screen probably the perfect size for a tablet device.
The touch panel has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and seemed to react smoothly to touch commands. I’m unsure if it has an accelerometer, as the display didn’t flip when being turned around when watching a video. I’d be surprised if it didn’t have one, so this is more likely to be a bug. Check out a hands-on video from TechVideoBlog after the break. Read more
Video: Mtube II reveals XP netbook/Android tablet hybrid
June 6, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry (III) showed off a very intriguing device at Computex this week. In a form factor that reminded me of Always Innovating’s Touch Book, the Mtube II is a netbook that has a detachable keyboard, which means it can also be used as a tablet device. However, by taking this concept one step-further, the Mtube II runs two different operating systems – Windows XP in netbook mode and switching to Android when in tablet mode.
It seems that the device has two processors, the old 1.6GHz VIA C7-M CPU for netbook mode and a 533MHz Samsung ARM processor when running Android in tablet mode. Thankfully the model has a matte display, which should hopefully mean less fingerprint marks. The tablet connects to the netbook by VNC (remote control) so video performance probably won’t be up to scratch. Battery life in tablet mode is around two hours.
This model is only a prototype and a final retail version is unlikely to be out until next year and as you can imagine there’s no idea on price right now. We’re very much looking forward to seeing more devices sporting this form-factor in the future. Check out three videos of this device in action after the break. Read more
Slick new aluminium CrunchPad prototype revealed
June 4, 2009 at 1:10 pm
TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington is on a mission to create a thin and light internet tablet computer. Pictures of the ‘CrunchPad’ were revealed to the world a couple of months back, however TechCrunch has now revealed a near-final design that is looking like an incredibly sexy device.
Whilst only conceptual drawings have been revealed, working prototypes using this design are expected in a matter of weeks. This new ‘launch prototype’ differs from the previous version in a number of ways. First off, the 12-inch screen now sits flush with the case and the thickness is visibly reduced to just 18mm. This has been achieved by using aluminium, compared to plastic before, which will likely put the price up a bit. Read more
Nvidia intros 12 new Tegra devices – 1080p, Flash, & huge battery life
June 2, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Nvidia is out in full force at the Computex show in Taiwan. We have already seen it outing 21 devices based on the ION-platform. However, it has also revealed 12 new devices (mostly Mobile Internet Devices) based on the Tegra platform. The Tegra platform is different to ION in that it pairs an ARM-based processor with an Nvidia GeForce GPU (ION pairs an Intel Atom CPU with the Nvidia 9400M graphics).
Nvidia claims that the Tegra processor is the “world’s smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip”. The chip will be able to handle 1080p video and will come with a massive battery life. Nvidia claim that it can handle 10 hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge – that is a frankly astonishing claim!
It will also come with Flash GPU-acceleration, which means that the likes of YouTube and Hulu will be no problem. The chip will include 3G and Wi-Fi support and will effectively be ‘always-on’ to the internet. These chips will be found in both tablet and netbook type devices and are expected to launch by the end of 2009 with prices around the $200 mark with carrier subsidies. The full press release is attached after the break. Read more
Wintek once again touted as touchscreen supplier for Apple tablet
May 22, 2009 at 12:37 pm
They very first rumours of a proposed Apple netbook or tablet were kicked off at the beginning of March, when reports surfaced that Wintek was to supply touch panels for the rumoured netbook. This news is being reaffirmed today according to a Digitimes report that suggests Wintek has been confirmed as the “panel module supplier for Apple’s upcoming e-book form factor netbook product.”
There ‘s not much more to the report than that. The original story suggested that shipments of these touch panels were expected in Q3 2009. If this rumour is true, it would put paid to rumours that Apple was working on an OLED tablet with the screen supplied by LG. Although, according to analysts, the rumoured netbook, tablet or Media Pad will not arrive until the first half of 2010.
Analyst: Apple tablet to cost $500 – $700, launch in H1 2010
May 21, 2009 at 3:34 pm
There have been many rumours regarding what a rumoured Apple netbook / tablet / Media Pad will look like. Now an analyst at Piper Jaffray’s has thrown his views into the mix. According to Gene Munster, Apple’s tablet device will fill the gap between the iPod touch and the MacBook. It will cost between $500 and $700, run App Store apps and arrive in the first half of 2010.
“We are anticipating a new category of Apple products, with an operating system more robust than the iPhone’s but optimized for multi-touch. We expect the end result to be launched later but with more dramatic differentiation than the Street is expecting,” Munster said. Read more
Nokia’s next-gen tablet OS pictured; coming to netbooks?
May 20, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Nokia has made a number of noises about entering the netbook segment at some point in the future. There have not been many rumours surrounding what this netbook may look like; all we’ve had are a few rumours on possible ODM partners used to manufacture the product. One of the key questions though, is which OS will Nokia decide to use?
Symbian may be a strong possibility, given Nokia’s association with the platform. However, another possibility could be a version of its upcoming tablet OS, especially since touchscreen netbooks are expected to become more prevalent as the year progresses. Read more
Recent Comments