Freescale prepares sub-$200 tablet
There are a surge of companies preparing “cheap” tablet computers. One of these is preparing a tablet with a sub-$200 price.
The sheer amount of hype surrounding the much-rumored Apple Tablet is forcing a multitude of companies to get competing products out the door quickly. One of these companies is Freescale Semiconductor. While a chipmaker at heart, Freescale is preparing a “smartbook tablet” reference design with a 7″ 1024×600-pixel display, a low-power ARM CPU, all-day battery life and – wait for it – a sub $200 target price. (Just so you know, reference designs are frameworks that other companies use to make their own devices with. In other words, you won’t see these selling under the Freescale name.)
The device uses Freescale’s very own SoC (system-on-chip) – the i.MX515. This little chip contains enough power to browse the web and watch flash videos. There can be up to 64GB of internal flash memory storage, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS functionality, optional 3G broadband and a three-megapixel camera. For those who feel like using a real keyboard to type emails out, Freescale has you covered – apparently there’s some sorta keyboard accessory that you slide the tablet onto. Take a look:
However, as I said before, Freescale is aiming for a sub-$200 price tag. Meanwhile it seems Apple will be selling its upcoming tablet for around $900. That’s a big price difference, isn’t it? Of course Apple may give users better usability features, more powerful hardware and a more aesthetically-appealing look, but in the end both devices have to surf the web. Would I purchase this Apple Tablet whenever it comes out? No. (Unless it has some unbelievably cool and life-changing feature of some sort, of course.)
Anyway, Freescale plans to showcase its tablet at CES, running Linux and Google Android operating systems. Watch out for it.
It looks cool, definitely the price point that the market has already indicated (surveys according to the globe and mail) it is willing to pay.
Better come in a colour other than that godawful pink though.
As for Apple at $900, it better come with a years supply of cocaine and hookers baby!
Well the ipad is here, it can’t cope with flash and no free keyboard stand so I know where my money is going. Already got a little Chinese laptop running homebrew linux which is brilliant so this should be even better!