Well we just got to lay hands on the above Foxconn-manufactured, Tegra 2-powered Android prototype, and we'll be honest -- it was awfully sweet. There wasn't much going on beyond some gaming action -- we didn't see it boot into standard Android -- though it was running the 3D football title you see above at a pretty healthy clip (check out the video after the break). NVIDIA reps weren't very keen on sharing info about the device, though we can tell you that it's apparently got 1GB of RAM inside cuddled up to that 1GHz ARM Cortex 9 CPU, a front-facing camera, and the WSVGA screen measures 8.9-inches (it's also a much wider aspect ratio than something like the iPad). We're going to hold any judgment till we see this thing cooking with a full UI, but we're not knocking it -- get this in at the right price, and we'll likely be first in line.
Update: Correction, the screen size is 8.9-inches, not 9.7.
posted May 19th 2010 7:23PM
I already plumped for the iPad, but this is making me consider a second slate. Totally sweet.
@Dale P Positive attitude, i like! all i know it's getting more and more sweet in the slate business..my only wish is to see lighter wight, break proof ones. tablets shouldn't be luxury, just practical :)
@Dale P
Tablets are stupid!
You can't have serious gaming without buttons!
If it's running a phone OS, then it's a deal breaker!
WAIT, this is an Android Tablet and not the iPad!
Then, I LOVE IT!!!!
@Dale P I didn't plump for the iPad so that I could get one of these Android-Tegra-2-Powered Bezel-Goody-Baskets of Joy.
@Dale P
I'm waiting for the ADAM.
@Dale P
What an interestingly timed juxtaposition..."Foxconn is evil and treating humans terribly"...also, "Android is running on Foxconn hardware!!~!1"
Maybe it's just me and my conspiracy-theorist bent...
@Dale P
Well I knew that Apple had set the bar well low enough that a better product would come out soon enough. I would just skip the ipud all together and go with this once it comes out or better yet see what awesomeness HP will deliver with WebOS Slate.
@WilliamNighthawk
If you're watching, Apple, those little things on the side of the slate in the gallery are called "ports". Yeah, we like those.
@sshating Or ... just maybe.... we want our phones to do more than just talk and send text messages. I'm continuously reading one or two people bitch about how 'a phone shouldn't do this or shouldn't do that', why? Why can't we have devices that are as portable as phones and have enough power to run Crysis 5. To me it just seems to defeat the innovation if we just stop and say 'a phone is a phone'.
My phone is not just a phone. It is an ass kicking supercomputer in tiny shell phone factor that controls robotic creatures and a giant lazy from outerspace that will allow me to take over the world, or at least Droid Does.
@sshating
Wow, so much bait in your post. Where do I begin? iPad, WinMo, Vista, iPhone. But here is my favorite:
"Android is simply not ready for primetime"
lol.. yep. Evo has fail written all over it. Just like Droid, Incredible, etc.
@sshating "blowing through battery life" This thing has 16 hours of 1080p HD playback. Your theory, you blew it.
Applications: This is exactly what I'm trying to change. I want to see pho.. I'm not even going to call it a phone... I want to see smart devices that have calling capabilities plus the abilities to use applications just as powerful as the desktop; Not only that but I want to see seamless transitions from small screens to larger screens.
Think about it, you're on the move and you have a document that needs to be finished. You whip out your phone and start typing up with the latest 'full' version of office. When you get to the office you feel the need to edit it a little bit so you slide your finger across your phone and, basically, flick the document to your computer. One your computer office is not open but automatically opens when you flick the document to your computer. You do your editing and now you're back on the run. You grab your phone as you walk to the parking lot, you're jamming out, when you get in your car you again flick your chosen playlist to your cars computer system. Everything working seamlessly together as one. Could you see all the possibilities of this? To have smart devices as strong as computers and everything working as one. Imagine what you could hook up to this network of awesomeness. Getting up in the morning, turning on your computer, and flicking a set of mocha directions to your blend/coffee maker down stairs. It starts brewing the coffee, and generating the ice. Now all you have to do is throw in a few ingredients and that is it. Networks of technology, not just one, but thousands of networks that can be mashed together to create new possibilities. That is what I'm currently working on.
Your last thing is correct too, people are at home and the office most of the time. I want to change this. If technology is what is keeping us at home than it is technology that has to change. If we have the power to take a fully fledged computer with us where-ever we go than we can start getting the human race more inlined and back to enjoying moments of life.
People keep telling me that technology is ruining the way humans think and act by making them robotic. I think this is true, but they also say that we need to rid ourselves of technology. I don't think we do. I think we need to find that balance. Incorporate technology with life. Because right now they're separate. Right now we either have to choose to be online, or we have to choose to be on the go.
@WilliamNighthawk
I stopped at:
"I'm not even going to call it a phone... I want to see smart devices that have calling capabilities"
@Mr Blue :] Glad for you. I know you're probably thinking Smartphone, but I want to drop phone all together because of people complaining that a phone should just call. I actually prefer MID [or MCD].
@Dale P
This sure isn't a competitor for the iPad, but does look promising. I already got married to the iPad, but I would bet an even better Android based tablet may be on its way...err...might consider extra-marital in that case.
@WilliamNighthawk 16 hours of 1080p playback? Who said that? Where did you get THAT from?
@Dale P It's too bad you bought the iPad, inside this 8.9-inch tablet, you see, is Nvidia's Tegra 2, the heart of which is a dual core ARM Cortex A9—a chip that's a generation ahead of the silicon the iPad's A4 is based on—meaning this thing will zooooom. It's also got a gig of RAM (the iPad's biggest technical limitation now is its puny amount of RAM), two USB ports, and a front-facing camera.
No contest whatsoever. Talk about Tegra's flash-acceleration... the web browsing experience will be sublime. I could get this for my parents once Skype is confirmed to run on it.
@Dale P This is just the beginning of tegra based android tablets. Next will be that verizon chrome tablet. Now that's sweet. http://j.mp/google-chrome-verizon-tablet
@Peter Church
Topic poach.
Anywho, anything that evolves this niche market enough to keep my OS updates coming is fine by me!
Good stuff but the company makes me sad face :(
@tobsmonster2 The gaming so intense that part of the bezel took a hit.
@Engadget
At the first glance I was shocked that the next tablet has jumped the ship. Please change the picture.
@tobsmonster2
"get this in at the right price, and we'll likely be first in line."
Wasn't making cheap electronics part of (if not entirely) the cause of problems discovered in the report? Stick to one side Engadget! :-p
sooo.. is it tegra or what?
@commenter7
no, it's RTFA- Tegra 2.
@dez
watch the video, the guy said is it tegra 2? then the guy said uh no you wont tell...
blahhh i dont understand,,,nevermind -.-
@commenter7 Gizmodo managed to get a nice pic of the spec sticker on the back of the device. It clearly says it is a Tegra 20 dual core 1GHZ... Sounds like Tegra 2 to me.
The sticker also said it has a 2mp camera and a screen res of 1024x600 (WSVGA).
No Bluetooth 3.0!!!!!!! It's sporting the 2.1.
tegra2 and android: a winning combination.
@fokka and a sd-slot, usb, camera, who could demand more?
@fokka Did no one else notice the FPS drop to 0 and the game freeze up about half-way through?! All this Tegra 2/ARM Cortex 9 stuff and apps freeze? Not looking great
@fokka Did no one else notice the FPS dropping to 0 and the game freezing just past half-way in the video?! All this stuff about Tegra 2/ARM Cortex 9 and games are freezing and stuttering? Not looking good
@mj1234 Apologies for the unintended double post
Cool beans.
@Guy
Thats my phrase.
I have it copyrighted....
@SolidSnake
Just as Konami has Solid Snake copyrighted?
@Guy
Touché.
THIS COMPANY IS EVIL AND HAS TERRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS.
Also, here's their beautiful new tablet! Isn't it great?
@dez Oh please, find me a company that has good working conditions in China
@Scrotum
there isn't one =P I thought that whole Foxconn-is-evil article was a load of crap. If the workers hate it, they can get a different job. Duh.
@dez
THIS COMPANY IS EVIL AND IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT CHEAP STUFF.
Also, make it cheap and we will be first in line
@HowP
why people still work there? they paid well! oh well, at least compare to other companies in china.
@dez Yes it is great!
I thank those poor bastards in China!
@dez Derrrrr wow. Winner of the stupidest comment of the month goes to Dez for not having a clue what working conditions are like in the outer regions of China. State TV shows you only the coastal regions of China. Go inland and see an entirely different world.
@dez Dude, where are these guys gonna get a different job? At one of the other, even worse factories? If you read this article, it says that they pay "well" compared to the other places in the area.
@dez
how judgmental! maybe these people are glad to have a job- save yourself instead of trying to save everyone else. its all relative.
9.7? The sticker on the back from the Gizmodo article says it's only 8.9? Which is it? I'm waiting for the Notion Ink Adam, but I would settle for this at the right price. Must...get...more...details.
@JoeSzymkowicz
I am also waiting for Adam...I would it isn't locked to a carrier...and I wish it had better screen resolution...
@JoeSzymkowicz +2; I'm also waiting for the adam and the Pixel Qi display because than I can avoid buying a e-book as well as a tablet. [
looks like a toy
Anyone regret buying an iPad yet?
@andyroo77 well even though it looks sweet, and probably is. remember iPad is on the shelves :)... not sure anyone gonna regret, unless u have smth like this available in a couple of months.