MeeGo Moorestown-powered tablet preview
By Joanna Stern 
posted June 1st 2010 5:57AM
posted June 1st 2010 5:57AM
The tablet version of MeeGo is built on the same underlying software as the netbook version, but the interface is drastically different. There are two basic areas of the OS -- the simple and panel mode. The simple mode is a basic grid of applications, while the panel mode is a series of vertical panes that can be customized with pictures, social networking feeds, and web bookmarks. The latter was quite impressive as it will be entirely user customizable. We also caught that Intel's App Up store was preloaded, but we were told that there will be a separate SDK released this August for developing multitouch applications.
On the hardware front, the 1.5GHz Moorestown chip seemed to be super snappy and we witnessed it play a 720p clip smoothly. The actual 10-inch Quanta Redvale tablet was incredibly thin and light, but the viewing angles of the reference design's screen were poor to say the least. However, the resistive panel was very responsive to taps on the screen and pinching to zoom. Despite the pre-alpha label we have to say we were very impressed with what Intel is up to here -- it's all looking polished and very simple to navigate. The only bad news we have right now is that we have to wait until early 2011 to see it on some actual devices.
@4004 I would take for a grain of salt what Engadget is reporting as resistive. First of all, resistive cannot do multi-touch, and ontop of it this setup had five input sensing (when the guy went with all fingers) ... indicative of a capacitive screen. Besides, capacitive is now the industry norm.
So I can fully and comfortably say this is a capacitive screen, and not resistive.
@Slowmoe, the presenter said it in the video, it's not Engadget's guess. Second, multitouch is more than possible on a resistive screen (google: Stantum Resistive Multitouch), and third - capacitive is certainly not a norm on productive devices.
@Slowmoe
Its re-sis-tive.
That thing is hot! (looks like "Engadget" was able to borrow the shaky cam from "Cloverfield")
Did anyone notice this?
http://imgur.com/BHMNm
Tron Legacy, it even has a 101 minute runtime......how very odd..
I'm not a hater, but I like how they try and get as close as they can the iPhone/iPad interfaces. I wish PC manufacturers would come up with their own ideas. Only a couple of days ago I saw a new Samsung desktop iMac rival with an aurora background like the Mac in a press shot!
@R94N
you know prior to the iphone there was a such thing as a grid of icons. its not some great idea that apple created. calm down buddy ultimately consumers drive sales, consumers want to be able to quickly see their available apps and choose what they want to launch. Windows mobile has a launcher android has a launcher nokia has a launcher and the iphone itself is a launcher. Its not a big deal guy.
@style Sorry...
Prototype device loaded with pre-alpha version of OS looks more polished than some of the crap that is on the market right now.
Resistive panel? I'm slightly disappointed :(.
The rest of the tablet looks pretty impressive though. I like me some smooth 720p playback.
@Hex
I bet they just wanted a cheap shell to show off of a pre-preproduction version of the software.
At 1:40 when he demonstrates multitouch, the reflection is being warped as he touches the screen - looks like its not a glass display cover but plastic instead. Hope that changes with time...
@Bahumbug if it is a resistive touch screen , there is no way to put a glass panel on it ( maybe a very thin one?). AFIK the resistive technology requires a flexible top.
It lost me at 6 hr battery.
As a casual device on the go, and until the tech can provide decent performance and battery life, then a mobile phone platform like Android and iphone OS are the only practical option.
I for one do not see me doing anything too taxing on this form factor.Even with the required tech, Quickbooks or photoshop on a tablet seems like torture.
@violetblues
Or Maemo, on my N900, which runs for over a day and can do much more than the 2 OS's you just mentioned.
@JFH
Sorry I nearly fell asleep to your boring and irrelevant comment. Nobody has a N900 enough to care. Give up the ghost friend
@assassinave That's odd, my N900 is in my pocket right now. Hummm.
@assassinave, incidentally enough, I'm replying to your baseless comment with my N900... And I personally know 3 other people that have it and use it on a daily basis, which says alot given that I live in a country where the device costs two avg. monthly wages...
@assassinave
You've been reading Engadget to much. The little thing called the N900 that nobody cares about outsold the Nexus One. Posted from a N900.
MeeGo will be the exit point of Nokia to survive in this competitive smartphone market...
looks like a big ipod touch
@luisfcosta seriously?
Did you see an iPad somewhere in there? :)
Why do all the tablets look the same? -->DAMN YOU TOUCHSCREENS!
Resistive multitouch the perfect combination of precision (resistive) and usability (multitouch). Try it before you knock it, the new resistive screens are almost as sensitive as capacitive.
@mobiledivide
+1 N900 is proof.
Worst camera job ever ?
I could not look at the entire video.
resistive screen... are you serious??
@refink
Oh it's probably got your precious multitouch. Not everyone wants horribly inaccurate, low resolution capacitive screens.
Actually that is the first tablet that's sexier than the iPad in terms of UI.
Oooh, the demo-guy said its capacitive! If thats true, I hope this thing can rock a wacom-like stylus with some decent pressure sensitivity. If thats the case, then this is my next laptop.
err resistive is what I meant... damn no edit button.
fazebook
Man this guy is hardcore whenever he says the word 'apps'. It's like it's a foreign word and he really, really wants to enunciate it.
The way the multitouch works on that picture is amazing.
If this is coming out in 2011, no one wil buy it...
isnt meego open source, so wouldnt the asian manufacturers make better hardware for this.
Is a steady camera to much to ask for?
i will sell my iPad to an un-loving home to get this.
Now THIS is far better than the ipad. I am quite intrigued by this..... I'm starting to see the use of a tablet where the ipad failed miserably in that respect.