Coby
Latest
Coby goes nuts with the Google-certified tablets, we go hands-on
You might take the Play Store and other Google apps for granted when shopping around for Android tablets, but for Coby it's a Big Deal (with a capital "B"). So much so that after releasing its first Google-certified slate back in January, it's coming out with three more, in 8-, 9- and 10-inch flavors. (A Coby rep told us the idea is to catch as many customers as possible.) Despite the different screen sizes, they all boast the same specs as the 7-inch model we showed you at CES, including a dual-core Amlogic 8226-MX CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a microSD reader supporting 32GB cards and a 0.3-megapixel webcam up front. They also have modest 2MP cameras 'round back, which the 7-incher doesn't have. Design-wise, the 8-inch MID 8065 and 9-inch 9760 have the same plastic construction as the 7-inch one, albeit with higher-res screens. The 10-inch MID 1065, though, has a more premium-feeling metal casing, along with an IPS panel (the pixel count tops out at 1,280 x 800, so don't get too excited). Indeed, the viewing angles are better than what we saw on the 7-incher, but you're still going to suffer delays even when you flip the tablet to change screen orientations. So far, we know the 8- and 10-inch models are coming to the US for $180 and $230. As for the 9-inch version, there's no room for it in the states, apparently, but a Coby rep from Germany told us it'll go on sale there later this month for around €219. As your lead reviews editor, I can tell you the Magic 8 Ball is turning up an "outlook not good" on a possible review, but we've added some hands-on photos below if you've just got to get a closer look.
Hands-on with the MID7065, Coby's first tablet with Google Play on board
We've seen a few budget tablets debut at CES this year -- the Vivitar Camelio and Polaroid's M7 among them -- and the latest 7-incher to cross our path is Coby's MID7065. This $150 (not $130, as we incorrectly say in the video) slate runs Android 4.0 and is the first in Coby's lineup to feature access to Google Play. This device is fully Google-certified in the sense that all of Mountain View's standard programs, such as Gmail and Maps, are on board. There aren't any surprises when it comes to other specs: the MID7065 runs a dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.GHz with 1GB RAM, and there's 8GB of internal storage (expandable up to 32GB via the microSD card slot). Other connections include mini-HDMI and a micro-USB port. There's a front-facing 0.3-megapixel camera to the left of the display, and the capacitive panel itself sports a standard resolution of 1,024 x 600. We spent a few minutes poking around the Play store and flipping through home screens, and we didn't notice any lag. The accelerometer was speedy at recognizing changes in display orientation as well. The MID7065's design isn't the thinnest we've seen, but the plastic body feels sturdy, and the rounded edges are comfortable in the hand. Look for the tablet to drop in the next month or two -- and check out our hands-on gallery in the meantime.
Coby unveils a deluge of updated LED TVs, mobile speakers and headphones
Coby has rarely been shy about making a full-court press at CES, and it's keeping up that tradition with a mountain of media-focused launches at the show this year. The highlights? Its new edge LED-lit 18 and 56 Series TVs promise thinner bezels at frugal respective prices of $499 (for a 32-inch 18 Series) and $119 (19-inch 56 Series). They're being accompanied by small and mid-size soundbars (seen below) with Bluetooth at $80 and $100. Those who prefer their audio in portable form also get their fill: there's five mobile speakers ranging from a $20 battery-powered set to the $80, subwoofer- and Bluetooth-toting CSBT85 speaker dock you see above. On top of an already crowded lineup, there's also a small army of headphones incoming with a few pleasant twists for the entry-level crowd. Among the more notable models, the $8 Jammerz Talk, $10 Attitudz Chat and similarly priced Jammerz Flat Budz bring in-line microphones to budget earbuds, while the $40 CVBT10 and $50 CVBT20 offer Bluetooth in mid- and full-size headphones. The company hasn't provided specific release dates for the headphones or any of the other new devices we've seen so far, but its massive catalog is available after the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Coby's budget-minded Ice Cream Sandwich tablets go on sale
Eager to get a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich while you wait for an update on your phone? Then you now have another option to do so relatively cheaply if you don't mind venturing into Coby's bargain bin of tablets. It's begun rolling out no less than six new slates to retail stores today (most of which we saw at CES in January), which pack screens ranging in size from seven to ten inches and each run Android 4.0. Specs are otherwise fairly identical across the board, with each boasting the same single-core 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, microSD card slot, front-facing cameras, HDMI out and either 4GB or 8GB of storage. Unfortunately, they all also come with one key drawback common to budget Android tablets: there's no official access to Google Play. If that's not too much of a deterrent, you can pick these up for between $179 and $279.
Coby unveils its family of Ice Cream Sandwich slates, we go hands-on (video)
It's hard to tell whether CES 2012 beat out last years show for tablet numbers, but there were plenty of slabs less likely to throttle your wallet in 2012. Coby has leapt onto that very bandwagon, with a whole slew of tablets. Several, but not all, made their first appearance at this year's CES and we were itching to see how they would stack up against some very price-savvy devices. We were informed (several times) that these were still prototypes, but user experience differed substantially between models. Budget tablet fans can check out our impressions and a brief video summary of the Coby clan right after the break.
Coby to intro five Ice Cream Sandwich slates at CES, satiate your budget tablet cravings
Not prepared to pony up for the ICS-ready Transformer Prime? No worries, Coby has five alternative flavors, each offering its own helping of Android 4.0. The quintet of tablets bear the same model number format as the outfit's Kyros tablets, and all share the same 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU. Coby plans to debut the slates at CES 2012, making them available to consumers within the first quarter. The slabs range between seven and ten inches, and will offer up to 1GB of RAM with up to 32GB of expandable memory -- WiFi radio and HDMI-out come standard. Want to see the official details? Hit the break, we've got a good 'ol fashion press release just waiting for your peepers.
Coby Kyros MID7012 tablet gets an FCC teardown, flaunts a roomy case
Coby's latest in budget slates hit the federal testing tables on Friday, getting the customary teardown and tell-all photo shoot. The Coby Kyros MID7012 comfortably fits a 800Mhz processor, 256MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, WiFi and a microSD card slot into its case. The seven-inch Gingerbread tablet hasn't landed on Coby's US website yet, but nimble fingered Googlers can find the slab for about $100.
Coby Kyros MID7022 tablet gets teardown and thumbs up from FCC
That's the latest tablet from budget manufacturer Coby lounging around a blue velvety backdrop. The Kyros MID7022 got the customary FCC teardown treatment from the agency in exchange for a little approval. The seven-inch Gingerbread slate sports a microSD slot, HDMI port, WiFi, 4GB of built-in memory, and should be headed to the Home Shopping Network in no time.
Coby rolls out $250 Kyros MID7015 Android tablet
Coby's been selling an Android tablet on the Home Shopping Network for a couple of months now, but it's just released another model that's now available at retailers across the US. That comes in the form of the Kyros MID7015, which is just about exactly what you'd expect a $250 Android tablet from Coby to be. That means you'll get a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, Android 2.1 (with apps from the AppsLib marketplace, not Android Market), 4GB of built-in memory, a microSD card slot for expansion and, somewhat notably, an HDMI port that promises to let you output full 1080p video. Hit up the source link below for the complete specs.
Coby introduces streamlined, puzzling MP570 MP3 player
Coby may not always produce the sleekest of devices, but the company has certainly come through on that count with its new MP570 MP3 player, which is bound to turn a few heads. Questionably functional design aside, however, this one is about as basic as can be, with it packing just 2GB of flash storage and no memory card slot, support for only MP3 and WMA formats, and a built-in rechargeable battery that promises just five hours of audio playback -- but, hey, it sure is shiny. No word on pricing or availability just yet, nor is there any indication of how you're actually supposed to use it.
Coby intros Snapp pocket camcorders, for those with small pockets
In a world full of stylish pocket camcorders, there are few reasons to recommend Coby's ho-hum Snapp series, which has only just now managed the transition from cheap plastic junk to tasteful Flip knockoff with today's introduction of the CAM3001, CAM4505 and CAM5001 Snapp HD. Recording 640 x 480 footage over MJPEG, the cheaper two models are still not much better than your average VGA webcam, and with only megabytes of internal storage, all three will require a sizeable memory card to capture any real content. But when you consider the price of these things -- Amazon shows preorder prices of $30 and $50 for the budget cams and $80 for the 720p CAM5001 HD -- you might yet find yourself combing desk drawers for that spare SDHC card.
Coby $85 smartbook feels like a hundred bucks (hands-on)
Funny how our tune on smartbooks totally changes when one's got an $85 price tag. We happened upon Coby's booth at CeBIT this morning and of all the fairly cheap feeling laptops the company had on display it was its 7-inch NBPC722 smartbook that cozied right up to us. Okay, so it isn't as thin or attractive as the $499 Lenovo's Skylight, but again let us remind you that it costs about as much as a couple of new printer ink cartridges. Inside the little guy packs a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 processor, 2GB of flash storage and runs Windows CE which all should be good enough for some light Web browsing and e-mail writing. There was actually a YouTube shortcut on the desktop, but the NBPC722 wasn't connected to try it out. Apparently this inexpensive laptop should be making its way stateside this spring, but until the flowers start blooming you've got the video below. %Gallery-87155%
Coby's MP837 thankfully doesn't pick up where the MP836 left off (video)
Surely you remember the Coby MP836, the first touchscreen PMP from the low-end company that we had a bit of trouble with at last year's CES. Well, this year they're back at it again -- this time pimping the MP837, which really deserves more than a one digit jump. We're glad to report that they've made quite a bit of progress over the year, and that they've addressed many of the problems from the first one. It has a 3-inch touchscreen with haptic feedback, and it actually registered input this time (though we couldn't confirm that it's capacitive). The software was also a lot more polished, as was the demo we got from a PR rep on the floor. See for yourself after the break. %Gallery-82494%
Coby's netbooks seemingly real, taking pre-orders
Sure -- we haven't seen or heard anything about Coby's netbook line since way back in January at CES, but that didn't stop them from showing up for pre-order, did it? Color us a little surprised, but here they are. Two models have appeared on Amazon for pre-order. The 12.1-inch Coby NMPC1220XPBLK apparently boasts a 1024 x 800 resolution, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive, while the NBPC1022XPBLK is a 10.1-incher with identical specs. The first runs $423, while the 10.1-inch model is $318. So tell us: will you be ordering one? [Via Liliputing]
Coby outs trio of LCD HDTVs, perfect for your guest room
Most of Coby's gear at CES was a little lacking in the quality department, but if you're looking for something that'll only need to be turned on every now and then, the outfit's latest trifecta may just fit the bill. From smallest to largest, we've got the 15.4-inch TFTV1524, which offers a 1,280 x 800 native resolution, dual ATSC / NTSC tuners, an HDMI port, VGA socket and a set of stereo speakers. Next up is the TFTV1923, a 19-incher with a 1,440 x 900 resolution and pretty much everything else remaining similar. Finally, the 22-inch TFTV2224 ups the resolution to 1,680 x 1,050 but doesn't add anything else. There's no mention of pricing / availability, but we'd guess they'll be available soon for not-so-much.
Coby's MP836 hands-on
It looks like the plush gray carpet in the Coby booth at CES isn't the only thing that might make you stumble. Coby's flagship PMP here at CES is the MP836, and it's safe to say it rubbed us the wrong way. The device itself wasn't that horrible to look at, but the interface and general aesthetics were both major turnoffs. It'll be available in 4, 8, and 16GB variations when it does eventually hit the marketplace, but we couldn't get a solid MSRP from the booth staff. Be sure to check out our vids of the device in action and the gallery as well. Update: Coby called to let us know that the MP836 we saw was actually a pre-production model, and the hardware and software were still being tweaked, which likely explains the glitching we see in those videos.%Gallery-41225%
Coby's sub-$200 netbooks handled at CES
Remember those sub-$100 Coby netbooks that we deemed a hoax? Well, it looks like they might not be as hoax-y as we originally thought. Here at CES, Coby has a bunch of base models on the show floor in a myriad of color combos. The rep who showed us around made it clear that this was a "market research project" but that the 'books would ring in at under $200. There were a bunch of different configurations, but nothing too different from the usual Atom setup. The six color offerings might pique your interest, but after playing with them for a few minutes, we don't know how eager we'd be to run out and pick one up -- they felt pretty low-end. However, the only way to differentiate oneself in the crowded netbook market is with price, and Coby certainly has that working for it. We'll see if these ever make it to market, and reserve final judgment until then. Check out the non-junky gallery below.%Gallery-41222%
Coby prepping sub-$100 7- / 9-inch PoqetMate netbooks UPDATE: It's a hoax
We'd argue that 7-inches is bordering on UMPC / MID territory, but given that Coby's PoqetMate-7 is expected to boast a full QWERTY keyboard and a chassis like that of most traditional laptops, we suppose it'll pass. Reportedly, the company is looking to enter the increasingly crowded netbook market next March with the aforementioned PoqetMate-7 and PoqetMate-9, with the youngin' checking in at just $99.95. So, what will a nickle under a Benjamin buy you? A miniaturized laptop with a Chinese-sourced Loongson processor, though specifications outside of that are still under wraps.Update: Our pal Ross Rubin noticed that his quote was two years old and did some digging -- yeah, this looks like a hoax through and through. So much for that.[Via thegadgetsite]
Coby rolls out HDR-650, HDR-700 HD Radios
Your HD Radio options are hardly as limited as they once were, but if you're still shopping around for one, you may want to take a gander at Coby's latest offerings, which promise the usual better-than-FM sound for a decent enough price. On the lower end, $100 will get you the HDR-650 component radio, which includes some standard RCA connectors to let you hook it up to your existing home audio system, as well as a headphone jack if you want to use it on its own. The $150 HDR-700, on the other hand, is a fully standalone unit, and includes an integrated rechargeable battery to let you take it outdoors, an SD card slot, and a line-in jack to accommodate the portable audio device of your choice. Look for the pair of 'em to hit stores sometime in August.Update: Coby has informed us that these radios are, in fact, the result of a co-branding effort between it and Revo, which accounts for the striking similarity between them and Revo's Pico and Mondo radios.
Coby MP-835 touchscreen PMP almost puts those horrible boomboxes out of mind
In what can only be seen as further evidence of Coby employing to totally different design teams for its PMPs and its fiery boombox product lines, the MP-835 doesn't look half bad. The 10mm thick touchscreen player has a 3-inch, 480 x 272 LCD, and while the 2GB or 4GB storage options are pretty weak, you can augment that with microSD. MP3, WMA, OGG, AVI and WMV are supported, but we'd like to see some AAC and some better video codecs -- but hey, it's Coby, let's not get ahead of ourselves. No word on price, but the player does apparently have FCC certification, so we might be seeing it in the States before long. [Via PMP Today]
