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Neofonie and 4tiitoo WeTab hands-on (update)
We'll be honest: the first time we heard a company named Neofonie was making a tablet, we figured someone was up to no good... but having just experienced the 11.6-inch MeeGo machine for ourselves at IDF 2010, however, we think it's safe to say we were dead wrong. The WeTab may not have pinch-to-zoom (yet) but we never missed it once while browsing webpages and tiled apps on the large capacitive screen, using one of the most intuitive, practical touchscreen interfaces we've ever had the pleasure to try. Get a brief glimpse at the device in our gallery below, and find more after the break. Update: Though the internet at large has reported for ages now that the tablet's made by Neofonie, that's not quite correct. As it turns out, a company named 4tiitoo is responsible for the fancy UI, and the hardware itself (like the ExoPC) are actually made by Pegatron. Update 2: Extended impressions (and video!) after the break. %Gallery-102086%
WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA
Remember the WeTab? Or the WePad, perhaps? While we can't say we had much confidence in ever seeing the tablet again after a seemingly endless series of false starts and delays, it has turned up at IFA, and with something of a surprise no less -- it's running a customized version of MeeGo. Those customizations look to keep things mostly in line with the interface we saw during the device's WePad days, but it does seem to be a bit more responsive, and is seemingly in a nearly final state. Of course, it's not quite final enough to avoid another delay -- it's now apparently set to roll out in "late September." Head on past the break to check it out in action.
WeTab street date pushed back to mid-September
WeTab, WePad -- whatever name you use, it's obvious that the gang at Neofonie doesn't exactly run the tightest ship. (And yes, we're still feeling a little stung from the product launch, where they tried to pass off Windows 7 as Linux.) If Amazon.de is to be believed, it looks like the €460 ($566) wonder won't be available now until mid-September. This isn't exactly the sort of thing that inspires confidence in pre-order customers, but who knows? Maybe some amusing behind-the-scenes drama is unfolding as we speak. You know how we love our schadenfreude. [Thanks, Sebastian]
WePad renamed WeTab to 'clearly differentiate' itself
The WePad has already had to cross a few hurdles and overcome some skepticism on it's way to a release, and it's now undergone another big change -- it's just been renamed the "WeTab." According to the company, that's been done in order to "clearly differentiate our products within the international market for tablet computers." No other changes, from the looks of it, and the company says that pre-orders of the device are not affected by the name switch-a-roo -- although we suppose you can cancel if you're fiercely averse to anything named "Tab." Coincidentally, it seems that the tablet has also recently gone up for pre-order on Amazon.de, with it demanding the expected €449 for the 16GB WiFi version, and €569 for the 32GB 3G model -- still no promised ship date, unfortunately. [Thanks, Mike]
Neofonie's WePad tablet shown to German journalists, seems legit (update: now with English!)
Though "Neofonie" is the most apt name for a vaporware company we've heard since "Phantom," it's looking like that very firm's 11.6-inch WePad tablet is actually the real deal. Fed up with all the skepticism it has received of late, the German firm just held a press conference in Berlin to show off a pair of working devices and allay our fears. Netbooknews.de was on the scene, and they took a pair of high-res videos that prove the tablets do, in fact, have a working (though somewhat laggy) touchscreen, and that fancy-pants vertical UI is quite functional. Full screen YouTube videos were choppy, but they played, and the Atom N450 CPU loaded OpenOffice and flipped through browser windows without a hitch. But don't take our word for it -- watch the whole 25-minute demonstration after the break, plus a bonus video from AndroidPIT. Then, if you'd be so kind, tell us what the nice company reps are saying. Update: AndroidPIT was kind enough to dub over their entire demo in English -- hear everything after the break.
Supposedly legit WePad video gives us a case of the JooJoos
Ok, so the 11.6-inch WePad was launched running a video and not the real UI. Big deal, at least now we know it'll run Windows 7 in a pinch. In an attempt to save face, the lads at Neofonie posted a video showing what appears to be a real-live working WePad in action. Unfortunately, touch is not yet enabled so the navigation is accomplished with a USB mouse assist. Having been burned once, we're not sure what we can believe about this €450 Atom N450-powered slate. See the video after the break. Update: Video was removed. [Thanks, Mauro]
WePad comes out of tablet hiding, reveals its €450 price and August availability
There's no I in pad. Only we, of course. Yeah, we've been wanting to make that joke for awhile -- but in all seriousness, Neofonie, makers of the 11.6-inch WePad, held a press conference in Berlin today to reveal a bit more about its Linux-based slate. According to our German counterparts there will be two versions of the Intel Atom N450-powered tablet, which has two USB ports and an onboard webcam -- the 16GB / WiFi version will go for €450 and the 64GB / HD capable model for €569. We're a bit intrigued by the promised "full HD" support of the larger version, but Neofonie was quick to say that there is no NVIDIA inside. Hmm... Broadcom's Crystal HD, perhaps? The company wasn't willing to let reporters play with the early build of the multitouch device, but they did show off some videos of the Linux interface. You can watch a few after the break, but the live widget-based GUI looks extremely attractive and amongst other things, the browser supports Flash. It sort of hurts that we won't be able to get our hands on one until August, but we're happy to hear that the company, unlike some others, is taking the time to get things right. Updated: We can't help but laugh at the fact that many sites are reporting that the WePad on display at yesterday's press conference was actually running Windows 7 underneath the Linux-looking UI. Apparently the company has more work to do than we originally thought.
Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate
Another day, another Android tablet render. This one, the imaginatively titled WePad, is as ambitious as its name might suggest. (You know, because "we" is plural of "I"? Yeah, it's a stretch.) Dwarfing the iPad with its 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and a mooted six hours of battery life, we could see ourselves picking one up -- provided the price point is decent. But that's just the beginning! The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and, if all goes according to plan, this thing'll sport genuine Google Android and the Android Market. The company also mentions something called the "WeMagazine publishing ecosystem," the basis of a turn-key operation for getting your own branded device out on the e-reader market, so if you're looking to get into the biz just hit the source link to begin your adventure. As for us, we'll wait to see a final product before we jump to any conclusions. [Thanks, Dan Z]