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Spark tablet available for pre-order, still aiming for 200 euro price tag
We're sure some Linux fans broke into a cold sweat over the open source Spark tab. Fortunately it's taken the next step towards their eager paws: the seven inch slab is now up for pre-order. Sign up for one and you'll net a priority order code to ensure you get one of the first units off the production line, alongside 500 points to use at the manufacturer's add-on store. The site still expects to launch the Spark for around €200 ($262), which is a fair chunk of change less than those top-drawer tablets -- and what price can you put on freedom?[Thanks Jose]
Spark pre-orders delayed, but here's a video instead (video)
We had hoped that the Linux-based open-source Spark tablet would be up for pre-order already, but the logistics gods have decreed it not to be. Order registrations are now simply said to go online "ASAP". In the meantime, the developers hope to whet your appetite with this video of the 7-inch budget-slab in action. So it looks a little bit laggy right now, but the team behind it says there's plenty of performance to be squeezed out of it yet. Likewise the UI you see above is optimized for a larger screen, meaning thumbnails and margins should be sharper once those kinks have been ironed out. Hit the source below to get the full update on the pre-order setbacks.
Spark Linux tablet specs updated, going up for pre-order next week
We already got a brief introduction to the Spark Linux-based tablet, but details were a little sparse. Since then, a few more key bits of info have been added to its Q&A page, which might help sway your purchasing decision. That KDE Plasma Active UI we knew it'd be sporting will stare out at you via a modest 800 x 480 screen, and there's a 1.3 megapixel snapper tucked in alongside for video calling. The 1GHz / 512 MB internals we initially reported remain unchanged and the two USB ports and 3.5mm audio jack we saw in the pre-release picture above also get the official seal. There's talk of GPS making it into the next iteration, but for now you'll have to find your own way. The main news, however, is that pre-orders are pegged for next week, and shipping set for May. The initial focus is on Europe, but plans for it to arrive in US retailers are apparently underway. If that's suitably tickled your fancy, head on over the break and tap the source for more info.
Meet Spark, the 200 euro slate packing Linux-based Plasma Active UX
As we all know, the Kindle Fire's hot, Apple's selling bushels of iPads, and there's plenty of Honeycomb slates out there for you to choose from, but what if you want a tablet free from corporate influence? Enter Spark, a seven-inch slate that comes running the Plasma Active UX, an open-source OS based on Linux kernel, KDE's multi-platform Plasma environment and a dash of Qt for good measure. Now, this isn't just a consumer tablet -- Spark's aimed at "those who love writing great software... using the typical Linux tools" -- but it will offer access to ebooks from Project Gutenberg, plus Qt and QML apps, too. It's powered by a 1GHz AMLogic ARM processor, has a Mali-400 GPU and comes with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, plus an SD card slot for future expansion. Modest underpinnings, to be sure, but for €200 ($262), you can't expect quad core silicon, right? Naturally, order and delivery dates remain a mystery, but plenty of other info about the open-source slate can be found at the source below.
