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Congatec announced a Qseven module that's offered with single- or dual-core AMD G-Series processors clocked at 1.0GHz. The Conga-QAF comes with 2GB or 4GB of RAM, supports dual displays, includes multiple I/O interfaces, and is offered with onboard SSD (solid state drive) options up to 32GB, the company says.
India's “$35” tablet has launched at a price of $61, but may be subsidized by the government to as low as $30 for students, according to one report. Developed by U.K.-based Datawind, the “Aakash UbiSlate 7” tablet runs Android 2.2 on a 366MHz Conexant processor, with 256MB RAM and 2GB flash, and features a seven-inch, 800 x 480 resistive display.
At its MAX 2011 conference in Los Angeles, Adobe Systems revealed some of its strategy for taking its flagship Flash Platform forward while also enabling developers to build rich applications using HTML5. The company is not abandoning Flash for HTML5, nor is it putting one ahead of the other, officials emphasized.
Winmate announced a rugged handheld computer that includes a 3.7-inch, VGA-resolution touchscreen and a 600MHz Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP3530 processor. The R03TACH-RTS1 has 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage, a built-in GPS receiver and wireless networking, a three megapixel camera, plus options that include a cellular modem and an RFID reader, according to the company.
Eurotech announced a GPS-enabled rugged display computer for in-vehicle installations, featuring EN50155 compliance for railways. The DynaVIS 10-00 is equipped with a 1.1GHz Intel Atom, soldered 512MB RAM and 2GB flash, a 4GB microSDHC card, a 5.7-inch touchscreen, optional Wi-Fi and cellular modems, a wide-range power supply, plus a variety of wired I/O expressed via dual opto-isolated ports.
Intel has quietly launched its 32nm, “Cedar Trail” Atoms, which will reportedly sell for as little as $42. The portable-focused Atom N2600 and N2800 can be clocked up to 1.86GHz and 2.13GHz respectively, while the desktop-oriented D2500 and D2700 stretch to 2.13GHz and 2.4GHz, according to the company.
The Attachmate/SUSE-backed OpenSUSE and Red Hat-backed Fedora community Linux projects have been released in beta versions that include the GNOME 3.2 desktop environment. The Fedora 16 (“Verne”) beta also adds support for the GRUB2 bootloader, as well as updates to applications including Firefox, Blender, Perl, and Python, while the OpenSUSE 12.1 (“Asparagus”) beta adds SystemD and Btrfs file-system support.
Ibase announced a fanless digital signage PC with a dual-core AMD G-Series processor and a DVI-I output. Providing hardware video acceleration, the SI-08 has a 1.6GHz T56N processor, up to 2GB of RAM and 1TB of disk storage, gigabit Ethernet and a serial port, and a Mini PCI slot for optional Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the company says.
LG announced an Optimus LTE phone that runs Android 2.3 on a dual-core, 1.5GHz processor, sports a 4.5-inch “True HD” IPS display with an unprecedented resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, and an LTE modem. Meanwhile, T-Mobile posted — and then hid — a web page showing two LG-manufactured MyTouch-branded phones said to be “coming soon.”
Igel announced that its UD5 thin client now comes with a 1.3GHz Via Nano processor, DDR3 memory, and the VX900 chipset. Now 40 percent faster than before, the device also has lower power consumption and is newly offered with the Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, the company says.
Amazon is rumored to be negotiating with HP to buy its Palm division, including its WebOS assets — either to create an update to the Kindle Fire tablet, or just to gain patents. Meanwhile, an IHD iSuppli analysis suggests Amazon is selling each Quanta-manufactured Fire for $10 less than it costs to build.
NewEgg.com has begun shipping an unlocked, camera-focused Sony Ericsson Android 2.3 smartphone for $380. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch display, both 8.1-megapixel and VGA cameras, plus a 3G radio said to be suitable for AT&T's network.
An Android-based “I-slate” tablet prototype developed in part by Rice University has completed year-long trials in Indian public schools, and a $50 solar-powered version with a new power-sipping processor is set to enter full production for a mid-2012 release. Meanwhile, the much-delayed “$35 Indian Tablet” aimed at Indian students will launch Oct. 5, the Indian government now claims.
Lenovo's 10.1-inch ThinkPad Tablet is a reasonable alternative to the iPad 2 for enterprise users, says this eWEEK Labs review. This capable Android “Honeycomb” tablet offers business-focused extras like built-in enterprise software, full-size ports, and an effective digitizing pen.
Amazon's Kindle Fire may not be an iPad killer or offer cutting-edge features, but it could prove to be a big headache for Android tablet and e-reader vendors, analysts agree. Meanwhile, others debate whether the Fire's customized UI represents a true fork of Android, and argue over whether its cloud-oriented Silk browser is a breakthrough in mobile multimedia or an unprecedented invasion of privacy.