It seems that everyone is getting in the the tablet game, the latest company to launch a tablet is German DSL provider 1&1 with the launch of the 1&1 SmartPad Android tablet……
What’s with this German obsession with the ‘Pad‘ name? After WePad (which has now incidentally renamed to WeTab after Apple intervened to claim the trademark which is legally not theirs), we now have yet another tablet PC from Germany that is named on a similar line.
Germany DSL service provider, 1&1 has announced the launch of a new tablet PC named SmartPad. The new 1&1 Smartpad tablet computer will come with a 7″ WVGA LCD screen, 256MB RAM, 1GB ROM, 500MHz processor and run on Android 1.6. A Froyo update is likely in September.
The tablet includes a 7-inch touchscreen, 800×480 video resolution, 500MHz ARM11 chip, 256MB RAM, and Wi-Fi. The tablet unfortunately doesn’t have 2G or 3G support, but can be connected to a USB modem for wired broadband.
Also included is 1GB ROM storage, with 1&1 including app support — but it doesn’t include the Android App Market, with the German-based AndroidPit being chosen for apps. 1&1 includes custom apps, digital photo modification, a music player, VOD support, and other popular consumer-driven apps.
There’s also a USB WWAN dongle that can be used as a wireless bridge to 2G or 3G connections. Some other features include a music player, use as a digital picture frame and access to 1&1 Video-on-Demand service maxdome.
Overall, the specs do not seem impressive considering that even inside Germany, the WeTab beats this one comprehensively. And add to it the fact that Android OS is not pre-installed. This means that you may not be able to access the Android market place and instead will have to make do with the 100 applications available on 1&1 marketplace.
According to the promotional video hosted just past the break, it should ship later this month for precisely nothing so long as you pick up a data plan to go alongside of it. ‘Course, getting one outside of Deutschland is another challenge entirely…
Resources :myce.com,gorumors.com,slipperybrick.com
I never was into the “Pad” thing, but I have to admit the smartpad looks stunning. Maybe I will change my mind and buy one?