German tech company Neofonie have given their WePad tablet an official press outing, promising that it will be ready for pre-ordering in Germany on April 27th, with availability elsewhere starting this summer.
Despite its awful name, the WePad seems an interesting gizmo, offering an iPad-trouncing 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 multi-touch display, powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU.
Running a custom version of Linux with a touch-friendly interface, there’s support for 1080p HD video playback (courtesy of an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator), plus Flash and Adobe AIR support.
Connectivity-wise, the Apple-thumping theme continues with 2 USB ports, a card reader, SIM card slot, Wi-Fi, a HDMI output, optional 3G, and also a headphone jack.
Pricing
Pricing has been set at 449 Euros for the 16GB model, rising to the 569 Euros for the 32GB model which ramps up the feature set with 3G, GPS, and HD video playback.
A bit too rough’n’ready?
Although we’re liking the look of that big screen and the full feature set, but we’re not so convinced by the dour interface.
Having an iPad-beating set of specs is one thing, but if the tablet can’t at least match Apple’s sleek and simple interface and excellent ease of use, then consumers may take some persuading to go with this relatively unknown brand instead.
Specs:
- Display: 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel multitouch display
- CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450
- OS: Linux-based WePad operating system (with the ability to run Android apps)
- Storage: 16GB or 32GB plus SDHC card slot
- Webcam: 1.3Mp
- I/O: 2 USB ports, card reader, SIM card slot, headphone jack
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, optional 3G
- Battery: 6 hour Li-ION
- Dimensions: 11.3″ x 7.5″ x 0.5″
- Weight: 1.8 pounds (1.9 pounds with 3G module)
[Via]
