Streak is part of a portfolio of tablets. We should expect to hear about the next product before CES (Jan 2011)
The upgrade to Android 2.1 is planned for October
The upgrade to 2.2 (Froyo) is planned for November
The Wifi-only version is no longer planned
While 2.1 will be a nice jump it’s 2.2 that will bring the real changes. Not only are there good changes to apps, features and settings but there’s also 2 core differences to note. Firstly, Android 2.2 includes a new ‘just in time’ (JIT) compiler that speeds up Android applications considerably. Secondly, 2.2 is the first version of Android that includes optimisations for the ARM v7 architecture. That means that CPUs based on it (Cortex, Snapdragon etc.) operate more quickly and efficiently.
Froyo (Android V2.2) on the Dell Streak will be a second- for the device and if Dell sneak in a little price drop you’ve got to consider this as one of the best mini tablets going. We’ve requested a review sample for testing when 2.2 is available so stay tuned.
We had a great chat with the product manager for Toshiba’s AC100 in Germany at IFA yesterday and we covered a lot of ground about the target markets and future for these smart-books. Toshiba seem quite committed to the ‘smart’ sector and already have a team of 25 working on their Android builds. The next two milestones for the team are the Froyo-based Folio 100 Tegra2 Tablet and Android 2.2 (Froyo) upgrade for the AC100. Yes, it’s coming in 6 weeks and I’m excited because not only will it bring a Cortex core optimised version of Android to the device but it will also bring important browser improvements. We should get access to Google Docs and for me, that’s a huge step forward.
I’ve made Toshiba aware of the battery issue and I’ll be following up with an email. We’re also planning to get up to Toshiba’s HQ near Duesseldorf to get some quality time with the Folio soon. Yes, i’ll be taking the chance to tell them how important the Market is and encouraging them to kick Google hard!
I’m hoping to get my 3G / UK version of the AC100 from Amazon soon so if anyone want’s to buy a German (QWERZ keyboard) Wifi-only version, let me know!
I’m nicknaming the Archos 43 the ‘pocket rocket’. Its a great little device that probably shouldn’t be part of the Carrypad product list because its focus is media playback. Sure, it runs Android but thinking of the Archos 43 as an Android device would be the wrong thing to do because it conjures up images of contracts, email, calendars and 3G data. The Archos 43 is a $199 PIMP. That’s a Portable Internet and Media Player!
Android brings a comfortable ui and, if you’re able, access to some ‘sideloaded’ applications such as ebook readers and entertainment programs, it grows well to cover some new ground. If you’re thinking of getting an Archos 43 because you want Android though it’s probably the wrong choice.
What I like about the Archos 43 is that it is priced so that you can ‘gift’ it to yourself easily and that we’ll see a great community spring up around it.
The screen, although resistive, is one of the lightest (touch) I’ve ever used and could be mistaken for a capacitive screen quite easily. The colour and brightness didn’t appear to be as good as the Archos 5 Internet Tablet but it’s not bad either. It’s glossy though. Audio quality from the single speaker is surprisingly good and on par with the Archos 5.
I tested the Archos 43 with Android 2.1 which, due to the lack of Cortex optimizations and the lack of JIT compiler, makes the UI less than smooth (the same applies to the 70 and 101) but having experienced the difference between 2.1 and 2.2 on a Cortex core I expect this problem to go away with the promised upgrade. Timescales for the upgrade range from ‘at launch’ to ‘soon after launch.’ Web page load speeds were reasonable on the tested device but again, this will speed up quite a bit with the 2.2 upgrade. There’s some great potential there with the Ti OMAP 3 processing platform running at 1Ghz.
It’s missing the PVR capability and dock/remote as found on the Archos 5, multi-touch and the complete Google application suite but it includes USB host (we assume for mass storage and perhaps keyboard and mouse) and an HDMI-out port via an adaptor cable (not supplied in retail packaging.) It also promises ‘720p’ video via 2MP cam. This would need a lot of testing to determine what sort of quality and features are available so I’m not commenting on that here.
All in all it’s a great PIMP and a should make an impressive demo when connected to a huge HD screen!
Will I buy? No. It’s too close in functionality to the smartphones I’m using and I’m still a little bruised from the early Archos 5 experience I had. The Archos 70 might be the better gift for someone who already has an Android smartphone.
Update: I’m not sure if it features the tethering feature that was useful on the Archos 5.
Most of you will have heard about the Archos 70, part of the new range of tablet devices being launched over the next few months. Archos have stripped away their recording software and docking station, bumped up the processor, improved the operating system and hit a very competitive pricing point. Add features like HDMI, USB host, capacitive multitouch, multiple video format support and you’ve almost got a full Android Tablet specification list. It’s not complete though. While 800×480 might be acceptable as a resolution, the lack of Google applications isn’t. No Gmail. No free Google Navigation, No Contacts sync and of course, no Google Market. We’ve experienced it on the Archos 5 and it really is noticeable.
Having said that, if you consider the Archos 70 as a sofa tablet, car tablet, holiday tablet and bedside tablet, you’ve got a video and audio player that returns a great browsing experience and offers a stylish way to view photos and ebooks. If you’ve got a way to ‘sideload’ some Android applications you’ll also benefit from some really great applications for entertainment and communications.
Pricing is $275 and it’s coming in Sept or Oct. Note that it might ship with 2.1 but 2.2 will, apparently, follow-up very quickly.
We’ve had some hands-on at IFA and this is how it went…
Not quite as far down the line as some of the other Android tablets we’ve seen at IFA is this, the Interpad from E-Noa. [specifications] It’s a 10” capacitive touch device based on a Tegra 2 platform and will launch without 3G, camera and Google applications towards the end of this year at 399 Euros. That’s not quite up to the Archos 101 offering on the tablet right now but with 1024MB of RAM and the Tegra 2 platform, this is certainly a good one for hackers to think about! Android 2.2 is promised.
E-Noa will produce a ‘street’ version with the necessary specs for Google Market in early 2011. Price and full details unknown but we’re told it will have GPS and 3G. That would put it in the 450-500 Euro space.
Full gallery here or click on any of the images below for larger versions.
In our meeting with Samsung today they came clean about pricing. We also heard about the CPU, some Samsung Market information and got a look at the accessory pack.
Pricing is indeed 799 Euro. This is, however, ‘u.v.p’ which is the same as ‘recommended retail price.’ What this means is that Samsung have built in a big pricing buffer that their customers (the carriers and resellers) can play with. We’re expecting street prices to be way lower than this and we saw a few nods when we mentioned 500 Euros. I get the impression we’re going to see early pricing hit 700 immediately and then a decline to the 600 mark over the next 3 months. Yes, the Galaxy Tab is expensive, but not as expensive as we first thought. Note: German pricing includes 19% tax. 670 Euros is the pre-tax price.
If we’re lucky, Viewsonic will get that truly comparable, although not as sweet, Viewpad 7 out for 399 Euro and make Samsung think twice! 400 certainly seems the right price point for a full 3G, GPS, compass, capacitive touch equipped consumer Android tablet.
Note about the O2 price mentioned in the video (via Twitter) – beware, it could be a contract for the hardware only. O2 Germany usually offer all their mobile devices in separate hardware / call / data contracts. That would bring the cost of the device to 759 Euros – not the cheap deal it might seem.
On the Samsung Market: It sits alongside the Google Market and offers developers a channel for Galaxy specific apps to be built for the device. Samsung will launch a promo campaign for this shortly.
Chatting to people around IFA today we’re all agreeing that the Viewsonic Viewpad is another ‘complete’ Android Tablet product. Apart from the latest Ghz-class CPU, and lets not forget that a 600Mhz Cortex A8-class CPU isn’t actually that bad, it has everything needed for the full Android experience. From camera to 3G. From GPS to Market. From capacative touch to good build quality. You can even use this for voice calls.
The price is 399 Euro (maximum) which we think is very competitive indeed.
In the video below we go over the device and run a few tests, including the voice call!
Correction: IN the video I talked about a 1024×600 screen. We’re checking this. At the moment the general opinion is that it’s an 800×480 screen. That does make some difference for web browsing it will be difficult to detect any downside when using it in apps that are all designed for smaller resolutions anyway.
We’ve got a few videos coming up on the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 but first, here’s the pics and a few thoughts (I need to hit decent internet connection before I upload the videos – they’ll come later.)
In summary, the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is delivering most of what the Galaxy Tab is delivering, for an excellent price. You haven’t quite got the build quality (it’s good though) and you’ve got a known brand, Android 2.2, capacitive touch (good screen quality), 3G, voice and the Google apps. The only thing you might notice is the user interface. It’s not as swift as the Galaxy Tab and that’s clearly because the CPU is a Snapdragon at 600Mhz and not the high-end A8 Cortex device of the Samsung. It’s not bad though and in my tests over 3G I was happy.
The price, BTW is a decent 399 Euro (350 UK pounds) and it’s coming soon. (Within the next few months)
We didn’t get a huge chance for hands-on as we stumbled across the Toshiba press event at IFA today and with the device locked to the wall, without and sort of Internet connection and without any supporting technical staff, it was difficult to do a good test on the Toshiba Folio 100. We want to go back and ask about pricing, Google apps and Android 2.2 availability for the keyboarded version that we’re doing extended testing on, the AC100. I’ve published a video on YouTube (below) that might give you a few snippets of information about the Folio but we’ll be back over the next few days with more information. We promise!
We’ve managed to get some time with the Galaxy Tab at IFA and we’ve got pics, a video and some benchmarks following in the next post. It’s quite the looker, performer and a very good all-round tablet package.
Click to to see gallery
Fist impressions: Slick, fast, great weight/size ratio and Samsung have managed to include the Google applications AND their own app creations. The screen is sharp and, as expected actually, great quality with a contrast, brightness and ‘pop’ that we grew fond of with the Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC. Web sites loaded quickly and cleanly over 3G and capacative touch was smooth. Stereo speakers are loud and of good quality for the size. Another trick that Samsung performed on the Q1 Ultra!
We got an iPad and Dell Streak in for size comparisons and as you can see, it’s less than half the size of the iPad.
As for iPad and Dell Streak comparisons, I’m going to spend a few days thinking about it before I put any thoughts forward. We’ll get some more hands-on over the next few days and test out the Samsung apps and some applications from the Market. Stay tuned.
On to the hands-on video. [Uploading NOW! Update: Benchmark details to follow in next post.]
