When the news about the Nav 9 (then the 8192NN) first hit last month there was a lot of negative feedback about a $1200 asking price. We held back from reporting the story, instead choosing to contact the guys at Netbook Navigator to see what was going on. Since then we’ve had a good back-and-forth about specifications, pricing and target markets and as a result of all the feedback they’ve had, Netbook Navigator have re-positioned their product with a much lower entry point. You still get the multi-touch (resistive) screen, Windows Home Premium and 16GB SSD (which is going to be tight for Win 7) but the entry level pricing is a much more interesting $799.

Details, specs, gallery, links on the Netbook Navigator Nav 9 in our database.

Clearly there are many that will be comparing this to a $499 iPad (funny that the Apple product is lowering the pricing bar!) but remember that this is a productivity-focused tablet with support for everything you’re used to on your desktop. Yes, your USB printer will work, Skype, Bluetooth and USB keyboards and you’ll get full Adobe Flash support for YouTube support up to HQ mode.

Others will be comparing it to the ASUS T91 MT and at $484, no-one can argue with the serious competition that Netbook Navigator have there. [Sidenote: Anyone got the T91 MT? If so, let us know how you’re getting on with it.]

You’ll pay for all this multitasking flexibility with a very poor 2.5hr battery life but there’s a factory option ($50) for a large capacity (x1.5) battery. 3G and large SSD options also exist.

Personally, I’m not a large format tablet fan and would not look forward to multi-touching this 2lb device while holding it in one hand but, as with everything, there’s always a customer out there and if the build quality is good, this lowers the entry point for sub 1KG multi-touch tablets nicely. Battery life needs to be improved to 4hrs minimum on the next round of these devices though.

Source: Netbook Navigator.

If you’ve got a product ready to tell the world about, you obviously haven’t just started work on it so these two very similar 8.9” tablets aren’t a results of any iPad hype and the fact that they are based on the netbook platform and offering Windows 7 means that they are targeted at a different, more productivity-focused user; just the sort of user that comes to UMPCPortal!

First-up is the ExoPC. Offered by a French company (with no English website. Clearly not interested in being the global #1,) it’s based on a 2009 netbook platform but offers a multi-touch screen, a 4 hours battery and, based on the SIM-card slot, a 3G option. A weight of 795gm 32GB SSD and 2GB RAM give it specs that raise it slightly above the average netbook and fit well with the requirements of a productive Windows 7 environment.

ExoPC have helpfully provided a comparison page which includes the Archos 9 and iPad but omits the other competitors, the Nav 9 and the EviGroup Pad. Pricing is $599 and is said to be available in March.

On to the Nav 9 then, this is the one that appeared last month as the Netbook Navigator 891A-NN. Again, we’re looking at a sub-1KG (2lb) 8.9” tablet but entry-level pricing gives you a slightly more basic model. Low capacity (2hrs) battery, 1GB RAM and 16GB of SSD are all lower than the ExoPC but there are options to upgrade all of them. A base unit (no OS, single touch, no cam) is going to cost you $500 and expanding everything possible will take you way up to a scary $1500 although at that price you’re getting 3G, 128GB SSD and the multi-touch screen.

It’s obvious that these two are from the same OEM (Sinchun) so it will be very interesting to see how these two companies position their competing products because as we all know here in UMPC-land, devices without keyboards are a tough-sell.