You wouldn’t want to be left up the creak without this now would you!
EviGroup launched the Evigroup Pad last October and have been busy since then to try and improve on the design. The result is a multitouch, SSD-capable version called the ‘Paddle.’
Available for 699 Euro (estimated April to June availability) the Paddle will come with a new software layer called ‘Scale’ (see video below) which promises to make organising and viewing your documents and media a lot easier. Certainly a large touchscreen helps to get a good overview like this so we’ll be interested to see exactly how well it is implemented come launch time.
Other improvements include an optional Wifi antenna (great for stealing the Wifi from others in press conferences!!) and discreet positioning of microphone and web cam. Battery capacity is unknown at this stage but we’re suspecting the battery can’t be more than 25-30wh meaning 3-4hrs max battery life on this 1.6Ghz Intel Atom / Windows 7 HP platform.
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.
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.
If the ‘iPad’ is launched tomorrow there’s one thing that’s certain to happen. As senior editors prepare their copy and aim to boost SEO value by focusing on the current keyword trends, the many tablets that already exist in the market will be completely overlooked. Some tech journalists will remember that something tablet-like existed back in 2006 and mark it as a failed category but of course, we know different.
The number of tablet devices in the market has grown considerably in the last 12 months and we’re now at the point where we have 46 of them fully-specified in the database with screen sizes of 4.8 to 10 inches.
Prices range from $200 to over $1000 with processors based on RISC and X86, operating systems based on Windows and Linux and battery life ranging from 2-10 hours. Our favorite so far – The Viliv X70. What’s yours?
Click for a full interactive list (updated daily) and please, don’t forget the tablets!
EviGroup CEO Nicolas Ruiz just emailed us to let us know that the official website of the EviGroup Pad [info] is now live. Unfortunately it’s in French at the moment but Google does a reasonable job of translating it to English although I’m not so sure about the ‘toes’ bit!
There are four versions of the device based around the same core hardware.
Pointing Device: Stylus deployable, thumbs and fingers (toes as possible)
Wireless connectivity: 3G / WiFi a / b / g
Networking: Ethernet
Lithium-Ion Removable: 3 hours of time average.
Devices internal microphone, webcam Front 1300000 pixels.
Ports SD / MMC / MS (SDHC Compatible)
Connectivity: 1 x VGA, 3 x USB2 ports, jack, microphone jack.
Weight: 990g (battery included)
Dimensions: 260×160x22mm
The best way to describe it would be as a T101H without the keyboard. At 900gm its a very interesting productivity option, I recon the prices aren’t too bad either. 620 for the 3G version seems quite interesting as part of a mobile productivity kit. Note that the RAM is upgradeable too.
Tablet Pad Standard without Windows 7 without Seline10: 489 € + 30 € charges.
Tablet Pad Standard with Windows 7 Home Premium and Seline10: 549 € + 30 € charges.
The Elite version includes 3G:
Tablet Pad Elite 7 with Windows Home Premium and Seline10: 599 € + 30 € charges.
Tablet Pad Elite without Windows 7 without Seline10: 539 € + 30 € charges.
My main questions are:
What does ‘Seline’ give me?
Does the tablet enable touch features in Windows 7?
Apart from a brief mention in the weekly update a few days ago, we haven’t written about the EviGroup Pad yet.
It’s effectively a 10.6 inch, 1kg netbook without the keyboard. It uses the same N270 CPU as in a netbook and includes a 2.5″ 160GB drive. We should also highlight that it has 3G included and runs Windows 7 Premium (is that Home Premium?) with the Seline10 software suite.
I’m seeing a device that’s much like a bigger Samsung Q1 EX here and in many ways its a similar, slightly better, device. This isn’t a breakthrough product by any means but its certainly relatively unique. Archos 9, Viliv X70 and eviGroup Pad face-off would make a good live session!
One thing that needs to be discussed is the battery life. Here’s what Nicolas Ruiz told us in an email today:
Battery life is average 3hrs/3h30. If you use the tablet with Aero, 100% lumi,
and 3g and go to youtube, the battery life is 2h15
That’s an honest figure there. Similar to many other tablet PCs that are quoted as four-hour devices. When you pump the backlight up and turn on 3G you can easily double the battery drain on a device.
The pricing is relatively high compared to netbooks, but low compared to many tablets. Despite the honest battery life figures, I feel this might have benefited from using a Menlow platform rather than the netbook platform and it could be a show-stopper for some. It’s a power/battery life trad-off though and there’s not much more you can squeeze out of a netbook platform in 1KG so if you want something that lasts longer but doesn’t perform as well, you’ve got the Archos 9 and T91 to take a look at and the T101 and Crunchpad to wait for.
The price? 599 Euro. (Slashgear is reporting that it will be available for 499 Euro if you are prepared to take it without OS and without 3G.) That brings it right in line with the Archos 9 that is also available.
Update: We have confirmation that the 499 Euro price is without 3G and Seline software. Windows Home Premium is included.
Many thanks to Thoughtfix who, on my behalf, recorded an interview with Len Kawell, CEO of Pepper Computer while he was at CES 2007. Pepper Computer are responsible for the software architecture and user interface on the PepperPad 3 and a number of other optimised Web devices.
In the audio interview, Len explains why the Pepper Pad exists, the differences between a Pepper Pad and a UMPC and how the first Pepper Pad was initially developed for kids. Parallels with the OLPC project there and one of the reasons they also demonstrated the Pepper experience on the OLPC. Thoughtfix asks a great question – What features do you want that didn’t make it to the current version of the Pepper software? I know what I would like on my PP3. BT DUN so that I can break it free of its WiFi hotspot shackles.
Finally, Len talks a little about the Nokia Internet tablet which, in software architecture terms, is very similar – Linux Kernel, tailored distro and optimised GUI.
I couldn’t agree more with Lens line ‘Some of the most interesting application development is on the web.’ Thin-client web computing is important for mobility right now. There are still physical heat and size issues associated with creating a UMPC device with enough processing power to run a full desktop operating system. Like we saw yesterday with the Google Switch rumor, thin client computing is one answer and it gets easier every day with Web2.0 applications.
Join the forum and join us for discussion about all aspects of ultra mobile computing. Ask questions about devices and usage scenarios and learn from owners and experts. Join up here. If you're already a member, login here.
