[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[hsrazorback1]

Further proof of the power of free-market economics.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Marvell Shows a New Android Tablet Design

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By Harry McCracken | Posted at 8:02 am on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I’m spending the day at the Future of Publishing Summit in New York City, a conference on the digital transformation of books, magazines, and newspapers. The room is packed with execs from the New York publishing industry, plus a few Silicon Valley types. Among the latter are the folks from chipmaker Marvell, who are showing off some prototype devices based on the company’s low-cost, power-efficient Armada processors.

The newest of these is a reference design for a 10.1″ Android-based color tablet that Marvell just finished putting together. Here it is:

As a reference design, this (rather chunky) tablet is mostly about technological guts rather than industrial design: I’d expect the companies who build devices based on it to make them sleeker and sexier.

Marvell says that it expects tablets based on this design to go on sale by the end of this year. It’s not talking about pricetags yet, but with the iPad starting at $499, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the starting price for tablets from other companies will be substantially lower. Manufacturers should certainly be able to sell an Armada-based tablet running the free Android OS for less than a “Slate PC” running full-blown Windows 7.

[Defiant]

Someone is subsidizing that price. Either there are ads for the chillren on that pad, or the government is expected to pay for it in some way. With that screen and the internal parts, it costs a minimum of $220 to produce.

[ShadowAce]

[CriticalJ]

Interesting.

A $99.00 tablet could really take a bite out of the iPad’s sales. Many people look at price first. A $400 difference is something that is hard to ignore even if the iPad is much more powerful or versatile. Especially if the pad is going to a kid.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Lots of info on various "Tablet" news at this link:

I4U News--Tablet

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Wired has a short article:

Marvell Teases with $100 Tablet for Students

Would use Marvell’s ARMADA 600.

[martin_fierro]

Marvell promising $99 all-in-one HD tablet computer for students

OOGPC: "One Overpriced Gadget Per Child"

[Quix]

PING

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related thread:

iPad killer from, uh, India? - But is there a market for a tablet computer?

[Fresh Wind]

Looks interesting. At $99 I would buy one, but I’d be surprised if they sell for that.

**** Apple for not including a USB port.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

I have no idea how they can get to a $99 price ,...but if so it would be a game changer for the education field....

I could see really being able to show some good geometry constructions with this.

You could have everything prepakaged rather than standing at a blackboard using multicolored chalk....which I have done...some students still had trouble understanding.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Not to mention it will be powered by the Marvell ARMADA 600 series of application processors....

...and will run Linux. Can't possibly run Winders at $99. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.