5" Android Tablet $155

by elblanco • 16 years ago

117 82 16 years ago

ConceptDog• 16 years ago

Call me when this is 8" to 10".

SamAtt4• 16 years ago

I think you're being a little unfair. It's screen is bigger than the iPod Touch and it's cheaper. If you, for example, were a developer who wanted to build an open platform iPod competitor this would be a good starting point.

And let me just say I don't work for/with/or in any way with this company. I just believe in both openness and the portable market and can see how a device like this is a good thing.

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

before you start sending them money, read this thread first:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1182322

SamAtt4• 16 years ago

I don't see anything overtly wrong in that thread. If anything I see HN readers behaving badly by taking advantage of someone whose English isn't that great. For the most part the things people were attacking him for are things that almost every manufacturer does in China (copying web sites for example).

I don't see anything that indicates he's dishonest (and even if I did I'm not sure it would detract given the price)

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

Well, you've been warned.

I think there is plenty in that thread that is not above board, but of course you are entitled to your own opinion.

scott_s2• 16 years ago

The most important thing I learned is that it's not his device. He's just re-branding a device that other people made. It's also clear he doesn't understand the technology he's selling. It also seems to be true that he was taking paid orders before he actually had a device.

scott_s2• 16 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to make clear what this is.

SamAtt4• 16 years ago

I remember this from a while ago. Here's a good video: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/03/zenpad-the-155.php

271828182842• 16 years ago

Android 1.6? Make it bigger and use current version of Android and I'll buy one.

Nwallins• 16 years ago

From http://enso-now.com/n/info.php

> Upgrades to Android 2.x will be available within 1 month to our customer on their private section for simple downloading and upgrading. Easy instructions will be provided.

Funny -- from http://enso-now.com/n/Images/Slideshow/dimensions.png

> Designed by Enso in Hong Assembled in China

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

That site is full of gems like that.

271828182842• 16 years ago

Aye! I was looking right at that page and I missed the comment about 2.x. Thanks

morbidkk• 16 years ago

name as well as logo is similar to http://humanized.com/enso/

CrazedGeek• 16 years ago

Probably from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D

jaaron• 16 years ago

This was my first thought as well.

andreyf• 16 years ago

And this is why Steve Jobs sees Android as a direct attack against Apple: these devices (which Apple would like to sell at a high margin) can be made really cheap in a world of commoditized hardware (thanks, Microsoft!) and free software (thanks, Google!).

Edit-reply: while Apple can try to split off a premium market as it did with PC's, this is going to be a lot harder (and the premium market will be lot smaller) when then OS provider isn't trying to make a profit.

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

Absolutely, and there will be plenty of them:

http://www.androidtablets.net/

Not a week goes by without another announcement.

light32• 16 years ago

The second item is a 4.8" $100 'ipad killer':

http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-news/65-1...

Groxx• 16 years ago

From the specs, it's not multitouch (a significant feature). From the video, it was stuttering on just scrolling the application lists.

It may be a competitor to the iPad / iPod Touch, but it's not a serious competitor. Apple still has the "premium" edge on it, their market doesn't seem likely to be overly affected. An Android tablet definitely appeals to me more than an iPad, for software purposes, but I'm not one of the iPad's target consumers. Though I'm not interested if it doesn't have multitouch.

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

You are correct, it does not have multi-touch, and I think that the panel it is built around doesn't support that. The mobile network connectivity is handled through a dongle.

The price seems to have dropped from $189 two weeks ago to $155 now.

peteysd• 16 years ago

No accelerometer either. I'm not sure how it knows whether to display in landscape or portrait. Says that it's "controlled by software".

angusgr• 16 years ago

More than not multitouch, it's a resistive (rather than capacitive) touch screen, so you can only reliably use it with a stylus (which is included.)

Which is a bit of a downer, cos I was thinking of getting one to mount one in my car. Also, AFAIK, there isn't any good free handwriting recognition on Android yet, so you may be stuck tapping an on-screen keyboard with a stylus.

mortenjorck• 16 years ago

I don't think a free operating system in the mainstream is going to make it any harder for Apple to keep their premium market. Yes, it allows manufacturers to cut their prices even lower, but, just like in the PC market, Apple isn't competing at the volume end.

It won't be hard for other manufacturers to enter the tablet space. Competing with the iPad's integration, build quality, and usability, though, will be.

bad_user3• 16 years ago

Oh yes it will.

Apple nearly went bankrupted, mostly because even if the hardware was good, their Mac OS was a piece of shit that started paling in comparison to Windows NT, OS/2 or even newcomers like BeOS, while Win 95 gave you approximately the same value but with increased compatibility with older / current apps.

They can't keep their premium market if you can get the same quality for a lower price and a lot more freedom to tinker. Google coupled with HTC/Motorola can deliver that quality.

Their only option is to keep innovating and keep infusing mass-media with Stevey-juice ... but that's not sustainable.

I don't get why they haven't learned anything from their past mistakes. Lock-down, patent threats (it was copyright in the old days) ... do they really think these will work?

ThomPete4• 16 years ago

I have said it before and I will say it again.

What apple sell is not the device. They make money on the device but that is not what they really sell you.

What they sell is easy access to content and the experiences you can have with it.

Apple will never be the most sold product in the world and they don't and shouldn't care. They are and will continue to be on of the most profitable companies and that they both do and should care about.

No one cares about the tech specs. They care about the price.

Those who can afford it will buy one but most people wont be able to afford the iPad let alone willing to spend that kind of money on it but they will all dream of it.

And that is why Steve Jobs have nothing to worry about. Completely different market segments.

thewileyone• 16 years ago

You're wrong. Apple does care and does want to sell the most products in the world. If it didn't, it wouldn't challenge technology that another company develops that's similar to their own; they'd let it go because they build the better product anyway.

jsz02• 16 years ago

Or it could be another Linux on the desktop situation which is an interesting parallel since it enjoys the same set of advantages/disadvantages against the competition.

ugh• 16 years ago

I’m very happy about that: Cheaper and better iPads for everyone.

DannoHung• 16 years ago

On the other hand, the absolute glut of really shitty iPad knock-offs flooding the market could cause a flight to quality.

I was playing with a co-worker's Nexus one today who is very Apple-skeptical and the thing was just... bleh. They can't even get scrolling to work right on their premiere phone?

mikecane• 16 years ago

A few weeks ago, this was called the ePad. The link at my post still goes to the same site.

http://ipadtest.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/apple-ipad-meet-and...

jacquesm12• 16 years ago

Prize quote from there:

> thanks for posting about our product. I have to admit that the image mockups could be better

What's wrong with simply photographing the device? (If you have them...)

jsz02• 16 years ago

Does anyone know what type of issues this device will have due to the resistive touchscreen and third party apps? Especially for games or any other apps that are designed more specifically for capacitive touchscreens?

davidedicillo• 16 years ago

Apple products are about experience, that's what they really sell. Hardware and software are perfectly tailored to works seamlessly with each other. And for sure it isn't a free OS that let other companies undercut Apple's price.

callmeed• 16 years ago

The iPhone's screen is 3.5" ... where exactly do we draw the line between "phone" and "tablet"?

Sorry, but I'd almost put this in "no man's land" ... too big for a phone in my pocket, too small to be useful as anything else.

latch• 16 years ago

arrg..when will Android support USB Host? We (and many others) are stuck in a WinCE world solely because everyone else is missing this feature.

pi3832• 16 years ago

Nope, still nothing around that even vaguely competes with the iPod touch. 3,427 announcements of amazing freakin' devices sure to be released any day now!

The only market with more vaporware is alternative-fuel vehicles.

nagoo• 16 years ago

no camera?

pathik• 16 years ago

Is this company legit? Has anyone here ordered one?

rubinelli• 16 years ago

A pop up said they aren't currently accepting orders from the site when I clicked the shopping button.

Lorin• 16 years ago

God I'm sick of all these tablets that don't provide proper reading/writing functionality. MEMS/Mirasol, Pixel Qi or the original OLPC screen. C'mon.

I feel the closest thing at the moment is NotionInk's Adam... throw in a proper Wacom stylus system and I'd buy two...

It really feels like most of the companies don't have a goal, just throwing random stuff at the wall and hoping something will stick... and to be all "me too".

Maybe I should just design my own proper UI for these things and pull a Microsoft :|

mattmichielsen• 16 years ago

I like how the large clock on the desktop doesn't correlate with the system time in the upper right corner.

va_coder• 16 years ago

Some thoughts: * I'm in the target market for this: some cheap slab that I can carry around and surf the internet. * I know what's on the top of my x-mas list * The barrier to entry for development on a mobile device just went down

5" Android Tablet $155

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