Sharp Aquos Pad SHT21 7" IGZO tablet for 2X-plus battery life

[PatNY]

Here's a tablet set to debut in December that looks very interesting and may be a game changer --

"Sharp Aquos Pad SHT21 is a 7 inches Android tablet boosted with a battery life of up to two and half time better than the regular tablet. Using the display made up of Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide achieves a battery life of 24 hours of continuous operation as that of 10 hours in the normal tablets. The 24 hours battery backup is obtained with a 3460 mAh battery which can be rechargeable. And it could easily provide a standby time of a week. The 7 inches screen provides a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and it’s powered with dual core MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 Ghz frequency and includes 1 GB of RAM. The device is on the lighter side as it has less weight in battery and weighs 280 grams along with measuring 9.4 mm thickness."

Full specs in the link, but it weighs just 280 grams and promises to have extremely long battery life. It will be the king of the 7-8" tablets in terms of both weight and battery life if what's being reported is accurate.

Unfortunately, it appears it may not be sold outside of Japan. But if it's successful, there will probably be similar models using the same screen technology in the very near future.

--Pat

[obsessed2]

Very nice. I read a couple of stories about laptops with24 hour battery life. I think this will be the next big thing in laptops and tablets.

[ucfgrad93]

Wow, that looks pretty impressive.

[Kumabjorn]

Don't hold your breath, Sharp is in serious decline right now, every quarter is billion dollar loses, they will find a way to mess this thing up too.
They have a tendency to overload their phones and tablets with bloatware galore. People don't realize this so after a while they are all confused as why their device don't react when tapping the screen and it freezing up for five minutes or so before you can do anything on it again.

[Dulin's Books]

but the igzo displays are the next evolution in mobile displays as long as the yields continue to rise

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

but the igzo displays are the next evolution in mobile displays as long as the yields continue to rise

In the current climate of "all we want is cheaper prices" they might never even make it past the initial stages. Unless they get one of the giants like Google, Amazon, HP, or Apple backing them.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Don't hold your breath, Sharp is in serious decline right now, every quarter is billion dollar loses, they will find a way to mess this thing up too.
They have a tendency to overload their phones and tablets with bloatware galore. People don't realize this so after a while they are all confused as why their device don't react when tapping the screen and it freezing up for five minutes or so before you can do anything on it again.

You can clean bloatware off.
The cheaper prices and better hardware and software last.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

You can clean bloatware off.
The cheaper prices and better hardware and software last.

If you're a tech geek and know how to root. I'm guessing that it is less than half a percent of buyers that are that tech savvy. That is not a sufficient market. They load them with bloatware to hold your hand and guide you through its usage, a typical Japanese approach of showing concern for their customers. Unfortunately they end up with the exact opposite effect they are aiming for.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Don't hold your breath, Sharp is in serious decline right now, every quarter is billion dollar loses, they will find a way to mess this thing up too.
They have a tendency to overload their phones and tablets with bloatware galore. People don't realize this so after a while they are all confused as why their device don't react when tapping the screen and it freezing up for five minutes or so before you can do anything on it again.

This is exactly what happened to a lot of Samsung phones in the early days of Android. They would be fine when first bought but once the user loaded a lot of apps on it and used it for a few months, lagginess and lockups would occur. So methinks it is more a symptom of early Android than of anything else. With later flavors -- ie, ICS and JB -- the OS is a lot smoother. Initial reports of the Aquos Pad from the few hands-on reviews report no issue with responsiveness.

Of course, this is all moot for many of us if the Aquos Pad won't be sold outside of Japan. To get it gray market would probably be cost-prohibitive. But should the device be a success -- at least in terms of its battery life -- then it may have very good and major implications for the rest of the tablet market going forward, assuming Sharp will continue to develop IGZO and produce it for other tablet makers.

--Pat

[VaultBoy]

That battery life sounds tanfastic. I hope it sees some love stateside.

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by PatNY

This is exactly what happened to a lot of Samsung phones in the early days of Android. They would be fine when first bought but once the user loaded a lot of apps on it and used it for a few months, lagginess and lockups would occur. So methinks it is more a symptom of early Android than of anything else. With later flavors -- ie, ICS and JB -- the OS is a lot smoother. Initial reports of the Aquos Pad from the few hands-on reviews report no issue with responsiveness.

Of course, this is all moot for many of us if the Aquos Pad won't be sold outside of Japan. To get it gray market would probably be cost-prohibitive. But should the device be a success -- at least in terms of its battery life -- then it may have very good and major implications for the rest of the tablet market going forward, assuming Sharp will continue to develop IGZO and produce it for other tablet makers.

--Pat

The problem with the samsung phones had nothing to do with android it was with the flash chip memory. Samsung used its own file-system as well as a controller that would use different part of the flash memory with every write. I have one of those phones am still using it actually. Later version of the same phone with different chips don't have the same problem

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

The problem with the samsung phones had nothing to do with android it was with the flash chip memory. Samsung used its own file-system as well as a controller that would use different part of the flash memory with every write. I have one of those phones am still using it actually. Later version of the same phone with different chips don't have the same problem

Which model is that and approximately when did they start using different chips?

--Pat

[SeaKing]

Because I sometimes go a while without a convenient charge, I like to buy the "extended" version of replacement batteries. Sometimes they are rated twice or more. One that comes to mind is 1300 mAH for the regular, 3500 for the extended similar to the above. I have seen where the battery cover is also changed.

ex. "Extended Battery w/Door for Motorola Droid A855 (3500 mAh) -"

[Dopedangel]

I don't know the exact date but I am talking about gt9000 the original galaxy I have one of the first release phone I bought it the same week that it was introduced. The chip was changed somewhere around Mar April 2011 from what dev have been able to work out on hardwarezone

[PatNY]

It appears Sharp's IGZO displays are gaining steam as it is being picked up by other companies. This is very good news ...

Sharp Gets Customers for IGZO Display Panels, Executive Says

Japan’s largest maker of liquid-crystal displays, has lined up customers for its most advanced panels after saying earlier this year it was struggling to find buyers.

Other electronics makers will probably begin selling mobile products featuring the company’s IGZO displays starting in the first three months of 2013, a senior Sharp executive said yesterday at a briefing in Osaka, given on condition of anonymity. The executive declined to name customers or say whether the products are smartphones or tablets.

“A domestic company will probably offer products using IGZO display panels from the first quarter of the calendar year,” the executive said. “As for foreign brands, you will probably see such products in the second quarter.”

--Pat