Thought I'd post this as it doesn't seem to be mentioned elsewhere except for an old discussion
here. The
Always Innovating website has been updated with more info and promises of initial shipments before the end of July. From their site:
Quote:
Initial Shipment Expected July 2009
If you are in the market for a highly portable second computer, good news! We intend to start shipping the Touch Book next month, in July 2009. Our first batch of Touch Books is already in production. Check out photos of the very first unit below and stay tuned for the precise shipping date.
Click here to see the gallery!
If you have already pre-ordered, you will receive an email message with more detailed information before your order is processed. We appreciate both your patience and your business!
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For those that don't know what it is, it's basically a Netbook with a detachable touchscreen. The touchscreen part contains all the number crunching bits and a 3hr battery, while the other part has a keyboard and extra battery to give up to 15hrs. I know it's not technically an eBook reader but the detachable touchscreen might provide a nice compromise to us that can't afford a netbook and reader at the moment
Here's the hardware specs and software info from the site:
Quote:
Hardware specifications
We are publishing the final specifications and we are glad to say that we are extremely close from what we initially announced back in March:
* Texas Instruments OMAP3530 with Micron 256MB (RAM) + 256MB (NAND) Memory
* 8.9 inches 1024x600 A+ screen
* Main storage: 8GB SD card — we decided to change from Micro SD to standard SD, so that you can easily upgrade it
* USB wifi 802.11 b/g/n dongle powered by a Ralink 3070 chipset
* USB bluetooth class 2.1
* FCC, CE, UL-certified, 5V, 3.5A power adapter
* 8.9 inches pressure sensitive touch screen
* US Qwerty 24cm-large keyboard — around 95% of the size of a standard keyboard
* Cirque Touchpad
* Two Owolff high-quality internal stereo speakers
* 3D accelerometer
* Two internal batteries 6000 and 12000mAh — it can be replaced with a screw driver
* 7 USB ports: three external, four internal, three of them may be reserved for wifi, bluetooth and keyboard
* Bi-color silver/black case — see photos — with a beautiful dark-red back cover (we decided to go only for red for the first batch as it really jumps out, you won't regret it).
* Secured attachment system of tablet into keyboard
* Independent magnet system for the tablet — we don't want your Touch Book to un-magnetize all your credit cards while carrying it in your bag!
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Quote:
Software beta and roadmap
In July, the default beta Touch Book OS will include:
* Linux 2.6.29 with all the required drivers
* Xfce 4.4 desktop environment
* A unique 3D interface for starting applications with your finger
* Firefox 3.0 and Fennec beta 2
* Youtube and daily motion support
* A video and music player
* Abiword and Gnumeric
* A chat manager, Pidgin
* Mypaint 5.1
* An ebook reader, Fbreader
* A printer manager, Cups
* All usual accessories (zip, picture viewer, dictionary...)
* Support for most standard USB accessories
* Java support
The software roadmap towards release 1.0 will include the following:
* Upgrade to the latest of all the applications already mentioned
* Skype compatible application
* OpenOffice 3.1
* A full Adobe Flash solution
* Recognizition of the Touch Book by iTunes to synchronize your music and video
* A Google-maps-based application with GPS support (GPS USB not included)
* Some 3D accelerometer-based iPhone games
Also, we will also offer or give strong support for a Google Android image.
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First thing to note is it's an
ARM based processor so all you people that won't use Linux (the fools
) are out of luck. No WindowsXP/Vista or MacOS on this baby.
Notice as well that Fbreader is included as default in the software lineup. I don't know anything about this software but it's nice to see they are considering eBook readers in the design!
It's priced at $399 for the tablet and keyboard. Might seem a bit steep but tablets usually are. Haven't seen any reviews of it yet which is making me hold off on buying it. I'd like to see how it holds up in the real world. Anyone out there feeling more adventurous?