

$150 Android Tablet from Kmart - keltex
http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/07/27/augen.gentouch78.takes.on.apple.through.price/

======
bmastenbrook
They're shipping the Market on the device, but it doesn't meet the conditions
for access to the Market. While the Android device compatibility requirements
for 2.1 allow devices without cellular connectivity, they still require a
2.0MP camera, Bluetooth, 3-axis accelerometer, and compass. This device
doesn't seem to have any of those. As such Google won't license the use of the
Android name for this device. Even once you meet the requirements you aren't
automatically allowed to ship the Market; you have to sign a separate business
agreement with Google. See
<http://source.android.com/compatibility/overview.html> for the complete
requirements to be able to use the Android trademark.

The device identifies itself as being an evaluation board for the Telechips
TCC8900 SoC. They stubbed out the cell radio code with the same stub that's
used by the platform simulator. As a result, the device shows that it has an
active EDGE connection all the time.

[http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#549871111...](http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#5498711111284402370)
[http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#549871101...](http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#5498711019932889746)

The hardware is a rebranded version of the Dawa D7 tablet:

[http://www.androidpads.com/2010/06/01/dawa-d7-android-a-7-in...](http://www.androidpads.com/2010/06/01/dawa-d7-android-a-7-inch-
tablet-with-android-2-1-for-smaller-budgets/)

Note that it actually has a 600MHz processor, though Augen claims 800MHz.
That's probably because they added the on-chip 200MHz DSP to the 600MHz ARM11.
Processors work like that, right? [http://www.droid-life.com/2010/07/27/augen-
gentouch-android-...](http://www.droid-life.com/2010/07/27/augen-gentouch-
android-tablet-pics/) (Scroll down to the comments.)

The videos I've seen show a Documents To Go Full Version key preloaded on the
device. I'd be shocked if that was actually being paid for.

The principals of Augen Electronics (incorporated in 2005) started another
business in 2006. The name of that business? Amway World Distributors Corp.

[http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Hollywood/augen-
elect...](http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Hollywood/augen-electronics-
corp-6210999.aspx) [http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Dania/amway-world-
dis...](http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Dania/amway-world-distributors-
corp-3077436.aspx)

You can draw your own conclusions from this.

The hardware itself seems to be cheap but serviceable from early reports. If I
was an enterprising Android hacker, I'd be tempted to pick one up and put
together a better designed Android-derived image that used only the open
platform bits. Then I'd contact the company that actually made the tablet
about getting some made with that ROM preloaded.

~~~
angusgr
Thanks for the great research, I was waiting for people to start digging into
this a bit more.

It looks like there's an official Linux BSP out there somewhere, possibly
public, for the TCC8900 (telechips site wouldn't load for me, but cached is:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:viSH5_o...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:viSH5_oQp2YJ:https://www.telechips.com/kor/inc/pop_con.asp%3Ftable_name%3Dtech_board%26u_id%3D1264+TCC8900+linux+BSP&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au))

It is also the same SoC as the SmartQ V7 and the community there have been
working on a custom kernel although I'm not sure what the status is:
<http://gitorious.org/mer-smartq/>

------
pyre

      > At $150, though, it would cost less than a third
      > the price of an iPad while offering many more
      > features than a similarly priced Nook Wi-Fi.
    

It's cheaper than a Porsche, and has more features than a similarly-priced
Ford Focus! Shouldn't you stick to the same comparison here? Otherwise it
seems rather much like indirection to say "Cheaper than Product X while having
more features than the similarly-priced Product Y?" The "cheaper than Product
X" is essentially meaningless.

------
nl
This is great news, because it might be possible to put pressure (via K-mart)
on the manufacturer to live up to their GPL obligations. See
[http://projectgus.com/2010/07/open-source-in-android-
tablets...](http://projectgus.com/2010/07/open-source-in-android-tablets/)

------
mikecane
I did not post this link -- I posted a different link yesterday. Since then
there's been some news:

Augen Gentouch tablet not in stock [http://www.the-digital-
reader.com/2010/07/28/augen-gentouch-...](http://www.the-digital-
reader.com/2010/07/28/augen-gentouch-tablet-not-in-stock/)

Augen Gentouch tablet gets hands on videos [http://www.the-digital-
reader.com/2010/07/28/augen-gentouch-...](http://www.the-digital-
reader.com/2010/07/28/augen-gentouch-tablet-gets-hands-on-videos/)

It has buttons for Android and for $150 doesn't look that bad.

------
runjake
It has a resistive touchscreen which makes much of the touch functionality
frustrating, to say the least.

It also seems to be running a very hacky version of Android. Note the "EDGE
roaming" icon in the status bar, despite the device not having any cell radio
in it.

It might make a good output-only information HUD, though.

~~~
abronte
I believe that is the SD card notification, which the tablet has. It shows up
whenever you put an SD card in or take it out or hook it up to the computer
via usd. Anything regarding cell phone stuff is displayed next to the battery
icon.

~~~
bmastenbrook
Nope, it's definitely the EDGE icon:
[http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#549871101...](http://picasaweb.google.com/sergenthalo/Gentouch78#5498711019932889746)

------
aresant
Not trashing this tablet in general, but the coming glut of cheap tablets is
great news for the iPad.

The more commoditized, rushed out Android tablets there are, the more the
Android brand suffers, and the more clearly differentiated the iPad becomes.

~~~
elblanco
But it'll take just one easily hackable $99 Android tablet with just the right
mix of "good enough" features to take the world by storm.

~~~
wtallis
Wouldn't a "good enough" screen and multitouch sensor pretty much force the
price above $99 (if the device is sold at a profit)? Or do you think that $99
is cheap enough that people won't mind resistive touch screens backed by TN
panels?

~~~
elblanco
Who knows? "Good enough" is a golden target that seems to be fantastically
hard to nail.

I personally wouldn't think a resistive touch screen and a TN panel would be
"good enough". But I also think that we'll see "close-to" iPad screen quality
on an Android tablet in the $99 range within the next 2 years.

------
lukifer
Any word on the battery life on these? I'm in the market for a 7" color PDF
reader (I wish Apple made a mid-size iOS device!), but all the Androids I've
seen are in the 2 hour range.

------
Tichy
Why do so many tablets have 7 inch screens? Not sure how big that is, but I
already have a mobile phone. Somehow I doubt there is much of a need for a 7
inch screen form factor.

------
RK
More info from the K-Mart page:

[http://blogs.mykmart.com/2010/07/augen-7-inch-android-
tablet...](http://blogs.mykmart.com/2010/07/augen-7-inch-android-tablet-
update.html)

