While every tech freak might be glued to what’s coming out of the IFA event now underway at Berlin, BenQ (that has traditionally been known as the maker of computer monitors and related components like projectors) has lifted the viels off the tablet that it was rumored to be making. And it’s not in Berlin that the tablet was brought to light but at its Global Distributors Meeting held in Taiwan that the world got to see the tablet, which they have named nReader R100 , for the first time.
And the tablet does look every bit like a device to look forward to. To begin with, the nReader R100 sports a 10.1 inch resistive touchscreen display up front having a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixel, which incidentally is the same as the just launched Galaxy Tab features. The tablet is built around a 667MHz Samsung ARM-based processor and runs the latest version of the Android, the 2.2 Froyo. However, out of the box, the tablet will run Android 2.0 with the option to upgrade to the Froyo at a later date.
These apart, the other things that the tablet will have include a HDMI port that can support video output of up to 720p, standard USB and mini-USB ports, Wi-Fi and an integrated 3G modem. The tablet will also have 4GB of flash storage as well as an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot to further expand storage options.
The nReader R100 also has an appearance as impressive at its feature set, with the glossy black casing measuring 173 x 267 x 14.4 mm while weighing a quite convenient 700 grams. And lastly, the nReader R100 has got the one thing that many of the tablet that had set out challenging the iPad’s supremacy could not muster – a superior battery performance which, as per BenQ is rated at 12 hours. And that’s not all for BenQ is also keen to beat Apple on the price front and is rumored to have announced to make the WiFi only version of the nReader R100 at just one eighth of the iPad’s price. However, we’ll have to wait till the first quarter of 2011 to know if that’s how things pan out as it’s during this time that BenQ intends to introduce the tablet in Japan, China and Taiwan, followed by more countries later on.
The only grouse, however, is the resistive touchscreen. This can mean a somewhat crappy display, though such a deficit can perhaps be made up if BenQ indeed sticks to the price point that they stated.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.