An android tablet a day keeps the apples away.

Monday, May 31, 2010

And then of course, there’s this ..

The BEST APAD of them ALL!

Thinking of an Apad? Food for thought!

Re: M003 PCB pics!

« Reply #13 on: Today at 01:12:21 AM »


They're both playthings to have & fool around with. But not really production quality hardware.

Quote

That is exactly the point. The apad etc cost about $70 -$100 more, and they are definitely not worth it (ARM 11). Believe me, I have one.

The Apad with rockchip looks pretty decent in the normal (non-speed up) videos. It's not ?
For these prices i'm not expecting a blazing fast tablet pc. But right now the sellers are just milking the market..
For a cheap Asus eee x86 laptop, you could pay around $199
But for a much slower cpu, less ram & touchscreen people are paying $160 on Ebay.
Normally, when you leave out a lot of plastic, ram, usb ports & a physical keyboard (not to mention the Windows license and internal 160gb hdd) things tend to get a lot cheaper.

$73 Slatedroid!

Cheapest iPad clone, costs USD 73!

« on: May 26, 2010, 01:49:57 AM »





Key Device Specs:
OS: Google Android
Display: 7-inch resistive touchscreen @ 800 x 480
Chipset: VIA 8505
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: Yes (resolution not known)
Memory: 128MB DDR2
Storage: 2GB flash storage
Weight: 388 grams
Price: USD 73
Availability: June 2010.
http://www.shanzai.com/index.php/bandit-gadgets/tablets/1076
http://www.shanzhaiben.com/20/n-4420.html

Eken M001 Video Testing

Trying to optimise video on the Eken? Check here regularly:

Official Video Test Thread

« on: May 28, 2010, 08:55:31 AM »


Ive been Doing some hectic Test  Wink
And Guess what Great News  
Got good results With the H263 codec, i have also tested more, havnt put results in text form yet.
So far i have these.
http://www.amnet.net.au/~impossibleblot/?dir=eken/Testvideos
H264
500Bit
3gp_176x144_500Bitrate_15 fps_h263         -- Clean PlayBack, Quality is Average-Good
3gp_352x288_500Bitrate_15 fps_h263         -- Clean PlayBack, Quality is Good
1000Bit
3gp_352x288_1000Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Clean PlayBack, Quality is Good-Great
3gp_176x144_1000Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Clean PlayBack, Quality is Average-Good
1500Bit
3gp_160x120_1500Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Not Tested
3gp_176x144_1500Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Might Desync, Quality is Good
3gp_320x240_1500Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Not Tested
3gp_352x288_1500Bitrate_15 fps_h263       -- Might Desync, Quality is Good-Great
2000Bit
3gp_160x120_2000Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Not Tested
3gp_176x144_2000Bitrate_15 fps_h263       -- Might Desync, Quality is Good
3gp_320x240_2000Bitrate_15 fps_h263      -- Not Tested
3gp_352x288_2000Bitrate_15 fps_h263       -- Might Desync, Quality is Good-Great   
***Take note, The 1500 bit and 2000 bit played perfectly fine on my eken taskkiller ran before hand Once.
Only Desync When menu open ( when u touch the screen )***
Will Be doing More Tests, Your Results will Be welcomed Aswell, add to the table of supported Files that play.
I wont be posting stuff that doesnt work. ( unless you want that aswell )

« Last Edit: May 28, 2010, 09:42:48 AM by jayrod »

I am rubber, you are glue … ScummVM running on Eken M001!

I just like saying ... Guybrush Threepwood.

Here’s more details:

Music and speech are playing!
I've posted the download Links for ScummVM in the Apps section here:
http://slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=80.0

And here’s a very early list of what’s working – or not:

Re: Does scummvm run on eken?

« Reply #6 on: Today at 06:11:02 AM »


thanks men!
list of games(dont tested yet) :
Juegos SCUMM de LucasArts [editar]
    * Maniac Mansion
    * Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
    * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
    * Loom
    * Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
    * The Secret of Monkey Island
    * Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
    * The Curse of Monkey Island
    * Day of the Tentacle WORKING
    * Sam & Max Hit the Road
    * Full Throttle
    * The Dig
    * Passport to Adventure
    * Touché - Las aventuras del quinto mosquetero
Juegos AGI de Sierra [editar]
    * The Black Cauldron
    * Gold Rush!
    * King's Quest I
    * King's Quest II
    * King's Quest III
    * King's Quest IV
    * Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
    * Mixed-Up Mother Goose
    * Manhunter 1: New York
    * Manhunter 2: San Francisco
    * Mickey's Space Adventure
    * Police Quest I: In Pursuit of the Death Angel
    * Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter
    * Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge
    * Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood
    * Fanmade Games
Juegos de otros desarrolladores [editar]
Beneath a Steel Sky ejecutándose en ScummVM
Varios juegos de Humongous Entertainment usan el motor SCUMM, por lo que se añadió soporte para ellos. Además, estos juegos también están soportados:
    * Beneath a Steel Sky
    * Broken Sword: El secreto de los templarios
    * Broken Sword II: Las fuerzas del mal
    * Elvira
    * Elvira 2
    * Flight of the Amazon Queen
    * Future Wars
    * Gobliiins
    * Gobliiins 2: The Prince Buffoon
    * Goblins Quest 3
    * I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
    * Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb
    * Lost in Time
    * Lure of the Temptress
    * Nippon Safes Inc.
    * Simon The Sorcerer
    * Simon the Sorcerer II: El león, el mago y el armario
    * Simon the Sorcerer's Puzzle Pack
    * The 7th Guest
    * The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble DONT WORKING WELL
    * The Feeble Files
    * The Legend of Kyrandia Book One
    * The Legend of Kyrandia Book Two: The Hand of Fate
    * The Legend of Kyrandia Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge
    * Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer
    * Waxworks (Elvira 3)
    * Ween: The Prophecy

« Last Edit: Today at 06:53:51 AM by deadfunk »

When does 128MB = 65MB? When you buy Chinese hardware!

Came across this interesting post on the 123MB of Ram in the Apad:

Re: Couple of Qs please

« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2010, 06:57:18 AM »


Quote from: RottenApple on May 30, 2010, 01:03:57 AM

“1) I thought these units had 2gb of flash and 128mb for system? when i check settings sd card and mid storage it says 1gb flash and 65mb mid system storage - is that right? 65mb seems small for android - comments appreciated!”

1GB of the Flash is usable, the other 1GB are used by Android as a SWAP partition (virtual RAM).
You only have 65MB left because all applications are installed into the 128MB. Just install a few more and see it go down even more. The manufacturer claims on their website that applications are installed onto the SD card, but that is not the case. I guess we will have to wait until we can get Root on this device and use A2SD ourselves. Smiley

Watch the Apad do USB hosting

Re: USB hosting

« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2010, 06:05:20 PM »


Quote from: Radek on May 18, 2010, 01:38:03 PM

I saw a video where a pendrive is pluged in using the cable adaptor.

here's one video

but there are different version of this tablet so i can't guarantee this would work for everyone.
this model has no camera.
can confirm that market works properly.

And hey:

Re: USB hosting

« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2010, 08:38:29 AM »


I have tested to connect the following things:

  • Mouse: Works
  • USB-stick: Works
  • Wireless Keyboard: Works
  • Bluetooth: I haven't been able to activate the bluetooth. In the bluetooth settings it says: New feature, need root if below 2.0

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Apad/Moonse running Comic Reader

We’re struggling for a killer app on these things – it might as well be this! Looks like it’s working well to me!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Apad/Moonse running SNESoid emulator

Apad/Moonse e-book reading : running Android Aldiko

Kindle? Bah, overpriced, and no colour!:)

Apad/Moonse video playback

Video is good.
a video at the highest spec that the 2808 chipset is capable of can get choppy though and takes ages to buffer.  considering the file size it could be a memory card issue but difficult to test.
the settings used in the video are a good guide, results are smooth, image great, and it fills the screen without zooming, so higher res would be wasted anyway seeing as there's no video out.

Read more here: http://slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=138.msg1156#msg1156

Friday, May 28, 2010

How to disassemble Eken M001

Ecotax updates Eken M001 Firmware again

new update guys! v3.6.7.3.6, check the changelog in the first port for details. this ones based on 1.7.2, 1.7.2 has a wondermedia version or youtube and their own app market...but they both suck XP the youtube wouldnt play any videos and the market was less then great so i removed them. all gapps work but market still (workin on it) this one definitely feels a bit fast, not a ton, but noticeable. its up for download so enjoy ^^
Grab it here:http://rapidshare.com/files/392708745/ECOTOX_ModM001Firmware_v3.6.7.3.6.zip

Apad/Moonse e7001 Original Firmware now available for download

Grab the firmware here – 102MB size!: http://slatedroid.com/index.php?action=downloads;cat=9

That’s firmware for these ones:

image

Not the Eken M001 or M003.

New Slatedroid spotted: Firstview 7” Android Pad

FirstView 7" Android tablet +Webcam *same hardware as Eken M001*

« on: May 26, 2010, 02:41:12 AM »



Product   FirstView 7" Android tablet  Webcam
Warranty   1 Year, click here for details
CPU   ARM9 VIA8505 533MHz
OS   Android 1.6
Memory   Hard Disk: 2GB Nand Flash, 128RAM
SD card supports up to 32GB
Screen   7" TFT LCD Screen
Resolution 800*480
Audio   Stero Speaker
Earphone jack
Video   AVI (Motion JPEG)/ Video
Features and highlights   Android 1.6 (no access to google market, but you can get unlimited free apps on many android related webistes since its open source)
Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
Built in Front fascing Camera
Sd card support up to 32GB
USB Port
Earphone jack
Built in Gsensor
Ebook Reader
Youtube
MSN
Battery   Built-in Battery 1800Mah
Package
Content   FirstView 7" Android tablet  Webcam
Power adapter
USB cable
User guide

Firstview 7' Android tablet with Webcam

http://www.merimobiles.com/FirstView_7_Android_tablet_Webcam_p/meri0437.htm

I’ll add it to the Slatedroid/Apad Variant list.

Asure posts first Eken M003 Review (That I can find) – Though it’s not good news!

Introduction + 'M003' first look

« on: May 26, 2010, 01:44:10 PM »


A bit about myself: I've been a linux user for over 17 years, cross-compiled for ARM and MIPS cpus and SoC solutions, ported kernel modules and so forth.  Using Symbian when it first came out, i was quickly converted to Android as system of my choice when my girlfriend obtained a HTC tattoo 4 months ago, and got my Desire quickly after that.
I've been following these tablets closely for some time, and had the idea to do a group buy with some colleagues that also had interest. As my job involves business with Taiwan and China, and out of experience, i ordered an M001 and M003 to sample first. And, now they have arrived.
The M001 we all know, love and hate. First, the CPU spec we're getting is way off. This thing is underclocked and a lot too. The /proc/cpuinfo gives that away clearly. If the bogomips is a proper indication, and even if that is half the speed of the cpu actually runs, it's still not the advertised 600 Mhz. The ~175 Bogomips is really too slow and even if it's running Android it's not up to the task. I can't honestly buy these and have my co-workers enjoy themselves..
The cpu speed is probably calculated in true '90's style calculate the total bits'. (400Mhz ram + 200Mhz cpu? ah! 600Mhz!) It's all just advertising.
So, the M001.. i've flashed a few of the custom roms, and speed improves a bit, but not really useable. Irresponsive touch screen being the most annoying, but it's all because of the slow cpu. The screen itself is pretty good on static-non moving screens or entering text, but the underlaying OS struggles to scroll the screen, do fades, react to wipes etc.
Since there was no market, i loaded Aptoide on it, and blackdroid repo, and off i go running all sorts of apps.
(Mind you, there's a lot of waiting as Aptoide gets its long list of goodies from blackdroid.)
I put the Opera 5 beta on it, and that's a pretty fast browser if you need one, probably better than the standard Webkit browser because it appears to use a lot less memory. Speaking of which, after a bit of mucking around, there's ~5mb left, which is also too little, showing us that 128MBytes really is not enough when combined with a slow cpu.
Another little gem is 'bTunes' if you can find it, turns the little bugger into an ipod-like mediaplayer.  Now i was getting somewhere.. As long as you don't need to wipe on the screen (even with 'longer' fingernails) bTunes is very useable even with larger music collections. You could hot-glue the M001 to a stand, and have a nice music player with pretty display, at a low cost.
Still, the device is a cheap gadget, but on all the sites you see it, it's shown as a really powerfull MID, running Android.
Some sellers speed up the presentation movies they put on YouTube to get around the slow display, and it appears to just be selling because of the Android buzz that's around. I forget to mention the ongoing license-violations, which at this point in time even hurt the potential of the device since good developers could maybe get a little more power out of it. (Perhaps with the eken source of u-boot and 'wload' the cpu can be set faster.. i did not dig deep enough into that yet.)
If you've read this far, you probably wanted to know about the M003 ?
The good: Bigger screen.
The bad: Same as M001, but some worse design flaws..
1. Screen
Did you read about the M001's screen/plastic cover coming loose from heat ? The same thing will happen to the M003 but only worse. The silver edge of the plastic cover on the M001 is ALL over the top of the M003. This is actually stuck to the touchscreen in the factory and extends over the plastic (white) top part about 2 CM on each side. But, where it extends over the screen, there is a layer of double-sided 'sticky tape' to hold it into place, but it's not sticking very well even as i just took it out of the box. There's bumps and creases around the edges, and if you were to take a credit card and wedge that in, you could screw that up even worse. Perhaps when i do a teardown Smiley
2. Reflection + responsiveness
Since they used that plastic sheet over the whole top part, with shiny silvery 2cm edges, the reflections are off the charts. I've seen better touchscreen designs where the screen itself is not 'behind' another 2mm of plastic, so it probably also screws up the response of the screen. (Most of the designs i've seen, you directly touch the 'touch film' so to say.)
3. Ports & SD card
There's a micro SD card port on the M003, and a USB host port. You can stick in your fat32 card or USB stick and play media from it. A strange type of connector on the bottom is probably for some sort of docking station. It's not a SD card slot, and not an ipod/phone/pad type.
Edit: i took a close look, it _is_ an apple port, but it's mis-aligned during production, and at an angle, and i can't fit the apple plug inside it!! Another $100 down the drain ?
4. Accelerometer
This one's broken or really bad/cheap.. it screws up bTunes constantly as soon as i move, since bTunes thinks i am shaking the unit.. aargh!
5. Heavy
The unit is much heavier and difficult to hold for longer times than the M001, so if you have a choice and really really want one of these things, i advise to buy the M001 instead, and not expect too much Smiley
It appears to be running the exact same OS that is on the M001, so custom roms should probably work.
The M003 unit is really shabby, and even a working ipod port, wouldn't fix the extreme cosmetic mis-steps they took with this one.

I would advise potential buyers not to buy the M003 unless they are looking for a photoframe that also accidently runs Android, and need something to keep them busy for a few days/hours.

Don’t forget: It’s virtually certain this is the Dealextreme 8inch tablet! Just as well DX seems happy to take orders but not ship ‘em – after reading this, I don’t think I want one unless the Custom ROMS end up meeting their full potential.

Eken M003 Teardown!

IMG_8305

Source: http://slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=310.0

Lookit the VIA 8505 Whopper in that baby!

Eken M003 Video – with useful information on feature set too!

That’s it: the one on DX has GOT to be a VIA! I mean, these things, though they are KIRFs, can’t be that straightforward to engineer.  If it looks like an Eken M003, it must be an EKEN M003!

New ROM release for Eken M001

Get it here: http://slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=3.msg4#msg4

iped. ‘nuff said!

This is priced at $105 … and looks like the beezeely 8” one from Dealextreme … but it’s powered by an Intel chip?! Can this be a new variant? No … more like Kotaku got it wrong, I think.  Betcha it’s a VIA!

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

The iPad finally goes on sale in Japan today. The country's TV news have been covering the launch as well as another product on sale in nearby China: the iPed.

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

According to this TBS news report, the iPed is on sale in Shenzhen, China. Shenzhen is the location of the largest Foxconn plant, where the iPhone and the iPad are manufactured. The iPed comes packaged in a box that looks like the iPad.

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

But it says iPed.

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed See?

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

Dramatic close up.

The instruction manual says APad, though. Go figure.

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

While it is slightly heavier than the iPad, the device is powered by an Intel chip [Apad-scene note: I’ll run around naked ont he Foxconn factory if this turns out to be true!] and runs on Google's open source operating system Android. But like the iPad, it is a multi-media device.

China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

And is priced at the equivalent of ¥9,600 (US$105). The iPad is priced at ¥48,800 ($536) in The Land of the Rising Sun. The Japanese television reporters note that in China popular electronics are copied quickly.

And China is getting better and better at it. Apple, you better watch out. These guys are gonna eat your lunch. And one day, eat it better than you.
China Rips Off The iPad With The iPed

中国人さっそく iPadをパクる その名もiPed [画像&動画ニュースぶろぐ]

Send an email to the author of this post at bashcraft@kotaku.com.

New Slatedroid IRC Channel

Slatedroid.com now has an official IRC channel!


SlateDroid now has an official IRC channel which has been kindly set up by xdpirate. It is quite empty at the moment so we are hoping that some of you guys can give it a boost as it would be ideal as a front-line help solution, and also just to socialize.
Anyways #slatedroid @ freenode, hope to see you guys there....

apad/moonse/iRobot battery life

Here are some observations about the battery life of the apad:

really depends on how you use it. WIFI will drain the battery quickly, so that you might have 2 to 5 hours of non-stop web-browsing on the device (depending on how you set the screen brightness).
As an eBook reader you will easily get 5 to 10 hours of reading time out of the device (depending on brightness settings and with WIFI off).
I just re-watched the Lost finale on the device in 480p (WIFI off) and after 2h of video it still has around 40% battery left, so I assume video playback is like 3 to 5 hours too.
Stand-by mode does not take much battery at all, so I guess it has at least 48h or 72h of standby, if not more.

And:

I tested video playback also. I watched divx 2h 30min with full backlight, wifi off. Then backlight was blinked rapidly, so I changed backlight level to 98%. I watched video 1h more.
I agree to gevrik. Apad can play 3 to 5hour depend on backlight brightness.

Which android apps to try on your apad?

My Favourite Apps for the aPad


eReading
FBReader (better than Aldiko because it preserves file layout and because I could not get Aldiko Premium from market)
NewsRob (for Google Reader and RSS Feeds)
eReader (for my Fictionwise.com and ereader.com ebooks)
Comics
AComic Viewer (the only viewer that would work - had to get the APK from Softpedia)
Video
Video Player (pre-installed, can play pretty much everything)
Music
Default Android Music Player
VOIP
Sipdroid VOIP (from Market)
Streaming
beebPlayer (got the APK from my Hero phone)
Youtube (got the APK from my Hero phone)
(streaming does not work in fullscreen, since the players switch to landscape mode, which is portrait on the aPad)
Connectivity
Connectbot (from Market, can't see what you are typing because of landscape/portrait issue)
Memory Management
ES Task Manager (pre-installed, has widget that lets you kill all processes with one tap)
File Management
ES File Explorer (pre-installed, can access samba and windows shares over the WIFI)
Photos & Images
Photo Viewer (pre-installed)
Photoshop Mobile (from market)
Interactive Fiction
Neither Twisty nor Hunky Punk would work. Anyone know of another Android IF interpreter?

Thursday, May 27, 2010

apad/moonse unboxing video

And you’ll need a nice poster and shirt to go with that apad

Exploded Android Reveals the Robotic Heart 
Behind Google

image

Get one here: http://www.explodedandy.com/

When you finally get your Slatedroid …

You can build one of these:

iPad wall mounts take a turn for the crazier (video)

By Vladislav Savov posted May 27th 2010 at 8:57AM

Wall mounts have been around since forever and a day, but let's be honest, they've never had something quite like an iPad to cling on to. And now a couple of enthusiastic tablet users have gone and concocted their own homemade articulating display stands, showing how easily it can be done. Al forwards the gallery of pics below, telling us he only had to buy a standard VESA TV mount and an iPad case (costing around $40 in total), screw the two together, and boom, his son had an iPad "bed mount." Alternatively, if you're after a more sophisticated solution, you'll want to see dim3m's video after the break, showing how he put together the above speaker-enriched platform. Go ahead, there's a banging soundtrack too.
[Thanks, Al and dim3m]

DIY iPad wall mount

READ MORE

sourcedim3m (YouTube)

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Acer’s planning one … Rockchip or Via?:)

From Endgadget:

Acer CEO teases 7-inch Android tablet, promises it for Q4 2010

By Vladislav Savov posted May 27th 2010 at 2:56AM

Acer's been busy doing a presentation over in Beijing today, and the highlight of the show was the first sighting of the company's 7-inch Android tablet. It's described by Shufflegazine as "pretty fast with sensitive touch," though CEO Gianfranco Lanci was apparently reluctant to disclose any of the specs. He told the gathered press to expect it in the fourth quarter of this year, which sounds all kinds of 2000-and-late, but we have to consider the fact that only a couple of months ago Acer was telling us it wasn't going to enter the tablet realm at all. What's interesting is that Lanci described network operators as an "obvious" sales channel, suggesting the slate has an integrated 3G module, while it also looks like the silvery bottom of the device is occupied by a QWERTY keyboard not unlike that found on Amazon's Kindle. Interesting times lie ahead, that's for sure.
[Thanks, Imran]

sourceShufflegazine

Finally, decent Apad specifications and information!

First of all, everyone loves a TEARDOWN! (Tear down! Tear down! Fight! Fight! Fight! Rule No 1: You don’t talk about tablet club!)

image

The source of all this goodness? Here and here!

To save you the clicking, here is the key post:

Translated blog post from manufacturer

« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2010, 11:27:27 AM »


Since chip3c is down hiapad.com is the site to check out: http://www.hiapad.com/?p=9
chip3c feel free to use this if you want
Here's my translated version:

Quote

Our Apad is a MID based on the Rockchip electronics RK2808 platform.
Key hardware specifications:
1. CPU uses Rockchip's RK2808 chipset. This is the only 65nm ARM9 plus DSP core currently made in China. The CPU runs at a frequency of 600 MHz, and supports hardware acceleated 720p playback in various formats.
Some people would ask: how's the speed of these things?
We can tell you that using ARM 9 with the right blend of applications and platform makes it comparable for use on any PC, even though ARM9 by itself is not that powerful. This thing can even do 720p video. Just as with multi-core CPUs, the RK2808 is not just any single-core processor.
2. Using an independent audio chipset, the audio quality is good, particularily through the 3.5 mm jack. However note that the first production patch had a very quiet external speaker that is now resolved.
3. Uses a 7" 800x4800 display. Many Chinese customers who have purchased this device say that this is essentially a large-format MP4 player, and are very satisfied with the results. You can go online via wifi, read ebooks, go on instant messaging via QQ, play games, watch Youku (Youtube Chinese equivalent), Todou (another social video site with other features). If we take this thing to work, we are going to have too much fun!
4. Uses a resistive single point screen. We know that this isn't as good as what Apple has right now, but we had to make adjustments to achieve our desired price point.
5. Has a built-in accelerometer and TransFlash (micro-SD) memory expansion up to 16 GB. Typically 4 GB should be enough for most users. The memory expansion card is very important, as applications are installed onto the memory card.
6. Internal wifi component, supporting connecting to the internet via wifi. There are plans to for bluetooth and 3G connectivity support at a later date.
7. Built in 3000mAh capacity battery. Current batch has about 2 hour battery life. The battery capacity is projected to increase with a target of 5 hours for the production batches coming in October.
8. The outer shell is plastic. The backing can be ordered as either white or silver. While there is a built in camera, the resolution is quite low at 120 pixels wide.

So key specifications:
CPU: RK2808 at 600 MHz (ARM9 plus DSP for multimedia hardware decoding)
System: Android 1.5 with Android 2.1 upgrade projected around July
RAM: 128 MB
Battery: 3000 mAH, projected 2 hours
Screen: 7" LCD with single-point resistive input
Video formats: includes H.264, RMVB, MPEG-4, AVS, WMV9, up to 720p
Camera: 120 pixels wide
Customization: silver or white backing

And this … this, if true, is pure magic:

it supports android 2.1   rockchip will   provide android 2.1 flash rom in july。

Although, the Lord giveth, but he also taketh away:

I chatted with chip3c again last night.
The manufacturer is still focusing on the Chinese market for their devices. While they would like to support international buyers as well, they simply do not have the capacity to do that at the moment. However they are trying very hard to improve their product and streamlining various things.
In particular, there are a lot of software optimizations to be made. They are working to resolve all the issues now.

Watch this thread for regular developments!

Know your slatedroid from your apad from your iRobot from your Moonse

You might want to read this: http://slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=545.msg4547#msg4547

And as at 3 June 2010, here are the slatedroids/apads out there (keep checking them out here from time to time – and let me know if you spot more. Think of them as Pokemon.):

image  
Called: Eken M001
CPU: VIA MW8505
WEBCAM: No 
Android: v1.6
image
Called: Apad; Moonse 7001; Orphan, iRobot
CPU: Probably a Rockchip 2802, but read this 
WEBCAM: Most have them, but read this 
Android: v1.5; v2.1 upgrade apparently coming in July 010 Boo, Hiss, Sob, Sob – no more 2.1 for you:(
Read more HERE and HERE (Appears to be a very good source)
And the manufacturer’s site is here.
Moonse website is here.
There is apparently a 256MB Variant here.
image
Called: Eken M003; 8” Android Tablet; iPed 
CPU: Possibly a Rockchip 2808 (here; here) or a Via MW8505 (here; here) NOTE: As at 29/05/10 it is highly likely this only has a VIA – see here and here.
WEBCAM:
Maybe
Android: v1.6
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Called: Firstview 7” Tablet 
CPU: Via MW8505 Review HERE.
WEBCAM:
Yes 
Android: v1.6
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Called, CPU, etc: I can’t work it out – just click here

In case you’ve forgotten, this is the real thing:

image

Defining a slatedroid/apad

It’s time to take stock.  What is a slatedroid/apad? I’ve got standards, so I’m going to set some criteria here. They:

MUST:

* Come from the far east
* Be frustratingly hard to find any technical information on it
* Be incredibly, hilariously, and actually cheap relative to the real thing
* Run Google Android 
* Currently be available for sale (Even if it is only readily available in the West from sellers with names like Great-Phoenix-Deals888 on the internet (and if you’re in China, from places like this))
* Have at least a 7” screen
* Promise eternity; deliver reality

MUST NOT:

* Run WinCE (WINCE isn’t called WINCE for nothing)
* Be made by an single identifiable company with any concern for proper branding
* Have any form of official firmware support at all
* Have any coherent marketing strategy behind it
* Permit any potential buyer to reliably have any confidence in its internal specifications unless they actually buy one and rip it apart

Slatedroid.com now the one and only!

A few days ago, we brought you news of a GAPING RIFT in the only just born Slatedroid community, with the existence of two apparently competing sites with the same name!

Well, droid no.1 appears to have swallowed up droid no 2, kinda like this thing:

image

Anyhoo, go to www.slatedroid.com now, the one and only, as it should be!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Look what you might be able to read on these things (And check out the Dell Mini 5!)

Really. Cool. Link.

http://issue.igizmo.co.uk/iGIZMO-Turned-on-to-technology/1Y4beaad26e032e012.cde

Remember that 8” slatedroid? It’s VIA8505 powered!

Uncovered this on Wired.com:

Chinese Counterfeiters Release First Android Tablet

picture-11picture-12

Chinese counterfeiters have beaten Google to producing an Android tablet.

The Chinese wholesaler ActFind, which carries knockoffs of many electronics including iPhones and iPods, is selling an iPad-lookalike running the Android OS.

Priced at $150, the Android tablet is haphazardly labeled “MINI iPadⅡ8 Inch Android1.6 Ebook Tablet PC UMPC MID Netbook.” According to the product description, it features an 8-inch touchscreen, Ethernet and Wi-FI connectivity, a USB port, 88MB of built-in storage (expandable to 16GB with a TF card) and an 800-MHz VIA processor. The tablet runs version 1.6 of the Android OS.

Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/05/android-tablet/#ixzz0p2YptFWR

So, now you know what is under the hood in these Dealextreme ones.

UPDATE: 29 May 2010 – Read this, this and this. VIA, VIA, VIA! If it looks like an Eken M003, smells like one … it must be one. Right?

Eken M001 – doin’ everything else that matters

With thanks to egyfeju!

What is an Apad?

Buyer beware! (Oh shite, I think this includes me!):

Understanding a Irobot Apad

« on: May 25, 2010, 09:28:05 AM »


What is an Apad?  Apad is a tablet running an Android Operating System.  
Referring to a tablet as Apad is quite confusing, especially with so many Chinese version out there.  So, I will be referring to this specific 7" Ipad mini tablet as "IRobot".

There are different factories make the IRobot.  Even brand, such as Moonse and Orphan, came from the same factory.  These brand might use a slightly different part.  But, Generally, their spec are the same.
Common Spec

CPU
RK2808 600MHz

OS
Android 1.5

Memory
128MB Ram, 2GB Nandflash built in

Screen
7" resistive touch screen

Others
Gsensor and Wifi

Some of the more common Model are:
Moonse E7001 - White version
Orphan M001 - Silver version
Orphan M003 - White version
Since this is a hot seller, other third party will purchase these IRobot directly from these Factories.  Hence, we got some unknown brand IRobot.
Now, here is the main concern, the part (Spec).
Some of these Unknown Brand uses the VIA CPU.  (This is much slower)
Some also uses less efficient battery.  (bad charge, does not last long)
Some do not come with Camera.
So, before you make a purchase from a unknown source, you must be careful about the spec.

I’m looking at the one I bought from ebay … no camera … oh no!!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Eken unboxing video

Ecotox posts new modified Firmware for Eken M001 - v3.6.7.3.4

[ModRom] ECOTOX_ModM001Firmware_v3.6.7.3.1[Current Stable]

« on: May 13, 2010, 02:08:35 PM »


also check out  Willos rom also here
http://slatedroid.blitzwerks.co.uk/index.php?topic=3.0
v3.6.7.3.1 Changelog [Current Stable]
------------------------------------
for this one i did minimal changes, just slimmed it up alot
added desckclock
remove alarm clock
added root method by zipperx(follow the root steps)
removed alot of chinese stuff
added home++ launcher
added calculator
added astro file manager
added slideme
added terminal
got rid of icons
moved some files
-------------------------------
v3.6.7.3.4 [Working Beta]
---------------------------------
youtube (normal quality only)
market(almost working)
setupwizard (skip and register later)
gmail
boot splash and default screen
market enabler (run before trying market)
google framework and permissions
removed themeframe
removed better terminal emu and connectbot
lots of google stuff
modified build.prop
modified permissions
linda file manager
calculator
removed handycalc
added email app
calander working
This is the current beta I am working on, still trying to get market to work
It may take a while to install and boot the first time, but it will boot so WAIT, it will boot.

----------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Install:
1) Copy the WHOLE FOLDER “script” into the plain SD card(dont use winrar it will cause problems, use 7zip). If you
already have the SD card with “script” ROM file,
please skip to step 2.
(Reference: The unzipped “script” folder is about 42.9MB. If the SD
card is in E drive. The unzipped “script”
folder pathway is like this, E:\script )
2) Connect the laptop to power.
3) Insert that SD card to the laptop when the laptop is off.
4) Turn the laptop ON by pressing the power switch
--------------------------------------------------
ROOT: Enable All options in settings-applications-development
when a program asks for root just tell it always allow
---------------------------------------------
to DO:
Kernel Update
Apps2sd
Overclock
others
-----------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY BRICKING, FIRE, EXPLOSIONS, END OF DAYS, DIVORCE, OR DEATH THAT MAY OCCUR (though I is unlikely it will)
let me know any issues that you encounter, I intend to be very active with my mods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Download
DONT USE WINRAR TO UNPACK! winrar has problems with symlinks that are contained in the file and will break them, use 7zip =)
v3.6.7.3.1 [ Current Stable]
http://rapidshare.com/files/389803666/ECOTOX_ModM001Firmware_v3.6.7.3.1.zip
discussion starts page 22
v3.6.7.3.4 [Working Beta]
http://rapidshare.com/files/391554210/ECOTOX_ModM001Firmware_v3.6.7.3.4.zip
discussion starts page 27

With thanks from Slatedroid.

Eken M001 Aimless Teardown

I love pictures, and it’s because he could:

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But seriously – last month’s Edsel – don’t go there IMHO.

*ducks*.