Tablet upgrades to Android, 3G, and a 720MHz processor

By Eric Brown
2010-07-14

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SmartDevices is readying an Android 2.1 version of its Ubuntu-based, seven-inch SmartQ R7 Linux color e-reader tablet. The SmartQ T7-3G tablet offers a more powerful 720MHz processor, provides Wi-Fi connectivity, upgrades to a 4700mAh battery, and is available with onboard 3G connectivity.

The SmartQ T7-3G tablet runs Android 2.1 on an unnamed ARM11 processor clocked to 720MHz, says SmartDevices. The processor is also said to provide 3D graphics acceleration.

The tablet is said to be available in two versions. The SmartQ T7-3G version integrates a SIM slot for a 3G radio onboard, and supports SIM cards for CDMA2000-EVDO, WCDMA, and TD-SCDMA networks. A SmartQ T7 model is identical, but is limited to onboard Wi-Fi, also available on the T7-3G, with 3G only available as a dongle option.

SmartQ T7-3G (left) and SmartQ T7 (right)
(Click on either to enlarge)

SmartDevices does not mention memory details, but says that the tablet offers a seven-inch display. The tablet also supports 1080p video playback, and supports RMVB, AVI, MKV, and WMV video formats, says the company. Accelerometers and a powerful 4700 mAh battery are also said to be provided.

According to a story in Engadget, the SmartQ T7-3G and T7 tablets are almost identical to the Ubuntu-based SmartQ R7, which was announced in April and was itself a spin-off from an earlier Ubuntu-based SmartDevices SmartQ 7 tablet. We covered the latter in May 2009 along with a similar five -inch MID version called the SmartQ5. (The SmartQ 7 reappeared last October as the AdelaVoice Lighthouse SQ7, pictured at left, which also ran Ubuntu.)

The SmartQ R7 device that shipped in April maintained the ARM11, 600MHz Samsung S3C6410 system-on-chip (SoC) of the SmartQ 7, as well as the Ubuntu distribution and other internal details, according to Engadget. However, SmartDevices was said to have revamped the user interface with e-reader focused buttons.

Not only do the new T7 tablets boost the clock rate compared to the R7, perhaps with an entirely new ARM11 processor, but video format support has also been expanded compared to the earlier model, says Engadget. The 4700 mAh battery is also said by the site to be 1400 mAh more than the R7 offered, (The earlier SmartQ 7 was, however, said to provide a 4500 mAh battery.)

The original SmartQ 7 that formed the basis for the R7 and T7 models provided an 800 x 480 screen, as well as 128MB of DDR RAM and 1GB of flash. Its Samsung SoC was clocked to 667MHz, as opposed to the 600MHz cited by Engadget for the newer R7. Other features for the SmartQ 7 included a microSD slot, USB port, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and an optional 3G dongle.

In January of this year, SmartDevices also announced an ARM11-based MID (mobile internet device) that ships with Android, Ubuntu Linux, or Windows CE 6.0. The V5 (pictured) is said to feature a 4.3-inch display with 800 x 480 resolution, and an ARM11-based 600MHz processor said to support 1080p video playback. Other features included Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a mini-HDMI port, according to the company.

Availability

The Wi-Fi-only SmartQ T7 costs 1,480 Yuan ($219), and the 3G-ready T7-3G costs 1,880 Yuan ($278) or 1,980 ($292) for the EVDO and WCDMA versions, respectively, says SmartDevices. According to Engadget, China Mobile will also sell the T7-3G with a SIM card pre-installed.

More information may be found on this translated SmartDevices page, here, as well as Engadget's report, here.

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