Borders is now taking pre-orders for two seven-inch Android tablets, the $200 Cruz Reader and the $300 Cruz Tablet, and says the first of the devices will ship by the end of this month. Both tablets offer conventional backlit color touchscreens, but the Reader is resistive while the Tablet is capacitive, the reseller says.
Velocity Micro's Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet were announced last month along with a child-oriented, $150 Cruz StoryPad that Borders doesn't appear to be carrying. The device are positioned as vehicles for e-books, but they both use backlit color screens, run Android, and include Wi-Fi, web browsers, and a variety of other software.
Borders opened its website to pre-orders of the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet today, and says the devices will ship on Sept. 30 and Oct. 15 respectively. There is still no information on what version of Android they'll use, however, nor have the tablets' CPUs been named.
Velocity Micro's Cruz Reader
(Click to enlarge)
The Cruz Reader is equipped with 256MB RAM, 256MB internal flash, and a 2GB SD card, whereas the Cruz Tablet offers 512MB RAM, 4GB internal flash, and an 8GB card, says Velocity Micro. Both offer a seven-inch touchscreen, but the Cruz Reader uses resistive technology (with a 4:3 aspect ratio and 800 x 600 resolution), while the Cruz Tablet moves up to a multitouch capacitive screen (with 800 x 480 resolution and a 16:9 ratio), the company says.
Cruz Tablet
(Click to enlarge)
Both tablet devices are equipped with a mini-USB port, as well as Wi-Fi, but the Reader uses 802.11b/g while the Tablet moves up to the higher-bandwidth 802.11n standard, says Velocity Micro. Both offer accelerometers and standard audio accoutrements, but the Tablet also offers a built-in microphone in addition to a mic jack, says the company.
A demonstration of the Cruz Reader (click to play)
The Cruz Reader is available with a docking station with higher quality
speakers, an option that is apparently not available with the Tablet.
Cruz Reader in docking station
(Click to enlarge)
Both the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet supply removable batteries. The Reader is said to offer six hours of reading time on the spec list, but is touted by the press release as providing 10 hours of battery life and 24 hours of standby time. Meanwhile, the Cruz Tablet is said to offer six hours of video playback.
While the Reader is billed as an e-reader and the Tablet as a multimedia device, both are touted as offering high-quality audio and video playback. Specific resolutions and frame rates are not detailed, however.
Cruz Tablet, front and side views
The Cruz Tablet supports the same e-reader formats as the Reader, including ePub, as well as the Reader's 100 pre-installed e-books. Both devices also are said to offer the Borders app, which is said to provide access to some two million Borders e-books, plus a "Cruz Market" open content portal for apps, magazines, and videos.
Specifications listed for the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet, with differences noted, include:
Memory:
RAM -- 256MB (Reader) or 512MB (Tablet)
Internal flash -- 256MB (Reader) or 4GB (Tablet)
External flash via SD card -- 2GB (Reader) or 8GB (Tablet)
Display -- 7-inch, 4:3 ratio, 800 × 600 resistive TFT (Reader) or 7-inch, 800 x 480, capacitive, 16:9 ratio multitouch (Tablet)
Wireless -- 802.11b/g (Reader) or 802.11n (Tablet)
USB -- Mini USB
Audio -- mic jack; headphone jack; speakers; built-in mic (Tablet only)
Other features -- accelerometers; docking station option with speakers (Reader only); rubberized back (Reader only)
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
/ 4
news feed
