Touch Book From Always Innovating Now Shipping
We’ve been all over the Touch Book from Always Innovating since it was first announced. This hybrid slate web tablet uses an innovative design that combines a slate display with a detachable keyboard for maximum utility. The Touch Book uses the OMAP processor from Texas Instruments, a choice designed to provide maximum battery life for a web tablet. According to the Touch Book web site, the first units are starting to ship to those who pre-ordered the $299 device on a first ordered/first shipped basis. We should start seeing these tablets in the hands of owners soon. We are trying to get our hands on a review unit.
Specs:
- 9.4″ x 7″ x 1.4″ for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
- ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
- 1024×600 8.9” screen
- Storage: 8GB micro SD card
- W-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
- 3-dimensional accelerometer
- Speakers, micro and headphone
- 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
- 10+ hours of battery life
(via engadget)
Well, I got my notice saying that my credit card was charged, but I didn’t get the tracking number that they said they would send as well, so we’ll see.
I’m sure it’s on its way, but since the payment confirmation came at 11:45PM on Friday, the 31st, I tend to think that AlwaysInnovating was trying desperately hard to meet its “July” shipping time frame.
I’ll find out soon enough I guess.
Can you actually write on the tablet as the Windows tablet system allows? I’m guessing no, but I’m not sure.
I asked them and the screen is resistive, so it is possible to write with a stylus, although it doesn’t come with a stylus…no stylus compartment. It doesn’t have native handwriting recognition, however, they said any third party app for this would work.
Steve, can you tell us what date you pre-ordered? The other two reports of shipping notices were for folks that pre-ordered in early March.
As a late May, pre-order I’m worried I won’t make the cutoff for the first run.
I am VERY excited about this device but I have been strong and held my CC swiping urge back from pre-ordering. (mainly because the arm processor & custom linux are both unknown quantities at this point)
I’d love to hear what you guys think when you get yours. So I can hopefully make the plunge then.
To be fair, the ARM in this particular machine is a known quantity – the machine uses a modified Beagleboard design, so you can buy a largely similar motherboard for $150, with the same specifications. (IIRC, the only real differences with the Touch Book as compared to a Beagle are the power circuitry, it has a built-in USB hub, and it has the LCD and touch panel.)
So, that leaves the OS.
Are there some benchmarks or real world tests on the Beagle Board out there? I’m not familiar with it.
I’m curious how much oomph this is going to have…
There are a few youtube videos that show this beagleboard / ARM setup running Quake3 at 40-60 fps, which looks like oomph to me
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It’s hard to compare chips from different architectures based solely on its frequency, so don’t read too much into the clock speed. Likewise for the seemingly sparse amount of memory.
One thing to keep in mind when looking at this device is that netbooks are not meant to be desktop replacements — they’re made for portability and should aim for a long battery life. If you find yourself running in a browser most of the time and store/process data “in the cloud” often, then this will probably be a very useful device for you.
Plus, I look at it as a way to get on the scene early with developing for lightweight, power-conservative ARM-based netbooks (ARM is really well suited to lower power draw, and this device should stay up for 10-15 hours running, easy). I expect this area to grow a lot in the next few years, as the number of ARM netbooks coming out in the next several months seems to indicate.
I’m looking forward to this too. Some of the earliest order date I’ve seen so far is March 2nd (I suppose it would make him one of the first since that was the day it was announced publicly). His claim has not been validated and he hasn’t said he has a Touch Book in hand yet. But if what he is saying is true, then I figure he would be one of the first to see it.
He reported that his order had been process at the website below on 1 August.
http;//innovatingtouch.com
I really think that we are actually at the “any day now” stage.
so know one has actually gotten one yet?
I’d love to know if someone has gotten one. I’m looking for something to take digital notes on for engineering classes, and possibly some digital text book reading. Definitely interested in battery life, and whether or not it is actually 10+ hours. If this doesn’t live up, I might just wait for some of the new touchscreen ebook readers coming out in Jan.