Hasta La Gadget!

This rather familiar-looking tablet is in fact one of the first Android tablets in the wild. The Identity TAB comes from South Korea’s KT and will cost 300,000 Won, or around $250, and is almost identical to the upcoming Galaxy Tab from Samsung.

The TAB runs Android 2.2 Froyo, and the TFT LCD (multitouch) screen measures seven-inches, which seems to be a sweet spot for Android tablets. It runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, is packed with 8GB storage and a gyroscope, plus some great additions not found in Apple’s iPad: a 3MP camera (rear-facing), an SD-card slot and a DMB TV Tuner (sweet!).

As with any tablet facing up to the iPad, it will win or lose based on the smoothness and integration of the operating system and hardware (things much more important when you are interacting with on-screen controls directly) and of course an app ecosystem. The Identity TAB does have one other great advantage: It’s in Korea, which means crazy-good internet. The $250 price is for the unit alone. Sign up for a contract and it is free if you pick a $22 per month WiMax contract from SK Telecom, offering an impossible-to-exhaust 50GB of data. One caveat: from the (translated) wording of various descriptions, it is unclear whether WiMax (called WiBro in Korea) is built-in or requires an external unit or dongle.

Despite the embarrassingly derivative design, the TAB certainly looks like a tablet to watch.

KT nation’s first Tablet PC released Android [Today Korea via Akihabara News and Engadget]

See Also:

• Velocity Cruz Android Tablet: 7-Inch Display, $300
• Android ePad Tablet Reviewed. Verdict: Junk
• NYT: Google Android Tablet Imminent
• Attack of the Pads: Tablets Take On Apple
• India's New Android Tablet Looks Pretty Great
• Chinese Counterfeiters Release First Android Tablet
• Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab Caught in the Wild
• Samsung Enters Tablet Race With the Galaxy Tape

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

It sees like we can’t let a day pass without talking about Samsung’s upcoming Froyo tablet. This time there’s a whole video preview, courtesy of some of our Korean brethren. Android 2.2, WCDMA 3G, 802.11n WiFi, a 16:10 screen ratio, a front-facing camera “dedicated to video calling,” SDHC memory expandability, and a DMB tuner for those TV-crazy Koreans are all listed on the spec sheet, but you’ll be wanting to see the Galaxy Tab’s UI in motion. It really looks silky smooth and should give the iPad cause for concern. Speaking of the iPad, there’s a size comparison against Apple’s slate and Samsung’s own Galaxy S handset as well — all yours after the break.

Update: Fast-loading video embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Eric]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab gets video preview in Korea

Samsung Galaxy Tab gets video preview in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If we can distract your sympathies from that rather unfortunately bespectacled product waif for a second, we’d like to tell you about LG’s latest 3D projectors for the office. The LG BX327 pumps 3,200 lumens for 1,300,000KRW (about $1,090) while the BX327 scales things back to 2,700 lumens for 1,000,000KRW (about $837). Otherwise, both feature a 2,300:1 contrast, stereo speakers, and a USB jack for sourcing documents, videos, and photos directly off of a USB stick. Unfortunately, LG’s not offering much detail here. But you can still imagine the fun you’ll have dressing up your luddite executive team in those massive 3D glasses. Oh yes sir, you look magnificent.

LG’s 3D office projectors are ready to entertain the staff originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from iriver on the e-reader front, so this one isn’t a huge surprise. It looks like the Story is getting a nice, compact Touch edition, and while we don’t have full specs yet, we do have plenty of photos, and we also know it’s going to boast a 6-inch, touchscreen display (which appears to be some type of e-ink), 2GB of internal storage, with SDHC expansion up to 32GB. This one’s going to be for the Korean market only, so we don’t expect to get our hands on one anytime soon, but we can always dream. Another photo is below, hit the source link for more.

Continue reading iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site

iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pantech Vega that just hit Korea may boast a sizable 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, but don’t expect future phones from the Helio manufacturer to follow suit — after suffering the same shortages that drove HTC to Sony’s SLCD-illuminated doorstep, Pantech’s also temporarily giving active-matrix organic technology the boot. Now, you may not give two nickels about the technologies in Pantech’s next handset, but the firm’s got a finger on the industry’s pulse. So when an unnamed executive says “phones to be rolled out in the first half of next year” won’t use AMOLED, that hints at when the shortage for US-bound devices might also let up. In case you’re curious, 2H 2011 is when Samsung’s next AMOLED facility is slated to open, though by that point AU Optronics and TPO Display should be shipping the screens as well.

Pantech drops AMOLED completely due to shortage, may resume use in 2H 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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