Hasta La Gadget!

Velocity Micro, makers of custom PCs and high-end gaming computers, announced that the Cruz line of 7-inch color touch-screen Android tablets are available to pre-order now. The Cruz comes in two flavors, the Cruz Reader and the Cruz Tablet. The Cruz Reader retails for $199.99, features a 4:3 800×600 display, and comes with a 4GB SD card in addition to its 256MB of internal storage. The Tablet retails for $299.99, features a 16:9 800×480 display, and comes with an 8GB bundled SD card in addition to its 4GB of on-board storage. Both tablets are Wi-Fi enabled, although the Reader supports 802.11 b/g and the Tablet features 802.11n.

Both tablets run Google’s Android mobile OS, although the Reader runs Android 2.0 and the Tablet runs 2.1. The Reader is designed to be primarily an eBook reader, but can also display photos, lets you surf the Web and watch Web video, and has access to the Android App Market (Velocity Micro has it branded the Cruz Market) for games and other apps. The Tablet does everything the Reader does, comes with apps to display video, and is designed to be an all-around tablet computer, complete with rich multimedia apps. Velocity Micro is accepting pre-orders now, and both units will begin shipping in September.

Black-and-white e-readers are limiting while full color LCD displays such as those in tablets like the iPad can be power hungry and tough on the eyes. That’s why Qualcomm is betting that a new hybrid device that bridge the two worlds could be in the hands of consumers early next year.

Qualcomm is on track to ship 5.7-inch displays in the next few weeks that can shift between black-and-white and color, Jim Cathey, vice-president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, told Wired.com.

These displays called ‘Mirasol’ will first go to device makers who are likely to introduce new products based on it early next year, says Cathey.

Last year, e-readers were one of the fastest growing consumer electronics products. But intense competition and pressure from Apple iPad has put many smaller e-reader makers out of business. Meanwhile, many consumers remain undecided when it comes to choosing between e-readers and tablets. Consumers want the convenience of a low power, display that’s lightweight and easy on the eye, with the advantage of a color screen.

With Mirasol, Qualcomm is hoping it can give companies such as Amazon that are reportedly looking beyond black-and-white e-readers an attractive option.

Mirasol displays work by modulating an optical cavity to reflect the desired wavelength of light. The reflected wavelength is proportional to the cavity’s depth. Mirasol screens looks more like glossy scientific books rather a full color LCD screen. But the displays consume very little power, are bistable and can play video.

Over the next few months, Qualcomm hopes to ramp up production of the displays. Qualcomm is building a new $2 billion Mirasol production plant in Taiwan, according to a report in DigiTimes.

A “major client has already started the design-in process,” using Mirasol, says DigiTimes.

See Also:

• Qualcomm Aims to Bring Color, Video to E-Readers
• Gallery: E-Readers Push Boundaries of Books
• 5 Things That Will Make E-Readers Better in 2010
• Up Close and Personal With the Pixel Qi Display
• Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

David Kassan made something of a name for himself as the guy who is really good at fingerpainting with the iPad Brushes app. Now he’s been tapped by THQ to work with something other than his fingers: the uDraw GameTablet for Nintendo’s Wii. Announced earlier this week, the $70 tablet pledges to let anyone with an artistic bent get all creative on the little console that rules them all (at least in terms of sales), but can it actually create meaningful art? See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading David Kassan uses THQ’s uDraw to express his Wii ennui (video)

David Kassan uses THQ’s uDraw to express his Wii ennui (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d heard HP’s Todd Bradley had confidentially told employees that a webOS tablet would arrive in Q1 2011, but now the man’s gone on the record in the company’s Q3 2010 earnings call. “You’ll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011,” he told investors and analysts in response to a direct question about tablets this afternoon, adding that potential slates were part of the reason HP bought Palm in the first place. Now, we’re not financial experts, but we’ve heard it’s typically a good idea not to promise things to your shareholders if you don’t intend to deliver. In other words, there’s a good bet the PalmPad is actually not an imaginary friend our subconscious created after Mark Hurd’s hateful words in June.

[Thanks, Robert]

HP confirms webOS tablet for ‘early 2011’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We did wonder why RIM was acquiring infotainment specialist QNX Software Systems back in April, and today, according to Bloomberg, much of that mystery has been dispelled. Three separate sources are cited in a report claiming that RIM intends to run software built by QNX on its virginal tablet effort, the BlackPad. It’s curious that the company is opting against upscaling its BlackBerry 6 operating system into the tablet space, though one of the sources suggested that’s due to legacy code hanging around in the still new OS, making it easier to just start afresh when building the slate’s software package. It shall be very interesting indeed to see how well this $200 million investment works out for RIM; it’ll certainly be the biggest departure from the BlackBerry maker’s conservative norm.

BlackPad to have its own OS, built by QNX? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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