WITS A81-E - First Android 2.2 Tablet on the Market

[xaueious]

Review video by mp4nation

Correction: the CPU in the A81E is the OMAP 3530 and not the same CPU as in the Droid

The WITS (Witstech) A81E is not a new device on the market, considering that the A81 was released sometime last year with identical specifications. However it has become the first Android tablet device to ship with Android 2.2 Froyo. The previous A81 variant was missing front Android dedicated buttons, but the A81E addresses that issue.

The WITS A81E is a 7" Android Tablet capable of running Windows CE, and has has Android 2.1 released for a while now. The manufacturer has just recently released their Android 2.2 firmware for the device yesterday.

While the tablet does not have an accelerometer built in, which means that it wont rotate, and only sports a resistive touch screen, it certainly is intriguing for what it is.

The Witstech A81 has traditionally sported a Texas Instruments OMAP3530 A8 Cortex CPU, which is to what is currently in the Beagleboard. This also explains why they have been able to get a working implementation of Android 2.2 so quickly, because of its similarities with other OMAP device such as the Motorola Droid.

As this is a new firmware release, there are some bugs to be ironed out, but from the hardware specifications, it is not unreasonable to expect fully working Adobe Flash on this device (eventually).

There are bugs in this firmware release, so don't go hopping over and stashing one for yourself just yet.

The device can be purchased at Merimobiles or JTShop for $199 before shipping, which brings the total to around $230 before taxes:
A81 E,TI OMAP3 Cortex , Android 2.1 , Wince ,GPS TI OMAP3 Cortex A8 , A81 7 , Wifi, Wince ,Bluetooth , GPS [WITS-A81E-GPS] - $200.00 : JTSHOP
Witstech A81-E Android 2.2 +WinCE6.0,Free Case+Removable battery

Considering that Chinese listings for the device are hovering around the 1350 Yuan mark, the international pricing is spot on with where it's supposed to be.

Users can download the firmware from the official webpage where the ROM was released:
A81 E Android 2.2 English Version Firmware Download

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[xaueious]

Correction: the CPU is actually OMAP 3530, not 3430.

[wuyanks]

certainly blows away the Augen GenTouch.

[xaueious]

Not exactly. The Gentouch has vastly superior video decoding capability, and much more stable firmware.

[wuyanks]

On MP4Nation, Re-Branded as the Nationite Midnite. Available for pre-order now $199... Shipping August 23rd:

Nationite MIDnite (Wits A81E) 7 Android 2.2 Tablet - A8 Cortex - £127.68 : MP4 Nation!, :: Low Priced MP4, MP3 Players and the latest scoop on the newest MP4 Player