- Jul 9, 2010
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Yet another new Android tablet is about to be released in China - a Freescale iMX515 based iPad clone called the Apad IMX515, with Android 2.2 and full Adobe Flash support.
I suppose this is the best iPad clone to come out on the market, if there's a category for such a device. While there is some rationale behind copying the iPad design, this is a bit of a wasted effort for an otherwise fully loaded yet (relatively) inexpensive device.
Speaking of its 'inspired' hardware design, it has a 8" display with a 800x600 4:3 aspect ratio, it is slightly smaller than the real thing while matching its aspect ratio. A 30-pin connector is used for data transfer. It also shares the iconic circular button with the square in the middle, as well as rocker buttons along the edge.
Despite being equipped with a single touch resistive touchscreen, the response seen from videos seems to be nimble enough for some gaming using finger input without the use of a stylus, reminiscent of the Apad iRobot with the Rockchip RK2808 chipset.
Surely the price tag alone would attract some buyers, retailing at 1399RMB (~210USD). In terms of promised features, it runs Android 2.2 with a g-sensor, full Adobe Flash support, 720p video decoding, with a Freescale iMX515 Cortex A8 processor.
This would be only the second or third Android 2.2 tablet released out of China besides the Witstech A81E and the Apad-shell Samsung S3C6410 based 7" tablets.
We are waiting for an actual hands-on for the device. However, this is one of the more promising devices to come out of China, especially considering the price tag and the features. But before you hop onboard, competing devices from Archos and other major brands are poised to ship by the time you make the order for this device and have it shipped overseas. Tegra 2 devices are also set to launch within this month, such as the Malata Zpad. However, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything else matching the features and price for this tablet probably for months to come. Build quality will make or break this as a viable alternative.
Specifications (from HiApad)
CPU: Freescale iMX515 Cortex A8 CPU
OS: Google Android 2.2 Froyo (Supports Adobe Flash 10.1)
RAM: 512MB DDR2
ROM: 4GB (integrated microSDHC card for ease of upgrades)
Expansion: 32GB microSDHC
Display: 800×600 8″ TFT-LCD
Casing: Utopia Technology Designed Snap-fit Plsatic Assembly
Buttons (3): On/off switch, front back key, side Home and Menu buttons
Input Hardware: Single touch resisitve touch panel
Audio in: Integrated microphone
Audio out: 3.5mm standard headphone jack, integrated speakers
Data port: 30pin
Power adapter: 9V 1.5A
Integrated battery: 3900mah (4 hours of continuous wifi surfing)
Supported video formats: MKV (H.264 HP)/RMVB/MPEG-4/FLV 720p multi-format video decoding
Supported picture formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Dimensions: 209×161.5×14mm
Mass: 480g
Sources
UtopiaCN Official Webpage
HiApad.com (Utopia Technology Unofficial Blog)