Netbook Navigator intends to deliver a 7″ MID tablet [Updated]
Netbook Navigator is not a manufacturer or retailer in the normal sense, classifying itself as a specialty direct-to-consumer retailer that "navigates through the wide variety of newly released mobile tech devices by searching for, identifying and refining the best of the best." At CES, the company debuted its 8.9-inch Netbook Navigator 891A-NN Tablet PC (shown above), quite simply a full-featured netbook in a tablet form factor with a multi-touch screen and no physical keyboard, but they also announced another interesting device that is more relevant to us here at Pocketables: a 7" version of the Netbook Navigator, the 701A-NN, that is still a fully fledged tablet PC running Windows 7 Starter Edition with a 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510.
Strangely, the specification includes the Intel 945GSE and 950GMA chipsets from the Atom N-series platform, rather than the Z-series' Menlow platform with the GMA500. Whether this is an error or not is unknown. The rest of the specs feature 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 32GB SSD, integrated 3G, b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0, a 1.3MP webcam, 2x USB 2.0, support for miniSD/MMC cards, a SIM card slot, 3.5mm headphone out/line-in, stereo speakers, and a 2200mAh Li-on battery that should last for over 4 hours.
The 7" resistive touch screen supports multi-touch and has a resolution of 800×480, contained in a compact tablet with dimensions of 7.1" × 4.5" × 0.7" and weighing around 24oz. Both products are manufactured by Sinchun Electronic based in Shenzhen, China.
Browsing the company's website, I found that it currently produces domestic versions of the Netbook Navigators sold under the "Say Cool" brand in 8.9", 7", and 5" screen sizes. The 7" UMPC-701A, upon which the Netbook Navigator 701A-NN is based with an identical design, is shown below.
It's good to see companies picking up Chinese products with potential that otherwise wouldn't be seen outside of China, such as the Wirelession W1060, a rebranded WITS A81 MID. Regarding the 701A-NN, the specifications seem pretty good and in the ballpark with most of its competitors, but a lot rides on the final price, which is currently unknown. Its bigger brother, the 891A-NN, is due to be released in February and is available for pre-order now, with liliputing quoting the price at an expensive $1199 for the top specification. Unfortunately, Sinchun do not provide the prices of their products in China for comparison. Hopefully with the 7" version being marketed as an economical option, it will be released for a lower price when it is launched later this year.
Update 01-22-2010: While at CES our Contributing Editor, Chris King, paid a visit to the Netbook Navigator booth and managed to pick up a $200 discount coupon for the 8.9" Netbook Navigator 891A-NN Tablet PC! For those of you interested in this offer, simply send an email to [email protected] with "CES 200" as the subject. A response will be sent to your email with instructions explaining how to redeem your discount. But make sure you act fast since the offer expires on the 31st of January 2010 and supplies are limited!
