MAG Digital tablet reappears as DAWA D7, now running Android 2.1
Remember the MAG Digital tablet first seen at CeBIT? Also appearing rebranded as the iMito IM7, the device impressed us with its sleek, high quality design, 1080p full HD video playback, HDMI output, and most curiously, its very Android-esque WinCE interface. Back then, the company commented that we possibly might see Android running on the tablet in the future, but since then we haven't heard any more on the subject.
For those of you who liked the hardware but were put off by the OS, the wait may now be over with the device rebranded as the DAWA D7 running Android 2.1 with a dynamic desktop, slightly redesigned interface, and claimed access to Android Market.
Apart from the change in OS, specifications are nearly identical to what we've seen before, including the 256MB RAM, 2GB local storage expandable by microSD (up to 32GB), WiFi, GPS, optional 3G, and HDMI output. Unfortunately, it seems that the Android version uses the lower clocked 600MHz Telechips TC8902 processor, instead of the original TC8901 clocked at 720MHz. The result of this is that the D7 is unable to play 1080p full HD videos, peaking out at 720p. The tablet is available in China now for under US$200.
As one of the more impressive and well designed tablets to come out of China from a hardware point of view, it's great to see manufacturers starting to adopt the newer versions of Android in comparison to previously sticking with WinCE or Android 1.5/1.6. But then again, with the frenetic pace of Google's mobile OS, we can't forget that Android 2.2 is now just around the corner! Like for all manufacturers, it's an ongoing game of catchup with Google's Android team.
