Nationite MIDnite tablet brings low cost Cortex-A8 power with a few compromises
Most of the Android tablets we've seen so far have been squarely aimed at the value-oriented segment rather than the high-end of the market, trying to appeal to consumers with a decent range of features and performance for an attractive price. These legions of tablets are nearly always powered by older ARM9- or ARM11-based processors such as the extremely popular Rockchip RK2808, which although fairly competent for casual users, definitely doesn't spark too much excitement here at Pocketables or with you, our gadget enthusiast readers. Unfortunately the newer, more powerful ARM cores are nearly always found in the rarer, more expensive devices, but one company looks to be out to change that.
At first, Nationite's MIDnite tablet MID looks like an average low cost 7-inch Android tablet, but under the hood the MID is packing a 600MHz TI OMAP 3530 based on the powerful ARM Cortex-A8 core, and perhaps even more surprising is that it will ship with Android 2.2 Froyo. The remaining specs are also very respectable with 256MB RAM, 2GB internal memory expandable via microSD (up to 16GB), b/g WiFi, and a 3000mAh li-on battery. But perhaps best of all is the very attractive preorder price of $199.50 until August 9th and $219.50 after it officially launches on August 23rd. The low cost does come with a few compromises, though, with the 7-inch WVGA touch screen being resistive, no Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, and a slightly shorter battery life of 7 to 10 hours with WiFi off and 5 to 6 hours with it on. Eagle-eyed readers may have also noticed that the MIDnite is actually a rebranded WITS A81-E without the dual-booting OS option, but with the latest version of Android.
Overall I think even with the few compromises, the new tablet is excellent value for the money with an impressive array of up-to-date hardware and software. I believe it's probably one of the cheapest ways to get an Android 2.2-running Cortex-A8 powered device. The Nationite MIDnite is available for preorder now from MP4nation for the aforementioned prices and the tablets are set to ship on August 23rd. Check out the video below for a closer look of the MID in action. Any takers?
[Slashgear]
