Cowon goes old school with Windows CE based R7 tablet
These days, most of the tablets and mobile devices we see are based on Android or the now slightly more popular Windows Phone 7. However, venerable gadget maker Cowon today announced its new R7 tablet running a completely unexpected OS: the tried and true Windows CE 6.0.
Sensibly, Cowon did heavily customize the look of the OS, actually giving it a more Windows 8 grid feel. They also incorporated strong media player functionality, including support for 1080p video, MKV, 3GP, and Flash for video as well as APE, Musepack, Wavepack, and the standard MP3, WMA, and OGG.
Little is known about the specifications other than the 7-inch display size and 800 x 480 resolution, but I wouldn't expect to find any exciting dual-core processors or loads of RAM in here. If anything, the device will be lacking in hardware, as evidenced by its lack of WiFi for internet connectivity. Battery life appears to be the one strong point of the tablet, which boasts 65 hours for music playback and 10 hours of video.
It is currently only available in South Korea, and I wouldn't expect to ever see it stateside at a reasonable price. While it could appeal to those who want a very large media player, or fans of Cowon and Windows CE, I see very little real market for the device. Still, for the sake of Cowon's history I felt it was worth a mention, and who knows, a few people may be really excited about this.
[Anything But iPod]
