WiiPad?!

[koppit]

I got this in my email this morning - people (usually sellers) send me links, thinking I will just purchase and review the device. Here's what I found so far, but I don't have any intention of actually purchasing until it's no longer "pre-ordering".

It will be shipping with a ZTChip8080 CPU, which the manufacturer says clocks in at 1.0-1.4ghz, but no word on whether this is combined DSP and CPU speeds. There is a standard 2GB onboard, with an SD port to add more space, and the nice thing about this is it comes with 256mb of ram instead of the usual bare-minimum 128mb. The 2400mAH, 7.4V Lithium Ion Battery is said to hold a charge of 5 hours while using Wifi, and it

 

[Norril]

Interesting. This is from Germany and was called the WePad. I believe it is the same tablet.

WePad comes out of tablet hiding, reveals its ?450 price and August availability -- Engadget

 

[koppit]

Could be, the WePad was renamed to the WeTab - it's hard to tell what are going to be knockoffs and what aren't, though.

 

[koppit]

Got a bit more information - I don't think the devices are related. I'm getting one sent to me for review and a giveaway, so I'll post info about it within the next few weeks, once they actually start shipping.

 

[irishpride]

It looks like it might not actually be too bad, compared to the other knockoffs out there. Hopefully the resistive touch screen won't be near impossible to use.

Looking forward to the review so we can hear some more about it.

 

[Lukehluke]

There are a few resistive touch screens that are okay to use but some are just terrible.

 

[koppit]

Added a bit more information, as I've been talking to the CEO since he sent me that email.
Not much more information, mind you, until I can play with it hands-on.

Exclusive! The WiiPad is on the way. Android Tablets

 

[quadmasta]

I kind of want to order one. It looks gorgeous.

 

[koppit]

I just found out there's an even cheaper one, with Eclair (2.0), that's the same 10.2" size. It's only 600mhz, but even that is not bad under Android. The model is HW-l100, but not sure if it's made by the same factory - I honestly can never tell with these devices.

 

[igotitiscool]

I just found out there's an even cheaper one, with Eclair (2.0), that's the same 10.2" size. It's only 600mhz, but even that is not bad under Android. The model is HW-l100, but not sure if it's made by the same factory - I honestly can never tell with these devices.

what is the link?

 

[koppit]

Ah, sorry, no link yet, I got the information from a supplier.

 

[adrianvfx]

I've been following the german made wepad for quite some time. I bought an iPad originally just because I couldn't wait any longer and wanted a big screen to hook up to my car and watch movies, and or watch movies at home.

They have a facebook page where they keep everyone updated quiet frequently. Only problem is I have to use a translator

From what I've seen and understand the capacitive touchscreen has evolved greatly since they originally started this project. If you see old early prototype videos of the "wepad" it was insanely unresponsive, and extremely laggy. They've modified the UI so much and changed so many pieces of the hardware 'for the better' that I believe if they can expand on marketing well enough this could be a great 2nd option over the iPad.

 

[koppit]

Keep in mind, the WePad and the WiiPad are two separate devices.

 

[Lmp1054]

From ChinaGrabber.com the pad came out 2 days ago have you gotten yours?

 

[koppit]

Nah, I would purchase through their website instead.

 

[koppit]

Update on the WiiPad: The manufacturer has released the first sample units, and will begin ramping up production if everything checks out.

 

[daredavid]

I've ordered (pre-ordered) one Wiipad directly from the website.

Seller sent me an email saying that "the third batch will be shipped on 25 july".

I wait.. and let you know if i really receive this new toy or not

David


p.s: have you noticed that every picture found on internet of the new Wiipad Neno, shows a strange flat cable going in from the top side of the pad ? What is this for ? maybe it's connected to a pc and they are using the pad only like a monitor ??

 

[koppit]

Yeah, I have seen a few things like that, and never really did find out about it.... I'll ask. All I know is their first batch is going to some company that wants to resell them in Russia, and they ordered hundreds of them. With the speed of them, I can't wait to try it!

 

[veeshy]

Wiipad is the same design as the Zinithink. Supposed to the best ipad clone out.

I really and intrested in getting one and from what they told me

15th July - Website gets updated

20th July they start sending them out.

Wiipad and Zenithink are from the same design company they told me

Zenithink’s 10-inch iPad clone packs 1GHZ ARM Cortex-A8 processor|&nbsp Cloned In China

 

[icurafu]

Hey, I just got word that the Android release is 10 days away. So only WinCE will be released with current models.

I've ordered a A105 from Jiongtang and am told that it will come with WinCE 6, allowing us to upgrade to Android a week later.

Anyway, I'll let you know when I get it and have android running on it. Another device is the Orphan M16. There is a video of it where it does a little bit of android, but then reverts to another pad (same unit) running a HD video on *wince*.

I also heard from someone at smartqmid that it has 128MB dedicated VRAM, which will really make it stand out.

 

[Brookstone]

I intend to agree with Veeshy's opinion.

In fact, Zinithink seems just to be a Chinese company which designed and released the WiiPad, so I think they are just one thing.

About the configurations, my information is ARM Cortex-A80 1GHz processor, 10-inch 1024x600 touch, 256MB DDR2 and 2GB flash. So I found there were some differences from the specification described in Veeshy's link article, mainly in built-in memory and flash storage. Especially memory capacity, if WiiPad really comes with 512MB RAM, instead of 256MB or 128MB, that really will be a good news for those knockoff fans.

However, I still insist on my information and found the same specifications at most of online shops.

 

[koppit]

OK, I posed those questions to the CEO, and he said that the ones being manufactured right now, in the first three (or so) batches, will be 256MB of RAM. This is still better than most out there. The 512MB is optional, as is 4GB/8GB/16GB of onboard flash, and they have to wait for the first batches to be finished before beginning another with the optional specs. However, once confirmed and production is ramped up, I think that we'll be sitting pretty with a nice 10" screen. I mean, say we have a ballpark figure of $250 for this unit, and it comes with 2GB of memory and 256mb of RAM. Android isn't hungry, it will run fine with that amount. This is a short (probably incompletely) list of what I think you get over and above the iPad:

• USB Ports
• SD Port - Add on 32GB Sd card, and don't pay an extra $200.
• Flash support*
• An aspect ratio of 10:6 (I believe the iPad is 4:3)
• Less than half the price (Base models)
• Multitasking works, and it works well. All apps support it.
• No need to buy an adapter to do anything external (Keyboards, printers)
• No Wifi Issues

* Flash support would be with a separate app, over at XDA forums right now. It works for 2.1, but will work much better with 2.2, once Froyo arrives in the wiipad/zenithink.

The only big thing I'm worried about is the resistive touch screen, which may or may not be a bad thing (it depends on how well it's constructed, some aren't too bad).

 

[Eddiman]

Could someone post a review of it once it's out? It would be much appreciated.

 

[icurafu]

Just to be clear. Zenithink produce the board and are mass producing the 256MB RAM, 2G NAND models now. Third parties (such as wiithink) should be shipping those out as of Friday or maybe next Monday. Zenithink are also responsible for the base build of Android and WinCE.

WiiPad just resell it. Put their stamp on the back and maybe makes some changes to the firmware before releasing it out (like adding qq or startup splashscreen). If WiiPad can sell enough units, they can get discounts and be able to choose special configurations. So the board supports 512MB and different NANDs. Or also the guarantee that that can clock up to 1.4GHz (maybe the cpu is rated 1GHz, but can be factory tested to higher Hz). So WiiPad could release a 1.4GHz, 512MB RAM version if they wanted.

So why did they choose 1GHz/256MB? Probably because it is an iPad clone. Anyway, I got a A105 from jiongtang which is the same unit. I'm told it is shipping today from HK, but with WinCE. I put together this comparison on the forums.

             A105                               iPad
OS           Android 2.1 / WinCE 6.0            iOS
Weight       650g                               680g/730g
dimensions   270 x 180 x 15                     242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4
Processor    1GHz Cortex A8                     1GHz Cortex A8
RAM          256MB + 128MB VRAM                 256MB
3G           Attachable                         Optional
Video        3D chip with 128MB VRAM            PowerVR SGX 535 GPU
Touch        Resistive                          Compacitive
Wifi         b/g                                b/g/n
Bluetooth    Attachable                         2.1
LCD          10.2" TFT 1024x600                 9.7" LED 1024x768
Shaky?       G-sensor(android)                  accelermeter 3-axis
USB          Host and OTG                       Via dock
Ethernet     mini-connector                     Via dock
TV-out       no                                 Via dock
Camera       webcam                             no
Batt life    video without wifi or 3g (7h)      video without wifi or 3g (10h)
Storage      2GB                                16GB 32GB or 64GB
Card reader  TF (up to 32GB)                    no
Speakers     1wx2 stereo                        mono speakers

Let me know if I got anything wrong. One very important thing to note is the 128MB of VRAM that you wont find on the Android. If you have a SmartQ V7/V5, you will know that the video consumes a huge ammount that can only be allocated at startup. With the 128MB already allocated, you can get better video performance and no need to allocate. I don't think the iPad has VRAM. So performance will be nicer, especially when the ultra efficient Android 2.2 is out. . Hopefully Zenithink don't screw up the build like the telechips did with their Android 2.1 build. (It constantly is polling for a phone module killing the performance and battery.)

http://www.zenithink.com/en/product_view.asp?id=228

My biggest concern is the buttons. It only seems to have one button on the board, with no pins for anything else. We can see from the original Witstech android board that this is a bad combination without good software. Android needs atleast three buttons to use easily. This makes me think that the plastic mold was created for a WinCE user. I've seen a video of the WinCE which looks really nice. The "orphan m16" video on youtube shows the current android build with a WinCE build playing a HD video.

I hope this info has been helpful. I find it hard to get information about this because all the third parties are pretending it just belongs to them alone.

 

[koppit]

Very nice comparison, much props. I have reposted with thanks, and made a few minor changes

What are your thoughts on using the device, anyways?