Plenty of pics as we get hands on with Intel’s slim slate, codenamed ‘Redvale’, which runs MeeGo 1.1 open source mobile OS on an Atom Moorestown platform.
Computex 2010 | At Intel’s ‘Atom Everywhere’ media briefing at Computex, APC got up close with the chipmaker’s own concept slate.
How close? Close enough to snap these first real-world pics of the slate and its silky-smooth MeeGo OS in action.
Codenamed Redvale, the super-slim tablet is a prototype device
(built to Intel’s spec by Taiwanese OEM Quanta) to show.
Although Redvale itself will probably never to market, Intel hasn’t cut
any corners on making this a slick little slate. The rear panel sports
scalloped hand grip areas on both sides.
Wireless connectivity includes
3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, with just three ports on the left side for
power, headphones and mini-USB for PC sync.
Under the hood sits the latest Atom Z600-class Moorestown
system-on-a-chip which combines the 45nm Atom processor core with 3D
graphics, HD video encode and decode plus memory and display controllers
on a single slab of silicon.
The OS is a pre-alpha of MeeGo 1.1, the open source mobile OS spun out
of the merger of Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo Linux distros.
The main screen starts in what Intel calls 'simple mode' – a familiar iPhone-style UI for launching apps...
... but because Atom supports true multitasking, apps can remain active and be shrunk to thumbnail screens sitting in an app-switching strip under the main screen.
Apps like MeeGo's Photo Gallery have an appealing look which almost begs the user to tap and play.
The 'panels' mode presents individual groups of related apps in vertical columns: shown here, from left to right, are panels for social networking, Web browsing and a user-defined 'My Slate' panel.
Swipe the screen left or right to slide between panels, which can all be preconfigured to suit your personal preference.
Intel
says the slate-friendly MeeGo 1.1 is due for release in October and
will support the new ultra-low power Atom ‘Oak Trial’ Moorestown chips
for longer battery life and HDMI output.
David Flynn is visiting Computex 2010 in Taipei as a guest of Intel.