The company is teasing a rugged version now, but a consumer model is also coming

May 14, 2014 07:45 GMT  ·  By

Google’s Project Ara aims to revolutionize the way we think about smartphones, by bringing modularity to the fore front of the handheld experience. But when it comes to tablets, another company might beat Google to the curve.

Entegra Technologies has already announced a modular tablet, the company believes will challenge the dominion of products such as the iPad.

HotHardware reports, the Entegra Crossfire Pro is a tablet that lets you swap different components without having to upgrade the entire system. When it is finally released, the slate will come with a 9.7-inch display boasting a pretty resolution 1024 x 768 pixels, which is pretty average especially considering the size of the screen.

Based on the first press images, the tablet seems to be of a rugged variety and given the fact the slate also supports glove input (on top of stylus / touch input) and weights a pretty hefty 2.5 lbs / 1.13 kg this is exactly the case.

The Crossfire Pro bundles a quad-core Intel M-Series N2930 COM (computer on module) which can be swapped with another COM when desired. The machine benefits from the Intel Gen 7 graphics, 4GB od DDR3L SDRAM and 64GB of mSATA storage.

Other specifications include two cameras (2MP in front and 5MP on the back – with flash and autofocus), ambient light sensor, accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope and compass.

As for the connectivity, the device comes with 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (with MiMo), Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE. Moreover, we have USB 2.0/3.0, mini HDMI, SD card, front facing stereo speakers so the sound comes towards the user and a swappable Li-ion battery capable of sustaining up to 6 hours of life.

Entegra Technologies wants to compete with Google's Project Ara
Entegra Technologies wants to compete with Google's Project Ara
A very interesting aspect is that users can opt for a dual-boot variant with options including Android, Linux and Windows.

Anyway, the idea of modularity applies to every spec we listed above, so in theory, everything can be changed at some point.

The Crossfire's components are all swappable
The Crossfire's components are all swappable
The Crossfire Pro is also offered with a wide range of accessories, including an expansion module bay, a docking connector and clamshell keyboard connector. More than that, the chassis of the tablet has buttons that are user-programmable.

Pricing remains a mystery when this modular tablet is concerned. Anyway, the company is expected to roll out a consumer market version of the slate in nine months. The hardware and software of the tablet will be open and Entegra plans to recruit university groups to help with the development.

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Entegra Crossfire might as well be the first modular tablet
Entegra Technologies wants to compete with Google's Project AraThe Crossfire's components are all swappable
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