14 DAY TRIAL // While the battle on the international tablet market heats up, it would seem that local integrators are also joining the fight, the latest example coming from Italy, where a company called Ergo has launched an Internet tablet running Windows 7 that goes by the same name and offers what seems to be a rather familiar set of features.
As Notebook Italia reports, the Ergo tablet is, in fact, just a rebranding of a reference design that's been circulating under a few different names for quite some time now, some of which (such as the WePard or Masterpad) might ring a bell.
However, the manufacturer claims that there are a few peculiarities that differentiate them from the reference design, such as the addition of a 2-mp webcam (instead of the usual 1.3 version), as well as a GPS module, an ambient light sensor and 3G connectivity, extremely important in keeping the user online and in touch with the world wherever he/she might be at a certain time. Apart from these extras, the Ergo is quite similar to the other products of this type available on the market, at least in terms of specs.
So, the device runs on an Intel Atom N455 CPU, accompanied by 1GB of DDR3RAM memory, and a choice of either 32GB or 64GB SSDs.
Moreover, it sports a 11.6-inch touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution and also offers plenty of connectivity options, from USB to mini-HDMI.
The tablet offers an average functioning life of around 3 hours, but manufacturers hope to boost that when they'll offer the Ergo pre-installed with Windows Embedded Compact 7, an OS much more suitable for use within tablets.
The Ergo internet tablet is set to go on sale in Italy later on this month, but, unfortunately, pricing has not been revealed just yet.