14 DAY TRIAL // Regardless of the consumer response it got when it was launched, the Apple iPad did succeed in doing what was, essentially, more important, namely setting the basis for a slate market by giving the start for other tablets to be developed and launched. For instance, companies like MSI, HP and ASUS are already working on their respective models. The devices these few will bring out, however, are but a fraction of the many ARM or non-ARM slates that will make their debut this year. One of the more promising, and advertised, tablets is the ExoPC, whose launch date has now been delayed.
The Canadian company was going to launch its device much sooner but has now reportedly decided to move the formal introduction to sometime in summer. The exact date is still unknown at this time, but the reasons behind the delay include the intention to improve the product specifications while also making the device thinner and more long-lived. The final product is now expected to last for more than four hours on a single battery charge and will be less than 2.1cm thick. The touch LCD panel will also be improved, although it will retain its size of 8.9 inches and LED backlighting.
Regarding the other product specifications, the product page indicates the use of the Intel Atom N270 CPU, which runs at 1.6Ghz, the Intel GMA950 for graphics, 2GB DDR2 at 667Mhz and a 32GB SSD for storage, supplemented by an SD/MMC card reader. Finally, connectivity and I/O options include three USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, audio in and out, LAN and VGA connectors, 802.11 b/g WiFi and Bluetooth.
The ExoPC tablet is expected to get its own application and media content store and will likely use its ability to run Flash as a main marketing advantage in order to compete with the iPad.