14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that even more companies are entering the tablet space, or at least trying to, with Sparkle having now brought forth its first product of this type, powered by the familiar Tegra 2 SoC.
The thing about the tablet sector is that it finally seems to be branching out in terms of hardware and software platforms.
Where once there was the iPad and everything else, there are now ARM-based tablets and x86-powered ones, all of them divided according to what OS they are loaded with.
Android 3.0 is the most common and often spoken of at the moment, which is understandable, considering that Honeycomb is the first Android version designed specifically for slates.
Then again, the MeeGo OS has been getting attention (Acer Iconia M500 is one example), while Windows 8 will probably put on a good show whenever it is released.
That said, it appears that Sparkle chose to go with what seems to have worked so far, namely the NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC (system-on-chip).
One might wonder why a maker of video controllers would just decide to enter the slate segment.
The fact that the company which supplies the GPUs for its boards is the same one making the mobile platform in the X-Pad probably had something to do with it.
Calibre X-Pad, as it is called, is a Tegra 2 tablet which, as per recent reports, was revealed during the ongoing Computex 2011 trade show.
The few details exposed, beyond the platform, are the screen size of 10.1 inches, the obvious touch support and the two webcams, one on the front (2 megapixels) and one at the back (5 megapixels).
Depending on how well the outfit can follow through with its plans, Sparkle should manage to make the Calibre X-Pad available sometime during the next few months.