14 DAY TRIAL // Tablets and e-readers may just be a stepping stone towards something greater but, then again, there is nothing stopping consumers and companies from actually enjoying this step. In fact, such consumer electronics have taken off quite well, even with the economy being what it is, which makes actions such as the one Velocity Micro just took all the more logical. Specifically, the outfit known for its custom PCs intends to tackle both the slate and the e-book reader fronts over the next three months.
A few months ago, the player announced it would be joining the slate market by the end of the third quarter. Obviously, said quarter has already begun. As such, Velocity Micro decided to reconfirm those plans, throwing in a bonus at the same time. Apparently, in addition to the Cruz slate, it will bring out a pair of e-readers.
The two e-readers will debut before the end of August. The Cruz Reader, as it is called, has a 7-inch resistive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 600 and no multi-touch support. It will also feature only 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal storage space. Furthermore, it will be bundled with a docking station and will have a price tag of $199. The other e-reader, the StoryPad, will be more along the lines of a child-oriented device with a similar screen, only with a number of pre-installed audio books and multiple color options (blue, green and pink).
The Cruz tablet is still the main news though. It should arrive in September and will boast 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal flash storage, USB, 802.11b/g WiFi, a bundled 8GB SD card, an accelerometer and a 7-inch multi-touch screen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. Its price will be of $299 and the battery will be able to last for up to 10 hours.