14 DAY TRIAL // While most people typically associate the Android operating system to smartphones and Internet tablets, the truth of the matter is that Google's open-source OS is far more versatile than that, finding its way onto PMPs as well, such as the new VX590R model from Chinese manufacturer Onda. Right from the start, we'll have to mention that running the Android OS on a portable media player that comes equipped with a wide, 6-inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixels resolution sort of turns into a whole different product, ranking it in the Internet tablet or MID category, rather than in the portable media players' segment. As AkihabaraNews points out, except for the Android operating system, the Onda VX590R offers pretty much the same range of features as its predecessor, the basic VX590, including here the Rockchip RK2816 chipset that's actually providing the portable device's computing power. Much like most other PMPs currently available on the market, the device will be able to play 720p HD videos (preferably, via the HDMI interface, connected to a HDTV), while also providing audio recording and eBook reading features. Also worth noting is the fact that the VX590R offers USB and Wi-FI connectivity, and is available in 8GB and 16GB versions, as far as the internal memory is concerned. Unfortunately, these are all the information we've got on the device from Onda for the time being, so there's no way of knowing whether users will be able to upgrade it to a more advanced version of Android and whether they'll have access to the Android marketplace or not (the sensible thing would be to provide the required access, in order to download various entertainment-related apps). Hence, it should come as no surprise that pricing and availability are also yet unknown, but we'll certainly try to keep you posted as we get more details on this rather interesting product.
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