Oh Augen tablet, where art thou?
A long time ago, in a Kmart far, far away
Looks like my quest for an Augen Gentouch 78 tablet will end in failure. Word is that Kmart has halted sales of this jewel mediocre tablet, possibly because of the big ugly Android Market SNAFU, or the huge number of returns, or maybe because there’s a global Kmart plot to keep one out of my hands. Anyhoo, reports are in from those who ordered online that the orders are canceled, and after endlessly bothering my local Kmart, I was told that all orders for the tablet are to be filled with either an even lower spec Augen Android netbook, or the Augen 7" eReader running some ARM variant of Linux. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, and I’ll have to wait for the next mythical Android tablet. [AndroidTablets.net]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Augen tablet’s use of the Android market is unauthorized, Google says
My heart has officially been broken, as Google has told LaptopMag that the Augen Gentouch78 tablet’s usage of the Android Market (and other Google Apps) is unauthorized. To be more precise, Google claims that "Augen included proprietary Google software in their product via an unauthorized vendor. Google only licenses its software to partners and OHA members directly."
We have no idea who or what the unauthorized vendor is, but I promise it wasn’t me. It certainly explains why you couldn’t really download anything from the Market without a bit of hacking wizardry though. It’s starting to look like I’ll never get the uber-cheap family refrigerator calendar tablet of my dreams, and this raincheck from Kmart will have to suffice. [LaptopMag]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Augen 7-inch Android 2.1 tablet to sell at Kmart for $149.99
Kmart and Android are names you probably never though would be uttered in the same breath, but in their weekly circular the discount retailer has a 7-inch tablet, running Android 2.1 on sale for $149.99. Before you say "meh" and click away, this one has a bit better specs than what we’ve seen for ultra-cheap Android tablets so far:
- 800×480 TFT display
- 800 Mhz CPU
- 256 MB RAM
- 2 GB internal memory
- On board WiFi, and a SD/MMC card slot
The weekly Kmart ad shows the tablet on sale through July 31. I’ve been on the phone with every Kmart in a 200 mile radius, and it seems none has received any stock as of yet, but several stores claim they should have them on the shelves by Thursday July 29. With a little bit of hacking, and a little bit of Froyo, this might be the first Android tablet worth buying. If we can get our hands on one we’ll be sure to let you know. [Augen US via Engadget and Kmart] Thanks Charles!
Posted originally at Android Central
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