Marvell's $99 Moby Tablet Might Just Be A Game Changer
The OLPC XO computer set out to change the way laptops were viewed and used in schools everywhere. It ended up costing a bit more to manufacture than originally planned, so it didn't make the vast impact than was intended. It still made a small impact, though, and now loads of poorer schools worldwide have computers that they otherwise wouldn't. Marvell is obviously looking to pick up where OLPC left off, and now that prices have sunk somewhat, they just be able to pull it off.
The new device is called the Moby, and according to Marvell, it's going to spark an "education revolution." The main reason is the $99 price point, which is low on anybody's scale. Believe it or not, the Moby is said to have full 1080p playback support, compatibility with Flash and enough power to handle "modeling and gaming graphics, live conferencing and social media."
Marvell sees this as their opportunity to replace books with ebooks, as the Moby will be able to hold a full year's worth of books but weigh less than half of one typical textbook. The company's also planning to announce a pilot program in partnership with the District of Columbia Public School system (DCPS) where the Company will donate a Moby tablet to every child in an at-risk school as part of a multi-year program in new media and learning. As for specifications, the device will have an ARMADA 600 series CPU, 1080p full-HD encode and decode, intelligent power management, power-efficient Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM/GPS connectivity, high performance 3D graphics capability and support for multiple software standards including full Adobe Flash, Android and Windows Mobile.
We sure hope the general public can buy these too. At $99, we'd pick one up just have as a spare web machine.
The new device is called the Moby, and according to Marvell, it's going to spark an "education revolution." The main reason is the $99 price point, which is low on anybody's scale. Believe it or not, the Moby is said to have full 1080p playback support, compatibility with Flash and enough power to handle "modeling and gaming graphics, live conferencing and social media."
Marvell sees this as their opportunity to replace books with ebooks, as the Moby will be able to hold a full year's worth of books but weigh less than half of one typical textbook. The company's also planning to announce a pilot program in partnership with the District of Columbia Public School system (DCPS) where the Company will donate a Moby tablet to every child in an at-risk school as part of a multi-year program in new media and learning. As for specifications, the device will have an ARMADA 600 series CPU, 1080p full-HD encode and decode, intelligent power management, power-efficient Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM/GPS connectivity, high performance 3D graphics capability and support for multiple software standards including full Adobe Flash, Android and Windows Mobile.
We sure hope the general public can buy these too. At $99, we'd pick one up just have as a spare web machine.
