3G-Enabled JooJoo Tablet To Appear Within 3 Months
You could chalk it up to bad timing, or you could argue that Apple just
has more money to market their products with. Either way, the JooJoo
Tablet from Fusion Garage hasn't seen the booming start we're sure it's
creators had hoped for. Of course, it's one of the few (only?) tablets
on the market that can fully handle Flash video, so at least that's one
thing it'll have that the iPad never will, right?
Oh, and now there's one other thing. On the same weekend in which the iPad 3G + Wi-Fi started shipping, along came word that a 3G version of the JooJoo is also in the works. The iPad utilizes AT&T's data network via a new Micro-SIM card that's included with the iPad, but Fusion Garage CEO (Chandra Rathakrishanan) has yet to confirm which operator(s) the JooJoo 3G will cooperate with. What's interesting here is that Rathakrishanan has suggested that a 3G-enabled JooJoo will be "available through mobile operators rather than directly from the firm," and if sold on with a data contract, that could lead to the device being cheaper (on contract) than a standard Wi-Fi only JooJoo.
Also, Fusion Garage won't take a cut of the monthly data bill, which might mean that a 3G JooJoo could arise for multiple carriers; Apple is pretty tight with AT&T, but Fusion Garage is free to play the field. Another possibility is that users could install one of their existing 3G WWAN cards (USB) into the USB port on the JooJoo, and with a little tweaking of the Linux shell underneath, a 3G JooJoo could be created from the existing Wi-Fi model.
As for a time frame? It will ship "within three months," which isn't bad considering the money that Apple has to push development and the lack of funds that Fusion Garage has to toy with.
Oh, and now there's one other thing. On the same weekend in which the iPad 3G + Wi-Fi started shipping, along came word that a 3G version of the JooJoo is also in the works. The iPad utilizes AT&T's data network via a new Micro-SIM card that's included with the iPad, but Fusion Garage CEO (Chandra Rathakrishanan) has yet to confirm which operator(s) the JooJoo 3G will cooperate with. What's interesting here is that Rathakrishanan has suggested that a 3G-enabled JooJoo will be "available through mobile operators rather than directly from the firm," and if sold on with a data contract, that could lead to the device being cheaper (on contract) than a standard Wi-Fi only JooJoo.
Also, Fusion Garage won't take a cut of the monthly data bill, which might mean that a 3G JooJoo could arise for multiple carriers; Apple is pretty tight with AT&T, but Fusion Garage is free to play the field. Another possibility is that users could install one of their existing 3G WWAN cards (USB) into the USB port on the JooJoo, and with a little tweaking of the Linux shell underneath, a 3G JooJoo could be created from the existing Wi-Fi model.
As for a time frame? It will ship "within three months," which isn't bad considering the money that Apple has to push development and the lack of funds that Fusion Garage has to toy with.
