HTC to enter the Windows tablet game?

With rumours running wild that HTC will release a Windows 8 tablet later this year, I wonder what the hardware specs will be, if the rumour is true? Could this be a chance for HTC's sister company, VIA, to get some sales.

If history is any indication, the close relationship of the two companies will provide no guarantee at all. VIA's system media processor's are certainly up to the task of a high-res 10 inch tablet, but can the price be low enough to make it in this fiercely competitive space?

That $99 tablet rumour is back

Google and VIA's WonderMedia are at the centre of a rumour about a new $99 tablet that has attracted the attention of tech media the world over.

"The Google rumor is fairly specific, even if it hasn't proven to be true – DigiTimes claimed the new device would launch in late 2012. The search giant supposedly joined forces with Asian manufacturers WonderMedia, HannStar and Quanta, DigiTime said, to bring the tablet to market."

This isn't the first time that "WonderMedia" and "$99 tablet" have been seen together in the one sentence. Actually when the rumours first came out the favoured term was "sub-$100". The price point has been achieved by white box manufacturers in China many times over, but very few have left China and made it to retail at that same price point. With Google's backing, the no-doubt Android-based tablets could reach a worldwide customer base. - Source.

HTC considering a new tablet

It's interesting that VIA WonderMedia was one of the first chip designers to get enthusiastic about the 7-inch tablet market. I remember visiting the Lunch @ Piero's event in Las Vegas during CES probably five years ago (I think) and seeing 7-inch tablet designs. Other manufacturers had prototypes on their stands, often "UMPCs", but VIA WonderMedia had working products already for sale in China.

Around three years ago there were dozens of 7-inch tablets available across Asia with VIA WonderMedia chips powering them. Only a couple of them actually made it to the Western market in any volume. They were sold as cheap (around the $100 mark) tablets and of course couldn't compete with the iPad hype.

HTC, related to VIA by family ownership, tried to get into the tablet market also with a couple of Windows-based tablets and like just about everyone who went with Microsoft for their OS, success wasn't a word found in their post-launch review documents!

Rumour has it that HTC is considering a new tablet PC. Questions are: 1) will it be Android based this time? Certainly HTC has had huge success with Android on their phone handsets and 2) will they use the resources of "related" companies like VIA WonderMedia or even VIA itself in the design.

VIA spreading tablets to education market in India

VIA and Wishtell get a mention in an upbeat article about the proliferation of tablets in the education sector. The VIA based tablets were recently launched in India, catering to 23 different regional languages.

"Our tablets will enable students to access virtual labs for physics, chemistry and so on. A student can also subscribe to our special packages, such as astronomy content, which may not be available in the school curriculum," says Milind Shah, CEO of Wishtel India. - Source.

VIA and Wishtel bring out new tablets in India

Two new Wishtel tablets, featuring VIA chips, are the first in the world to natively support Indian languages giving them an advantage for adoption into the education market in India.

“With the introduction of the IRA and IRA Thing, Wishtel is leading the way in driving tablet innovation in India,” commented Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The potential for these devices is breathtaking, particularly in areas such as education.”

Source.

Android set for big gains with tablets in 2011

CIO Australia has written up quotes from some of the big analysts about Android's predicated rise in popularity in 2011. The catalyst is affordable tablets, much like those made possible by VIA's WonderMedia chip, as well as mobile phones.

"Android is growing as a distributive force against Apple,” Telsyte research director, Foad Fadaghi, said in a statement. “The quality of the platform is improving and gaining significant traction in the developer community.”"

Source: CIO Australia

Tablet for your car

Just when I was citing the relative non-acceptance of tablet PCs in the market in my previous post, news has come in about a new tablet PCs that comes in two versions. Both feature a VIA C7-M processor and VX700 digital media chip. The more exciting version, the delux Adesun AD708 includes Windows XP, tablet car PC kit, GPS, tv receiver and 2GB SD card. This would suggest it's for in-car use, which is pretty cool. - besttabletreview