Product Reviews Net » WePad

WePad: Will be called WeTab at release

Gary Johnson — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:47:11 +0000

With the Apple’s iPad selling well since launch and the announcement of more countries getting the device, the makers of the rival tablet computer WePad have decided in a name change.

The forthcoming device will now be called WeTab; the company statement said the name change was done to “clearly differentiate our products within the international market for tablet computers.” The company name has also changed from WePad Gmbh to WeTab Gmbh.

Amazon.de. have recently put the device up for pre-order with the 16GB Wi-Fi version selling for €449, and the 32GB 3G retailing for €569. Pre-orders will not be affected by the name change, but no shipping date has been announced yet. For more on this please visit engaget.

WePad: Hands-on Video Demo, Pretty Impressive

Jamie Pert — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:33:22 +0000

It looks as though Apple’s iPad might have finally met it’s match in the WePad, who after several unsuccessful public demonstrations have finally come up with the goods, and previewed a hands-on video for us to gawp over.

Unfortunately for us English speaking users, the video is only in German, so if you have a translator handy, or can even understand German, check out the video at the end of this post. If you are unable to understand the video, it is still worth a watch as you finally get to see the WePad in all it’s glory.

The WePad does look very impressive, and shows that the Atom N450 slate has a slick and intuitive workspace, which allows the user to open several applications at once without loosing visibility of the other application.

The 11.6-inch touchscreen which was demonstrated by Neofonie shows what exactly the WePad can do, and with a UI looking as impressive as it does, the iPad could be up for some serious competition. Especially in Germany where it is expected to drop in July for €449.

A €569 version is also expected to be released with twice the storage as the first (an upgrade from 16GB to 32GB) and integrated 3G. A release for the rest of Europe has still not been confirmed.

What are you impressions of the WePad?

Source: SlashGear

OS Comparison: Wepad (Linux / Android) vs. iPad (iPhone)

Peter Chubb — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:05:28 +0000

The WePad is different to the Apple iPad in a number of ways; the first is with its OS. The Wepad runs a custom open source version of Linux, which can also run Android apps – compared to the iPad, which runs on iPhone OS.

Steve Jobs sticks by his morals and insists that his iPhone OS is the way to go with the future of his iPad tablet, but will its limitations hold it back compared to something like the WePad?

The WepPad has a tough act to follow with the iPad in a number of ways, the specs may look better on paper but it is in the software where it can be won or lost. The iPad is limited to the number of things that it can do due to the lack of Flash Player support – it does support HTML5, but websites will take at least another year to catch up to this new technology.

The WePad does offer Flash Player support, but could be let down with its apps. These third-party applications is where it is all about with tablet devices, the WePad will use Android apps, but the iPad will have the full backing from iTunes App Store.

Users will have a tough choice to make, do they want the iPad with its access to thousands of application but has limitations with its iPhone OS software, or do you want the WePad with its smooth and fast Linux OS but lacking in the applications department?

WePad Linux-based slate: Release Date and Price

Peter Chubb — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:50:43 +0000

Neofonie held a conference yesterday to reveal some more details about the WePad. This 11.6-inch Linux-based slate will need to be something special if it is to compete with the likes of the Apple iPad. We know that there will be more tablet devices on the market in 2010, but it is the iPad that will be the benchmark to all other tablet PCs.

Engadget German reports that the new WePad will come in two versions – both will run on the Atom N450 processor. The 16GB version will cost €450, while the 64GB version will cost €569 – this model is also HD capable. We know that both devices will not have NVIDIA inside, so we wonder what is powering the HD version model?

Those who attended the event were not allowed to get their hands on the WePad, but they were allowed to watch a number of video demonstrations. The slate uses a nice looking live widget-based GUI, and you will be pleased to know that it offers Flash Player support.

We have been told that the WePad will be ready for release in August, which we will then be able to learn much more about the device. Not certain if Apple will worry about its new competition.