We first encountered Ergo Electronics at last year's Gadget Show Live, and since then the Birmingham-based tablet maker has graduated from its humble back-of-the-hall origins to become a major player. Its product range has swelled beyond its original budget ICS slates with a range of AIO PCs, thin-and-light laptops and even a Windows 8 tablet that has more than a few strong hints of a KIRF Surface about it. Now it's launched the GoNote Mini, a scaled down 7-inch version of the education-ready tablet / netbook hybrid that's been doing the rounds since last summer. We got to spend a few minutes playing around with the first production prototype and if you'd like to know more, after the break is where you want to be.
We're not sure too many people are wistful for the halcyon days of 2007, but this Android-powered clamshell netbook certainly pulls a retro heart-string here or there. Clad in off-white plastic and designed for the education market, it's already demonstrated its sturdy credentials after it suffered an accident against the concrete earlier in the day -- with only some scuffing on the corner that bore the brunt of the impact. It's certainly solidly built and we couldn't find any weaknesses or "give" in the outer shell, compared to some of the kiddy-devices that we've seen.
Spec-wise, you'll be staring into a 800 x 480 capacitive LED-backlit touchscreen that can register up to five points of multitouch. Running the show is a single-core 1.2GHz Rockchip RK2918 that's been paired with 1GB of RAM, and while it'll do the job, it suffers from the same blight as many other pre-Jelly Bean Android slates -- with gestures taking a moment to register and programs meandering their way into view. The keyboard isn't enjoyable to type on for adult hands, and the keys themselves have a springy feel, as if you're typing into the rubber membrane beneath the keys. On the other hand, in addition to the touchscreen, you also get a trackpoint, which is useful when you want to nudge your cursor without resorting to jabbing at the display. Connectivity-wise, you've got 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, mini USB, full UB and a mini HDMI port. You'll talk into a VGA forward-facing camera that's been paired with a 2-megapixel shooter 'rounder back. You can also complement the 4GB of onboard storage with the microSD card slot. The unit will be available for £99 ($150) towards the end of the month, but for that same price, you could also snag something a little more stylish.
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