Rydeen to Sell gPad Tablet PC

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Rydeen Mobile Electronics will launch in November a tablet PC running Android that may be used in the car or as a general purpose 7-inch iPad-like slate PC.

Called the gPad, it has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. It can access turn-by-turn voice directions via Google Maps so it may be used as a portable GPS device in the car.

The gPad may ship with Android 2.2 (Froyo) at launch, but that is not yet certain, said Rydeen. The tablet will have a front facing camera which can be used with Skype, Memory is 2GB and the tablet accepts up to 32GB microSD cards. The gPad runs on a Marvell ARMADA 166 processor.

“We see this expanding us beyond just car market, but we also see this as expanding us within the car market using this type of technology as a car specific product,” said national sales manager Jim Newell.

“Tablets are going to become so much a part of people’s lives. The tablet is small enough and light enough so that people will take it out with them, where they wouldn’t take a laptop.”

A car mounting kit may be offered.

The device will be available for mass distribution, said Rydeen.

Separately, Rydeen also announced a new rear vision back up camera for the car, which is 40 percent smaller than its previous model. The new HD705N-170B camera mounts on the car’s exterior via a universal mount. It uses a super CMOS III image sensor with Night Vision technology for a rear view of 150 degrees in low light. The unit also now operates at a lower voltage. It may be used with Rydeen’s combo rear view mirror/monitors.

The camera also comes in a version with an OEM look that specifically mounts above the car’s license plate at $180.

Source: Rydeen

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