Open Linux-Based Spark Tablet Now Available For Preorder
Open Linux-Based Spark Tablet Now Available For Preorder
Posted 02/17/2012 at 11:59am
| by Brad Chacos
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Getting sick of walled gardens, locked bootloaders and over-managed app stores? (We're looking at you, Amazon.) We've got some good news. A few weeks back we shined a spotlight on the Spark tablet, a Linux-based open source tablet being cobbled together by KDE developer Aaron Seigo. Yesterday, it went up for preorder. Time to whip out those credit cards, Linux lovers! Oh, wait, never mind -- the site doesn't force you to whip out the plastic to land a spot in line for a Spark.
That's probably because the final price point for the tablet hasn't officially been set yet, although Seigo is striving for a €200 (roughly $260) sticker cost. A quick refresher on the Spark tablet: it packs in a 1GHz ARM processor with a Mali-400 GPU, 512 MB of memory, a 4GB hard drive (expandable via SD card slot) and an 800x480 7-inch display. The tablet runs on Mer Linux -- a fork of MeeGo -- with the KDE Plasma Active UI. Check out the "Hardware" tab of the MakePlayLive.com website for a full set of specs.
MakePlayLive is also the place to call dibs on a Spark tablet of your own. Aaron Seigo expects the Spark to start shipping in May; he's been pretty active about keeping the community up-to-date on Spark information on his blog. Keep checking in over there if you're intrigued by the project.
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WaterRabbit
February 19, 2012 at 5:34pm
Freedom to do what you want with equipment that you own, Think About It. Yes it is not free and yes most of us will pass on it and go back to the nice corral with the other sheep that MS and Apple built for it's comfy consumer sheep.
Well, this sheep is jumping the fence and buying one! Long Live Linux!
illusionslayer
February 19, 2012 at 10:57am
A tablet for the same price as others that can do a lot more?
Yeah I'm sure no one will buy that.
OCFRED
February 19, 2012 at 10:39am
You confuse this primitive device with MetroVistaultraBluMacPod8's, which need all the help they can get keeping up to power demands (tough some are better than others). This is much like European cars; stylish, practical & thrifty yet usually only found wadded up in some rusty pickups fender.
If for nothing else but to keep the OS fork less traveled moving I want one.
ashinms
February 18, 2012 at 11:48am
Cant wait to see all of the open source arm apps coming from the linux community.
Engelsstaub
February 17, 2012 at 9:13pm
I think GNOME 3, and its further development, has some serious tablet potential. I'm sure Mark Shuttleworth/Ubuntu will have some interesting stuff in the future as well.
Zoandar
February 17, 2012 at 8:41pm
Somehow I expected higher technology in a tablet clearly designed by the 'Linux crowd'. At least a dual core proc and several GB of memory. And maybe a high-res display, or better still AMOLED. :-)
illusionslayer
February 17, 2012 at 7:10pm
Android support will come and sincce it's linux you can install whatever you want.
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