Open-source KDE tablet to cost US$265
It may have modest hardware compared with other tablets, but then again, it's not targeted at mainstream consumers. (Credit: Aaron Seigo)
Looking for a truly open-source tablet? A new Linux-based slate may just be it.
Dubbed the Spark, this tablet doesn't have the latest and greatest hardware--it comes with a 1GHz ARM processor with 512MB of memory and 4GB of internal storage. However, it includes an SD card slot, a capacitive, multitouch display and Wi-Fi. And at US$265, it won't break the bank if you decide to go the open-source route.
Its main draw will be the KDE Plasma Active user interface that's preloaded on top of its Linux roots (apparently it runs on Mer, a fork of the MeeGo platform). Designed for touchscreen devices, this interface will include familiar elements such as an onscreen keyboard. At the same time, there are some interesting ideas that are best conveyed by the introduction video below:
Aaron Seigo, the developer who spearheaded this project, hopes that this tablet will be the "spark" for a whole new open ecosystem, including a future content store with free, digital books from Project Gutenberg, as well as paid software apps. It's too early to tell how things will pan out, but more details about this tablet will be revealed later this week.
Via Ars Technica
About the author
After years of reviewing the innards of PCs in his previous job, Senior Writer Vincent Chang has moved on to covering notebooks and PC systems at CNET Asia. A big reader of sci-fi and fantasy, he has accepted the inevitable and gone down the e-book route, though he's still resisting the siren call of the Kindle.
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