Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Lighthouse SQ7: A Tablet that Shouts at Twitter [Tablets]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pwO-Ph4LsLY/lighthouse-sq7-a-tablet-that-shouts-at-twitter

I'm still holding out for the internet-surfing CrunchPad, but the $250 Lighthouse SQ7 is an interesting take on a tablet just for the couch (especially if you're super in to social networking).

The 7-inch (800x480) tablet runs Ubuntu and a browser based upon WebKit. The light footprint software allows its 667MHz ARM processor with 128MB of RAM (ick!), 1GB of RAM storage to browse the internet, Facebook and Twitter. (Given that we're talking Ubuntu, there's a world of other software you could run, too...if you can find the space))

But where the software/hardware shines is a one-button text-to-speech updates on social networking sites. Just hold the button and say things like "Today, I stepped in a pile of dog crap. The crap flicked off my shoe into my mouth. Then, out of nowhere, the girl I've had a crush on since first grade decided to kiss me for the first time. It happens that's she was not only disgusted but also deathly allergic to canine feces. I no longer have a date to the prom, and now my dad is making me go hunting instead. FML." Then they'll show up on Facebook or Twitter. You can also speak URLs rather than typing them in.

The SQ7 weighs slightly more than a pound and runs for a modest 5 hours per charge. But at just $250 this October, it's lower risk than it could be. We'll try to get our hands on one to test it out. You can also watch a demo here. [AdelaVoice via besttabletreview via ubergizmo]