Freescale shows reference tablet with Chromium OS

Freescale is again showing off its reference 7-inch tablet that is expected to come in at under $200, this time running on the Google's Chromium OS. The proof-of-concepts were demonstrated by Freescale's product manager of Software Development, and run on the company's i.MX51 chips. The video demonstration shows that the Chromium OS-powered tablets support hardware acceleration of HTML5-based videos.

Also new are integrated Android apps into Chromium OS and a tablet running on ThunderSoft's Millos, which like the other platforms is based on Linux

As revealed at CES, the reference design will have specs that include 512MB of RAM, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi, while 3G network access and the RF4CE home automation standard will be options. Just 4GB of storage will be integrated, but expandable thanks to microSDHC cards. The demo units did not have touchscreens, but instead relied on an external keyboard and mouse; touch will be part of finished designs.

The demos show that Freescale is stepping closer to releasing sub-$200 tablets without any carrier subsidies. When OEMs sell their own branded versions of the Freescale tablet remains to be seen, but is expected this summer. [via ARMDevices]

By Electronista Staff