Pre-orders of the $499.99 iPad like tablet, the JooJoo, have went up significantly after Apple’s iPad was announced. One of the main reasons for this sudden rise could be that geeks are disappointed by the lack of features offered by the iPad and wanted to give the JooJoo a try instead. Unlike the iPad, the JooJoo comes with a built-in webcam, has Flash support, a larger screen size, and faster loading time. In an interview with SG Entrepreneurs, Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan, CEO of Fusion Garage, was rather “optimistic and confident” about the sale of the JooJoo, despite the ongoing lawsuit filed by TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. He even indirectly thanked Apple for helping him widen his tablet business.
Let’s learn some of the history behind the device. Last year the device would be launched, but with the name “CrunchPad”, and under a partner ownership with Fusion Garage and TechCrunch. Two days before the device was to be available for sale, Fusion Garage pulled out. Michael Arrington, the owner of TechCrunch, has filed a lawsuit on Fusion Garage. No other talks about the lawsuit has been mentioned since it was filed. When TechCrunch was still in the partnership, Michael Arrington emphasized it was a device to browse the web. According to the JooJoo website that is the plan.
JooJoo’s top 7 reasons to buy the device:
- “The internet is the application” The device is focused around the web and connecting you in the fastest way possible.
- “Stunning 12 in. capacitive touch screen” There is only 1 button on the device, and that is to turn it off. The rest of it is is all done by your fingers.
- “Start surfing in 9 seconds” It takes 9 seconds to start the JooJoo. According to JooJoo, “the fastest device in the world”.
- “Revolutionary user experince” The operating system contains no Windows or menus. Simple touch navigation.
- “Portrait or landscape” Read anything in landscape or portrait mode.
- “Full HD Video” Full HD video from any website.
- “Extremly sleek” Weighs 1.1 kg.
The Apple iPad doesn’t support flash, but the JooJoo does. This is a major setback for the iPad because many sites are still using flash and have not made the jump to HTML 5. Meanwhile, the JooJoo’s 4GB solid state drive isn’t very impressive as compared to the iPad which comes in different versions ranging from 16GB to 64 GB. But if the device is browser-oriented, then there won’t be much need to download anything. Another significant disadvantage of the JooJoo is its 5 hour battery life. 5 hours alone isn’t a lot, but usually a device will never last as long as the company says (cmon it’s the truth). This will not be enough for a trip on an airplane, a practical use for this if you aren’t at home. Surprisingly, the JooJoo has a camera. This is a really cool feature — allowing you to video conference on the go. A 12 in. screen is huge for a device like this, and I\it will go great with the multi-touch features.
The JooJoo has one accessory so far. A desk stand that is available for $29.99.
The JooJoo is an awesome iPad alternative, but is it really worth the price tag of $499.99? I think it is. The awesome features like a 12 in screen, camera, and Flash support definitely meet the price tag. In my mind, if this device really connects with the “cloud”, it will be one of the best portable devices ever.
The folks at Fusion Garage say that the device is not yet be shipped to the US, but will be available in Singapore in 8-10 weeks time.
Go pre-order now!