Augen brings its $150 Gentouch78 Android tablet to Kmart
Little-known device manufacturer Augen unveiled its 7-inch Gentouch78 Android tablet in the unlikeliest of places this weekend: Kmart’s Sunday flyer.
The tablet will retail for $149.99 (that’s a special sale price; it will eventually move to a standard $169.99), and will feature Android 2.1, WiFi, 256 MB of RAM, and 2GB of storage. The device will also have access to the Android app marketplace. It may not be much of an iPad competitor when it comes to specifications, but its price makes it a tempting tablet for many shoppers. Kmart is apparently having trouble getting the device to its stores, but in a blog post the retailer says customers will be able to get a raincheck to secure the killer sale price.
At this point, nobody has actually played with the Gentouch78. But even if the device isn’t all that great, its release shows how easily even small device manufacturers can develop and bring to market Android-based products. Augen also recently released its Linux-based ebook reader, TheBook, for $89.
The Hollywood, Florida-based company is also working on netbooks, and judging from the placeholder image on its website, they may also run Android.
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About the Author, Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's National Editor and lead mobile writer. He has been writing about technology since 2004, worked in IT support for several years, and studied philosophy at Amherst College. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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