Earl Survival Tablet

My initial impression is: If it looks to good to be true it probably is. I wonder if there is even a working prototype at this point.

First of all, I thought it was a pill.

Secondly, it does seem quite doable. I'm not at all a tech person (actually quite tech stupid) but if you look at things like the apple mini and the kindle fire and the nook HD tablets it really wouldn't take much to specialize a device like that, make it waterproof, add a solar panel… Heck, look at how many of us carry iPhones and what THEY can do. And to have all our electronic devices wrapped up into one weatherproof one that includes the solar charger…

Its a pretty brilliant idea, actually. Wonder how much it weighs…..

Specifications: Android 4.1 • Flexible 6" E-ink screen (1024×768) • Sunlight viewable with lunar lantern mode • Glove friendly IR touchscreen • Waterproof shell • Kickstand • Solar charging • i.MX 6 DualLite 1GHz Cortex A9 • 1GB ram • 16GB memory + microSD • Wifi b/g/n • BT 4.0 • ANT+ • NFC • FRS/GMRS/MURS • GPS + GLONASS • Accelerometer • Gyroscope • Magnetometer • Temperature • Barometer • Humidity • Anemometer • AM/FM/SW/LW • IR blaster • 20+ hour battery • 20" usb lanyard • 303 grams (10.8 oz) • 183mm x 121mm x 15mm (7.2" x 4.75" x 0.6")

Looks interesting. But I wonder if it has Andriod 4.1 as its infrastructure or if it has a fully functional Android 4.1 interface with google Play, etc…

I highly doubt that.

I wonder how many people who have already pre ordered that realize that just having Android 4.1 does not automatically mean it has Google Play, etc…

"First of all, I thought it was a pill. "

So did I. I was hoping for 20 calories/gram if eaten, anti-microbial, and able to be burned underwater!

Cheers,

Bill

Speaking out of my posterior….

If I had to guess, they will have to curate their own app store. With an e-ink screen, you wont want anything that has animations or lots of color variations. It looks like they are working on their own software for maps and radios and such, and mention that it will be great as an e-reader while specifically mentioning some of the current popular e-reading apps.

This Earl tablet has some really attractive features that will find their niche. E-ink sips power on page transitions only, so as long as the gps isn't a battery hog, the 3000mah battery should be fine. The 5 hour solar recharge claim is a little worrying though. I can see this working for some of the hardy expeditioneers who travel far away from civilization for weeks on end.

That said, I wonder how well the maps will work. We have all gotten used to pinch zooming and smooth scrolling, which are decidedly not features of e-ink displays. Further, I have gotten used to having camera and video recording capabilities on my chosen electronic device, I have gotten used to getting that stray cell phone tower signal on some lonely peak and chatting up the wife and kids mid trip, I have gotten used to reading books on my 4.8" screen.

I can put a waterpoof/shockproof case on my phone and pack a spare battery or two and still be under the Earl's 10.8 oz weight, and have far more functionality. It is a very interesting device though.

Looks like a pretty awesome toy. If it can indeed replace a handheld GPS and an e-reader that would be something…