Jide Remix: Android tablet/laptop

[haven]

The Jide Remix will be available on Kickstarter next week, starting at $39. The tablet has an 11.6 inch Full HD touchscreen, detachable keyboard and trackpad, and the ability to run several Android apps simultaneously in separate windows.

Some background:

When Microsoft introduced the Surface tablet/laptop in October 2012, there were two versions. One was powered by an Intel processor, and ran standard Windows. The other used an NVIDIA Tegra processor, and ran Windows RT.

In addition to Microsoft, Lenovo, Asus, and other partners offered devices based on the Surface design that ran the two versions of Windows.

It only took a few months for Microsoft's partners to realize that the RT version was a flop. Customers were interested in the ‘real' version of Windows, not RT. Most ceased production by Summer 2013.

So several Chinese manufacturers were left with expertise in producing a Surface-style tablet, powered by an NVIDIA processor, but no market.

Enter Jide, a new company led by three former Google engineers. They proposed to build a tablet using the Surface form factor, but running a modified version of Android. Reflecting the “borrowed” form factor and modified OS, the new tablet would be named ‘Remix.'

Jide introduced the Remix at the CES show in January 2015. The tablet is already on sale in China for about $340. Android has a large following in China, primarily as a phone OS. Jide hopes this exposure will make customers want to use Android apps on a laptop, too.

Jide has plans to sell the Remix in USA and other markets. To generate some buzz, Jide will shortly offer the Remix via Kickstarter.com, starting at $39 for a model with 16 GB of storage. The Kickstarter will be open to participation on Wednesday, March 25.

Jide says it's willing to sell the device cheaply to attract a group of experienced Android users who are willing to act as product testers. The first goal is to move Remix OS from Android 4.4.2 to 5.0. Jide says the product testers will receive frequent updates to the OS as part of the software development.

Read on...

 

[haven]

Jide Remix tablet specifications

Android tablet in the form factor of Microsoft Surface

Runs Remix OS, a modified version of Android 4.4.2
task switcher/app launcher, file manager, full screen email, calendar, & browser
cut and paste between apps
Power Manager app to quickly change power usage
(i.e., turn off push notification across apps)

run standard Android apps in smaller windows, as if on an Android Phone
demos showed three windows running side by side. not clear if only one is active at a time.

on sale now in China
MSRP list prices 16GB $349, 64 GB $449 ??

Specs as shown at CES

NVIDIA Tegra 4+1 1.81 GHz processor
NVIDIA GeForce ULP 72 GPU
2 GB RAM
16 GB? 64 GB? of flash storage
11.6 inch 1920x1080 Full HD IPS touchscreen

MicroSD card slot, supports up to 128 GB

5 MP cameras, front and back
Wireless: WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Wireless: WiFi Direct, Miracast

&#8220;supports satellite positioning&#8221; ??? <<-----------

USB On-The-Go adapter lets you attach Flash drive, mouse, etc.

two position kickstand
full size magnetically attachable keyboard with touchpad, 5mm thick
8100 mAh battery

web articles

press presentation by founders at CES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8F7CITuiXM

Jide web site
http://www.jide.com/en/desktop/ultra_tablet.html

News article from January
http://androidcommunity.com/jide-unveils-remix-ultra-tablet-20150112/

News article talking about Kickstarter $39 deal
http://liliputing.com/2015/03/snag-...-and-help-test-the-hardware-crowdfunding.html

 

[haven]

So is the Jide Remix a good buy at $39? Or an April Fool's joke a week early?

The Tegra 4 processor and GPU are two generations and more than two years behind the current NVIDIA tablet processor. It was announced in January 2013. Maybe the Chinese manufacturers had unused stockpiles of the Tegra 4 left over from the Windows RT debacle.

The Tegra 4 is not as power efficient as newer designs from Samsung and Apple. But the Remix has a total of 8100 mAh of battery power.

2 GB RAM is probably OK for Android 5.0, but 3 GB might be better if running multiple apps, and to future-proof the device. 16 GB storage is pretty small, but you do have a microSD slot.

The mention of support for satellite positioning is one feature that has my attention. I'll look closely for more information in the Kickstarter announcement.

It's also unclear if the Remix supports reorientation into portrait mode. The landscape mode probably will be too wide for comfortable use in a vehicle dashboard.

Competitors include the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, which allows split screen and input via a stylus. The Note Pro does not include a keyboard. Price today is $650.

 

[kojackJKU]

If it is indeed 39 dollars, Its totally worth trying it out. I am going to probably grab one for sure! I will give it a good test compared to my asus vivotab, acer iconia and other tablets I have here.

They did totally rip off microsoft's tablet design however with the shape, kickstand and how the keyboard attaches to the tablet.

 

[kojackJKU]

BTW, post the link to the kickstarter when it becomes live. I am grabbing one!

 

[ryan.e.mercier]

It will be interesting to see how their Kickstarter pricing is set up. $39 might not be where Tablet pricing starts, instead you could be getting something else.

 

[kojackJKU]

From what they said, if you kick 39 you get the tablet with keyboard. Its being done to get some tablets out there, and tested. I will be a product tester for 39 bucks. that is cool!

 

[oscar the grouch]

is the gps question mean it needs a external gps puck or is it built in?

 

[haven]

So it looks like the $39 price is available for the first 200 contributors to Kickstarter. Shipping was an additional $20. The second 200 have to pay $199. I still have not found a link to a Kickstarter page.

 

[haven]

The good deals are gone. They were fully subscribed within 7 minutes.

You can still sign up at the $349 level, which is essentially retail for a two year old tablet. Here's a link to the Kickstarter page
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1123481999/remix-a-laptop-experience-on-a-big-android-tablet

Interesting that the Kickstarter goal is $100K, and with the bargains snapped up, the amount pledged so far is about $65K. So it's possible that the $100K goal won't be reached. Maybe Jide is hoping this will be the case. They could garner some publicity without losing any money on below-market hardware sales.

 

[kojackJKU]

Yeah, I was only interested at the 39 dollar level. I have 3 perfect tablets at the moment, and a few others the family is using.

 

[haven]

Looks like Jide's Kickstarter campaign is fully funded, in only four days. More than 200 people have signed up at the $350 level.

The company also accepted more than the allotted 200 subscriptions at the $39 level. That's a nice gesture. There was a surge of demand when the campaign was first started. A bunch of people who were in the original 200 were left out because they didn't have their credit card information already registered with Kickstarter. So they didn't complete the subscription process as quickly as others who signed up a few seconds later. Now everyone is happy.

Jide has added two more Pledge levels. For a pledge of $3000, the company will fly you to Beijing for a meeting with the founders, and the opportunity to watch your Remix being built. Meals for your three day visit are included, but not your accommodations. You can extend your stay in China beyond three days if you wish, at your expense.

It's not clear what level of airline service is included. A nonstop flight in coach from San Francisco to Beijing costs between $900 and $1500. Occasionally you can find a "premium coach" seat (more legroom, sometimes a wider seat) for this price.

For $5000, you'll get the China trip, plus a new Remix anytime the company releases a new or upgraded model. Forever. Intriguing!

 

[kojackJKU]

You didn't sign up for this did you Haven?