Fusion Garage plans to offer a 3G enabled version of its tablet, the Joojoo, within three months according to the firm’s CEO, Chandra Rathakrishanan.
Rathakrishanan said that a 3G enabled Joojoo tablet will be available through mobile operators rather than directly from the firm. He also said that this may result in the device being cheaper than the $485 asking price for the WiFi only edition.
Although Rathakrishanan wouldn’t comment on which mobile operators will be carrying the tablet, but he did say that Fusion Garage won’t be taking a cut from the monthly bill. Given that the Joojoo sports a USB socket and runs Linux underneath its browser interface, there is a pretty good chance that one of the many USB 3G dongles on the market will be usable with the Joojoo.
In addition, a firmware update is coming in the next thirty days for both versions, adding support for external USB storage, allowing users to add more storage than the 4GB the device currently offers. Analysts say that Fusion Garage is trying to distance itself as a direct iPad competitor.
The Joojoo was launched in the UK on April 28th, with the WiFi only model costing right under $500. Rathakrishanan confirmed that orders placed now will arrive on 12 May.
Published on May 4, 2010
