At this weeks Google I/O event Vic Gundotra, VP of Product Development made a statement that might probably go down annals of tech history books as the most epic disparage comment against Apple’s closed system – “We discovered this thing and it’s called the internet.” One other company has been sharing the same statement for a while, which neither has the clout, nor resources of Google, yet has managed to get people to take notice of them. Yes, we are talking about JooJoo. “The Internet is the App-Store” is what they claim.
It’s been some time, since we last heard about, or from, JooJoo. While news updates, or rather rumours, have surfaced from time to time on various websites, they have been keeping themselves busy launching in various continents. They began by tackling the US, Europe and Japan. Now, JooJoo is here to announce that Singapore is next in line.
Joojoo coming to Singapore
JooJoo is well on it’s way to Singapore as we speak. Tonight at 11:59 pm, you can pre-order your very own JooJoo pad from their website. Singapore residents will have the choice of owning the JooJoo, well before the iPad makes a landing on the island.
When asked about the credence to rumours of Joojoo selling only 90 units, Chandra mentioned “Rumours are what they are. We’ve done way better than that.” He, however, did not provide any numbers to legitimate the claim. JooJoo also mentioned that the goal of the JooJoo pad is not to be an iPad killer stating, “They (Apple) have $40 billion in their bank and JooJoo doesn’t even have 40 people on the team.”
When quizzed about the cooperation between FusionGarage and Adobe, Chandra mentioned that they are part of the Openscreen project and whatever support they have provided to Youtube HD Videos, will be extended to support all Flash videos.
Talking about competition, Chandra mentioned that what they are providing is fundamentally different from Google’s approach. And when talking about possible threats from the iPad, Chandra seems happy to state the obvious, “We don’t charge an arm and a leg for the Joojoo and we are open and believe in bringing, to users, the best of the web”. Seems like JooJoo has identified a niche that the big guys have missed.
Device
When we first set our eyes on the Joojoo, we couldn’t help but notice how striking a device it is in terms of the its large display and aesthetic casing. JooJoo, with it’s 12.1 inch HD display and 1366 X 769 display resolution makes displaying images and videos look very beautiful.(Pictures coming soon) Their tablet is based on the motto “The Web is the App-store”. While we didn’t get much time to play with the device, it was certainly a unique experience. Chandra explained that even though the JooJoo weighed more than the iPad, the even distribution in weight over the larger surface gives the illusion that it is lighter, something we noticed when handling the JooJoo.
Feedback from the ground
JooJoo based their entire device on the Cloud with a web-browser OS and low built-in memory. The reactions to this new concept seems to vary depending on location. Europe, who seem to be more Cloud-savvy, appears to be the stronger market of the JooJoo pad.
New features/Digital Publishing
The highlight of the review was when Chandra showed us the work-in-progress feature of JooJoo. This feature showed their vision of what digital publication can be in the near future. Although they were not forthcoming on the publishers they were working closely with, we can definitely say that it will be interesting to keep a lookout for the completed product.
Clearly, this new feature is the iBooks equivalent for Joojoo. The uber stylish digital publication offered rich media and high interactivity within the application. Users are able to play in-built videos, listen to music, go to related articles and browse ads all within the medium itself.
They didn’t mention when it will be out, but said they were “showing off, because it’s something they are very proud of.” Their next plan is to release a 3G version of the device, in partnership with various carriers.
JooJoo has managed to cause a stir within the local tech community due to its public war with tech media behemoth TechCrunch. However, it will be interesting to see the reaction from Singaporean consumers towards the JooJoo pad and whether this local product can call home its true home.
At last weeks Google I/O event Vic Gundotra, Vice-President of Engineering made a statement that might probably go down annals of tech history books as the most epic disparaging comment against Apple’s closed system – “We discovered this thing and it’s called the internet.” One other company has been sharing the same statement for a while, which has neither the clout, nor the resources of Google, yet has managed to get people to take notice of them. Yes, we are talking about JooJoo. “The Internet is the App-Store” is what they claim.
It’s been some time, since we last heard about, or from, JooJoo. While news updates, or rather rumours, have surfaced from time to time on various websites, they have been keeping themselves busy launching in various continents. They began by tackling the US, Europe and Japan. Now, JooJoo is here to announce that Singapore is next in line. We spoke to Chandrasekar, CEO of Fusion Garage, who gave us a sneak-peek of the device and updates on the FusionGarage front.
JooJoo coming to Singapore
JooJoo is well on its way to Singapore as we speak. Tonight at 11:59 pm, you can pre-order your very own JooJoo from their website. Singapore residents will have the choice of owning the JooJoo, well before the iPad makes a landing on the island!
When asked about the credence to rumours of JooJoo selling only 90 units, Chandra mentioned “Rumours are what they are. We’ve done way better than that.” He, however, did not provide any numbers to legitimate the claim. JooJoo also mentioned that the goal of the JooJoo pad is not to be an iPad killer stating, “They (Apple) have $40 billion in their bank and JooJoo doesn’t even have 40 people on the team.”
Talking about competition, Chandra mentioned that what they are providing is fundamentally different from Google’s approach. And when talking about possible threats from the iPad, Chandra seems happy to state the obvious, “We don’t charge an arm and a leg for the Joojoo and we are open and believe in bringing, to users, the best of the web”. Seems like JooJoo has identified a niche that the big guys have missed.
The JooJoo Device
When we first set our eyes on the Joojoo, we couldn’t help but notice how striking a device it is in terms of the its large display and aesthetic casing. JooJoo, with its 12.1 inch HD display and 1366 X 769 display resolution makes displaying images and videos look very beautiful.(Pictures coming soon) Their tablet is based on the motto “The Web is the App-store”. While we didn’t get much time to play with the device, it was certainly a unique experience. Chandra explained that even though the JooJoo weighed more than the iPad, the even distribution in weight over the larger surface gives the illusion that it is lighter, something we noticed when handling the JooJoo.
JooJoo has based their entire device on the Cloud with a web-browser OS and low built-in memory. The reactions to this new concept seems to vary depending on location. Europe, who seem to be more Cloud-savvy, appears to be the stronger market of the JooJoo pad.
Future
The highlight of the review was when Chandra showed us the work-in-progress feature of JooJoo. This feature showed their vision of what digital publication can be in the near future. Although they were not forthcoming on the publishers they were working closely with, we can definitely say that it will be interesting to keep a lookout for the completed product.
Clearly, this new feature is the iBooks equivalent for Joojoo. The uber stylish digital publication offered rich media and high interactivity within the application. Users are able to play in-built videos, listen to music, go to related articles and browse ads all within the medium itself.
They didn’t mention when it will be out, but said they were “showing off, because it’s what we are very proud of.” Their next plan is to release a 3G version of the device, in partnership with various carriers.
JooJoo has managed to cause a stir within the local tech community due to its public war with tech media behemoth TechCrunch. However, it will be interesting to see the reaction from Singaporean consumers towards the JooJoo pad and whether this local product can call home its true home.
Image courtesy of www.thejoojoo.com and www.geek.com
