In related news, the kit will also import photos up to 2048×1536 with EXIF data and VGA resolution movies up to 5MB in size.

The FCC has revealed another variant of the forthcoming Dell Mini 5 Android MID with support for AWS 3G access, suggesting a version for T-Mobile in the near future.

The tablet will feature a 5 inch diagonal WVGA resoloution capacitive touch display with a front mounted VGA resolution camera and 5.0 megapixel main camera with flash. The unit will also feature Android and be bundled with Amazon products and services such as the Kindle e-reader application, MP3 store, Video storefront and general storefront access.

Neither T-Mobile nore Dell have confirmed the Mini 5 Tablet at this time.

The latest result of the community being formed around both the device and its Maemo 5 Linux distribution is an unofficial port of Chromium, itself the open-source version of Google’s Chrome. The port is said to be feature complete, including Flash support with small bugs present owing to the speed of the port taken from the Debian version, which is now available for download.

Venerable accessory manufacturer Griffin has launched a new dock for the recently launched Apple iPad which allows for both portait and landscape orientation without blocking the built-in stereo speakers. The dock is currently available for $49.99.

In related news, Griffin has also launched a slate of additional accessories for the device including an AC charger under its PowerBlock line and a standard power adapter under its PowerJolt line both for $29.99 and $24.99 respectively.

The New York Times also reports that a new Barnes & Noble iPad application is being heavily worked on with a team of 14 developers toiling since January on the new application, which will allow for for custom fonts in multiple colors and quick page turns with finger swipe gestures.

The Kindle app also features a redefined core screen and reading experience consisting of slow page turns and new ways to view an existing eBook library. One view. pictured at right, presents books as large icons against a silhouetted figure under a tree with the sun changing position according to time of day.

As expected, the app also allows access to the Kindle bookstore (pending Apple approval) and saves reading positions so that any Kindle app or device can be picked up to continue reading at the last bookmark. Amazon’s Kindle App will also be offered on other tablets as well.

“Will the Wi-Fi-only iPad allow for tethering with the iPhone and/or vice versa?” The exchange follows below:

I’m Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I’m also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question:

Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?

Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant.

From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible.

All the best,
Jezper Söderlund

Jobs, in his trademark style fired up his iPhone and sent out his response:

Ämne: Re: Dear mr. Jobs
Från: Steve Jobs <sjobs@apple.com>
Datum: 5 mars 2010 17.01.29 CET
Till: Jezper Söderlund <>
Return-Path: <sjobs@apple.com>

No.

Sent from my iPhone.

While the Wi-Fi only iPad could access the internet from any Wi-Fi capable smartphone with the proper software/settings, the combination of slinging 3G from an iPhone 3G/3GS via Wi-Fi seems like the most logical pairing, with the confirmation of no such functionality another in a string of artificial limitations placed by Apple.

Statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs: “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

US pricing is as follows:
16GB WiFi only — $499
32GB WiFi only — $599
64GB WiFi only — $699
16GB WiFi + 3G — $629
32GB WiFi + 3G — $729
64GB WiFi + 3G — $829

At least, that’s what the bullet points represent. Either way, it’s the Archos 5 Internet Tablet.

While it started shipping last August, Archos had some supply snags. The product trickled through Amazon.com in varying states, at times not even available for sale. Now, it’s back in full force and in American retail shops like Radio Shack. That’s a big deal, because you can’t be an iPod touch rival if people can’t walk into a store and buy one.

Archos 5 IT is a remix of the original design. In fact, it’s a rebuild from the ground up. Hardware wise, it supports everything the original did, and adds a built-in GPS antenna (the original required a GPS dock, similar to iPod touch).

But the real story is that the device is now powered with Android 1.6. While not sanctioned by Google, we really can’t even call it hacking to add all the Google functionality to the device. Copying a single file (Market4Archos.apk) gives the Archos 5 everything Google didn’t approve of. Even Google Maps with Navigation.

This is a pretty compelling offering on paper. Instead of being pressured into buy a superphone, you get a 3G dumbphone, and feed internet to the Archos 5 with Bluetooth. Google Maps Navigation (or Archos’s own GPS navigation app) then grab internet from your $50 phone, and grab GPS from the antenna in the device.

And, that I’m afraid, is where the dream falls apart. For now at least.

Unfortunately, the first major issue is firmware. Archos is doing their best to reinvent Android as a PMP platform without Google’s help. Google keeps pointing to the future for Android-powered PMPs… Archos is making a good effort. You can tell from the code, and the near-constant stream of firmware updates that they’re making a genuine effort. That makes me like Archos, a lot. Unfortunately, bugs are rampant.

First, the sleep button is not responsive. That sounds like the most minor, but it is a persistent complaint. It’s the first and last thing you do with the device each time you use it… it needs to work.

Second, is the horrible GPS antenna. It’s bad. Really, really, really bad. Archos needs to improve acquisition times. They need to borrow the QuickGPS techniques that HTC pioneered and use an antenna that’s about 10 times stronger. Even in a parking lot, it can take minutes to get a GPS lock. That needs to change, plain and simple.

Third, is the niche that it should shine in… it fails at. Bluetooth tethering. If the Archos 5 IT had great Bluetooth tethering support, I’d suggest it even without the other issues. However, the only phone that would reliably work with it is Bluetooth PAN over Windows Mobile… and you have to press Connect every five minutes on your Windows phone. That won’t work while driving with Google Maps.

Sure, there’s more. The lack of a capacitive touch screen is disappointing, and the pressure sensitive screen is painful to use on Android. And, I’d give it an thickness if it would have an HDMI port built-in. The notion of having to use a dock puts it in the same boat as Zune HD; nifty, but impractical. Even a dongle would be fine to solve that.

As for the rest of the Android affair, it’s great… around the house. The kickstand makes looking at Evernote notes wonderful, the Android WebKit browser makes iPad and iPhone feel really nervous (or, at least, it should). And looking at Android interface elements on the device will not leave you feeling that the other guys have better UIs.

In all, the Archos 5 IT is a work in progress that I really, really wish would be viable to replace your iPhone, iPod touch, and save you a lot of cash on your next phone. But, it isn’t. Yet. However, Archos is building a great platform that I hope will be better in the future. I would love to tell people to go back to having a plain old phone, and having your digital life hop on the web through that cheap phone.

On the other hand, it’s possible that the feature may not be destined for the iPhone itself, instead being integrated into a future version of the iPad, being that both devices utilize the same SDK for development.

While Nokia has seen success with Maemo on its lineup of Internet Tablets in the N800 and the N810 along with the popular N900, intel had yet to gain any traction with its Mobilin distribution, which had its own application store as the cornerstone of the platform.

The new goal of the platform is to be as widely distributed across as many device types and plsforms as possible with a focus on “pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems.” MeeGo will also take the application store concept within Moblin and integrate it into the new platform.

The first devices built around MeeGo are expected later this year.