Intel has crafted a tablet built for students. Dubbed the Studybook, this charming 7-inch tablet has been built to withstand fingerpaint and can be powered either by Android or Windows 7.
The specs for this slate are fairly modest, no doubt designed so that schools can afford to buy big boxes of the blighters, and pay for replacements when kids inevitably hurl the Studybook into the class fishtank.
The 7-inch display has a 1,024x600-pixel resolution, and this tablet weighs 525g. There's a 2-megapixel camera glued to the back for taking photos of bugs you find in the playground, and a 0.3-megapixel snapper on the front for good measure.
Battery life is touted at 5.5 hours -- just long enough to last a school day then -- and the whole shebang is powered by Intel's Atom Z650 processor. Many of the components are listed as 'optional', which makes me think teachers could strip away the specs to make the Studybook cheaper.
It's dust and water-resistant and can survive a 70cm drop, but probably not being crushed beneath a seesaw. There are a handful of learning-friendly apps installed too, with cool names like LabCam and, er, Painting and Drawing (that one's Windows 7 only).
Running Windows 7 would be an awful chore on this tiny tablet, and Android certainly seems like a better fit. But if schools are keen on installing Windows-specific programs, I can see kids being lumbered with Microsoft's desktop-based operating system.
The question is, with tablets becoming increasingly popular at home, will kids still go 'nanas for a budget model in the classroom? Or will they cry for the luxurious touch of an iPad?
Speaking of which, Intel's not the only one keen on sneaking its devices into educational facilities -- Apple's new version of iBooks is full to the gunwales with fancy digital textbooks, for example.
Would you send your kids off to school with a tablet in their rucksack? Or would you rather their education involved good old-fashioned paper, ink and learning to flick rubber bands? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 3
Add your comment
anonymous 12 April, 2012 13:20
I do hope Intel will bring out quality tablet and the studybook will help clear the minds of the cheap versus what is required dilemma that India's child lIke aspirations to have a $10 tablet have wrought!
anonymous 12 April, 2012 13:24
If only Intel's Studybook also had the learning applications designed by the Sugar Labs and a sun readable screen it will be a boon for early education in villages.
anonymous 12 April, 2012 20:11
I think it can be good gadget for turism. Cheap, water-resistant, crashproof. Enought for send some messages, or read news, weather report.