Fusion Garage has confirmed that its JooJoo Internet tablet has entered full production as a result of financial backing from Malaysia's CSL Group.
The controversial device - originally devised by Michael Arrington, founder of technology blog TechCrunch, and developed by Singaporean startup Fusion Garage - was once dubbed the CrunchPad. A high-profile feud between TechCrunch and Fusion Garage led to the rapid demise of the CrunchPad project, only for Fusion Garage to quickly announce that it would launch the contentious device independently as the JooJoo Internet tablet.
TechCrunch filed a lawsuit against Fusion Garage late in 2009, and whilst the feud continues, the JooJoo tablet appears to be moving ahead at full steam.
With CSL Group investing an undisclosed sum into the JooJoo project, Fusion Garage has claimed that initial shipments will reach consumers at the end of February. As part of the deal, CSL will "absorb all up front manufacturing costs" associated with JooJoo production and in exchange receive "a revenue royalty from each JooJoo sold globally".
The device itself, measuring 199mm x 324.5mm x 3.8-18.9mm and weighing 1.1kg, features a 12.1in capacitive multi-touch display that offers a 1,366x768 resolution.
Dubbed a "category-creating" product, the tablet utilises a custom browser-based operating system to provide access to numerous web services such as email, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are integrated, along with 4GB of Flash storage. Fusion Garage claims the built-in lithium-polymer battery will provide up to five hours of usage, but whilst the JooJoo's internal hardware is yet to be confirmed, it is thought to be powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and a third-party HD video accelerator.
Although similar in appearance to Apple's iPad, the JooJoo's primary - and, at this point, sole function - is to provide a complete web experience. The device supports common web technologies such as Flash, SilverLight and Java, and is capable of playing back 1080p video.
The JooJoo Internet tablet is available to pre-order in the US at a cost of $499. Availability in other countries is expected "shortly".
