Canonical and BQ may have partnered to create the first Ubuntu tablet to ship with support for both mobile and desktop user interfaces. But if you’re looking for something a bit more powerful than the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet which recently went up for pre-order, a startup called MJ Technology thinks it has the answer.
Earlier this year MJ Technology announced plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for a 10 inch tablet with an Intel Atom Cherry Trail processor and Ubuntu software. While the campaign is launching a little later than expected, it’s now live at Indiegogo, and the developer hopes to ship the first tablets in August, assuming the campaign raises at least $200,000.
There are four different versions of the tablet, with prices ranging from $230 to $500 in Indiegogo pledges. Each model has a 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS display and a Cherry Trail processor and support for an optional keyboard. And each runs the full desktop version of Ubuntu, which means you don’t need to connect a keyboard or mouse to run desktop apps the way you do with BQ’s ARM-powered tablet.
Some specs differ from model to model though. You can find a detailed break-down at Indiegogo, but here’s a brief overview:
Tanto
- 10.1 inch display
- Intel Atom x7-Z8750 processor
- 2GB RAM
- 64GB eMMC storage
- 8,500 mAh battery
- 8MP rear and 5MP front cameras
- dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
- 2 full-sized USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot, mini HDMI port, micro USB port and USB Type-C port
- Internal mini PCIe slot
- Stereo speakers
Mini Tanto
- 10.1 inch display
- Intel Atom z5-Z8300 processor
- The rest of the specs are pretty much the same as for the Tanto
Wakizashi
- 8.9 inch display
- Intel Atom z7-Z8750 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 128GB eMMC or 256GB SSD storage options
- 7,500 mAh batter
- 13MP rear and 8MP front camera
- Other specs are pretty much the same as for the other tablets
Katana
- 10.1 inch display
- 8,500 mAh battery
- Other specs are the same as for the Wakizashi
While the tablets are expected to ship with Ubuntu 16.04, as computers with Intel x86 64-bit chips, they should be able to support a range of alternate operating systems including Windows or other Linux distributions. The MJ Technology YouTube channel includes several videos showing Ubuntu and Linux Mint running on tablet prototypes.
This is a fixed-goal campaign, which means that unlike many Indiegogo campaigns with “flexible” funding, the developer won’t get any money unless the campaign meets its goal.