Will wonders never cease? The joojoo, a 12-inch Linux-based tablet that was supposedly tied to a tree just last week, will in fact not be put out to pasture as had been reported last week. Instead, Fusion Garage has enlisted the help of reseller partner ASTExC to give the tablet a makeover. Osaka Japan-based ASTEC will up the device’s internal storage to 16GB and then further “customize joojoo for business applications.” Fusion Garage is even on the hunt for more partners to, “utilize alternative operating systems such as Linux and Microsoft Windows in joojoo.” A Windows-powered joojoo? Consider our interest piqued.
Fusion Garage did confirm that the joojoo tablet would no longer be available direct to consumers, however, stating that the option to purchase the device would be removed from the joojoo website on November 19th. The company also confirmed that it is working on new tablets based on a custom Android build, and it is targeting the first half of 2011 for launches. “We are very pleased by the rapidly increasing vertical market interest in joojoo,” Fusion Garage founder and CEO, Chandra Rathakrishnan said in a statement. “Companies such as ASTEC are able to do some very innovative customization of the product and enable joojoo to be used in business applications that go beyond our consumer focus. At the same time, this marks the end of joojoo as a product and a brand for Fusion Garage. We have learned a lot and will carry forward insight gained from joojoo to our new generation of products that we will introduce in the first half of 2011.”
Hit the jump for the full press release.
FUSION GARAGE EXPANDS SALES CHANNELS FOR TOUCH-SCREEN TABLET DEVICES
Company Signs Vertical Market Reseller Agreement for joojoo with Osaka, Japan-Based ASTEC Co. Ltd.; ASTEC to Customize joojoo for Business Applications
SINGAPORE–(11/18/10)–Fusion Garage, a designer and developer of touch-screen computing devices, today announced it has expanded distribution channels via a vertical market reseller agreement with Osaka, Japan-based ASTEC Co. Ltd. Through the agreement, ASTEC will customize Fusion Garage’s first generation Internet tablet, joojoo, for corporate applications. Fusion Garage will upgrade Joojoo’s internal storage capabilities to 16 gigabytes and ASTEC will customize joojoo’s operating system for business applications. Resellers, such as ASTEC, are expected to utilize alternative operating systems such as Linux and Microsoft Windows in joojoo.
Fusion Garage is also in discussions with other resellers and systems integrators to distribute joojoo in vertical markets such as medical, transportation, logistics and others that take advantage of its 12.1 inch form factor. The growing interest from vertical market resellers is anticipated to consume the remaining Joojoo inventory by the end of this year. As a result, Joojoo will no longer be available for direct-to-consumer sale via the Fusion Garage website as of November 19 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST). Fusion Garage remains committed to its joojoo customers and will continue support the device. Additional information on customer support will be available in the coming weeks.
Simultaneously, Fusion Garage has announced plans for a next generation product line which will include a new operating system built in part on Google’s Android OS. The new Fusion Garage products will not be backwardly compatible with joojoo nor will they carry the joojoo brand name. Those products are expected to reach market in the first half of 2011.
“We are very pleased by the rapidly increasing vertical market interest in joojoo,” said Fusion Garage founder and CEO, Chandra Rathakrishnan. “Companies such as ASTEC are able to do some very innovative customization of the product and enable joojoo to be used in business applications that go beyond our consumer focus. At the same time, this marks the end of joojoo as a product and a brand for Fusion Garage. We have learned a lot and will carry forward insight gained from joojoo to our new generation of products that we will introduce in the first half of 2011.”
