Fusion Garage partners with CSL to mass produce JooJoo internet tablet
Apple’s iPad may have not yet emerged from the media frenzy, but this does not mean that other similar device manufacturers are sitting back and waiting for it to die down. Fusion Garage declared that production of the JooJoo tablet has started in full swing and will reach consumers by the end of February 2010. This announcement comes after a partnership with CSL who will provide another round of investment for this venture.
“This is landscape changing manufacturing agreement in the CE hardware market in much the same way Dell changed the PC business model with its direct to consumer sales approach back in the 1990s. CSL’s confidence in JooJoo and strategic investment enables us to concentrate on the expansion of our organization, software development and, ultimately, building a world class CE company,” stated Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan, founder and CEO, Fusion Garage.
The internet-enabled tablet is touted to come with full web support including that for flash-based websites. This was an area in which the iPad seems to have received a lot of criticism. Apart from that, the JooJoo features a 12.1” display, a 4GB SSD, in-built speakers, a USB 2.0 port, audio jack as also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. If that wasn’t enough, news that the company is planning to open a web app store had also surfaced recently. It’s still left to see if the JooJoo will be a worthy rival to Apple’s much-publicized iPad – if it was intended as such that is.
“We are justifiably bullish – not only on the promise of the JooJoo and the Internet tablet market’s potential but also on Fusion Garage’s forward looking vision,” remarked Dato Eric Chuah, Chairman of the CSL Group of Companies. “We have an opportunity to expand our business via this relationship, enter a hot market with a trusted partner and turn the traditional CE hardware manufacturing model on its head. We are betting on volume here and firmly believe our bet will be a winner.”
CSL is set to get a share of the pie with its strategic investment in the tablet’s manufacture over each JooJoo sold globally. Fusion Garage has made available the JooJoo for pre-order at their official website for $499 (approx. Rs.23,355).
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