Lake Zurich, Ill. –
entered the tablet market with
the launch of two Android 2.3-based Wi-Fi models targeted to price-conscious
consumers at suggested retails of $159 and $279.
The $159 Chinon Swift with 7-inch
multitouch screen and $279 Chinon Swift 10 with 10-inch screen feature ARM
Cortex-A8 Core 1.2GHz processor, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and 4:3 screen. The
screens’ aspect ratio is promoted as displaying digital pictures, A4-size PDFs
and eBooks without cutting off their edges or leaving black spaces on the
screens. Both feature aluminum casing and Adobe Flash 10.1.
The Swift 7 features 4GB embedded
memory, microSD card slot, 800 by 600-pixel screen resolution, and front-facing
camera for video chats.
The Swift 10 features IPS
(in-plane switching) display for wide-angle viewing, 1,024 by 768 screen
resolution, 16GB embedded memory, microSD card slot, and front- and rear-facing
cameras.
The screens of both models run in
both landscape and portraits modes, and a built-in gyro motion sensor enables
full screen rotation.
Both also feature USB 2.0 host/slave
port, allowing for the attachment of USB sticks as well as optional cellular
USB modem. Battery life rates five hours even when multi-tasking.
The company also offers an alarm
clock/digital photo frame and a $199
with mobile-ATSC tuner in the U.S.
Chinon USA and Japan-based parent
Chinon Corp. have their roots in Chinon Industries, established in 1962 as a
manufacturer and marketer of optical products such as lens modules, 35mm
cameras, movie cameras, disc drives, and printers. Eastman Kodak became Chinon
Industries’ majority shareholder in 1997 as part of a restructuring, then in
2004 bought Chinon’s remaining shares to merge Chinon into Eastman Kodak.
Chinon Corp. is the standalone successor company that, In Japan, offers digital
cameras, camcorders film scanners, digital compasses, and other small
electronics products.
Chinon Corp. and is being funded
by the Chino family that founded Chinon and owns the rights to the Chinon
brand, a spokesman said.
