Looking to spend some quality time with Google Android, but don’t feel like plunking down the cash for a smartphone and then shelling out more money each month for a data plan? I already told you about one relatively affordable option this week: The Archos 5 Internet tablet which starts at just $250. But Taiwanese PC maker Foxconn has an Android-powered tablet that cuts that price in half… twice.

The Foxconn iWonder tablet is a $100 tablet that runs Google Android 1.6. It has a 10.1 inch, 800 x 600 pixel resistive touchscreen  display and a Marvell processor. You don’t get 3G connectivity with this budget tablet, but you do get WiFi.

The plastic case looks a little Fisher Price, and guarantees that the iWonder tablet isn’t going to take much market share away from Apple’s upcoming iPad which is a bit more refined looking. But it’s hard to ask for more from a $100 tablet.

via UberGizmo and Engadget

Samsung N120 with speakers built into the bezel

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time writing about computers, it’s that people love to complain about notebooks and tablets with unusually large bezels around the screen. On some systems, such as the Asus Eee PC 701, the bezel makes sense, since the only way to provide a reasonably large keyboard with a 7 inch screen is to pad the space on the sides of the display. But on other models, there’s no good excuse for the black bars that border the display.

DigiTimes reports that a number of Taiwanese PC makers have heard your complaints, and they’re working on slim notebooks with “frameless” screens. The report says Foxconn, Compal, and Quanta are all working on frameless screens.

The article isn’t 100% clear on what constitutes a frameless screen. While I’d like to think we’re talking about displays with no bezels at all, it’s also possible that these ODMs are simply working on displays that feature edge-to-edge glass that sits over a bezel. You know, kind of like the screens HP has been using on some of its mini-laptops for the past year or so.

via Netbooked

Remember that Foxconn netbook that hit the FCC a few days ago? It looks like Sylvania is going to rebrand it and sell it under its name in the US. At least that’s my best guess as to what’s going on based on the fact that there’s a new set of documents on the FCC web site showing the Foxconn SZ900/SZ901 with Sylvania branding.

You can’t see the Sylvania name on the laptop itself in the external photos. But the label describes the netbook as a Sylvania SYNET51601X. I’m pretty sure that’s the FCC ID, not the model name. Because somehow I just can’t see Sylvania coming out with a netbook with a name that difficult to remember.

“Hey, did you get a new netbook?”

“Sure did.”

“What kind?”

“A Sylvania SYNET5…. I don’t know, it’s just a netbook, OK?!?!”

You can check out the label photo after the break.

via Wireless Goodness

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Hot on the heels of the Foxconn SZ901P, two more models from this Taiwanese OEM have popped up on the FCC web site. There’s not a ton of information about these new models, but we do have a bunch of photos, including some pictures of the computers’ innards.

Here’s what we do know. The new models are called the Foxconn NS20 and NS24 for now. But since Foxconn usually manufactures products to be rebadged and sold under different brand names, these computers will probably be renamed by the time they come to market.

They’re available with Foxconn’s FoxOS Linux distribution, although they can also run Windows XP and the user manual includes instructions for installing Windows XP. And both models feature 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a webcam.

You can check out some more photos after the break

via Wireless Goodness

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Foxconn is a Taiwanese OEM that makes computers that are rebranded and sold under different company monikers. So I don’t expect to see the Foxconn SZ901P hit US shelves anytime soon, at least not under that name. But the FCC has published documents related to a netbook under that name.

The one interesting thing about the Foxconn netbook is that it supports Windows XP as well as a custom Linux distribution called FoxOS, which includes a dock-style program launcher.

Other specs look pretty normal, including VGA, 3 USB ports, mic and headphone jacks and a touchpad with two buttons but no multitouch support. There are two access panels on the bottom of the netbook, presumably for replacing or upgrading the RAM and hard drive. I can’t find any mention of the processor, memory, or storage capacity. There was a rumor going around earlier this year that Foxconn was working on smartbooks with ARM-based processors, but if there are Windows drivers for this machine, that means it doesn’t have an ARM CPU.

via Wireless Goodness

By definition, a nettop is a tiny, low power computer. But the FoxConn Qbox N270 would be relatively thin even for a laptop. The Qbox N270 measures just under an inch thick. It’s about 9.8″ x 6.6″ in length and width. And the whole thing weighs just over 1.5 pounds.

FoxConn isn’t exactly a household name in most parts of the globe. But the Taiwanese PC maker puts together computers that are often rebranded and sold by bigname PC vendors in the west. So it’s possible that we could eventually see the Qbox N270 show up under a different name in the not too distant future.

The nettop features pretty standard specs including a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1G of RAm, a 250GB hard drive, 5.1 channel audio, Ethernet, and 3 USB ports. It has a card reader, audio jacks, and a VGA port. NetbookNews.de reports that it will sell for about 199 Euros, or $294 US.

Foxconn is one of those companies that you don’t hear too much about in the West. But they’re responsible for making a significant portion of the notebooks and other consumer electronics devices (including the iPhone) that we purchase. The Taiwanese company just doesn’t usually slap its own name on the products, but rather builds them by order from big name companies including computer vendors and telecommunications companies. And right now, a Foxconn official tells PC World, the company is working on “less than five” ARM-based mini-notebooks or “smartbooks.”

The devices are expected to be sold by telecoms in China and elsewhere for between $100 and $200. And because they have ARM processors, they won’t be able to run Windows XP like most netbooks. Instead they’ll likely come with various Linux distributions. Earlier this year there was a report that Foxconn was working with Moblin Linux. PC World reports that some of the new systems will include a similar operating system, and that the company is also exploring Google Android as a possibility (although there’s no mention in the articl of the upcoming Google Chrome operating system).

While I think there’s a popular misconception out there that smartbooks will be smaller than netbooks, Focxconn says the machines it’s working on will have screens ranging from 7 inches to 10 inches in size, which is pretty much par for the netbook course. What really sets these computers apart is the long battery life and low price that comes from using an ARM-based chipset instead of an x86 processor. But the Foxconn smartbooks (which are wearing the codename “qbook” at the moment) don’t have their specs written in stone. On the off chance that Intel decides to release a new processor that can compete with ARM chips on price, Foxconn may decide to retool the qbooks before launch next year.