The Volla Tablet is a 12.3 inch tablet with a 2560 x 1600 pixel display, a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and support for optional accessories including a backlit keyboard cover and a digital pen.
But what really makes it stand out from most tablets is the software: Volla will offer users a choice of two operating systems. One is the company’s Android-based Volla OS, which is a de-Googled version of Android with a custom user interface. The other is mobile GNU/Linux distribution Ubuntu Touch.
First unveiled last month, the Volla Tablet is now up for pre-order through a Kickstater crowdfunding campaign and the tablet is expected to begin shipping to backers in October, 2024.
While backing a crowdfunding campaign isn’t quite the same thing as pre-ordering a product through retail channels, there’s a little less risk than usual associated with this campaign – Volla has a track record of delivering on its hardware promises, having started shipping Android + Ubuntu-ready phones to customers in 2020.
What’s new this time around is that the company is launching their first tablet-sized device.
The Volla Tablet supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks (with support for 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE). It packs a 10,000 mAh battery, quad speakers, and what sounds like a pretty basic set of cameras including a 13MP primary camera with auto-focus, a 5MP fixed-focus secondary camera, and a 5MP front-facing camera.
Kickstarter reward levels start at €528 (~$563) for global backers of the crowdfunding campaign, or €628 (~$670) for backers in the European Union. But global customers will most likely end up paying much more for shipping – it costs about $20 to ship the tablet to most European countries, while international shipping can be much more expensive. It costs about $85 to ship the tablet to the United States, for example.
Entry-level rewards include a power adapter, cable, and user manual. But users can pay a little more for a screen protector and/or “back protection shell.” Or you can opt for a Kickstarter Bundle that also includes the screen protector as well as a keyboard cover.
The optional pen accessory isn’t ready just yet, so Volla’s not offering it as a Kickstarter reward yet, but the company says it has confirmed that the tablet does support pen input.
Backers will be able to pick an operating system before the tablet ships.
Volla OS is the company’s Android-based operating system that’s been stripped of Google Play Services and other Google apps. Instead it ships with F-Droid and Aurora Store pre-installed. The operating system also features a custom launcher with an emphasis on text-based search features. And you can use Volla OS without any online account – Volla says there’s no data tracking built into the operating system and it includes features like tracker blocking, private speech recognition, and optional support for use with the hide.me VPN service.
Or users can opt for Ubuntu Touch, the mobile version of Ubuntu that’s been maintained by the folks at UBPorts since Canonical abandoned its efforts to port its desktop operating system to smartphones.
While there aren’t as many mobile-friendly apps for Ubuntu Touch as there are for Android, the operating system provides a touch-friendly user interface, access to at least some Linux apps that have been made for touch, and support for convergence, which is another way of saying that you can use the same operating system to run both mobile and desktop applications.
This opens the door to using desktop versions of apps like Firefox or LibreOffice on the tablet when it’s connected to a keyboard and/or external display, while using mobile versions when using the Volla Tablet has a handheld device.
Or I guess you could just buy a tablet with an x86 processor and install the desktop version of Ubuntu or another Linux distribution.
via Volla Blog
