MapmyIndia has certainly done it. They’ve recently ventured into Android based 3G tablet space by making a formal announcement at Qualcomm India-On 2011 event.The tablet will eventually be called Carpad. This is a completely unventured territory for MapmyIndia but they certainly do have some strong points. One being GPS Navigation built into the device. As speculated the device features Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with Adreno 200 GPU. This seems to be good as the tablet seems quite capable of handling Graphics Intensive tasks such as games and gps applications. Talking about GPS navigation the device will come preloaded with Aura maps which is the most premium offering by any GPS Navigation Service provider. Aura features 3D maps with social networking features built into it. In India it’s only offered by MapmyIndia. This is one of the strongest point as anybody looking to buy GPS Navigation unit in a premium segment will certainly take a look at the device as it provides not only best GPS navigation experience but also entertainment features with tablet functionality of playing games and listening to music.
The device features 7 inch TFT-HD capacitive touch screen which runs at 800×480 pixels. A fairly good resolution for a tablet. The device is also capable of running HD movies. It’s 3G enabled with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR functionality. It would also come with mini usb and micro SD slot with support for upto 32GB of memory.
Another strong point for the device is built in FM radio. As of now no other tablet in the market offers radio functionality built into it.
The most unique feature about the device certainly has to be its Car Kit. It’s one of a kind holder that enables you to fix your carpad to the back seat or to the wind shield of your car.
It allows for easy viewing & operating of car pad while driving. People seating in the back can use it to watch movies or surf the internet on the move. Once you reach your destination you can easily take it out & move it along with you. It seems a lot of thought has been put up in designing the holder which improves the functionality of the device. As per us the device will cater to the needs of premium segment who want to have a powerful tablet and do a lot of driving hence requiring GPS . On first impressions it seems to be especially built for cars considering the car kit designed for it & will cater to people who want a little bit of everything. The hardware seems to be powerful as compared to other tablets available in the market but how the device will fare in actual test is yet to be seen.
We’ll be covering detailed tech specs as well as review and the comparison of the device so stay hooked.
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Check out the official press release
“August 30, 2011, New Delhi: MapmyIndia, India’s leader in GPS navigation, collaborates with Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) ) announce the launch of CarPad, an exciting new device that promises to revolutionize the way we travel in cars in India, at Qualcomm’s India On 2011. MapmyIndia CarPad, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S1 processor, comes with a large 7” Capacitive Display, 3G connectivity, GPS and rich app experience of Android packed with many appealing features for car travelers.
Mr Rakesh Verma, Managing Director, MapmyIndia, says, “We are excited to launch CarPad which will revolutionize the way people travel in cars in India – because of the simple, ingenious way in which it offers navigation, entertainment, connectivity and productivity to everyone in the car, be it in the back-seat or the front-seat. For the industry, we see CarPad heralding a new era of the smart, connected car – seamlessly merging the consumer’s connected lifestyle into the car. This strategic collaboration with Qualcomm for CarPad is the first, big step in our endeavor to converge cars, consumers and connectivity in India.”
“Qualcomm congratulates MapmyIndia on the launch of CarPad, the first 3G device optimised for navigation and in-car use, based on the Snapdragon S1 processor. Combining fast processing capabilities, 3G connectivity, rich multimedia and GPS engine of the Snapdragon processor, the Carpad brings a fully optimized in-car navigation and entertainment experience,” said Avneesh Agrawal, Senior Vice President of Qualcomm and President of Qualcomm India and South Asia.
MapMyIndia Carpad offers :
Find Everything, Go Anywhere: Experience navigation beyond your imagination on CarPad, with live turn-by-turn voice guidance to places, augmented reality with 3D landmarks, buildings and terrain, house-level details, travel guides and nearby information and friend finders!
Perfect for use in-car and on the move: With the bundled car kit’s head-rest and windshield mounts, you can use the CarPad conveniently in the car’s back or front seats, and then carry it easily with you to use at home, office or in a plane!
Stay connected with 3G: You can call, message, mail and chat with everyone, browse the web at high speed, and socialize with others anywhere using the CarPad’s in-built 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth!
In-car and portable entertainment: Listen to FM Radio and music; Watch movies & YouTube; Flip through photos and Flickr; Click photos and record videos; In-car entertainment was never so much fun!
MapmyIndia is the dominant market leader and India’s largest seller of in-car GPS navigation devices since the launch of its award-winning GPS Navigator in 2007. Our research on and discussions with car travelers highlighted their needs in the car, for offerings beyond navigation, entertainment, connectivity and productivity. The lack of optimisation in existing mobile phones and tablets for in-car use was the genesis of CarPad.
MapmyIndia CarPad offers everyone in the car – driver and passengers, adults and children, male and female – a fully optimized in-car navigation, entertainment, connectivity and productivity experience.”
