https://www.nknews.org/2015/10/north-korea-shows-another-new-tablet/
North Korea shows another new tablet
New device showcased at Pyongyang's trade fair, costs upwards of $250 and runs Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system
October 1st, 2015
Leo Byrne
North Korea has released another kind of tablet, this one running the Windows 8 operating system, according to a TV report from China’s Xinhua News Agency published yesterday.
The footage from the tablet comes from the recently concluded Pyongyang trade fair, and shows a hybrid device that attaches to a keyboard and claims it will cost at least $250.
While this is not the first time hybrids have been spotted at North Korean trade fair, the report appears to show the tablet in use, running Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform.
“North Korea has released its own tablet, and it resembles the Microsoft Surface device,” the Xinhua report says.
So far the tablets released by North Korea appear to run variations of the Android operating system.
While details on the system’s processor cannot be made out from the broadcast, the narration claims the tablet comes with 64gb of storage, 2gb of memory and a five hour battery life. The specifications appear to be only an incremental upgrade on other recently released tablets.
“There isn’t much of a reason for quick increase in the technology. There is little competition – something that has driven better specs in other countries – and no internet services demanding better and faster processors,” Martyn Williams, author of the North Korea Tech blog told NK News un June.
The report claims the new tablet is the product of a joint North Korean – Chinese joint venture, though many experts believe the DPRK has relatively little input in the manufacturing process.
“There are mainly two ways of how tablets are produced in North Korea. Either (they are) Chinese made hardware, Chinese manufactured, implemented with North Korean software or Imports of Chinese made parts, assembled in North Korea with their own implemented software,” Lee Chun-geun from the Science and Technology Policy Institute said.
“But you have to be mindful that there isn’t one company, like Apple, that continuously produces tablets at customers’ requests. North Korea set the number of production.”
North Korea videographer Aram Pam was also at the trade fair and released a 16 minute video of the event. The new tablet does not appear in the footage, though the “Big Sea” (Daeyang) device first seen at Pyongyang’s previous June trade fair was again for sale.
Pan’s video also shows what appears to be an advert for a 3D television, with a North Korea missile protruding from the screen, though the device itself does not feature in the segment.
Additional reporting: JH Ahn
Featured Image: 10th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair by uritours on 2014-09-21 22:49:01
