At E3 2013, I spent some time with Sunflex vice president of business development Nicki Repenning to talk about the UNU tablet. At a glance, this seven-inch tablet is one of the most unique and diverse Android devices I’ve seen. In addition to being able to use it as a standard tablet, UNU comes with software and accessories that help you use it as a smart TV or videogame console.
On the smart TV side, it uses docks and an air-mouse controller. The controller is particularly novel. It features motion controls for menu navigation and for casual games (think Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja). The back of the controller has a QWERTY keyboard for a familiar and comfortable typing experience. One dock and controller are included in the standard UNU tablet bundle, which will retail for $199.
For hardcore Android gamers, there’s a $249 bundle that includes a full-sized gamepad, a travel pouch, and everything in the standard bundle. The controller has a good feel, thought not as impressive as the Nyko PlayPad Pro 2 that I tried at E3 2013. The gamepad makes sense for Android users that play a lot of traditional games ported to Android.
On paper, UNU looks like an inexpensive Android tablet that does many things very well. However, I want to spend more time with Sunflex’s custom UI and learn the exact chipset under the hood before I pass judgement. Hopefully I’ll get to do so before the product’s late-summer release. I’m intrigued by UNU, but I want to see more!
How about you guys and gals? Any of you interested in the UNU tablet?
[Thanks again to Rich Brown for his great camera work in this video!]
