Utopia Tech from Shenzhen was one of the companies that manufactured the iRobot aka Apad 2808 aka Moonse E7001, I think the where the real manufacturers of that 7-Inch device with the Rockchip RK2808 processor I presented you in an other article. Only two weeks ago, Utopia announced a new device. It’s the successor of the Apad RK2808, the Apad iMX515. The name indicates that it was built on a Freescale iMX515 platform, we have already seen in the Lifepad 3G and on the prototype of Innoversal’s Lattice tablet.
Let’s have a look at the Apad iMX515:
Looks well known? Seems to be a very similar housing as the Apad RK2808 had… (in terms of shape but also quality 
)
…it runs Froyo 2.2 and supports Flash 10.1…
…and they say it is capable to run games (which the Apad RK2808 was not really made for)
…no USB, but a 30-pin connector…
Here are the specifications. Note, that they may not be complete. Some features could be optional, some could be missing:
| Specifications | Utopia Apad iMX515 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Freescale iMX515 Cortex A8 at 800 Mhz |
| RAM | 512MB DDR2 |
| Screen | 8-Inch / 800 x 600 / LCD / single touch / resistive |
| Storage | 4GB integrated microSDHC / up to 32GB expansion through microSDHC |
| A/V In | integrated microphone / maybe optional camera (they reserved a place for a cam) |
| A/V Out | 3.5mm headphone jack / integrated 0.5W stereo speakers |
| Network | Wifi (802.11 b/g) |
| Connectors | 30pin connector / 3.5 mm Audio jack / (USB seems to be missing/replaced with the 30-pin connector) |
| Sensors | G-Sensor |
| Battery | 3900mah (4hrs wifi according to Hiapad) |
| Extras | Froyo 2.2 (supports Flash 10.1) / |
| Dimensions & Weight | 209×161.5×14mm / 480g (others say 1.2 KG (!) with battery pack) |
| Price Range | Starting from 230$ |
| Manufacturer | Utopia Tech / Hiapad (english company blog) |
| aka | HiApad iMX515 / Apad iMX515 / Xpad X8 / Freescale imx515 mid |
After the 7-Inch Apad RK2808 was an obvious success, even if it was not very snappy, Utopia tries to upgrade their product line with the Apad iMX515. The Freescale plattform they have chosen seems to be pretty well performing (see videos at bottom of this post). RAM should be just enough. Regarding a possible price of 230$ there is not much to carp.
Of course, they could integrate a capacitive multitouch screen with a better resolution, they could have more sensors, they could have a SIM slot for 3G connections, they could have a high-res webcam and many more features, but that would make the device much more expensive. The Apad iMX515 is cheap, but it’s processing power should be OK. It could be used as a home device.
I am still looking for more information about these missing features. Maybe there will be optional features in future, like a webcam (there is reserved space for that), 3G and a capacitive touchscreen. I’ll keep you updated…
Let’s see some videos of the Apad iMX515. How Flash 10.1 performs:
Showing specs and Froyo 2.2:
3D Gaming:
Playing Angry Birds (one of my favorite games on the phone):
ATTENTION: Be careful, if you like to buy such a device. There are and there will be a lot of very similar looking devices with different hardware, all coming more or less directly from China. Know what you want and what is sold. If you order one of these devices somewhere, check if you really got what you have paid for. Check processor, RAM and ROM capacity right after opening the box. And the most important: Only order from good sources, if possible through an escrow payment.
Some more pictures of the Apad iMX515:
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