$99 Marvell Moby Tablet For Education

This ARM-powered tablet device from Marvell offers students whatever they may need in a slick and light-weight device. Soon, they will announce a pilot program for the device which will run in a struggling US school district. Features include:

• eReader for Textbooks
• Live 1080p HD Content
• Full Flash Internet
• 3D Modeling and Gaming Graphics
• Live Conferencing and Social Media

For about $99, Marvell’s Moby tablet prototype promises to change the way students learn by delivering an always-on, high performance multimedia tablet featuring live, real-time content, 1080p full-HD and 3D media, and full Flash Internet.

This high performance mobile tablet based on Marvell’s leading silicon platform, could eliminate the need for students to buy and carry bound textbooks and an array of other tools. Marvell Co-founder Weili Dai says this is a technology whose time has come, announcing this new education initiative at the Future of Publishing Conference in New York this week.

“Education is the most pressing social and economic issue facing our country and our times. I believe the Marvell Moby tablet can ignite a life-long passion for learning in all students everywhere.  Marvell’s goal is to fundamentally improve the way students learn by giving them more efficient, relevant — even fun tools to use. Marvell’s Moby tablet recognizes that every student learns differently and so it delivers an array of media choices for different learning styles.”

Marvell has also zeroed in on three problems with the education system that this device may solve:

1. Rising cost of textbooks – textbooks cost a lot of money, no matter what level of education you’re talking about. The costs are spiraling out of control. The cost of an electronic version of a given textbook could sell for a fraction of the cost.
2. Printed textbooks are out of date – by the time a student gets a textbook into their hand, it’s probably already out of date. These books are expected to be used for years to come, unless you’re in college where they will make you buy the updated version at a premium. Electronic versions of these same books on the Moby tablet could be updated automatically.
3. School bags are too heavy – neck and shoulder injuries are on the rise and much of it is due to children carrying around 15% of their body weight in school supplies. Marvell’s ultra thin and light Moby tablet is expected to hold a full year’s worth of books but weigh less than half of one typical textbook.

Marvell will soon announce a pilot program in partnership with the District of Columbia Public School system (DCPS) where the Company will donate a Moby tablet to every child in an at-risk school as part of a multi-year program in new media and learning.  Details of this program will be announced at a future date.