Cruz is a line of

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

-based e-book readers and tablet computers by

Velocity Micro Velocity Micro is a privately held boutique computer manufacturer located in Richmond, Virginia (USA), specializing in custom high-performance gaming computers, professional workstations, and high-performance computer solutions. Its extended p ...

, a privately held computer manufacturer located in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

that specializes in custom high-end computers.

History

Cruz debuted in 2010, when

announced the release of the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet. These devices are Android-based multimedia gadgets. Both devices feature 7" full color screens. The Cruz Reader utilizes a resistive touchscreen, whereas the Cruz Tablet makes use of the more advanced and responsive capacitive touch screen. At CES 2011, Velocity Micro unveiled plans to release three new tablets, including 10" and 8" models, as well as another 7" tablet. The specific release dates and estimated retail prices are not currently available. It was reported that these new tablets, operating on Android 2.2 or Android 2.3, would feature dual cameras, Tegra processors, Bluetooth 2.1,

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

, and Micro HDMI out. Velocity Micro also announced plans to release in 2011 the Android-based Cruz Watch.

Cruz Reader

The Cruz Reader is an Android 2.0-based e-book reader. It has a 7-inch full color, 800 × 600 resolution resistive touchscreen. The Cruz Reader's pre-installed e-book reading app is the Borders Group e-book reader application. However, because Borders is now defunct, Velocity Micro has released a firmware update that changes the e-book reader application to

Kobo Inc. Rakuten Kobo Inc., or simply Kobo, is a Canadian company that sells ebooks, audiobooks, ereaders and tablet computers. It is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and is a subsidiary of the Japanese ecommerce conglomerate Rakuten. The name'' Ko ...

's. The only models are the R101, R102, and R103.

Cruz Tablet

Cruz Tablets represent Velocity Micro's higher-end Android-based devices. They all use a capacitive touchscreen. The original Cruz Tablet (model T103, 104, or 105) is a widescreen-format (16:9) device. A later version of the Cruz Tablet (model T301) was released in December 2010 with a 4:3 7" screen and Kindle for Android application pre-installed. In addition, the T408 and T410 have refurbished models available. Models include: * Cruz T100 series (Android 2.0, upgradable to Android 2.2) ** T103 ** T104 ** T105 * Cruz T301 (Android 2.0, upgradable to Android 2.2) * Cruz PS37 (Android 2.3) * Cruz T400 series (Android 2.3) ** Cruz T408 ** Cruz T410 * Cruz T500 series (Android 4.0.3) ** Cruz T501 (not yet available) ** Cruz T507 (not yet available) ** Cruz T508 ** Cruz T510 The T100 and T301 tablets have a problem where the browser will crash when

google.com Google Search (also known simply as Google) is a search engine provided by Google. Handling more than 3.5 billion searches per day, it has a 92% share of the global search engine market. It is also the most-visited website in the world. Th ...

or websites that use Google Analytics are accessed. Velocity Micro addresses this on its website as a Google JavaScript problem. Attempts at addressing this issue through the velocitymicro.com support receive this response: "The update Google has implemented to their search engine isn't compatible to the T100 series hardware. The device is a legacy model."

Model comparison

Notes

Retailers

Cruz devices were sold in several major consumer electronics retailers in the United States including

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

, Borders, Sears,

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...

, and Amazon."Cruz Retail Page"
/ref> The model T104 was sold by woot.com on 29 May 2012.

References

External links

Cruz blog
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129021627/http://cruzreader.com/CruzBlog/ , date=2011-01-29 Dedicated ebook devices Tablet computers Android (operating system) devices