Arnova SoundPad a small connected Android media player

The ARCHOS 35 Home Connect device was offering some interesting features as a connected Android radio/alarm clock. It did not seem to be so successful, probably because of a rather limited resistive 3.5″ screen, lack of Google Play Store (formerly Android Market) support and failure to deliver some of the promised features. Here comes a product refresh with the Arnova SoundPad.

While some of the specs have been upgraded with a 7″ 1024×600 resolution display (capacitive panel) and a 10 watts stereo sound, the 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 512 MB RAM appear quite limited. The processor specs aren’t precise enough to tell us if it’s a TI OMAP like previous Home Connect model, a Boxchip Allwinner A10 or a Rockchip RK29xx SoC that can be found in most of the older Arnova G2 & G3 models.

SoundPad connectivity

Based on the pictures published on Amazon.de site, the SoundPad seems to offer decent connectivity: micro SDcard slot, Ethernet LAN connect, HDMI, audio output, mini USB connector and front web camera. There are also 3 hardware buttons on top of the device.

The Arnova SoundPad is currently sold at Amazon Germany for €149.99, a price that looks quite expensive compared to other Android devices offering similar features (tablet + dock + speakers)

Via liliputing.com