An Android tablet from Kmart sounds reliable, right? But how’s an Augen GenTouch78 slate sold by Kmart with pirated Android on board? The device is still on the cheap side, going for $150, but the lack of licenses for the OS might explain this price. Although Android OS is distributed freely, licenses are still required for some proprietary Google apps, that Augen didn’t seem too eager to pay for.
For a company to get these licenses, they must be a member of the Open Handset Alliance, which Augen is not. This spawns some problems, like the useless presence of Android Market on the new tablet, since it won’t allow you to download apps. To top it all, the slate features a resistive touch display and Android Market is only present in order to allow you see applications.
Wonder if Augen will do something about this…
[via intomobile]
