Fusion Garage said late Wednesday that the JooJoo, the Web tablet formerly named the Crunchpad, is in full production. The process will be helped by an investment by CSL Group, a Malaysian mobile device OEM and distributor.
The company expects shipments of the JooJoo to reach customers by February end and if true, this would be the first tablet in customer hands in 2010, releasing slightly before the Apple iPad -- although it's probably safe to say that pre-orders for the $499 JooJoo will be less than the iPad, which also starts at $499.
"This is (a) landscape changing manufacturing agreement in the CE hardware market in much the same way Dell changed the PC business model with its direct to consumer sales approach back in the 1990s," said Fusion Garage founder and chief executive, Chandrasekar (Chandra) Rathakrishnan, in a statement. "CSL's confidence in JooJoo and strategic investment enables us to concentrate on the expansion of our organization, software development and, ultimately, building a world class CE company."
CSL is one of the largest manufacturers of cell phones in Asia, according to Fusion Garage who also expects a second round of funding within the next two weeks.
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