Mobile Computing | News
Seton Hall Distributes 400 Android Tablets
Seton Hall University in New Jersey distributed hundreds of Android-based media tablets to faculty and students at the start of this semester. We previously reported the rollout would involve 350 devices, but that number had increased to 400 by the time the deployment been completed.
The distribution of Android tablets at Seton all is part of the university's larger Mobile Computing Program, which primarily provides laptops to faculty, staff, and students. The Android tablets that have been distributed this semester will complement the existing laptop program. Those tablets are Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets, which just became available late last month.
"We see tablets as the next wave of technology to implement to support teaching methods and learning outcomes," said Stephen G. Landry, chief information officer of Seton Hall, in a statement released this week. "The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets are reliable companions to our ThinkPad laptops. We know this technology combination will appeal to our students for a long time to come."
The ThinkPad Tablet is a 10.1-inch (1,280 x 800 pixel resolution) media tablet based on the Android 3.1 mobile operating system. It offers support for handwriting recognition with the ThinkPad Tablet Pen (standard on higher-end models, optional on the entry-level model). It runs on a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor (ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 1 GHz per core with eight-core ultra-low-power GeForce GPU) and includes 1 GB memory and up to 64 GB internal storage.
Other features include WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G connectivity; a three-in-one media card reader; front- and rear-facing cameras (2 megapixels and 5 megapixels, respectively); accelerometer, ambient light sensor, GPS, and gyroscope; 8.7-hour battery life using WiFi; an optional keyboard folio (a travel case that expands into a keyboard and stand); and a full-size USB port, along with a mini-USB port, mini HDMI port, and dock connector port. The tablets run $499 in a 16 GB configuration without a pen, $529 with. A 32 GB model with pen is available for $599, and a 64 GB version with pen is available for $699. (Additional details can be found on Lenovo's site.)
In addition to deploying Lenovo tablets and laptops, Seton Hall has also joined Lenovo's Global Education Research Initiative, a research program whose aim is to provide "insight into technology's impact on the learning environment," according to Lenovo. "Utilizing quantitative and qualitative research, the initiative seeks to measure the effect of technology on the learning experience from grade one through the university level."
Seton Hall University is a four-year private Catholic institution that serves 5,300 undergraduates and 4,400 graduate students in 60 programs of study. It sits on a 58-acre campus in South Orange, NJ.
