A look at JooJoo web tablet, the iPad rival

Fusion Garage has started selling its JooJoo tablet computer in the UK.

The device is a rival to the iPad. It has a larger screen than Apple's slate, with a standard 16:9 ratio. It also runs a version of Linux, unlike the iPad, which runs the same operating system as that used by the iPhone handset.

Fusion Garage chief Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan told ZDNet UK on Thursday that the company's main product was its "browser OS", and Fusion Garage had "decided to launch the OS with a tablet device".

The version shown in these pictures uses Wi-Fi connectivity only, but a 3G-capable version will launch later this quarter, Rathakrishnan said.

The JooJoo costs £319 plus tax and shipping.

Like the iPad, the JooJoo can reorientate its interface between portrait and landscape modes, based on the way the device is held.

One big attraction of the JooJoo over the iPad is its USB connectivity, which would allow someone to do things such as transferring a photo from a digital camera without having to email it first. The JooJoo will also run Flash-based content, unlike Apple's device.

This picture shows the PC-like microphone, headphone and power jacks of the JooJoo.

This shot shows the JooJoo attempting to log on to ZDNet UK's Wi-Fi service. A successful log-on took a couple of tries.

The JooJoo has a large virtual keyboard that gains certain added functionality, depending on the application being used.

In web-surfing mode, the keyboard incorporates useful shortcuts to popular services.

The JooJoo provides true multitasking. This shot shows the user flipping through a carousel of open and running applications.

Unlike the iPad, the JooJoo is an almost entirely web-focused device. It has no productivity apps of its own, but runs online apps such as Google Docs efficiently.

This shot shows the JooJoo running a PowerPoint file through Google's online presentations app.