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North Korea-developed Android tablet appears in Pyongyang

North Korea-developed Android tablet appears in Pyongyang

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Associated Press North Korea Android tablet
Associated Press North Korea Android tablet

While cell phone use is on the rise in North Korea, a new domestically-developed tablet may be trying to achieve similar success with the larger form factor. A photo from the Associated Press, published by the Wall Street Journal's "Korea Realtime" blog, shows what appears to be an Android device on display at a trade show in Pyongyang. The picture is reportedly from Tuesday, though unfortunately there are no real details about the tablet itself — it's clad in a case so it's difficult to even determine the manufacturer.

The WSJ reports that boxes in the background feature the name Samjiyon, a North Korean tablet reported on back in June. However, at the time no images were available of the device, nor was it known that it would be running Google's mobile operating system. Despite the lack of details, the device is apparently already for sale in the country. And unlike military-focused Android tablets developed in places like Russia, the Samjiyon appears destined for regular consumers.