$150 Ice Cream Sandwich-powered tablet takes aim at Kindle Fire
Amazon’s affordable Kindle Fire tablet shook up the industry when it launched last year. Tablet vendors were already having serious difficulties competing against Apple’s iPad, and these companies would now have to find a way to cut costs as well. While Samsung announced last week that it will soon launch lower-priced Galaxy tablets, a new off-brand device has the potential to make waves if the firm behind it can manage to successfully fight for attention in an increasingly crowded market. Read on for more.
The “My Tablet 7,” a new effort from New York-based software and hardware developer Xtex, is one of the most affordable tablets available in the United States. The entry-level 7-inch slate is already available for order direct from Xtex, and it costs just $149.99 despite specs that, in some areas, compete with several devices currently available at much higher price points.
Xtex’s My Tablet 7 features a 7-inch 800 x 480-pixel display, a 1.5GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, up to 32GB of additional SD storage, 1GB of RAM, a 2-megapixel front-facing webcam, an HDMI-out port that supports 1080p video playback, a full USB port, a miniUSB port and Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich.
The low-resolution display is the biggest down-side here, and it remains to be seen how Ice Cream Sandwich will perform with a 1.5GHz single-core chipset running the show. At $150, however, this affordable device has the potential to appeal to a number of budget-conscious consumers on the lookout for a cheap tablet.
The company’s press release follows below.
MY TABLET, 7-INCH HIGH PERFORMANCE AND AFFORDABLE ANDROID TABLET LAUNCHES
The $150, 7-Inch My Tablet combines portability with connectivity and up to 48GB memory
NEW YORK – April 13, 2012 – XTEX announces My Tablet, a 7-inch WiFi enabled tablet device that combines affordability with connectivity, courtesy of the powerful and stable Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 OS…all at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $150.
“Everyone is walking around with a tablet device under their arms,” said XTEX VP Allen Kiehl. “The 10-inch tablet’s become a fashion accessory, like not so long ago when everybody wore cell phones clipped to their belt.” Eventually, the smartphone was made small enough to fit in a pocket, and it’s time we did the same for tablets. 10-inch tablets are too big, while 5-inch models are too small, like squinting at a smartphone screen. The My Tablet 7-inch is just right. Not only is it about the size of a paperback book and ultra-slim to slip easily into a jacket or back pocket, but also it’s loaded with features for convenience and on-the-go connectivity.
“But just in case fashion and accessorizing are important, My Tablet is available in three colors at the time of its launch: black, white, and pink.”
Lightweight and less than half an inch thick, the 7-inch My Tablet fits in a pocket but comes loaded with features, including a 1.5MHz Processor, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB internal hard drive, expandable to 48GB of storage with a 32GB MiniSD card, a brilliant 800X480 7-inch capacitive screen, and a front facing 2MP webcam.
My Tablet features Wi-Fi as well as USB Mini, USB Ports, a TF Card Slot (supporting up to 32GB), and HDMI 1080P output, maximizing connectivity to the internet, printers, high density TVs, or any number of external devices for easy and reliable on-the-go access to email, movies, videos, music, and photos. Surf, browse, blog, text, email, stream, download, upload or Tweet…take care of business on the fly and stay in touch with friends and family with an affordably priced tablet that fits in your pocket. Download video and musicfrom the internet or carry them separately on 32GB MiniSD cards. The choice is up to the user.
“I can attest that the My Tablet was extremely snappy and handled all the apps I threw at it,” writes Stormy Beach of the influential blog, AndroidSPIN.com. “I don’t think there is a tablet out there that can offer this much goods for such a small price tag.”
With its full list of features, including blisteringly fast 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage, AndroidSPIN also declared My Tablet “quite a powerful little device for $50 less than a Kindle Fire.”
Power. Portability. Affordability. My Tablet. The whole world in your pocket!
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