Aug 9, 2011 08:26 GMT  ·  By

Though tablets have been making the news constantly this year, there seems to never be a shortage of newer reports and announcements, such as the one that Vizio made a short time ago.

In a market where tablets have a common price of around $500, Vizio decided to send on which sells for substantially less.

Granted, it is smaller than the largest slates out there (8-inch diagonal instead of 10 inches) and has quite a bit less storage space than their 32 GB or even 16 GB, but the affordability advantage is real.

Specifically, the Android slate has a price of $299 and should already be shipping through such stores as Amazon, Walmart, Costco, etc.

“We are excited that VIZIO is listening, once again, to what the marketplace is asking for with a high performance sub $300 Tablet,” said Tim Farmer, Costco.

“VIZIO’s reputation is built on affordable technology and entertainment and this product is expected to generate a strong consumer response.”

The 1 GHz processor that lies at the center of the device has 512 MB of RAM to work with and is complemented by a touchscreen with a native resolution of 1,024 x 768 pixels.

4 GB of built-in NAND Flash storage exist (2 GB are usable), along with the obligatory microSD card slot without which no extra memory cards could be used.

Additionally, Bluetooth is present, as is 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor and a trio of speakers (stereo sound), plus a front-facing VGA camera.

Finally, the battery should keep everything running for up to 10 hours on a single charge.

“VIZIO set out to build an innovative tablet that breaks new ground and addresses the gaps in current offerings in the market,” said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO.

“The VIZIO Tablet offers a superior multimedia experience with its three speaker design, home theater integration with IR, and a perfect size for typing, eBooks, gaming and portability. These innovations and our ground breaking price push the category forward and deliver on our brand promise of Entertainment Freedom For All.”