14 DAY TRIAL // With all the tablet announcements that have been cropping up, it was not unexpected for some of them to show up in stores, and Advent's Vega has done just that, even though it isn't, technically, on sale yet.
While there are some tablets based on Intel's Pine Trail platform and loaded with the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System, the Vega sticks to the other combination.
What this means is that the slate is based on the ARM architecture and features the Android OS.
To be more specific, the center piece of the device, as far as hardware is concerned, is the NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC (system-on-chip).
This means that it should be capable of supporting not just high-quality multimedia playback, but also the Adobe Flash Player, among other things.
Meanwhile, the software side of the equation is covered by the Android 2.2 Operating System.
There is also a 10.1-inch LCD display whose native resolution is of 1,024 x 600 pixels and which has capacitive touchscreen support.
Furthermore, Advent implemented 512 MB of internal NAND Flash storage, though more can be added via the built-in microSD card slot.
In fact, to help things along, a 4 GB card is bundled with the slate itself, though cards with higher capacities can be used instead, should end-users go to the trouble of purchasing them separately.
Finally, the Vega features the full range of connectivity and I/O options that end-users have come to expect from tablets.
This includes Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 b/g WiFi, an HDMI port and an integrated webcam.
All of the hardware, along with a 2-cell battery, is crammed inside a frame measuring 275 x 178 x 13.6 mm.
The product has been listed on PC World with a price tag of £249 but it is unknown when, exactly, shipments will commence.