14 DAY TRIAL // Although tablet manufacturers focus seems to have shifted towards seven inch Android powered offerings there aren't that many slates out there capable of competing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab when it comes down to features, the ViewPad 7 being expected by many users, ViewSonic just announcing official pricing and availability for this seven inch tablet.
Powered by Android 2.2 and a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor this slate comes with all the features that everybody now has come to expect from a tablet, the 7 incher featuring an WVGA capacitive touchscreen, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS and 3G connectivity as well as a front facing VGA resolution webcam and rear mounted 3MP autofocus camera for video and stills.
A 3.5mm audio jack as well as a miniUSB port are also included, the tablet coming with a 3,240mAh battery that should deliver up to 4-6hrs of “heavy, continuous use.”
The RAM and ROM both amount to 512MB, the severely limited storage space being expandable via a microSD slot, although the ViewPad 7 doesn't come bundles with such a memory card.
Slashgear managed to get some hands-on time with this tablet and found that although it get a really low Quadrant benchmark score the UI does however feels pretty responsive, apps loading quickly, although Flash Player 10.1 content is a bit too much for the skimpy 600MHz processor.
The user interface is pretty much the standard Android 2.2 UI, ViewSonic making just a few minor changes to Google's mobile operating system, the tablet delivering a solid browsing experience and decent multimedia potential, according to the same publication.
As for the pricing, the ViewPad 7 has a recommended retail price of £399 (about $636 US), although ViewSonic does expect the street price to be lower, the company also running a trade-in program that will get you up to £100 back if you send in a working notebook or netbook (up to four years in age).
The tablet is expected to come in stock starting November 1st.