14 DAY TRIAL // Indian manufacturer HCL has just announced the upcoming launch of three new Android tablets that target all budget segments.
According to the post on their Facebook profile, the tablets are part of the company's Me series and are available for purchase from the HCL web store.
However, it seems that Me tablets will have a major downside, as all three are delivered with Android 2.2 Froyo on board and not Honeycomb. Although there's no official announcement, it is unlikely that two of the devices will ever receive Android 3.0 software upgrade.
HCL Me AE7-A1 is the cheapest of the three and has a 7-inch resistive display, as well as WiFi connectivity and front facing camera.
The tablet is powered by an 800 MHz processor and packs 256 MB RAM and 2 GB of internal memory. Users will also be able to connect a USB EVDO dongle/data card. The tablet is priced at Rs. 14,990 (about $335).
HCL Me AM7-A1 is a mid-budget tablet which is also powered by an 800 MHz processor. It features a 7-inch capacitive display, 3G connectivity, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. The tablet can be purchased for Rs. 22,990 (about $514).
HCL Me AP10-A1 targets the high-tier segment and sports a 10-inch capacitive display, as well as 1 GHz dual core processor. The HD ready tablet also packs 1 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage.
Customers can purchase the HCL Me AP10-A1 for Rs. 32,990 (about $738). This is the only tablet that might receive the Honeycomb update in the future, as it has the specs to support it.
It appears that the low price points for the three devices undercuts some of the Android tablets that are available on the market now, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, OlivePad and Dell Streak.
