14 DAY TRIAL // India is about to get the 3G version of HTC's first Android-powered tablet, the Flyer. It appears that the device is now available for pre-order via Flipkart retailer for Rs. 37,999 (about $850).
According to the Indian retailer, the tablet's estimated release date is the fourth week of June, but no exact shipping date has been disclosed yet.
While the tablet's pre-order price matches perfectly with the suggested retail price announced by HTC a while ago, it appears to be more expensive than the original Galaxy Tab by Samsung.
Even though Samsung's first Android tablet went on sale in India for the same price, it looks like the tablet is now available for purchase for just Rs. 24,000 (about $537).
However, the original Galaxy Tab comes with an earlier version of Google's Android platform, which greatly lowers its functionality.
Although the Flyer does not come with Honeycomb, Google's platform specifically optimized to operate on tablets, HTC promised that it will upgrade the Android 2.4 Gingerbread as soon as the search giant releases a compatible version for 7-inch tablets.
Unfortunately, this seems to have taken Google quite a lot of time because of the issues it encountered with the apps included with the Honeycomb that seem to be unable to run as they should on 7-inch devices.
Furthermore, the tablet is powered by a single core 1.5Ghz processor and packs 32 GB of internal memory, 1 GB RAM, as well as microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).
In addition, HTC Flyer is the first tablet to feature HTC Watch, the company's new video download service that offers more than 600 premium movies and TV shows from major studios.
Potential customers should be aware of the fact that Flipkart does not include the unique stylus of the Flyer within the sales packge.
Those who wish to take advantage of the HTC Scribe technology must purchase Flyer's stylus separately for around $80.