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The Mobile Gadgeteer

Matthew Miller & Joel Evans

ViewSonic launching Ice Cream Sandwich tablet for just $170

By | January 23, 2012, 4:30am PST

Summary: We don’t all need the latest and greatest Android tablets and ViewSonic is launching devices that meet those who want to save money without too much compromise.

As mobile enthusiasts we tend to focus on the latest and greatest devices, but these types of devices also come at a high price and they really are not necessary for everyone. High end Android tablets from HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and others are expensive and often come with required carrier data contracts. There are a few WiFi-only models, but it wasn’t until the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet came out at $199 and $249 that people realized they didn’t have to pay $500+ for an Android tablet. A competitive tablet I saw at CES 2012 that will soon joining this low cost group is the ViewSonic ViewPad E70. In May you will be able to purchase this 7 inch Android tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich for just $170.

While the Amazon Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are primarily focused on the ebook market, they can also be used as Android tablets with a bit of easy manipulation. The upcoming ViewPad E70 is not at all focused on the ebook market, but does come with the Amazon Kindle app preloaded out of the box. Many people just use tablets for web browsing, email, and media consumption and the low cost ViewPad E70 meets these needs. The specifications include:

Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0 operating system

  • 1 GHz processor
  • 4GB integrated memory and microSD for expandable storage
  • 800 x 480 pixels resolution 7″ display
  • microHDMI port
  • Front facing camera (something not found in the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet)
  • Price of just $169 with end of May availability

As you can see in the list above, it comes with a front facing camera so you can use it for video calling. You will also find the Amazon AppStore loaded out of the box.

If you want an Android tablet larger than the 7 inch ViewPad E70, then the upcoming ViewPad 10e is a nice device at just $270. The ViewPad 10e is scheduled to ship at the end of January and while it launches with Android 2.3 Gingerbread it will be upgraded to ICS in the future.

Specifications include the following:

  • 9.7 inch 1024×768 TFT LCD display
  • 1 GHz processor
  • 512 MB RAM and 4GB internal flash storage
  • 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
  • mini-HDMI port
  • 2700 mAh battery

The ViewPad 10e felt good in my hand and with a cost less than $300 it is a device I would think of for an Android tablet where you didn’t have a need for high end gaming and other advanced function.

I also took a look at the ViewPhone 3 in the ViewSonic booth. This is an Android smartphone that will launch in Latin America with the unique feature being the dual SIM card support. This is something that is more important outside the U.S. and I don’t see this phone appealing to many here since we get better subsidized phones for free. Other specs include a 3.5 inch low resolution display, 5 megapixel camera, ViewScene user interface, and Android 2.3 operating system.

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Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle.

Disclosure

Matthew Miller

Matthew is a professional naval architect by day and a mobile gadget freak at all other times. He purchases most of his devices and then sells them on eBay or Craigslist to buy more. Many other devices are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the carrier or manufacturer. If any are provided as “keeper” or “long term loaner units” this will be clearly disclosed in his reviews.

Biography

Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. He is one of three hosts on the MobileTechRoundup podcast and runs the Nokia Experts website. Matthew started using mobile devices in 1997 with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned over 90 different devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, Mac OS X (iPhone), Google Android, and Windows Mobile operating systems. His current collection includes a Nokia N85, Nokia E71, Nokia 5800, Nokia N810, Apple iPhone, HTC Advantage, T-Mobile G1, Palm Treo Pro, HTC Fuze, MSI Wind, MacBook Pro, and many more, along with tons of accessories and classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew co-authored Master Visually Windows Mobile 2003, was a member of the Nokia Nseries Blogger relations program, and is a member of the invite-only Microsoft Mobius mobile device evangelist group. He can be found on various discussion forums under the user name of "palmsolo".

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RE: ViewSonic launching Ice Cream Sandwich tablet for just $170
johncrea 26th Jan
The 10in tablet looks good EXCEPT that it has NO WAY to add any extra storage. Limiting it to only internal storage is a BIG mistake. If they can have a micro/mini-SD slot on the 7in tablet, then why not on the 10in one?? I definitely would be interested in a 10in tablet with the specs of the ViewSonic IF and ONLY IF it allowed adding more storage via a micro/mini-SD card or something similiar

John
whoa, it looks yummylicious, ;D viewsonic always come up with great ideas.
http://www.mobileprice.pk/Sony-Ericsson.html
800 x 480 resolution = Fail

Also, no mention as to whether the screen is capacitive or (like previous cheap Viewsonic tabs) single-point resistive.
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Contributr
It is capacitive
palmsolo (aka Matthew Miller) 23rd Jan
@dsf3g The touchscreen display is capacitive. Yes, not the highest resolution by far, but that is one reason it is just $170.
@palmsolo (aka Matthew Miller)

Then it might be a decent tablet for the kids. I'd hate to read or surf the web on such a low resolution screen.
@dsf3g "800 x 480 resolution = Fail"

Exactly! What's the point of a 7" tablet if it has the same resolution of most 4-5" smartphones?!
@Johnny5k

True. But it doesn't matter to some bloggers. The goal is to drive the price for such device all the way down to the very bottom of the barrel. So what if screen res is horrible or the viewing angle is bad. So what it only have 1GHz single-core, no ecosystem, no Google apps and no support. It's all about the cheap price, driving the price down.
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@dsf3g I have a Kindle Fire and I sometimes find myself wishing the resolution was higher than 1024x600 for web browsing and books. If 'web browsing, email and media consumption' is the target, I think resolution matters. The CPU is also 1/2 that of the fire (single core vs. dual), but that's probably where the compromises are more acceptable. For my own uses I would have traded the HDMI port for better graphics.
@dsf3g
Same resolution as my EeePC 701. I didn't find the resolution to be a problem on that machine, just the screen size. I upgraded to a 901 so I wouldn't need a magnifying glass to read the screen.
@dsf3g

thanks for pointing out the obvious, as per item specs..
"800 x 480 pixels resolution 7??? display.

"I'd hate to read or surf the web on such a low resolution screen."

then spend the big $$ and purchase 1 that has the resolution 4u 2 "to read or surf the web".
@rpotas@...

I did.

And BTW, there's no need to "spend the big bucks." Lenovo is selling an Android 7" tablet with decent specs for about $200.00.
@dsf3g
Not on their web site. Could you provide a link to it?
@dsf3g
I could find no such beast on the Lenovo web site. Might you provide a link?
The original viewpad 7 while not perfect had an unlocked
gsm radio built in. Buy a sim and off you go. Why are the makers all dropping 3g/4g capabilities from these tablets? I need to be able to use mine in a taxi, or in a waiting room, lots of places where there is no wifi, or I don't have time to search around for the right open network. Is it lack of interest? Do the cellular chipsets add that much to the cost? It killed me when the new Viewpad 7x finally hit the shelves and no wireless (cell) support. There has to be a reason perhaps someone can fill me in?
@df-zdnet

A much better solution is to use a phone with a wireless hotspot feature. That way you're not locked in to a single device. You can tether your laptop is that's what you happen to have with you.
The Viewsonic GTablet seems to sport the same hardware specifications. Will Viewsonic provide an upgrade path for those who already invested in their products or will they try and force people to buy all new hardware?

This is the biggest problem I've seen in Android manufacturers. Abandoning existing customers who could easily be upgraded. It may be Apples one saving grace that their hardware is usually upgradable for usually several releases.
@fldbryan@...
A more pertinent question might be "will the new tablet have the same woeful support that the GTablet had?". Also, the UI on the GTablet was unuseable as released. I would suggest looking at the GTablet forums for a hint of what to expect.
I think the sub $200 range W8 tablet space will actually turn out to be very nice.
@Johnny Vegas
Dream on. Doubt you will see a MS tablet for under $700. Just too many middle men to keep happy. Remember MS wants to "guarantee" the "experience" what ever that is. They will prescribe the hardware and put a hefty license fee on it.
The Amazon Market sucks a lot of CPU and power, compared to the Android Market. Will the Android Market also be on this?
Soon we'll be reading about people who bought this, expecting the same experience as the expensive tabs, and complaining about how bad Android is.
Bloggers (and other tech writers) have to stop implying that all android devices are equal in capabilities.
And by the way, they also have to stop implying that any device maker that doesn't upgrade you to the latest OS for free is somehow negligent. Try upgrading from any Windows release or any OSX release for free. The iOS market is the only one that does this - its an easy way for Apple to differentiate against its competition, since they have only one current device in each category.
@radleym

The cost of iOS upgrades have been free for a long time now.(I think they have been free ever since they changed the name to iOS from iPhone OS)

As everyone knows, OS X major upgrades have come with a minimal price tag associated with them for the last several upgrade cycles.
Hardware is hardware. Android has nothing to do with this -- Android is software.

In order to build better and more competitive hardware, you need to spend more money. About the only way to have otherwise success is to go the Apple way -- tightly control the integration of software and hardware so that you can offer better experience without having to invest in overly expensive hardware.

Anyway, although all these wannabes contribute to the electronic junk on the planet, they also contribute to the development of better products.
Hardware is hardware. Android has nothing to do with this -- Android is software.

In order to build better and more competitive hardware, you need to spend more money. About the only way to have otherwise success is to go the Apple way -- tightly control the integration of software and hardware so that you can offer better experience without having to invest in overly expensive hardware.

Anyway, although all these wannabes contribute to the electronic junk on the planet, they also contribute to the development of better products.
800x480 resolution in 2012. Horrible display and bad viewing angle for a monitor/display company. Only 4GB internal storage, and 1ghz single-core processor? Even the Kindle Fire has duel-core, and that get's laggy at times. It seems like we've walked ourself backwards spec-wise and hardware wise to those cheap craptastic tablets coming directly out of Chinese factories.

I'm actually fixing one of those cheapo direct-from-factory Android tablets right now, for my neighbor's mom. This thing is trash. I help fix hers a few weeks back now she has asked me if i can fix her mom's, who is having the same problem. What ever happen to just asking for a cup of sugar :-/

Anyway the Android robot is stuck at the start screen and won't start up fully. The problem is I have to get some firmware from some hacker community first to do so. Hopping and preying the firmware I downloaded is the correct one for this no name (literally) device. If not it can scew up the touch settings or worst kill the device all together. Couldn't imagine explaining this to my neighbor. But you get what you pay for.
0 Votes
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The Viewsonic tablet at cost $170 will be one of chepest one and give similar gadets run for tweaks.
An interesting article except the last paragraph. Just because something is not priced separately doesn't mean it's free. Where the US cellphone industry is concerned, it means "you've been conned."
The 10in tablet looks good EXCEPT that it has NO WAY to add any extra storage. Limiting it to only internal storage is a BIG mistake. If they can have a micro/mini-SD slot on the 7in tablet, then why not on the 10in one?? I definitely would be interested in a 10in tablet with the specs of the ViewSonic IF and ONLY IF it allowed adding more storage via a micro/mini-SD card or something similiar

John

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