Doesn't look too bad for a $95 Android tablet, huh? Well, there's plenty more where that came from. Scattered along the main halls of CeBIT are dozens of Chinese and Taiwanese consumer electronics resellers looking to sell products to new customers, and this year they sure loaded up the suitcases with cheap Android / Windows CE tablets. For the most part all these tablets (or small smartbooks) have ARM 9 or 11 processors and 5 to 7-inch resistive touch displays. While some like the FirstView PC607V tablet (pictured above) have attractive skins on top of Windows CE, others from companies like Forsa and Huawei have gone with stock versions of Android. In truth, all of the ones we played with felt chintzy, but it was easier to lower our standards when we learned they wouldn't draw more than $150 from our wallets. We've got a hands-on video with FirstView's Android tablet after the break, but if that doesn't fill your cheap tablet needs hit the more coverage links for videos by some serious Android / ARM tablet lovers.
posted March 6th 2010 9:23AM
@MoonWalkerCTE Android 2.0 and 2.1 requires hardware acceleration especially for graphics which are simply not available for ARM9 and ARM11 based devices. So these tablets have to wait for Android 2.2 with new optimizations that work for cheap Tablets and Laptops for them to be upgraded.
@Charbax While 2.x may take advantage of hardware acceleration, the OS certainly doesn't REQUIRE it. All the older ARM11-based phones have or are getting 2.1 updates.
http://androidandme.com/2009/11/phones/android-2-1-spied-on-htc-hero/
http://www.androidcentral.com/motorola-confirms-cliq-getting-android-21
http://androidandme.com/2010/01/phones/t-mobile-mytouch-3g-users-to-get-android-2-1-this-spring/
This is kind cool for your kids 4 and up!
Thats pretty awesome. I'd spend $100 on it if it works well. The biggest problem I'd have is the 3G thing. I dont' think I want to have to buy it from a carrier. I would just want a wi-fi version of it.
I actually like these. I will be getting an iPad when it comes out for myself but think something like this is cheap enough to give my to nephew and let him go crazy. He can learn some basic computing and it won't cost me a lot. I think it's perfect for someone older than 5 but less than 13...
Oh you guys make it sound as if it's a bad thing a $95 Android table, blah blah blah, as if it were something we get out of cereal box. I think it can go a long way as it will be more appealing to a larger demographic audience, so I would really discount a cheap table.
@motang Totally agree I would love a decent performing $95.00 Android tablet. Cheap enough to give it as a gift and worst case scenario I can use it as a TV remote control (I have a HTPC) since it's about the same price as a good Logitech.
buhhhhhhh
95$ wth dont I have one already!?
Why is this called a 'hands-on', again? that video was the worst review I've ever watched. She either does not care or does not know what she is talking about. Joanna, you need to find another job...
@drcrispin
Agreed. But it looks like this is the other job. ;)
for 95$ these could be a good alternative to portable dvd players on a trip because you could just save all the movies to the harddrive or sd card if there is one. Not sure the video quality but if thats all you want is videos its a good alternative to buying a 500$ tablet
Instead of buying 1 iPad, I'll buy 5 of these with the same price. I'll slap/bash one to an iPad owners head and I will still have 4. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
@keplenk
In b4 keplenk waking up in the gutter a half hour later with his other tablets jammed down his throat.
@Liquidmark lol
What does Chintzy mean? Sounds vaguely racist.
@windywoo: chintzy isn't racist at all. It comes from a kind cloth with ornate patterns printed on it, and basically means tacky, or by extension, cheap.
craptablet = added to vocabulary
And, you know, I'd pay an extra $50 for capacitive instead of resistive.
@FuturePastNow
If the difference is only around $50, I would pay a bit more to get a capacitive screen tablet too. The 'can use with gloves' argument for resistive never won me over, particularly for tablets. What, are you going to stand outdoors in the snow and use one of these tablets? For phones, maybe; for tablets, not so much.
This makes the G1 look like a rock star.
Although these do look pretty 'meh' and cheap, if they do end up retailing here in the U.S. for around $100, I could see myself getting one of these, no matter the build quality, and using it as a digital photo viewer/ multi media player in the living room or a bedroom. Or even a cooking station in the kitchen.
The build quality wouldn't be that big a deal is these would likely remain stationary. It's not a phone that I'd carry around, so it wouldn't need to be that durable.
The iPad is cool and all, and I may end up getting one, but for the price of an iPad, you could buy 3-4 of these and put one in each room of your home.
$95 is insane. I'm going to hold out on buying an iPad
@Ash1402
I'd hold off on an iPad too, not because it's not going to be a cool device; it's that the 2.0 version will likely be cheaper, better, and have any bugs worked out by then. If you can hold out another year (after all, we survived all this time without them) I'd wait another year for iPad version 2.
"If the $95 Android tablet thing is your thing."
For $95 this would make an awesome drawing pad at a tenth of the price of a Wacom Cintiq.
@bigcow05
a capacity touch screen is miles away from wacom technology
@xweolp
I know it says capacitive in the title, but the text says different:
"For the most part all these tablets (or small smartbooks) have ARM 9 or 11 processors and 5 to 7-inch resistive touch displays."
So which is it, Engadget?
Android 1.4? Never heard of it.
I really sort of kinda hope that wasn't the company rep she confirmed the 1.4 with. At some point she might start taking the "cheap" shots to heart.
assuming "1.4" turns out to be donut or higher, at a hundred, this'd be a pretty nice gps nav++ for a car
@mrqs
unfortunately it doesn't have built in GPS (understandable) nor bluetooth (not so understandable)
I guess you'd have to hope it supports bluetooth dongles
sweet. now a sub-$100 Android tablet is much more likely to be in my future than any over-$400 iPad/Slate/JooJoo.
If it can read pdf's and e-books, these things would be a steal! would definitely be more worth it than a 500 dollar black and white kindle dx in my opinion, besides if someone robbed you on the subway or something, you could probably just buy another
@hamsuplo
Especially if you can put DropBox on there and access a .pdf while working at your computer.
My 6 year old daughter would love this. her laptop (my old one) is ready to go to god so I would get one because if she poured a drink on it i wouldn't be gutted. If she took it to school and lost it the same thing.
She loves my iphone with the touch interface and I can see myself getting her one on price and convenience alone. Would love and updated OS though. If people buy this sort of think for their kids Android will be better accepted by the consumers of tomorrow !!! hold on to those google shares (if only I could afford to buy even one share)
Why do they keep making these devices bigger and bigger? Remember the good old days when electronics got smaller and smaller?
Jeff
Looks nice, but can it compete with the iPad? :D
This tablet come with Android 1.6 but 2.1 is in the works This iPad look a like has a 10.1″ resistive touch screen, resolution 1024 by 600 pixels, 2.5″ HDD 60GB, WiFi BG, Webcam, built in speakers, 2 USB, 1 SD slot, 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA/RJ45, 2 headphone port (in / out), 4500 Mah battery with dimensions of 270 x 193 x 19 mm. Not bad for around $100-$150.
the size is nice!
@emopoops thats what she said
Sorry lol...
@Henderson01993 LOL
Android 1.4, wtf??
I never understood why all these hardware makers are so INCREDIBLY lazy and use all these ridiculous stone-age versions of Android.
ANDROID IS FREE
FREE
The source code is all over the internet.
What in the HELL is the hold up???
Lazy manufacturers. Jesus H Christ.
Like the manufacturers UI but they need to upgrade to android 2.01 or 2.1 1.4 is ridiculously old.
A $100 Andoid tablet? WANT.
This thing should be a hit in India/China: Price Sensitive Markets. But, Still 95 USD does not translate to EQUIVALENT INR in India. They Jack up the Price to almost Double!!!
Eg: Archos 7 Costs 179USD (Advertised on its Official Site!!). However, it costs @ 500- 600USD!!!
@alap1983 There is a difference between the Archos 7 and the Archos Home Tablet 7(which is not out yet.)
7= Archos made OS, Hard Drive, $500 or cheaper(depending where you look)
Home Tablet 7= Android OS, Flash memory, $179 and up around $200 or so.