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ViewSonic launches ViewPad 7x and 10pro, budget-friendly 7e to follow in Q4
Viewsonic has been taunting us a slew of slates for months, one of which we even got to manhandle way back in February. It seems the company is finally ready to deliver its ViewPads to the public though, and announced the availability of three models at IFA. The ViewPad 10pro has been around the block a few times by now and, after a limited run earlier, the Android 2.3 and Windows 7-running tablet will hit shelves on September 5th starting at €499 ($714) for the WiFi only version. Next up is the oft-teased ViewPad 7x, a 7-inch slice of Honeycomb that sports the custom, 3D ViewScene skin. A definitive date hasn't been set for this 8GB, Tegra 2-powered device, but it's expected to land before the end of the month for €349 ($499). Last, is the budget-minded ViewPad 7e. We don't know much about this device, outside of the fact that it sports a 4:3 screen, most likely of the 7-inch variety, but it seems safe to assume we're looking at another Android device. One with relatively low-power internals considering its estimated €169 ($242) price when it lands sometime in Q4.
ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro and ViewPad 7x hands-on redux (video)
We've already fiddled with ViewSonic's two new tablets at Computex's pre-show event, but we decided to hit the booth earlier today to get a closer look at the ViewPad 10Pro's BlueStacks Android virtualization on Windows 7, as well as the ViewPad 7x's funky UI. Starting off with the bigger slate, you'll see in the above video that the Android implementation isn't as good as it sounds -- ViewSonic says it wants to offer an Android experience "similar" to that of actual Android devices, but alas, we beg to differ with the virtual Android's laggy performance plus its odd bugs. The reps assured us that the final product will be much smoother, but then we were further let down by the fact that Android Market is absent. The reason? It's simply because from ViewSonic's point of view the 10Pro's focus is on Windows 7, so the company decided that it wasn't worth all the hassle to obtain a Google Mobile Services license. To sum it up, this whole Android "feature" is very much just a gimmick, and it doesn't look like running native Android on Oak Trail soon will do much good, either. On a brighter note, the dual-core ViewPad 7x fared way better than its bloated brother. This world's first 7-inch Honeycomb tablet ran surprisingly smooth, and we were glad to see SPB's contribution here with its Shell 3D Android launcher (which we reviewed with much praise a little while back). We managed to get ViewSonic director Max Liu to give us a brief demo of the 7x after the break, and to be frank, the more we look at it, the more we want it. Here's hoping that this tablet will be priced right. Oh, and did we mention that ViewSonic had a few real Gouldian finches on the show floor? Check out them birds after the break.
ViewPad 7x aims to become world's first 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, adds HSPA+ for good measure
Guess who's sneakily beating the pack to the title of having the globe's first 7-inch Honeycomb tablet... why, it's none other than ViewSonic! The ViewPad 7x (1024 x 600 resolution) managed to leak out earlier this month, but now it's fully official with Google's Android 3.0.1 OS, HSPA+ connectivity, and a pair of cameras, one on the front and one on the back. A Tegra 2 dual-core processor plus an HDMI-out have also been included inside a featherweight 380g package. Ironically, ViewSonic's neglected to provide a release date for this "world first" tablet, but we'll be hitting up its booth here at Computex for some more hands-on time and making sure to collect that and every other salient detail about the ViewPad 7x. %Gallery-124731%
ViewSonic 7x shrinks Honeycomb to 7 inches for the tiny handed
Well, it looks like ViewSonic is finally digging its Android tablets out of the Froyo doldrums and, what's more, it may be first to market with a Honeycomb slate of the seven-inch variety. According to Pocket-lint, the company will debut the Tegra 2-powered ViewPad 7x at Computex later this month. The 7x will supposedly pack WiFi, HSPA+, and an HDMI port while weighing in at a svelte 0.84 pounds. Oh, and it's got a design on the back that is supposed to make it look "funky"... or something. There's no word on price but, it's rumored to hit shelves in June.
