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Storage Options pads out its budget ICS slate lineup by two
We know, we know. More Android tablets. But if you're in the UK and looking for a budget Ice Cream Sandwich slate with reasonable specs, you might want to listen up -- Storage Options has added two Android 4.0 tablets to its already-crowded lineup. The 8-inch Scroll Engage, at £130 ($200), slots between the existing 7-inch Excel and 9.7-inch Extreme models, with the same Cortex A8 1.2GHz processor and 1024 x 768 resolution. However, the eight-incher packs new Mali-400 dual-core graphics and doubles the RAM to 1GB. The bigger 9.7-inch Elite matches these, but totes a larger IPS panel at the same resolution, alongside 16GB of storage -- twice the amount found on the existing Extreme. A slightly heftier £200 ($305) price tag seems to be the only other difference between the two tablet siblings. So, before ponying up those pounds sterling, hit up the sources to suss out all your options.
Archos Arnova 80 Cobalt sidles up to the FCC, leaves little to the imagination
Archos' line of Android tablets aren't really known for setting consumer tongues a-wagging; those honors are typically reserved for more bold-faced OEMs. As a low-cost alternative to pricier offerings, however, they make mighty fine sense. And one such slate's just swung by the Commission's gates, showing off its shiny black posterior, FCC ID (SOVAC80CO) and Arnova branding. The 80 Cobalt, as its referred to in the docs, appears to be a WiFi-only affair in keeping with its market positioning and, judging from its measurements, is likely to join the ranks of other 8-inch tabs. Hit up the source below to scour the dense fog of RF tests and legalese, if you're so inclined.
Arnova launches 8b G2 slate, hopes to keep it cheap
Arnova isn't exactly a newcomer when it comes to dealing with budget-friendly tabs, already having produced the 9 and 10 G2s. The outfit's newest addition to its tablet lineup is simply dubbed 8b G2, honoring its 8-inch, 800 x 600, TFT display. Coming in what some could consider "last year's specs," the slate's packing a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing shooter, microSD slot for extra storage (4 or 8GB built-in) and a predictably outdated piece of Gingerbread. Presumably price will be its best asset -- Arnova hasn't given us a figure but, if its predecessor is a telling sign, we can't imagine you'd part ways with more than 200 bucks.
Archos 80 G9 review
Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display Nokia to release Windows 8 tablets this June, top drawer Lumia in the works? Velocity Micro Cruz T410 Gingerbread tablet will run you a penny under $300 As far as tablets go, a couple of interesting things are going to happen between now and the holiday season. One, we're going to see a glut of smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets running Honeycomb (like this, this and this) hit the market. And if the Kindle Fire and Acer Iconia Tab A100 are any indication, they're going to be cheaper, making slates palatable to folks who previously couldn't bring themselves to spend $500 on a plaything. The Archos 80 G9, then, is the perfect specimen on both counts. Here you have an 8-inch tablet running Android 3.2 with a kickstand and full-sized USB port -- costing just $300 for the base model ($270, even, on sites like Amazon). So how does it stack up against other diminutive, aggressively priced tablets? Let's see. %Gallery-134564%
Pandigital Supernova available mid-October for $230, is an eReader in Android tablet disguise
Pandigital hasn't made much of an effort to swathe its Supernova tab in mystery. When the 8-inch LCD slate swept through the FCC earlier this summer, we were privy not only to images of the device and its internals, but also to the apps that'd be pre-loaded on purchase -- GetJar and Barnes & Noble's Nook app amongst others. So, what can you expect for $230 when it lands this month? Well, the company's forsaken Honeycomb for the soon-to-be outclassed Gingerbread OS, tossed in a single-core 1GHz A8 processor, 4GB of storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD slot), WiFi and Bluetooth. It's a cheap, me too Android tablet entry, for sure. And with the recent outing of a certain budget-priced, ecosystem-friendly tab, we might suggest you hold off for the higher-specced goods. Official PR after the break.
Pandigital's SuperNova Android tablet gets its FCC on, leaves little to the imagination
Typically, when a new gadget makes its way through the FCC, we have to do a fair amount of digging to get to the juicy details, put Pandigital's latest 8-inch tablet / e-reader, the SuperNova, isn't holding anything back. This Android 2.3-powered slate follows in the footsteps of its 9-inch predecessor, the Novel, acting more as a glorified e-reader than a real-deal tablet. Like the Novel, it comes with B&N's Nook app pre-installed and lacks access to the Android Market -- apps can be downloaded via SlideMe. What's more, it's got front (0.3 megapixel) and back-facing (3 megapixel) cameras, 4GB of internal storage, HDMI and mini-USB connectivity, support for 32GB micro-SD, and an 8-inch capacitive touch screen. Just about the only things missing from this FCC filing are price and availability, but we have a feeling the pair isn't far behind. If SAR reports and tablet entrails are your thing, you can peek even more SuperNova details at the source link below.
