Apple
ushered in the modern "touch screen" smartphone era with the
original iPhone. Likewise, tablets that rely solely on touch input
also got a boost from Apple in the form of the 9.7"
iPad. Both releases saw competitors quickly come to the market
with competing products.
Today,
we are witnessing the launch of the ViewSonic ViewPad 7 which looks
somewhat like a chunky iPad, but actually runs Google's popular
Android operating system (in this case Android 2.2). Like its name
implies, the ViewPad 7 features a 7" touch screen. Other
features include 3G connectivity (SIM cards supported), Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, A-GPS, and dual cameras (VGA front, 3MP back).
"We
are proud to announce another world first at ViewSonic. 3G phone
functionality combined with dual cameras gives the ability for use of
Android apps to use augmented reality or video calling on the move
with the benefit of an excellent 7" screen," said Derek
Wright, European Product Marketing Manager for ViewSonic. "The
ViewPad 7 is aimed at users who require the ‘always on'
connectivity they are used to from a mobile phone with a more
agreeable screen size for longer term use."
If
you were hoping for a speedy 1GHz processor like Snapdragon or
Hummingbird, you're likely to be disappointed. According to Engadget,
the ViewPad 7 is actually
a rebadged OlivePad which means that it comes with a 600MHz ARM
processor and a screen resolution of "only" 800x480 which
is quite low for a 7" display.
Pricing
and availability has not yet been announced, but stay tuned for more
information.
