Viewsonic throws its hat into the sub-$200 tablet ring with the ViewPad 7e

Viewsonic has announced the ViewPad 7e (check out our hands-on) -- a Gingerbread running tablet that checks in just under $200.  With a 7-inch 800x600 screen, a 1GHz ARM A8 CPU, front and rear cameras (.3MP and 3MP respectively) and the ViewScene 3D interface on top of Android 2.3, this looks to be a player in the same market space as the Kindle Fire.  Much like the Fire, the ViewPad 7e comes preloaded with "Amazon Services" (we assume this means the Amazon Appstore and MP3 Store) and the Kindle application, as well as games from Wild Tangent, Twitter, and Tune-in Radio.  There is no mention of the Android Market or other Google services.

Unlike the Kindle Fire, the ViewPad 7e comes with 4GB on-board storage and a microSD card slot for use with cards up to 32GB, which will appeal to a whole lot of people who need or want their removable storage.  The ViewPad 7e will be available in North America at the end of October for $199.99, with Latin America to follow shortly after in November.

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Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.