Hands-on with VewSonic’s $199 ViewPad 7e, Other New Tablets

ViewSonic is rapidly becoming one of the more prolific tablet makers, today announcing three new Android slates, ranging from the budget-minded $199 ViewPad 7e to the $599 ViewPad 10pro, which can boot into Android or Windows 7. We got a little hands-on time with each.  

The ViewSonic ViewPad 7e ($199) is designed for consumers looking for something a little more than an eReader. Its 7-inch display has a resolution of 800 x 600, runs Android 2.3, and has a 1-GHz processor. ViewSonic also includes its ViewScene 3D skin, which is fairly attractive and intuitive. Preinstalled apps include Amazon Services for Android, Twitter, TuneIn Radio, and Kindle. The 7e also has an HDMI port and dual cameras. Our initial impression is that it feels more expensive than its price, which is a good thing.

At a slightly higher $379 is the ViewSonic ViewPad 7x, which also has a 7-inch display, but with a higher 1024 x 600 resolution, a 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, Android 3.2, HDMI-out, a microSD slot, DLNA, and dual cameras–5mp on the back, and 2mp on the front. As it’s running Honeycomb, it’s Google certified, so you get full access to the Android Marketplace. The 7x also has a slick triangle pattern embedded into the back, which will make it stand out from competitors such as the Acer Iconia Tab A100. 

Finally, ViewSonic is having another go at a dual-boot tablet, this time with the ViewPad 10pro. As its name suggests, it has a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 capacative multitouch display, and can boot into Android 2.3 or Windows 7. Running a 1.5-GHz Intel Atom Oak Trail Z670 processor, the 10pro should get up to 8 hours of battery life. Other features include an HDMI port, Swype keyboard, and a 1.3-mp front-facing webcam. The 10pro will be offered in two configurations: The $599 version will have Windows 7 Home Premium and a 16GB SSD, and the $699 version will have a 32GB SSD and Windows 7 Professional. Of course, this one’s ripe for installing Windows 8 beta.