Update: Hands-on video is available here.
One does wonder why you’d run Android on an X86 platform that can’t even get near an ‘always-on’ capability that, if missing from Android, turns it into a very strange experience, especially if you don’t have any Google apps available. Viewsonic have chosen to include the Android build on the Viewpad 100 to give users a simple user interface option and in that respect it works but if you want to get back to the serious side of the device, it’s a 2 minute process that you won’t want to do very often.
Fortunately the Windows 7 side of the Viewsonic tablet appears to be very well built and makes much more sense. We’ve got an N455 (Pinetrail platform) CPU driving Windows 7 Home Premium and the capacitive touchscreen allows for 2-point multitouch. All Windows 7 tablet features are working. Win 7 on Pinetrail with 1GB of RAM is certainly a low-end setup but it works to provide a nice fast Web experience. As Windows tablets go, the Viewpad 100 looks good, feels good (if a little heavy in one hand) and performs acceptably. 4-4.5hrs battery life (we checked power drain) isn’t fantastic but at that weight and screen size, it’s not bad. Oh, and by the way, the 16GB SSD might not offer too much in terms of storage after the OS’ are loaded on but it seems to be fast. You’ll have to use the microSD slot for storage.
Missing 3G, docking port, hdmi-out (it’s VGA out apparently) replaceable battery.
The price of 549 euros is competitive in the 10 inch Windows TabletPC space and we should see this at the end of October in the UK with Germany and other EU countries feeding in after that.
We’ve got a video coming up later and we’ll get the device into the database soon but for the time being, here are some photo’s to take a look at.
Full Viewsonic Viewpad 100 Gallery here.
Review: more Viewsonic Viewpad 100 Windows 7 / Android Tablet action. A Tidy Tablet. http://is.gd/eVT78
Viewsonic Viewpad 100 Win7 / Android Tablet. A Tidy Tablet. http://bit.ly/aY5RFg
#ROAMData: Viewsonic Viewpad 100 Win7 / Android Tablet. A Tidy Tablet. http://bit.ly/aY5RFg @mSmartCommerce
Viewsonic Viewpad 100 Win7 / Android Tablet. A Tidy Tablet …: One does wonder why you'd run Android on an … http://tinyurl.com/2ekq4d7
Sigh. I hope Oak Trail doesn’t disappoint like Menlow on Netbooks. Menlow on Netbooks=Pine Trail power consumption + $100
It looks like some manufacturers still don’t get it. Android is only successful because the platform around it is good, not because of the OS itself.
Windows is slightly better but won’t be successful because a Tablet does not have enough productivity input on a productivity OS. Plus, the battery life sucks too.
a replaceable battery way is required.
The Apple iPad leads to initiate a wicked precedent, the battery is a non-interchangeable way on iPad. If you are walking in a mountainous area 5 days, no AC power over there, however you cannot use a spare battery. And, we knew the battery’s effectual charge life would usually be less than 500 times, once a battery lapsed, if you cannot replace a battery, maybe you would discard the UMPC!
The Pad’s war is just now sounded the 1st shooting, hoping for the Intel Oak Trail to wait 2011.
Some the environmental and consumer organizations should come forward to condemn such a non-replaceable battery way, which would not only harm the benefit of consumers, and is also not conducive to environmental protection.
EU needs to institute a new law.
I believe there’s already one on the way