Just when you thought name-brand Android tablets couldn't get any cheaper, Asus and a handful of other vendors have limboed below the $150 mark.
Asus waited until just after CES to announce the Memo Pad ME172V, a 7-inch Android tablet scheduled for release in the U.S. in April priced at $149.
Although the screen size is the same as Asus' Nexus 7, its specs are inferior. It has an 1024-by-600-pixel resolution display, a 1GHz Via WM8950 CPU, which is based on the single-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and either 8 or 16 GB of storage. By comparison, Google's Nexus 7 has a 1280-by-800-pixel screen and 16GB of storage, and runs on a quad-core Tegra 3 chip. The Memo Pad is also a tiny bit thicker and heavier (at 0.82 pounds) than the Nexus 7.
The good news is that the Memo Pad does include a microSD slot for 16GB of added storage and a 1-megapixel front-facing camera. For software, the tablet runs a gently-modified version of Android 4.1, with the same app dock offered in the Nexus 7. Asus is also offering 5GB of online storage along with the tablet. A keyboard dock accessory will not be available for the tablet, so users will have to use the on-screen keyboard to type, Asus said in a statement.
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