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ViewSonic ViewPad 7

16.02.2011
The ViewPad 7 marks the ViewSonic's first foray into the tablet arena. The device packs a fair number of features into its squared-off 7-inch frame--most notably the ability to handle 3G data and the ability to double as a phone (if you pay for a voice plan and insert a SIM card into the slot). Unfortunately, the ViewPad 7 disappoints in other respects, including display quality, button navigation, and battery life. And you'll pay dearly for the contract-free flexibility of the ViewPad, which is priced at $430 as of January 31, 2011.

The unit runs Android 2.2 (Froyo), just as the does, but Its configuration isn't as beefy; the ViewPad 7 carries 512MB of internal memory, a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 ARM11CPU, and 512MB of user-accessible flash memory (upgradable to 32GB via the microSD Card slot). Among its other features are a 3G radio, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The ViewPad 7 has a 7-inch capacitive multitouch LCD screen, with 800-by-480-pixel resolution--lower than the resolution of the . I found the LCD display too bright for reading books and documents for more than about 10 minutes. Text looked pixelated, with the dots in the letters distractingly easy to see.

The tablet's picture quality and video quality were better. Colors looked bright and vivid, and I noticed pixelation only while watching the tablet's live wallpaper. Nevertheless, the colors lacked the vibrancy of those on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The ViewPad 7 also has a mini-USB connector, for attaching a data/charging cable to your PC. Unlike some tablets--including the Galaxy Tab and the --ViewSonic's tablet can charge off a USB port.

ViewSonic claims that the lithium-polymer rechargeable battery will last for 4 to 6 hours of continuous use and for 60 hours of standby time, but in my testing the battery lasted for only about 2 hours of continuous use.