ViewSonic confirms ViewPad tablet, promises dual-boot model
updated 11:00 am EDT, Mon August 23, 2010
ViewSonic ViewPad gets Android and Windows booting
ViewSonic today confirmed its ViewPad plans with an early tease of what it will unveil at the IFA technology show next week. New to the mix is a 10-inch model; the likely ViewPad 10 will use an Intel Atom chip and run both Android and Windows. It's expected to have 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and both front- and back-facing cameras.
The known seven-inch model, the ViewPad 7, will have just Android on an ARM processor but will otherwise have the same cameras and wireless as the 10-inch version. All devices should have a custom layer on the Android side with an app dock for common tasks.
More details are expected at the show itself, including prices and ship dates. Most ViewSonic hardware reaches the US.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2009
Economic disadvantage
The dual boot operation sounds cool, but it will put the device at an economic disadvantage (having to pay for a Windows license) when competing against Android-only models. Users seem to have accepted Android, and I'm not sure they would pay a premium for Windows in addition in that case. Also, the installation of Windows means either less available storage, or having to pay more for additional storage - neither of which will be attractive selling points.