ViewSonic Readies Dual Win7 / Android Tablet PC

A week after Canadian firm ExoPC revealed what should be the first Windows 7 tablet on the market, hardware maker ViewSonic has unveiled a 10-inch rival that will use either Windows 7 Home Premium or Google's Android 1.6 operating system (OS).

The device in question is the ViewSonic ViewPad 100. The dual boot option will cost consumers roughly $850 USD -- almost double the cost of an Apple iPad.

Viewsonic Tablet: a Netbook With a Twist?

Beyond the dual operating systems, the ViewSonic tablet also boasts several other useful features, including wireless Internet (WiFi), Bluetooth capability, a touch screen display with 1024 x 600 resolution and a 16GB solid state drive, making it very durable (and thus portable), indeed. There's also a 1.3 megapixel webcam. (Source: pcworld.com)

Under the hood, the ViewSonic 100 runs an Intel Atom N455 1.66 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. More excitingly, the hardware also offers a built-in iPhone-style sensor that detects how the screen is being held, orienting the display on-the-go.

Early Impressions Lukewarm

Early impressions of the device are actually a bit underwhelming. CNET's UK branch reported being unimpressed with a dual boot Acer Aspire One netbook last year. CNET also pointed out the strange decision to include Android 1.6 in this new tablet, given that many Android phones are running a more recent version, 2.2. (Source: cnet.co.uk)

Gizmodo has suggested Android 1.6 may have been chosen because of its compatibility with the Intel Atom processor.

The obvious alternative to the ViewPad 100 is the ViewPad 7, which for a significantly lower price runs only the Android 2.2 operating system.

Regardless, the mere idea of a dual boot system is an interesting one. We'll know more about the ViewPad 100 when it's released sometime in October.