Huawei Unveils MediaPad

                         

                                         Brings Android 3.2 to a 7" tablet

Earlier in the day, Huawei launched its MediaPad at CommunicAsia 2011 in Singapore. The manufacturer is touting it as the world's first 7" Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) tablet. Most tablets with this screen size are currently running onAndroid 2.3 (Gingerbread), as earlier versions were not optimised for 7" screens.

The device is as slim as 10.5 mm, and weighs 390 grammes. A dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm CPU will make sure that everything runs smooth. Other features include HDMI out, 1080p playback, Flash 10.3, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, and a 1.3 megapixel camera for making video calls. The screen will have 1024x600 pixels, with a pixel density of 217 ppi. This is impressive, knowing that the iPad 2 has 132 ppi. The tablet will have over 6 hours of battery life, which is normal for Androids.

Huawei is not known for its tablets, but I do remember it launching the Ideos S7 last year. However, with the MediaPad, it has now thrown a challenge to heavyweights such as Samsung and Motorola.

There is no word on the pricing, but the device is expected to hit the market by September 2011.