It’s no secret that the tablet market is not just exploding, but rather, it has literally taken over the laptop market in sales revenue and sold unit. The company Datawind is looking to undercut everyone, and get a slice of this enormous pie with their latest UbiSlate 7Ci, also known as the “world’s cheapest tablet.” How does $37.99 grab ya? This Android tablet was originally designed as part of an educational program by the Indian government, but it has since seen commercial release in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
UbiSlate 7Ci is an entry-level tablet, and despite its low price point, this slate packs a decent jab and punch. It has a bright 7-inch, 800 x 400 pixel, responsive capacitive display with a plastic uni-body, making it light weight and portable. Additionally, the 7Ci’s speaker is not bad either, and the engine rides off of Android Ice-Cream Sandwich with a 1GHz processor and paired with a 512 MB RAM. This power makes web browsing and media streaming enjoyable, and the amount of RAM as well as the 4GB of internal storage allow at least 10 apps open and functional at once.
The main menu on the 7Ci is sparse, offering only the basics such as Play Store, calendar, camera, calculator and browser, to name a few. WiFi works well, but unfortunately, it’s the only available connectivity option, since the tablet doesn’t have a SIM card slot. Batterly life is a little below average, but still provided us 6-hours of full-functioning use.
“The development of the tablet stemmed from the realization that lack of internet adoption in many parts of the world was primarily due to lack of affordability,” said Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli. “We’re bridging the gap by offering cost-effective, high-specification devices and internet access that offers excellent value to all.”
The bottom line is that the UbiSlate 7Ci is a decent tablet in its own right, and a behemoth for the price. More importantly, the 7Ci stands to kill the likes of Apple and Windows Tablet just by its sheer affordability. Just as Android phones now make up more than 80% of the smartphone market, thanks to very inexpensive entry-level handsets, Android tablets will soon dominate iPads and Windows units by a huge margin as low-cost devices enter emerging markets, not to mention various demographics of America.
Datawind’s UbiSlate 7Ci is now available on Datawind’s site for $37.99.
Check out our friends at Engadget’s Video Review….
