New Android tablet launches for $99

A small private company has announced the launch of a new Android-based tablet for India and it is priced at a mere $99. Well, the pricing does seem quite shocking, but the company, Lakshmi Access Communication Systems (LACS) are planning to bring in not just one, but a few low-cost versions of tablets, which they claim will rival Apple’s iPad 2 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The $99 base model tablet, named Magnum Pepper Tablet PC, works on Google’s Android 2.2 OS and comes with an 800 MHz processor and 256MB RAM. It has a 7-inch LCD sensitive touch display, but the display type hasn’t been divulged. Whether it’s capacitive or resistive might make a big impact in the tablet’s sales. We’re pinning our hopes on a capacitive touch screen. However, it’s more likely to be a resistive one. Furthermore, the base model will have Wi-Fi, RJ45 LAN port, USB 2.0, MicroSD card support up to 32GB, 3G compatible dongle, 3.5mm jack, G-sensors, front camera and built-in 2GB of memory. With all these features and at that price this tablet is definitely a steal!

We’ve drawn a comparison between four of the major tablets currently and you can gauge the price difference between the Magnum Pepper and the rest. The price is definitely impressive and may directly compete with the Reliance 3G tablet and Beetel Teletech’s Magiq tablet. However, it’s the specs and the performance that will eventually decide the fate of the tablet. But, it seems that local competition has increased and that is nothing but good news for consumers.