MCW is an event of surprises and that has just proven correct by an unexpected move from Orange. The network carrier announced that it will launch its own-brand of Android tablets, called the Orange Tablet.

The focus here is to provide a cheaper entry point tablets for Orange customers. The company currently offers the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and budgeted Orange Tablet will soon be available.

We are short on the specs info, but we do know that it has a 7-inch capacitive display, offers 3G connectivity and runs on Android 2.1. Looking at the image we can see that it has a large stand around the back, memory card slots and front and rear cameras. There is one other significant detail: Orange Tablet is destined for Spain, Poland, Romania and Slovakia only.

“Tablet computing is an extremely popular and growing segment of the consumer technology market and we want to offer our customers the best possible choice of device to suit all budgets and requirements. By providing the widest choice of seven and ten inch touchscreen tablets, Orange is providing new ways to access the content and services our customers want. We will continue to expand our tablet and smartphone portfolio throughout 2011.”

Yves Maitre, senior vice president, Group Devices & Mobile Multimedia- Orange

What about the remaining parts of the world, will we continue with expensive tablets?

Dell has announced that the latest software update for its the Streak, will arrive at the end of this month. Although Streak owners Stateside have had Android 2.2, AKA Froyo for some time now, UK owners were left to content themselves with Android 2.1.

Dell has now officially confirmed on its UK Facebook page that the “Streak will begin a roll out of the 2.2 update OTA before the end of Nov”.

Dell also announced that in addition to the stock improvements, it will also be implementing the new custom ‘Stage’ UI, as is the norm these days for most Android operated devices.

Viewsonic, renowned for its PC monitors, has released two tablets – ViewPad 7 and ViewPad 10 that run on Android OS.   

ViewPad 10 is a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600- pixel resolution and uses Intel Atom processor clocking at 1.66 GHz. Couple with 1GB RAM and 16GB flash-based storage, it run on Android OS. Additionally, due to Atom processor it runs on Windows 7 for a complete PC experience. Sounds awesome?  We believe even though the tablet may not be made for heavily run CAD applications, yet basic apps like Internet and word processing should be easy to manage. The flipside, the tablet runs on ancient Android 1.6 and the access to default Android Market app-store is limited.

With microSD card slot the memory can be expanded up to 16GB. With 1.3 mega-pixel web-cam it serves the purpose of video-conferencing quite well. The netbook is solely workable on Wi-Fi. The netbook is expected to hit the stores in Q1 2011 for $629.

ViewPad 7, second model that runs on Android 2.2 is a portable variant. It’s equipped with both 3.5G and Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. With 7-inches screen size equivalent to Samsung Galaxy Tab, the resolution is lower at 800 x 480 pixels. It has dual cameras – 0.3 megapixel video-call cam at the front, and 3 mega-pixel shooter at the back. At 600 MHz processor, we expect the tablet to be a bit more efficient than its buddy! Priced at $479, we expect the launch along with ViewPad 10.

Stay tuned, we will get back shortly with reviews.

[via Techtree]

Acer is officially going to launch its first Tablet PC running on Android OS on November 23.

Gianfranco Lanci, CEO- Acer revealed that Acer will be launching a line of several tablets ranging from a modest $299, to a more high-end $699 range. For specs and features, we still have to wait for couple of days. Stay tuned for the more details and updates on Acer Tablet.

[via Mobile Clues]

The concept for student centric low-cost yet rich with features Android Tablet seems has finally arrived in India, when Kapil Sibal, head, Ministry of Human Resource Development issued a tender for 100,000 pieces of the tablet.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan has been entrusted with the task of conducting the field trial. If successful, the numbers may swell further to 1 Billion tablets. The expected price is around $35.

The tablet incorporates 2GB of RAM to run Android OS on a 7-inch screen. Connectivity consists of Wi-Fi with slots for 3G SIM cards. The device is expected to include video web conferencing, multimedia content viewer, unzip tool, firmware upgradeability, Open Office suite compatibility and a media player capable streaming video.

These features are in addition to basic tasks – Internet, wireless communication along with a cloud computing option and remote device management capability. The tender calls for open source flash players enabling support for YouTube and other online video services. 

[via Techtree]