Velocity Micro hoped to snap up the low end of the tablet market Wednesday with two Android 2.3 tablets that add polish only sometimes seen at the price. The eight-inch Cruz T408 and 10-inch T410 cost under $300 but have a capacitive touchscreen, a modest but competent 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and a front facing camera. The eight-inch T408 is rare in Android for its 4:3 ratio screen, putting it closer to an iPad ratio, while the T410 fits the familiar 16:9 widescreen ratio for Google’s mobile OS.
Software is also a stand-out. Velocity Micro has struck a deal with Amazon and ships it preloaded with both the Amazon Appstore and the Kindle reader. Either device ships with Angry Birds Rio and QuickOffice to save on download times. A slight customization of Android itself gives the Cruz an Android 3-inspired navigation, letting the company drop hardware navigation buttons but also use cheaper processors.
Either slate comes only in a Wi-Fi version. The two will ship before the end of September at prices of $240 for the T408 and just under $300 for the T410.
Best known for its gaming PCs, Velocity Micro is one of the few US companies focusing on budget tablets that aren’t specialty e-readers like the Nook Color.
Velocity Micro Cruz T408
Celocity Micro Cruz T410
