GAMESTOP STARTS SELLING ANDROID TABLETS PRE-LOADED WITH 7 GAMES

GameStop recently began carrying several Android Honeycomb tablets pre-loaded with seven free games. It was originally rumored that the game retailer would begin selling its own custom Honeycomb tablet, although it appears that is no longer the case. GameStop currently lists the Acer Iconia, Acer Iconia Tab A500, ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, Motorola XOOM, ViewSonic VPAD7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in stock with prices starting at $300. The seven free games include Dead Space, Madden NFL, Monster Madness, Sonic CD, Re-Load, Riptide GP and Cordy. GameStop is also bundling a special tablet-friendly own-brand Bluetooth controller with its slates for an additional $39. The devices are currently only available in 200 of GameStop’s stores, although you can also purchase one directly from the company’s website.

VIEWSONIC RELEASES TWO NEW TABLETS

ViewSonic unveiled two new tablets on Monday, including a unique offering that runs both Android and Windows 7. The ViewPad 10 is a dual-boot tablet capable of running both Android 1.6 and Windows 7 Home Premium. It features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD drive, microSDHC support (up to 32GB), a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a 10-inch 1024 x 600-pixel LED backlit multitouch display. ViewSonic’s upcoming 10-inch tablet will ship with both operating systems pre-installed along with Microsoft Office, Adobe Flash support and videoconferencing software. The smaller ViewPad 7 opts for Android 2.2 in place of the 10′s dual-boot setup, and it features cellular data connectivity (HSPA), a 3-megapixel rear camera, a 0.3-megapixel front camera for video chat, 512MB of RAM, microSDHC support (up to 32GB), up to 10 hours of battery life and a 7-inch WVGA LCD touchscreen display. The ViewPad 7 will launch before the end of the year for $479 while the ViewPad 10 will be available some time in Q1 2011 for $629.

TABLET ROUND UP: 5 OF THE BEST REVEALED SO FAR

There have been numerous tablets revealed, leaked and rumored lately.  Gizmodo has a round up of 5 of the best revealed so far, well....really 4 tablets and the iPad.

Samsung Galaxy Tablet: A 7-inch Super TFT-LCD screen running at 1024 x 600 with 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 32GB micro SD), a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor running Android 2.2.  The hardware internals are the same as the Galaxy S smartphone.  It also has a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video calling/conferencing.  It will have access to the Android Market making it a front-runner in the Android side of tablets.

Viewsonic Viewpad 100: 10-inch LED backlit LCD screen running at 1024 x 600 with a 16GB SSD (expandable up to 32GB Micro SD), an Intel Atom N455 1.66GHz processor, dual booting Windows 7 and Android 1.6.  The dual-booting of Windows 7 and Android make this tablet unique, unfortunately the Android is the outdated version of 1.6.  The weird combination on this tablet makes it too powerful for Android 1.6 and too weak to operate Windows 7 easily.

Toshiba Folio 100: This tablet has a 10-inch screen running at 1024 x 600 with 16GB flash, an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor running Android 2.2.  This device should run very quickly based on the pairing of the Nvidia Tegra processor and an optimized Android 2.2 OS.  It will fully support Flash out of the box as well.  There is a 1.3MP front facing camera for video/conference calling along with a mini HD port for proper HD media connectivity with your big screen TV.  There are plenty of additional connectivity options as well from 802.11n WiFi and SD/MMC card support.  There will be a 3G version launching later.

Archos 7o Internet Tablet: a 7-inch TFT LCD running at 800 x 480, 8GB flash drive up to 250GB HD, Arm Cortex A8 processor, running Android 2.2.  Archos has a whole slew of tablets on the way with the 7o at the top of the heap.   The media based side of Archos shows through with the massive hard drive (the device can house anything up to a 250GB HD) for your MP3 collection.  With the Cortex A8, Android 2.2 should be blistering fast and having it all on a 7-inch screen should make it winner.  Connectivity wise, the Archos 7o has HDMI and USB ports being able to play 720p HD MP4s at 30fps.

Apple iPad: A 9.7-inch LED backlit screen, 16, 32 or 64GB flash,  1GHz Apple A4 processor running iOS.  The current tablet king thanks to the interfaces usability and functionality.  Within Apple's closed world the iPad is polished and beautiful in both form and function, however if you plan on anything outside of Apple's domain things will change.  The hardware is fast and responsive, however there is no USB connector, front facing camera or Flash support (perhaps the biggest drawback).