The Wireless Association's CTIA conference wraps up on Thursday in Las Vegas and one of the more noteworthy products that made the rounds was a $55 Android tablet called the Zeepad 7.0 DC.
While the market is mostly dominated by much more expensive tablets like Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab, low-cost options like the Zeepad are emerging with increasing frequency to offer computing capabilities to a hugely underserved low-income demographic, both domestically and abroad.
The Zeepad 7.0 DC is not the first such device, or even the cheapest, but it's among the few being marketed to the U.S. For instance, in India, a tablet called the Ubislate 7ci is available for $20 and an unlimited data plan can be added for $2 per month. Rasberry Pi costs between $25 and $35 and is a single-board computer that's become a favorite for the DIY crowd. For Android stalwarts, the VIA APC is a similar offering that runs Google's OS out of the box.
As far as fully-fledged tablets though, the Zeepad 7.0 DC is treading new ground stateside, if not with its distribution model, then at least with the concept of an affordable, turnkey computing option for low-income users. Unfortunately, the tablet is currently available only on the wholesale market, meaning that the minimum order is 5,000 units. When the Android tablet finally hits retail, it will likely cost a few dollars more than the $55 wholesale price tag.
What do you actually get for your $55? The Zeepad 7.0 DC is powered by a 1.2Ghz Boxchip single-core processor and runs Android 4.0.4. It supports video playback at 720p and has 1GB internal memory with expansion via MicroSD slot. Data connectivity is through Wi-Fi and there are dual VGA cameras on the front and back.
PC Magazine reports that the UI is laggy, but the tablet is capable of running Chrome, Facebook and even Netflix.
