HCL has launched the HCL ME X1 tab that is priced under Rs. 10,500 in India. The ME X1 tab comes powered by a 1 GHz processor which is more powerful than the Reliance 3G Tab and other specifications are also quite impressive. This ME X1 tab will surely give a tough competition to Reliance 3G Tab, Spice Mi720, Mercury mTab, Beetel Magiq etc.
It is raining tablets in India, the Aakash tablet for just Rs. 2,999 was in news recently and now HCL has come up with its ME X1 tab. The good news is that you will now get more options to choose from and with more competition it will be easier to select a tablet that fits well within your budget.
Let’s take a look at the HCL ME X1 tab features
This tablet comes loaded with Gingerbread (Android 2.3 OS) with a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. The HCL ME X1 tab houses 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory with microSD card supported up to 32GB. You can play HD videos (1080p resolution) on this tab. This tab weighs 391.5 grams.
The capacitive touch screen is 7 inches supporting 800 by 480 pixels resolution. The HCL ME X1 tab sports a sleek look and is quite comfortable to hold. The front panel houses a 2 megapixel camera for video chat/ calls.
For connectivity there is a mini HDMI port for plugging in with a HDTV and a build-in Wi-Fi for internet access. 3G connectivity is missing (no SIM card option) but using the microUSB port you can connect USB dongles that are compatible. According to reports the ME X1 tab will come bundled with a Tata Photon mobile broadband USB Dongle.
Even though the HCL ME X1 tab runs on the Android OS it comes loaded with customized apps like naukari.com. cleartrip.com, book my show, linkdln etc especially targeted at Indian users. Moreover there is no access to the Android market; well not just the Android market but there are no traces of Google apps (Gmail, Google Maps etc) that you would usually find loaded by default on any Android OS. But this is not a big issue as you can download the android vending app which will add the market app on the tab after which you will get full access to android market and can download apps as required.
There is no GPS but Bluetooth is supported. Instead of the Android market you will find the ME apps store pre-loaded along with think free office app. Music files like MP3, AC3, AAC, WMA and WAV are supported. You can even play games (Including Angry Bird) on the HCL ME X1 tab the processor speed is really good, though the screen resolution is a bit low. Lastly this tablet comes with 3500 mAh Li Polymer 3.7v battery which can last for about 8 hours.
HCL ME X1 Tab price in India
Current price : Rs. 10,150
Other Tablets in India with Price
Beetel Magiq : Rs. 7,999
Reliance 3G Tab : Rs. 12,999
iBall Slide : Rs. 13,000
MSi Enjoy Tablet : Rs. 13,999
Spice Mi-720 : Rs. 11,990
Verdict: Most of these low cost tablets do not come with GPS so if you can find your way without any satellite support you can ignore this feature. Except for the reliance 3G tab (that comes with 3G connectivity built in) all other low cost tablets lack 3G option but by using the USB port you can get 3G connectivity by connecting a 3G dongle/ modem but that would be like extra gadget attached to the tab and may look weird.
This tab houses a powerful processor for the price tag. The HCL ME X1 tab comes with custom made apps preloaded with missing Google stuffs and the Android market place, but by downloading the android market app you can work around it.