Think the Dell Streak is a big phone? ViewSoinc has it beat, with a real tablet/phone

When the Dell Streak launched, I just couldn't (and still can't) bring myself to call it a tablet.  See, the thing is when I think of the functionality I want out of a tablet vs. a smartphone, a 5 inch "tablet" just doesn't seem worth it, even if it has a phone built in.  So from my standpoint, and I mean absolutely no offense to Streak owners everywhere, it just seems like it's in a weird place that's not quite tablet-y enough, but just a little too big for phone-y stuff.  Well...  It seems that ViewSonic has 2-upped Dell with their announcement today of a 7" tablet that also includes full phone functionality.

I don't really see myself holding a 7" phone up to my ear to talk.  Hell, my hand can get tired from holding up a 4" EVO during a lengthy conversation.  However, match that 7" tablet up with a quality bluetooth headset and you might just have a winner.  And that's exactly what ViewSonic is hopin for with the ViewPad 7.

Here's the facts:

• 7" LED screen (wish it was AMOLED or Super LCD)
• Capacitive multi-touch screen
• Android 2.2
• Front and rear cameras (VGA and 3MP respectively)
• Accelerometer
• 3G phone and mobile network
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi (no indication of g or n compatibility
• MicroSD slot

Seems like a decent spec sheet.  Except for the plain old LED screen, but I guess I'll hold off on throwing bricks at them until we actually see it. Unfortunately, ViewSonic didn't give us much else to go on.  However, general consensus is that it's a rebranded OlivePad, which is a tablet made by India carrier Olive Telecom.  If that's the case, then we can surmise a few more things:

• 800x480 resolution
• 512MB internal memory, plus 512MB ROM
• 3,240mAh battery

The bad news? For our U.S. based readers, there doesn't seem to be any indication of a release in the states.  Of course, that could change as all we have to go on right now is their press release.  For those on the other side of the pond, ViewSonic is estimating the street price to run around £350, or about $536US.

ViewSonic will be pitching this bad boy at the IFH conference in Germany starting tomorrow, 9/1/2010.

Source: Engadget

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