ViewSonic ViewPad 7
Hey, I'm Donald Bell and this is the ViewSonic ViewPad 7.
It's an Android Tablet, price around $450 with a 7-inch touchscreen.
And for any of you looking for a more affordable contract-free alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Tab, this is the best what you've seen so far.
As far as cool features go with an android 2.2 tablet running on a screen that response just as well as the tab.
It does a camera on the front and the back as well as ports for USB, a headphone jack.
There's a little pinhole microphone
built in here.
And you also get a volume buttons at the top, speakers on each side and a little covered port here for the micro SD slot, and a SIM card.
ViewSonic also throws in a case, headphones, USB cable, and a charging adapter.
Now, for the disappointing stuff.
First off, you need to know that you're gonna be bringing your own memory here.
The onboard memory is just here for the system.
So if you wanna load there on music, movies or videos, you need to buy one of these.
Also, there's a pretty bad view angle here, which is something you wouldn't expect from ViewSonic.
The biggest pain for me by far was the keyboard.
You get a standard QWERTY layout, but it's missing some characters like an exclamation mark.
You can swipe left or right to access more phone style keyboards, but I really don't understand why they're here and all that really needs is one good keyboard.
The other odd thing here is that ViewSonic doesn't do much to disguise the fact that they're basically using a phone OS.
The voice calling feature is right here in the dock,
front and center, which seems a little weird considering that you need to provide your own SIM card just to get that feature to work.
Unlike the Tab, which does some work to optimize e-mail and calendar apps to a larger screen, the ViewPad really just slaps Android 2.2 on here, without much fit-and-finish work to disguise it from just being a giant Smartphone.
Overall, though the hardware is solid and it holds up well against the Galaxy Tab.
ViewSonic can show the software some love and may turn out to be a great product, but for now, it's just not enough of a deal for me to recommend it.
For cnet.com, I'm Donald Bell and that was a first look at the ViewSonic ViewPad 7.
iPad Pro and iPad Air (2024) - Review
Up Next
iPad Pro and iPad Air (2024) - Review
Apple's iPad Pro Event Was a Flop
Apple's iPad Pro Event Was a Flop
Apple Reveals iPad Pros With M4 Chips
Apple Reveals iPad Pros With M4 Chips
See Apple's New 'Squeezable' Pencil Pro
See Apple's New 'Squeezable' Pencil Pro
What to Expect at Apple's iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's iPad Event
New iPads in 2024: What We Expect (OLED, M3 and Beyond)
New iPads in 2024: What We Expect (OLED, M3 and Beyond)
Lenovo's New ThinkBook Is an Android Tablet and a Windows 11 Laptop for $2,000
Lenovo's New ThinkBook Is an Android Tablet and a Windows 11 Laptop for $2,000
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 vs. Pixel Tablet: Price, Feature Comparison
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 vs. Pixel Tablet: Price, Feature Comparison
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: AMOLED Android in Three Sizes
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: AMOLED Android in Three Sizes
Tech Shows
The Apple Core
The Apple Core
Alphabet City
Alphabet City
CNET Top 5
CNET Top 5
The Daily Charge
The Daily Charge
What the Future
What the Future
Tech Today
Tech Today
Cooley On Cars
Cooley On Cars
Carfection
Carfection
The Apple Core
The Apple Core
Alphabet City
Alphabet City
CNET Top 5
CNET Top 5
The Daily Charge
The Daily Charge
What the Future
What the Future
Tech Today
Tech Today
Cooley On Cars
Cooley On Cars
Carfection
Carfection
Latest News
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
I Tried Google's Project Astra
I Tried Google's Project Astra
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
I Tried Google's Project Astra
I Tried Google's Project Astra
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O