ASUS $149 MeMo Pad Might Look Like The Nexus 7 But That's Where The Similarity Ends

By Jimmie Geddes email: j.geddes@mobilenapps.com | Jan 15, 2013 08:21 AM EST

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ASUS has announced the MeMo Pad 7-inch Android tablet. For a $149 price tag, it brings a 7-inch, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet to those not wanting to spend a ton of money, but are the tradeoffs worth the low price?

ASUS's MeMo Pad looks very similar to the Nexus 7 and it should. ASUS designed the Nexus 7 for Google, so it makes sense that it would use a current and similar design to keep costs of the tablet down. The MeMo Pad is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, features a 7-inch 1024x600 pixels resolution screen (Nexus 7 features a 1280x800 pixels resolution screen), a 1 GHz single core processor (Nexus 7 features a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor), 1GB of RAM and is available with 8GB or 16GB of on-board storage, and includes a microSD card slot supporting up to 32GB microSD cards. While this tablet looks very similar to the ASUS-made Nexus 7, its specs clearly show why ASUS is able to offer it for that $149 sweet spot.

The tablet will be available this month in three color choices, "Sugar White", "Titanium Gray", and "Cherry Pink". Here's a look at ASUS' press release and a complete rundown of the specs:

ASUS is excited to introduce the MeMO Pad^TM, a stylish and capable 7-inch Android tablet designed for mobile consumers looking for a high-quality yet remarkably affordable tablet. With a starting MSRP of $149 (US), the ASUS MeMO Pad^TM features Android^TM 4.1 and offers full support for Google Play so you can choose from over 750,000 apps and games, browse the world's largest eBookstore, search millions of songs, watch thousands of the latest and greatest movies and TV shows, and even flip through your favorite magazines*. Available in three colors - Sugar White, Titanium Gray and Cherry Pink - MeMO Pad^TM sports an elegant, non-slip diamond-patterned finish in a thin and lightweight design.

Created for both work and playASUS MeMO Pad^TM runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU and a Mali-400 GPU for a smooth and fluid entertainment experience. It features a 10-point multi-touch LED-backlit display with 1024 x 600 resolution, 140-degree wide viewing angles, and its 350-nit brightness means images remain clear, even outdoors. MeMO Pad^TM also features ASUS SonicMaster audio and MaxxAudio for high-quality sound.
ASUS MeMO Pad^TM offers up to 16GB of internal storage, which can be supplemented by up to 32GB via the microSD card slot. A suite of ASUS applications are also pre-installed, including SuperNote Lite, BuddyBuzz, ASUS WebStorage with 5GB of online storage space, ASUS Studio and WebStorage Office for enhanced productivity.

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU / GPU: VIA WM8950 (1GHz) / Mali-400
Operating system: Android^TM 4.1 Jelly Bean
Display: 7-inch (1024 x 600, 170PPI) LED-backlit; 10-point multi-touch; 140-degree wide viewing angle; 350-nits brightness
Front Camera: 1MP back-illuminated sensor, f/2.0, with 720p HD video capture at 30fps
Storage: 1GB RAM; 8GB or 16GB storage with microSD card slot (up to 32GB); 5GB free ASUS WebStorage
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Connectivity: 3.5mm headphone/mic; Microphone; Micro-USB port; Sensors; G-Sensor; Pre-installed ASUS applications; SuperNote Lite; ASUS WebStorage; ASUS WebStorage Online Office; ASUS Studio; BuddyBuzz; MyPainter; MyBitCast
Battery: 7 hours (16Wh Li-polymer, 4270mAh)*
Available colors: Sugar White, Titanium Gray, Cherry Pink
Size: 196.2 x 119.2 x 11.2 mm - 7.72 x 4.69 x 0.44"
Weight: 370g - 13.1oz