Intex Announces i-Buddy 7" Tablet With Android 4.0 For Rs 6500

The 9 mm thin slate with a front VGA camera can also function as a netbook with the bundled keyboard; will be available across India next week.

intex has launched a new low-cost tablet, the i-Buddy, running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and powered by a 1 GHz CPU with Mali 400 GPU and 512 MB of system RAM. At just 9 mm, the company claims it is the slimmest 7" tablet in India. A five-point multi-touch capacitive screen is present, along with 4 GB of internal storage and a 32 GB microSD slot. A VGA camera situated at the front facilitates video chat.
Wi-Fi connectivity is supported, and users can also make use of the 3G network via Intex's wireless data card (sold separately). It comes pre-loaded with various applications, and you can add more via Google Play. As a promotional offer, Intex is providing a leather cover that has an attached slim keyboard valued at Rs 2600 for free. This effectively converts the slate into a netbook and greatly increases its productivity value. According to the PR representative I contacted, the i-Buddy will be available off the shelf across South India in a couple of days and all over India in the first week of August. It is currently listed on Snapdeal.com at Rs 6500. Although there is no mention of the free bundle on the website, the rep assured me that it will indeed be shipped along. Here are the full specifications:

• 7" capacitive touch screen, 5-point touch, 480x800 pixels.
• 1 GHz Boxchip A13 CPU, Mali 400 GPU @ 350 MHz, 512 MB DDR3 RAM.
• Android 4.0 with Flash 11.1 support.
• 0.3 mp front camera, mini-USB 2.0 port with OTG support (connect external USB drives, peripherals, etc).
• 3G via Intex 3G Dongle (supports Reliance, Aircel), Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n).
• Video formats supported: H. 264, H. 263, VC-1, MPEG-1\2\4, DivX, XviD, WMV, VP6, AVS.
• Audio formats supported: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, AAC, AC3, ATRA, DTS.
• Apps: Calculator, Calendar, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, etc.
• Lithium-ion polymer battery, 2350 mAh.
• 4 GB flash storage, Card storage up to 32 GB.
• Dimensions: 7.6" x 4.8" x 0.35" (9 mm), 316 grammes.
• Package contents: Tablet, USB cable, Power adaptor, Earphone, OTG cable, User manual, 1-year warranty card.

Intex had earlier released the 8" i-Tab, which was price higher at Rs 9000 and yet came only with the older Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The new i-Buddy certainly offers a lot more value at its current pricing than any other 7" tablet in the market as far as the specs are concerned. We will get an idea about the performance as soon as we get a review sample, so stay tuned.