Today on Let’s Talk Tablets we’ll be reviewing the ViewSonic® ViewPad 10s Android tablet. Selling for around $300.00, the ViewPad 10s is a middle of the road tablet, which isn’t likely to blow anyone away. Nevertheless, it’s well equipped and comes with most of the features you’d expect in a tablet of this price. Considering that the recently released Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet comes with no cameras whatsoever, the ViewPad more than makes up for the $50.00 price difference by including a front mounted 1.3-megapixel still camera, which also doubles as a 1280 x 1024 resolution video camera. The price difference is also justified by the inclusion of Wi-Fi®-enabled video calling, an HDMI port and integrated Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, none of which are included on the Nook tablet.
The Build
The LED backlit, color LCD screen has a resolution of 1024 X 600. Although the multi-touch screen is reputed to have a “matte” finish, experience shows that it’s extremely prone to fingerprints and smudges. BTW, if fingerprints are the kind of thing that will send you over the edge, we highly recommend snagging your own custom-cut Zagg InvisibleSHIELD screen protector for the ViewSonic ViewPad 10s. The display screen has fairly limited viewing angles and is brightest when viewed slightly above perpendicular. While the display’s brightness is adjustable, even at it’s maximum setting, the screen fails to “pop”.
Overall, the construction of the ViewPad 10s is decent, although it doesn’t inspire confidence for rough treatment. The rear of the ViewPad 10s is made of a black polymer plastic. Unfortunately, the high-sheen finish of the material is also decidedly prone to smudges.
The ViewPad 10s has a solid selection of physical buttons as well as ports. Buttons include the following:
- On/Off
- Screen Rotation Lock
- Back/Menu Key
- Two volume buttons: One for Increasing Volume & one for Decreasing Volume
On the right hand side of the ViewPad 10s, there’s a somewhat fidgety access door, which provides access to the following handy features:
- A single USB 2.0 port
- A Micro SD memory card reader
- An HDMI port
By design, the attached access door cannot be lost, thanks to two integrated tethers. Above the access door you’ll find a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. Below the access door is a power connector port for charging the 10s. Finally, on the bottom of the ViewPad 10s, you’ll find a docking port which makes viewing the docked tablet much easier when sitting at a desk or table.
Innards
The ViewSonic ViewPad 10s is propelled by a NVIDIA Tegra 250 SMP dual Cortex – A9 processor running at 1GHz. It comes with 512MB of built-in memory, but can be bumped up to 32GB thanks to the built-in Micro SD Card Reader. The ViewPad 10s also comes with 512MB of DDR2 SDRAM. The operating system is based on Android 2.2 Froyo. Performance is more than acceptable thanks to the dual core processor. The ViewPad’s main functions include the following:
- Email Access
- Wi-Fi® enabled Internet Access
- Front Mounted Still and Video Camera
- A Dedicated Music Library Page
- An App Center
The ViewPad 10s also enables you to record sound via the built-in microphone. Audio is accessible via two built-in stereo speakers or the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Software
The ViewPad 10s comes bundled with a User Guide, making it easy to get started. Other features of note are the calculator, calendar, clock, iFileManager, photo gallery, search function and Task Manager.
Battery life
Battery life is average. The 3-cell, 3300mAH, lithium polymer battery lasts approximately 8-hours on a single charge. When not in use, the ViewPad 10s has an approximate 98-hour standby battery life. Once more, you can monitor the battery’s charge thanks to the battery life indicator.
Summary
Anyone who’s owned a higher end tablet is sure to be disappointed by this tablet. That being said, the ViewSonic® ViewPad 10s is a very good entry-level tablet. Starting with this unit will help the “unschooled” determine which features they like, and which features they lack, or would like to have. For the money, the ViewSonic ViewPad 10s comes with many more features than most comparably priced tablets. All in all, you get a lot of bang for the buck, but will likely be sacrificing durability and other features with this unit.
Let’s Talk Tablets ViewSonic ViewPad 10s Rating: 6-Stars
Darryl Burma
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