While Asus makes the Nexus 7 – Google’s inexpensive 7 inch Android tablet – it didn’t really compete with anything of its own under the “Asus” brand. That is until now.
The Asus MeMO Pad (yes, Asus is spelling it that way) is a new seven inch tablet that features some pretty common insides, such as a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, either 8 or 16GB storage, Bluetooth, Wifi, and a 7 inch touchscreen.
And, oh yes, it bears a resemblance to a similar seven inch tablet manufactured by Asus for Google.
We can only go off the pictures we have, but seeing them, it’s the same 7 inch widescreen shape, button-less touchscreen front, and a back covered in what looks like a rubberised pattern, similar to what the Nexus 7 has.
The only major differences, however, appear to be the slightly lower screen res (1024×600 against the Nexus 7’s 1280×720), lower speed tech inside, and a slightly different Asus overlay on Android.
Pricing has been set already, with the MeMO Pad (we’ll just call it Memo Pad from now on) arriving for $199 at retailers across Australia in March.
On the one hand, Asus is managing to come under the $200 mark – just barely – Â while Google’s Nexus 7 starts at a minimum price of $249.
On the other, though, Google’s product – which is still technically made by Asus – has a better screen, better specs, and knowing Google, it will probably drop in price shortly to counter this tablet and others like it.
If you’re in the market for a seven incher, it could be worth waiting the next few weeks out to see if Google counters with a price drop. We wouldn’t put it past the company.
