Smartbook Surfer Android tablet cruises into European market for €179
Hailing from a German company called Smartbook AG, which produces a range of netbooks and the Pico smartbook, comes a new Android tablet known as the Smartbook Surfer. Clearly intended as more of a budget-minded device available for €179 (around US$236) at Marktkauf, the Surfer impresses with a good mix of decent specs and features in the increasingly crowded Android tablet arena.
Starting with a standard 7-inch WVGA touch screen, the Surfer runs Android 2.1, is powered by a 720MHz Telechips TTC8902 processor, has 256MB RAM, 2GB NAND flash, b/g WiFi, a microSD slot, 1400mAh li-on battery, webcam, optional GPS, two USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI port (the tablet capable of playing back 1080p video). The device is also said to support Flash, but I assume this would only be Flash Lite at best, and comes with a leather case as shown in the image above. The sleek and simple design measures 7.3 x 4.5 x 0.57 inches (WxHxD) and tips the scales at 12.35 ounces.
I think the Smartbook Surfer looks like pretty good as far as value-orientated tablets go, with a slightly more powerful processor and a newer version of Android compared to a majority of its Rockchip 2808 powered, Android 1.5/1.6 running contemporaries. The actual list price on Smartbook's website is a more pricey €249 (US$328), but at the lower market price of €179 it represents pretty good value. The Surfer is available in Germany now, but we're not sure if it will make it to the US officially.
[nDevil via Liliputing]
