Velocity Micro plans to start shipping two Android tablets in the next 6 weeks or so. The Cruz Reader is a $200 tablet with a resistive touchscreen display that’s designed primarily as an eBook reader which also happens to run Android which means you can run third party apps, play videos, surf the web, and perform other actions. The Cruz Tablet is a $300 tablet with a capacitive touchscreen display and beefier specs.

While the Cruz Tablet sounds like an overall sexier device, the Cruz Reader does have a few things going for it, including the budget price tag. The folks at GadgetNutz got a chance to visit the Velocity Micro headquarters recently to check out the Reader in person, and it looks pretty nice. One surprising feature is that the device uses a user replaceable microSD card for its primary storage. That means you can expand the amount of available storage space both by sticking an SD card in the slot on the side of the tablet or by removing the back panel and upgrading the internal microSD card.

You can find a hands-on video after the break, or visit GadgetNutz for more photos of the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader.

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13 replies on “Velocity Micro Cruz Reader $200 Android tablet gets the hands-on treatment”

  1. Got one for Xmas and already returned it. It is heavy. Who would actually read a book on that thing? The keypad is almost impossible to use and the screen is like a too bright, cheap computer screen that hurt my eyes. I took it back and am going to get a Kindle.

  2. For those of you who are having problems with this device to to their web site and read. There are firmware and usb downloads as well as apps. Download Calibre to transfer files from one type to another.

  3. Does anyone have the answer to why I can’t download books from my local library when the reader says you can. I tried downloading the overdrive apps for android and can’t no matter what I do. It says the page is not available. ANyone?????

  4. Everyone is avoiding the $1,000,000 question. Can I download and upload my own ebooks and files to read? A second question not addressed is do I get to keep the files from Borders or am I just renting them? Also, is the SD chip locked so I can’t change files on my laptop?
    Answer all 3 yes and it is worth purchasing.

    1. 1) I download epub files to my PC, connect with USB, and drag the files to the micro SD card. 2) I don’t know. 3) I can access any file on the SD card as if it were on my PC when USB is connected. It is a little harder to manage files with the included file app.

  5. The demonstrator must be kidding when he says the screen’s very responsive: just how many times does a button have to be pressed before something happens??

  6. I still want to know what processor is in these tablets. In the video it seemed a bit laggy. Also, the resistive touchscreen did not seem very responsive. I would probably pay the extra $100 to get the better touchscreen.

  7. It’s funny to me that the reader has the higher resolution screen… 4:3 800×600 vs 840×480 on the tablet. Oddly I’m intrigued by the reader more than the tablet as well… If for no other reason than the 4:3 screen and the price…

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