Low cost consumer electronics maker Coby has been selling Android tablets since last year. While big name PC makers have been releasing tablets with dual core processors, high resolution displays, and Android 3.x Honeycomb this year, Coby’s budget devices have been stuck at Android 2.2 Froyo. But now the company is getting ready to launch a few new models… featuring Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
That means you don’t get graphics optimized for tablet displays or the ability to run Honeycomb apps which are designed for high resolution screens. But at least Gingerbread includes a new keyboard, better text selection, improved power management, and a few other improvements.
There’s no information about Coby’s new MID7125, MID8125, or MID1125 tablets on the Coby website, but Netbook News noticed they’re up for pre-order from Amazon for $200, $230, and $300 respectively.
The tablets feature 7, 8 and 10 inch displays and 1 GHz processors. There aren’t many additional details yet, but Coby’s previous 7 inch tablets have had 800 x 480 pixel resistive touchscreen displays, while the 8 inch models have 800 x 600 pixel resistive touch displays. Based on the pricing it’s likely that the new tablets will follow suit.
The top of the line MID1125 will likely have a 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touchscreen display. A few months ago this tablet would have probably looked pretty good for $300, but it’s not unusual to find Honeycomb tablets on sale for similar prices these days.
Coby’s MID1125 tablet measures 10.6″ x 4.5″ x 0.6″ and weighs 1.5 pounds. It supports 802.11b/g WiFi and ships with the AppsLib marketplace for Android apps instead of the Android Market — although there are other options available if you want to install a different app store.
Looks like the current tablets with an OS update and a different model number.