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Waterproof tablet drops into AT&T this month

Pantech's 8-inch waterproof Android tablet, the Element, goes on sale at AT&T starting January 22 for $299 on contract.

Donald Bell Senior Editor / How To
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
Donald Bell
The Pantech Element waterproof Android tablet, available January 22 on AT&T. Corinne Schulze/CNET

LAS VEGAS--Finally, a Honeycomb tablet for the hot tub.

The Pantech Element, announced during AT&T's CES 2012 press conference, is a waterproof tablet running Android 3.2. The tablet is due out on January 22, priced at $299 with a two-year contract.

Watch this: The Pantech Element tablet on AT&T

The device uses an 8-inch screen, with a 1.5GHz dual-core snapdragon processor running behind it. All of the Android tablet standard features are present, such as front- and rear-facing cameras (2 megapixels and 5 megapixels, respectively), microSD memory expansion, Micro-HDMI output, and a Micro-USB transfer connection.

To keep these ports from fizzling out underwater, Pantech seals the components and guarantees they'll stay in working order in up to 30 feet of water. Unfortunately, once submerged, the capacitive screen is inoperable, so it's not quite the ideal SCUBA diving companion.

Still, if you're looking for a seaworthy tablet, or even just a device that can handle being out in the rain, the Pantech Element may be just the thing.

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