Hey, I'm Donald Bell and today we're taking a first look at the Velocity Micro Cruz T301.
This is an Android tablet with a 7-inch screen and a low, low street price of 160 dollars.
It's running a modified version of Android 2.2 and like a lot of the budget tablets we see, Google's official app for Gmail, Maps, and Marketplace, and others aren't included.
You get a decent email app though and the web browser is also pretty good.
We also notice that the apps for Kindle and
Facebook are included right out of the box.
We're also able to get Amazon's Android Appstore working here.
The popular game downloads like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja 1 aren't compatible, so don't get your hopes up in terms of gaming.
In terms of hardware, I've definitely seen worse in this price range.
It weighs about 1 pound and the screen quality isn't great but the build quality is actually pretty resilient.
The only [unk] here is that the plastic on the back can be peeled off pretty easily.
To you that might be a feature but I would think twice before letting a kid around this.
On the side here, you'll find a nice oversize volume switch.
On the top, it has a power button and a full size SD card slot, also a mini USB connection.
On the bottom, there's a pair of speakers, a headphone jack, and a connection for the included power adaptor.
On the whole isn't okay, general purpose tablet for the money.
If you're buying this as an E-reader though, you'll probably be disappointed by the weight and the screen quality.
If it's something that pick me up for a kid, your kid is probably gonna be disappointed that they can't play Angry Birds on this
and I recommend spending the extra 50 dollars on an iPod touch.
So, that's the Cruz T301 from Velocity Micro.
For CNET.com, I'm Donald Bell.
