X

T-Mobile SpringBoard tablet hands on: Looking good

A 4G, dual-core Android Honeycomb 3.2 tablet for less than $200? We're just guessing on the price, but any way you look at it, the SpringBoard promises us polish for less.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
See full bio
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
Watch this: T-Mobile SpringBoard

Just when you thought the world didn't need another 7-inch Android tablet that few would end up buying, here comes the T-Mobile SpringBoard, the 7-inch tablet you'd do well to look at, for the right price.

Announced just before CTIA officially kicked off in San Diego, the SpringBoard offers quite a bit--"4G" speeds, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1,280x800 screen resolution, and surround sound. There's also a 5-megapixel camera that can record 720p HD video, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, support for HDMI, and up to six hours of battery life. There are plenty of preloaded apps like T-Mobile TV.

Busy bees that we were, we couldn't tinker with the tablet as long as we wanted, but it did make a strong impression during our brief time together. First, there's that stylish and compact aluminum unibody package, with white accents, which makes it look like the latest eye candy out of HTC's labs. Here's the shocker, though: it's made by Huawei, a company whose U.S. products almost always occupy the entry level or mid-tier range. The SpringBoard could help change that perspective.

T-Mobile has taken some gutsy risks in giving some of its products a unique identity--we're talking about the youthful T-Mobile Sidekick family and the T-Mobile MyTouch family, which have several distinct features all their own. In this case, the SpringBoard gets five thematic home screens: one preset for productivity, one for social networking, two for entertainment, and one they left to your own tastes. So far the layout sees smart and handy.

T-Mobile SpringBoard tablet (photos)

+1 More
See all photos

What it all comes down to is price. There's no official price tag yet, but expect to see it come in less than $200, perhaps sparked by Amazon's forthcoming Kindle Fire. Of course, the 4G data service would cost more per month, but based on the numbers and our time with the tablet, that's a goodly amount of features for not very much money. Don't you worry; we'll scrutinize the SpringBoard in due course, but in the meantime, it's got our attention.

Mobile Guides

Phones
Foldable Phones
Headphones
Mobile Accessories
Smartwatches
Wireless Plans
Mobile coupons