Mercury mTab Neo launched with SIM for 3G and voice calls

The budget tablet segment is booming, as companies are lining up new and improved models of their existing stock. Not only are they, in some cases, bringing out less expensive devices, but others like Kobian, are also loading on the features and trying their hardest to maintain a competitive price structure. Kobian released their first Mercury Tablet the mTab, back in the last quarter of 2011. It proved to be just about adequate, however, in the budget tablet division, while keeping the price under Rs.10,000. Their latest announcement is of the upgraded version of the same device only now infused with 3G capabilities.

Looks just like its older brother!

While the previous edition was equipped with a 1.2 Dual Core processor under its proverbial hood, the newer model, the mTab Neo, has been “powered down” to 1GHz (Cortex A9), still of the Dual Core variety, though. The 7-inch capacitive touchscreen has been retained and still sports a WVGA (480 x 800) resolution. This model features a SIM card slot for 3G (GSM/WCDMA) support on the fly. The SIM card inclusion also enables the mTab Neo to make calls, both voice and video, alike. The tablet will unfortunately be running Android FroYo (2.2) out of the box with no options for an update, so the company says. This could be a major issue for users who might just want the few extras and bug fixes that Gingerbread has to offer.

Other features include -

• EDGE/GPRS support,
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 for data sharing as well as A2DP functionality
• 2MP camera with a 0.3MP front facing camera for video calling and conferencing
• 4GB if interval memory plus microSD card support for 32GB cards
• HDMI video out

Aside from SIM supported 3G, you could also choose to use a 3G USB dongle for data connectivity. The company has packed in a 4000mAh battery that should provide users with quite a bit of usage on a single charge (look for the review on tech 2 with battery tests). A set of speakers is also built into the device to be used either in a speaker phone capacity or for sharing audio, while watching videos or listening to music. The Neo supports Flash 10.1, which will enhance web browsing, but there’s no word on the support for newer versions.

Quite slim

Mercury’s mTab Neo comes with an MRP of Rs.15,999 and is available ex-stock with a one year warranty.