Hannspree Hannspad review

The Hannspree Hannspad is about to become an anachronism. With Android 3.0 a strong contender at CES and MWC in tablets such as the hotly anticipated Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, we wonder if people will be interested in an Android 2.2 tablet

This tablet has more in common with Samsung's current tablet offering, the seven-inch Galaxy Tab, than the new boys when it comes to software. However, it's a match for them when it comes to hardware grunt.

There's a 10.1-inch touchscreen at a resolution of 1024 x 600 backed by Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 mobile processor. That's two ARM Cortex A9 CPU cores running at 1GHz, backed up by 512MB of RAM.

Not too bad for a tablet clocking in at about £350 – a good £80 cheaper than Apple's iPad, and potentially a lot cheaper than some of the more prominent Android tablets.

The screen resolution makes it widescreen compared to the 9.7-inch iPad, which has a resolution of 1024 x 768. It's also slightly heavier, coming in at just under 750g.

Though 1024 x 600 isn't a common resolution in the wider computing world, we've seen it on a few tablets, including the BlackBerry Playbook. However, because RIM's tablet is only seven inches compared to the 10.1 inches here, that same resolution produces a much sharper image on the PlayBook.

There's no 3G capability on the Hannspad, so it's strictly Wi-Fi only here. 802.11 b/g/n are all supported, while Bluetooth 2.1 is also included.

In a move that will please a lot of people frustrated with Apple's steadfast refusal to include expandable memory, the 16GB of built-in storage on the Hannspad can be supplemented by adding a microSD card.

There's a mini-USB connection to get the tablet hooked up to your computer, while a mini-HDMI out is capable of connecting to your TV and outputting 1080p video.

One item missing from the Hannspad's feature list is a camera, either front or back. This may bother some people, while others might not mind. If it's important to you, you'll have to look elsewhere.

A 3650mAh battery powers the tablet, which is rated for about eight hours of battery life. Though this is lower than the iPad's rated 10 hours, it would still be a strong showing for a budget device, especially with the battery life of the forthcoming tablets unknown.

Hannspree has used an overlay to hide Android 2.2 away, which is good news, since earlier versions of Google's mobile OS weren't designed to go beyond mobile phones, really.

The Tap user interface is the same as we saw on the Viewsonic Viewpad 10s, and it almost completely hides Google's OS, with it only really showing through in a few Settings options. Instead of Android's multiple Home screens and customisable widgets, you get something a bit more rigid, but that is clearly custom-designed for tablets.

At its price point, the Hannspad will find itself in the same Royal Rumble as the lowest-price iPad, as well as the Advent Vega, which is a very close competitor. Both tablets feature Nvidia's Tegra 2, a 1024 x 600 resolution and a 10.1-inch screen. However, the Vega retails for just £250, so is this £100 more awesome?