Idolian.com announced a seven-inch Android 2.3 tablet for a temporarily discounted price of $149. The MiniTurbo T8 is equipped with a seven-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive display, a 1.2GHz Telechips processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, an HDMI port, and Android Market access, says the company.

The official price for the MiniTurbo T8, after the $149 discount offer fades at the end of the month, is $249. However, we imagine the new market realities forced by the $200 Kindle Fire and the $249 Nook Tablet — both of which offer faster processors and higher screen resolutions — will soon force the company to drop that to at least $199.

Idolian MiniTurbo T8

At the $149 price, the MiniTurbo T8 (above) would appear to be a good deal compared to other Cortex-A8-based seven-inch Android tablets. Idolian's tablet turns to a 1.2GHz Cortex-A8 processor from Telechips. This is most likely the TCC8803 system-on-chip (SoC) used on the Ekoore Pascal Android tablet, which similarly runs Android 2.3.

Equipped with 512MB of RAM, the MiniTurbo T8 offers a modest 4GB of storage, and provides a 16GB-ready microSD slot, says Idolian. The seven-inch screen is limited to 800 x 480 resolution, but offers capacitive multitouch technology and is accompanied by a G-Sensor and headphone jack.

MiniTurbo T8 from all the angles
(Click to enlarge)

In a somewhat refreshing move, Idolian lists "cons" as well as "pros" for the device. The pros include the processor, the four- to six-hour lifespan of the 3600mAh battery, and the 0.8-pound weight, all of which are said to be improvements over the Touchtab C8.

Among the cons for the MiniTurbo T8, Idolian lists the lack of GPS, Bluetooth, and 3G technology (802.11b/g Wi-Fi is, of course, on board). However, the company says the tablet will be available at 3G retailers "soon," which would suggest a 3G model is on the way.

Other "cons" include the fact that the device is limited to a single front-facing, two-megapixel webcam, although most tablets at this price offer only a 1.3- or 0.3-megapixel cam. Finally, in a bout of self-flagellation, Idolian confesses, "The control buttons on the sides of the device make it difficult to navigate, especially when using it in portrait mode."

Yet, if we may argue on Idolian's behalf, the 7.56 x 4.75 x 0.5-inch tablet offers several features not found on budget Android tablets. These include an HDMI output and Android Market access. No more details were offered on pre-installed software, but the company has posted a lengthy demo on YouTube (below) that gives an idea of the tablet's seemingly quite reasonable performance.

Based in Newport Beach, Calif., with offices in Arkansas and South Korea, Idolian.com already offers a number of Android tablets priced under $300. The MiniTurbo T8 is said to be an upgrade of a previous Touchtab C8 seven-inch tablet, now available for $180, which runs Android 2.3 on a Samsung 1GHz processor. Among other products, the company offers a 10-inch Touchtab 10, running Android 2.3 on a 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor from AmLogic, now available at a sale price of $240. 

Availability

The MiniTurbo T8 is now available at a special promotional price of $149 until end of November, and the price with an 8GB microSD card is $164. After that, the price will revert to $249 without the memory option, says the company. A presumably 3G-ready version of the tablet will be widely available at cellular locations throughout the U.S. and South Korea in the near future, says the company.

More information and direct sales may be found at Idolian.com's MiniTurbo T8 product page. More information on other Idolian Android tablets may be found at its tablet page.

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