RCom Announces 3G Android Tablet for Rs. 12,999

Reliance Communications is now the first telecom operator to launch a tablet in India with 3G support. The Reliance 3G Tab will be available for just Rs.12,999 and will come bundled with discounted 3G plans beginning in three circles - Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata followed by other circles over the weekend.

Is this the affordable tablet we were waiting for?

Now before you scoff and dismiss it as another cheap, entry level tablet that’s not usable by humans, think again. First off, the 7-inch tablet is made by ZTE, the same guys responsible for the ZTE Blade a.k.a Dell XCD35 (ok, that was a bad example) and will feature a capacitive touchscreen. To add to that, the 3G tablet will also run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will pack in 512MB RAM and expandable memory (up to 32GB). Reliance will be bundling a 4GB card along with the device. There’s no mention about the processor, but we can expect a 1GHz CPU (hopefully).

The tablet will come with some built-in apps as well like document reader, Mobile TV and have voice calling, GPS and video recording. As a promotional offer, Reliance is offering some special data packs like Rs.4,500 for 12GB for a 12 month validity, 2GB per month (12 months validity) for Rs. 5,500 and finally 5GB per month (validity 12 months) for Rs. 7,000. They haven’t mentioned specifically, but I’m guessing these rates are for 3G and not EDGE.