Bing Lee And Harris Technology To Sell ViewPad
0Overall Score

With a deluge of tablets due to enter the Australian market this year, and tablets become the must-have gadget in 2011, ViewSonic has announced retail and reseller partners who will take its 7 inch and 10 inch ViewPad tablet PCs to market.


Click to enlarge

Bing Lee is stocking the tablets at its 45 retail stores nationally, while Harris Technology will resell the products to small and medium sized businesses and home business market  both online and through its 5 nationwide outlets.

ViewSonic launched the ViewPad late last year, but the race is on for a share of the consumer dollar, with several other manufacturers lining up to release their tablets this year. ViewSonic cranked up the rivalry however, by launching the tablets – a  7-inch Android tablet and a 10-inch tablet that runs on both Windows 7 and Android.

While the strategy for the 7-inch tablet is clear, the marketplace for the 10-inch model appears to be clouded with issues as the device has to compete with the iPad which at this stage has a better screen and faster processor.

William Tse, Country Manager at ViewSonic Australia, said: “The tablet market is on the rise with growth anticipated to at least double within the next 12 months. With the support of partners like Bing Lee and Harris Technology we are able to distribute the ViewPad to the wider community.

“Bing Lee and Harris Technology are leading Australian retail and IT specialist operators and we are thrilled to have the ViewPad ranged in their stores,” he added.
 
The ViewPad 7 has a slim 11.5 millimetres form factor and weighs just 375 grams load, with a 7 inch multi-touch screen. It eliminates the need for additional electronic devices, integrating unique and innovative tasks such as full mobile phone functionality, computing and gaming, along with e-book capabilities, and is powered by Google’s Android 2.2 operating system.

 

Ritchie Djamhur, IT Buyer at Bing Lee, said: “We see the ViewPad as a definite contender in the fast rising tablet category. In particular, Android devices are boosting its share of tablet PCs as it is cost effective, just as intuitive and easy to navigate. Many apps are being ported to multiple platforms, so it is getting easier to find applications appearing on both the Android Marketplace and the Apple iTunes App Store.”

Andrew Whiting, National Merchandise Manager at Harris Technology, said: “Harris Technology is committed to providing leading technology products. We cater predominantly to small-to-medium businesses and early adopters and the ViewPad 10 is an ideal product for this segment. It represents an optimised mobile experience with Google Android or the familiar Microsoft Windows for dynamic business users demanding high end requirements.”

No doubt other retailers, resellers and telecommunications companies won’t have to wait long as ViewSonic says it intends to announce new distribution partners as soon as they come on board.

The ViewPad will retail at  $699 for the 7-inch and $799 for the 10-inch model.