iBall Slide i7218 to get a scoop of Ice Cream Sandwich

iBall announced the upgraded version of their Slide tablet, yesterday. However, on paper, we didn’t see the device come out with major improved features. One such disappointment had to do with the fact that the newer Slide featured the Android Gingerbread operating system. Now, news has it that iBall is preparing for an OS upgrade, and Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich may well be on its way to the newly launched Slide i7218. If the upgrade comes by, then it will make Slide our first, home brewed tablet to get an ICS upgrade. The company has confirmed the upcoming upgrade to The Mobile Indian.

ICS coming soon...

There are a handful of tablets running on the Android 4.0, currently, like the recently launched iBerry and Zync. Both tablets fall into the affordable category range. The newer version of the Slide is no different and won’t make you spend more than 12k. The tablet market seems abundant with such sub-12k tablets, from the time the year kickstarted. In the second half of last year, the Indian market had witnessed a plethora of sub-20k tablets, clearly stating that low-cost Android tablets could rule the Indian tablet market. The iPad still dominates the tablet space overall, but for a price sensitive market like India, where not everyone can spend their moolah on an iPad, the low cost tablets make for a great option.

The newly upgraded Slide is fuelled by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, built-in 8GB memory expandable up to 32GB, HDMI out port to connect to a TV or projector, 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution and an array of applications, such as Money Control, Facebook, Gmail, Skype, News and Weather, Android Market, Nimbuzz and more. The newer version comes with enhanced speakers and is available for a Best Buy price of 11,999, while the MRP of the tablet is 12,449.