The LG Electronics G-Slate tablet will be available from T-Mobile for “as low as” US$529 with a two-year contract, the carrier said Tuesday.
The G-Slate, which has an 8.9-inch screen, was first shown at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where it received praise for its 3D features. T-Mobile did not announce the availability date for the tablet, and the company did not respond to requests for comment.
The tablet has two rear-facing 5-megapixel cameras to capture 3D video. Users will also be able to watch 3D video content or images on the G-Slate with 3D glasses. The rear-facing cameras will also be able to record full 1080p high-definition video. The tablet also includes a front-facing camera.
The tablet runs on Nvidia’s Tegra dual-core processor, which has a clock speed of 1GHz. It also includes Google’s Android 3.0 OS.
The G-Slate will come with 32GB of internal memory. LG has already said the tablet will support Adobe’s Flash platform for users to watch Internet video. It has an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) port for users to play G-Slate’s high-definition video on TVs
The tablet will work on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access) network, which the company terms a “4G” network. The network offers theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21M bps (bits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5.7M bps.
The 3D features set the G-Slate apart from Motorola’s Xoom tablet, which includes a 10-inch screen, is based on Google’s Android 3.0 and is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor. The G-Slate will also compete with Apple’s iPad 2, which has a 9.7-inch screen, a dual-core A5 processor, and a $499 entry-level price. The iPad 2 started shipping on March 11 and long lines formed outside Apple’s retail stores around the U.S. to buy the product.
The G-Slate tablet announcement comes two days after AT&T announced it plans to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion.