Stefan Mileschin

Alcatel's pair of Evo tablets will find a trio of low-cost siblings later this year, as the company has just announced the One Touch Tab family of slates. Each of the devices will arrive in Q3 and will come loaded with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Unlike the Evo lineup, a mobile data option won't be in the cards, as the One Touch Tab assortment is limited to WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0. But enough with the formalities... let's meet the group.

At $149, the One Touch Tab 7 HD is priced in the middle of the lineup, but its higher pixel density suggests it might be the most desirable of the bunch. It features a 7-inch WXGA (1,280 x 800) IPS display, 1GB RAM and a dual-core 1.6GHz CPU. As a step up in size, you'll find the One Touch Tab 8 HD, which includes an 8-inch XGA (1,024 x 768) IPS display and retails for $179.

Other than the difference in screen size and enclosure, the One Touch Tab 7 HD and Tab 8 HD are very similarly equipped. Both slates include 1GB RAM, 8GB built-in storage with microSD support, a 2-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing VGA counterpart.

At $129, the One Touch Tab 7 stands apart as the least expensive member of the bunch, but it's also the least well-endowed. It features a 7-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) TFT display, 1GB RAM and a single-core 1GHz CPU. The tablet lacks a rear camera but retains the front-facing VGA setup for video chats. Storage capacity is also cut in half, down to just 4GB, but to its credit, the tablet retains a microSD slot. With only $20 separating this model from its HD sibling, however, the entry level tablet could be a very tough sell -- at least for those who care enough to compare the two. Hands-on video after the break, starting at 1:55.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/a...ch-tab-lineup/