Toshiba Unveils Low-Cost, 7-Inch Tablet

As more schools begin to use tablets in the classroom, companies have increasingly been targeting students as the go-to demographic for basic, low-priced devices. Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD) recently threw its own hat into the education tablet ring with new details on its 7-inch Excite Go tablet, which is expected to debut in July for $109.99.

The Excite Go’s price point and education-friendly features also make it an option for tablet users looking to invest in the technology without shelling out a lot of cash— a trend becoming more common among Android tablet makers.

Like other tablets within its class (pun intended), the Excite Go features a quad-core Intel (INTC) Atom processor and comes equipped with Android KitKat 4.4. What separates Toshiba’s latest offering from its contemporaries is its expanded feature set, including wireless display support for videos and the company’s TruCapture app that improves the readability of images from whiteboards and books. The Excite Go also comes standard with a full version of OfficeSuite Pro.

“Consumers love handheld Android tablets as they offer portable entertainment at accessible prices and can be easily added as an additional device in the home,” said Philip Osako, senior director of Product Marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems Digital Products Division, in a prepared statement. “The Excite Go is yet another example of Toshiba’s ability to provide affordable tablets with the latest version of Android, competitive features like Intel processors and solid build quality.”

Excite Go weighs in at 12.5 ounces and features a 1024×600 resolution screen and up to 7.5 hours of battery life on a single charge (or up to 6 hours for video playback). The tablet comes with 16GB of internal storage and features a Micro USB port and microSD card slot for additional storage capacity.

While there is no shortage of premium-priced tablets available for both iOS and Android users, less-expensive tablets are becoming more common as Toshiba and other companies (think Acer) try to wrest control away from Apple (APPL) in the mobile market. Recently, Acer recently revealed the Iconia Tab 7 and Iconia Tab One 7, two similarly priced tablets, at its New York press event in April, which the company is planning to release in Q2 2014.

With the popularity of Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education rising, it should come as no surprise that more and more tablet makers would want a slice of the proverbial pie when it comes to nailing down the remaining tablet newcomers and the lucrative educational market. And with the buzz around tablets seemingly unavoidable, devices with low barriers to entry are a surefire way to lure new converts into the fold.