Ambiance AT Tablet Challenges iPad In Europe

Ambiance's AT Tablet launched in Europe

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Ambiance's AT Tablet launched in Europe

The tablet craze is heating up in Europe. With the introduction Monday of the AT Tablet, Dutch company Ambiance Technology said it is the first company in Europe to launch a Windows 7-powered 3G touchpad device for consumers.

The AT Tablet’s dimensions are 263 x 168 x 18.5 mm. The Windows 7 Home Premium device comes with a 10-inch capacitive multi-touch screen, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam for videoconferencing, 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3G SIM card slot, 10/100 LAN, two USB ports, card readers, stereo speakers and a 3,300mAh battery. A Mini VGA connects to an LCD. Users can write on the screen with a stylus pen to make notes or adjust documents, the company said.

Ambiance Technology managing director Eric Schouten expressed surprise that no other European companies have launched a tablet yet. "Microsoft even called to congratulate us with the first professional answer to all the Android commotion," he said in a statement. “Thanks to [the] AT Tablet, consumers no longer have to download their programs or applications in special app stores, but are able to use the same programs they are familiar with on their PC.”

The tablet will let users “carry your digital life with you. This tablet makes you more mobile, frees you from an endless dependency on wires, sockets or special app stores," Schouten added.

The tablet will be available for sale in November. No pricing information was disclosed.

In addition to the market leader Apple iPad, the AT Tablet joins an almost weekly growing list of tablet releases, including the newly launched HP Slate, the Android-powered 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tablet, the 5-inch Dell Streak, and a 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet that Research in Motion announced in September

Ambiance Technology is a supplier of AT Telecom mobile phones based on dual SIM technology and consumer electronics. The company is based in The Netherlands.