Mark Spoonauer
Laptop
We’ve seen tablets double as remote controls and ones that can record 3-D video, so what’s next? The Pantech Element, according to a report by BGR, promises to be the first waterproof Android tablet on the market. Expected to hit AT&T Jan. 8 for $299 (with a two-year contract), the Element stands out from the crowd because its designed to be splash-resistant. AT&T calls it “waterproof for real life.” It’s nice to know that you can bring this tablet by the pool, but is it really worth $1,139 over two years when you add in the monthly data plan?
On the plus side, BGR says the Element features 4G LTE data, so you’ll enjoy blazing speeds in a growing number of cities (15 markets and counting). You also get a 1.5-GHz dual-core processor and both a 5 MP back camera with 1080p video capture and a 2 MP front camera that does HD video calling. The slate is said to sport an 8-inch display. Sadly, if this report is true the Element will ship with Android 3.2 Honeycomb instead of Ice Cream Sandwich, so we hope an update is just around the corner.
We expect to take the Element for a test drive at CES, so stay tuned for a full preview.
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