MWC: Viewsonic claims its Viewpad 4 will still run Gingerbread

TABLET MAKER Viewsonic has shown off its 4-inch Viewpad 4 tablet claiming it will run "the latest version of Android Gingerbread".

Last week Viewsonic revealed that it would load Android 2.4 on its upcoming Viewpad 4 tablet. However at Mobile World Congress, the firm was a little less forthcoming, saying it will load the Viewpad 4 with the latest version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Pressed for clarification, the Viewsonic spokesman said that multiple versions of Gingerbread will be used, while the device being demonstrated to The INQUIRER was running Android 2.2.

Playing around with the Viewpad 4, there's no doubt that Viewsonic has done a good job with the aesthetics and build quality. It's got the clean lines to rival Apple's trademark design and on the whole the software looks ready for prime time.

Viewsonic didn't indicate when it will ship the device but the Viewpad 4 with full Android Market support looks to be a pretty decent effort from a firm that's not been associated with smartphones previously. µ