If you've been itching to get your hands on an inexpensive tablet that runs Windows 8.1, then check out your local Target store on September 25. That's when a little Intel-based tablet with the brand name of Pendo goes on sale.
Specifically, it's called the PendoPad 8 (PNDPPW8QC8BLK), and it's an 8in slate that shows off Windows 8.1 in a touch environment. It's not the first tablet of its kind, and indeed there are a few 8in Windows 8-based tablets out there from the likes of Acer, Dell, and Lenovo, but this one breaks through the $200 price barrier and gets closer to 'impulse purchase' status.
The 8in size and a thickness of 9.5mm should make this tablet relatively easy to hold in one hand, and its weight is listed as only 370g. The touchscreen is a capacitive, IPS-based panel with a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels, but there is no mention of a pen in the product listing (despite the somewhat suggestive product name).
On the inside, the Pendo runs an Intel Atom Z3735 CPU, which has four cores and a frequency of 1.83GHz. It's one of the 'Bay Trail' models of the Atom CPU, which means it's quite fast and useful for running everyday Web browsing tasks and media streaming. It's joined by 1GB of RAM, so you won't want to open up too many applications at once, and there is 16GB worth of flash storage built in, which isn't much at all for a Windows 8-based device, and there is no listing for a microSD card slot for expansion*.
What else is there? The specs list a mini-HDMI output, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel front and rear cameras, but there is no mention of Wi-Fi and whether it's dual-band. Probably not at this price. Battery life is stated at eight hours, but that will vary depending on brightness level you use, and the tasks you run.
A one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 is supplied.
Update: *As the reader comment states below, the manual does show that it has a microSD card slot.
