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Or, if you don’t want to wait, you can buy this new model now for $149. Is it worth it?
Think all the best tablet deals are for Android tablets? Think again.
E Fun announced today that its new Nextbook 8 Windows tablet will sell for just $99 in Walmart stores on Black Friday (November 28). This was among the deals listed in the store’s Black Friday ad circular, which was released yesterday. However, the Nextbook actually goes on sale at 8 p.m. local time Thursday, and is available “while supplies last,” so it may not make it as far as Friday.
by Rick Broida
Indeed, though perhaps not as high-profile as the $199 iPad Mini or $29 Android tablet also listed in the ad, this marks the first time that a Windows tablet has sold new for under $100.
The Nextbook 8 features an Intel Atom Z3735G processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and an 8-inch screen with a 1,280×800 resolution. Other specs include front- and rear-facing camera (both fairly low-resolution), Bluetooth 4.0, and a Micro-HDMI port.
In addition to running full Windows 8.1 (and not ill-fated Windows RT), the tablet comes with a one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal, which includes 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage. (In theory, that license should extend to one PC or Mac desktop installation as well, as a regular Personal subscription includes “1 PC/Mac, 1 tablet, and 1 phone.”) That’s a $70 value all by itself.
The Nextbook 8 is E Fun’s second Windows tablet; the first, the Nextbook 10.1, features a detachable keyboard and bigger screen (10.1 inches, natch). It shows a price of $199 on E Fun’s product page, butWalmart sells it for $179.
As it happens, you don’t have to wait for Black Friday (or Thanksgiving Thursday) if you want the Nextbook 8; it’s available from Walmart right now for $149. For sake of comparison, Walmart also sells the 8-inch Toshiba Encore 2 for $169.99. It has similar specs, but twice the storage at 32GB, plus higher resolution cameras.
Your thoughts on this? Would you brave the crowds for a $99 Windows tablet?
