LE PAN (MATSUNICHI) MP977B

Dubbed the MarquisPad MP977, this particular tablet shares some of the features and tech specs of the Le Pan II, such as its 9.7” 1024×768 display. Apart from that, it will see an upgrade to a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a slightly redesigned chassis, 4GB of internal storage (but will come bundled with a microSD card) and will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preinstalled.

The MP977 slate PC is equipped with an unspecified Texas Instruments central processing unit that incorporates two physical coresoperating at a frequency of 1.2GHz. Moreover, the new MarquisPad sports a multitouch-enabled LED-backlit display that measures 9.7 inches in diagonal and offers a native resolution of 1024-by-768 pixels (132ppi).

Storage is being cut in half over the Le Pan II to just 4GB between the internal memory and a bundled microSD card, though, and the battery is good for a very modest five hours. Nonetheless, the $249 sticker and a May release will put the MP977 in the running with the slower but more capacious Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.