Cheap tablets here and they're not too bad Major retailers are offering some Android tablets from less than $90. TABLETS are becoming a disposable device with a new breed of Android tablets starting to break the $100 barrier. Major retailers are offering some Android tablets from less than $90 and many other models under the $150 price mark. Kogan's cheapest tablet is the Agora 8-inch for $119, Harvey Norman has the PendoPad 4.0 7" for $88 and Mobicity has the BWC 7-inch for $89 and the BWC Smart 10-inch for $149. Ruslan Kogan, of Kogan Technologies, said when the iPad was launched three years ago, the top model was nearly a week's wage for most people. But the growth of the Android system and components produced on mass in Chinese factories meant that an increasing number of companies were putting together tablets without having to go through the expensive process of developing an operating systems and app store. "Our tablets were developed with conversations with our customers and one thing our customers were saying is that they wanted a tablet but they didn't need one," Mr Kogan said. At the price point that we've reached, it almost becomes a disposable device. There's a clear demand for tablets out there, there's clear demand for mobile computing devices, especially at that price point. At $150 it's a no brainer for them, at $800 it's a clear cut no. Our first few shipments of them actually sold out before the container shipment even arrived. Mobicity marketing coordinator Alistair Eldred said the first generation of Android tablets were mainly medium to high-end products designed as alternatives to an iPad. "It's taken manufacturers quite a long time to realise where the tablet lies in the consumer landscape, and that's as a third-tier or fourth-tier non-essential product that people will buy if they can afford it and if the performance is good enough," he said. The majority of people aren't likely to spend more money on it than a phone. Mr Kogan said consumers should be wary of some very cheap tablets available through some online retailers which had second-rate screens that did not allow you to swipe and navigate the screen properly. Mr Eldred said even at the budget end of the market, consumers should look for tablets with good support and warranties.