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The Vizio Tablet makes a great competitor to 2010's Samsung Galaxy Tab, but lacks the grace, speed, and features of today's best tablets.

If you're constrained by a tight budget, like the idea of a universal remote, and want a tablet yesterday, the Vizio tablet is worth a look. How long you'll be satisfied with it will depend in large measure on how Google handles Ice Cream Sandwich.

The value-priced Vizio Tablet stands out from most other slates by doubling as a universal remote, but it's held back by sluggish performance.

It's cheap, for an Android tablet. $300! Unfortunately, there's just a lot of better stuff out there.

The Vizio Tablet VTAB10008 wins points for originality, and adds some clever remote control functionality, but it's not powerful enough to compete with the best tablets out there.

With affordability and a broader audience in mind, Vizio made design decisions that reflect a focus on functionality, sacrificing mainly specs that shouldn’t bother most consumers while adding other unique features that enhance the overall experience.

It's very well made, and while the software is a bit odd feeling, on the whole it preforms well. For the kids, or the less technically inclined parents in your life, this would be a great choice, and at the right price.