Announced Thursday, the tablet is the first in a line of slates from the company’s entry-level Elements line. It runs Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

The 9.7-inch Carbon — the same size as the iPad — has a
>> 1024 x 768 display
>> 1GHz ARM processor
>> 1GB of RAM
>> Fforward and a Rear-Facing Camera
>> 16GB of built-in memory (expandable via microSD up to 32GB)
>> "Stylish Premium Aluminum” Finish.

The 97 Carbon will be available later this month for $249.99. The company also plans to bring a 7-inch and 8-inch tablet into the Elements line in the future, which would presumably be priced even lower. We were impressed with the Nexus 7, which is $50 cheaper than the 97 Carbon, comes running the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean), and comes with a $25 credit for the Google Play Store, which undercuts the price even further.