Asus has launched the MeMO Pad HD 7 tablet which was first unveiled at the Computex event held last month. The device sports a highly affordable price tag of $149 which in turn pitches the device in direct competition with the myriad of low cost tablet that has invaded the market off late but also the Nexus 7 which it makes for Google. In fact, the MeMO Pad HD 7 is designed to be an alternative to the Nexus 7 and includes features specifically missing on the Google tablet.

Spec wise, the MeMO Pad HD 7 comes with a 7 inch IPS display having a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Powering the device is a quad-core SoC rated at 1.2 GHz and is aided by a 1 GB RAM. Onboard storage amounts to 16 GB but can be enhanced further by way of micro sd cards to up to 32 GB, something that’s impossible with the Nexus 7. The MeMO Pad HD 7 also comes with a 1.2 mp camera mounted on the front to allow for video chats. That’s not all for the MeMO Pad HD 7 also includes a 5 mp camera at the rear as well, something missing on the Nexus 7.

Other features of the MeMO Pad HD 7 include Bluetooth 4.0 (Nexus 7 offer Bluetooth 3.0), Wireless N, as well as a micro USB slot. Asus is also claiming a better battery backup time of up to 10 hours for the MeMO Pad HD 7 compared to the Nexus 7 that manages about 8 hours. What further adds to the appeal of the 7 inch Asus tablet is the choice of colors it comes in. These being pink, green and black which compares favorably with the Nexus 7 that is only available in black.

Asus is also offering an optional “protective TransCover with microfiber interior” with the MeMO Pad HD 7 which can also act as a stand for the device. This will come in handy when the device is used to watch videos and so on.