NEC builds Android netbook with Tegra 2 CPU

NEC has announced that it will launch a 7″ netbook that will run on version 2.2 of the Android operating system. The netbook, which will be called LifeTouch Note, also features Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor.

The resistive touchscreen has a resolution of 800×480 pixels, and there is also built-in support for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G. On the back is a camera with only 2 megapixels for taking photos. A version without 3g will also be released, in addition to variants with different amounts of storage memory. NEC has not disclosed any prices nor is it clear in which countries the netbook will be released.

The manufacturer does report that the cheapest version should be available from March. Variants with more built-in storage memory and support for 3g will be released in April. According to Crunchgear go the model with 3G and 8GB of built-in memory costs $660, while a Wi-Fi-only version is $120 cheaper. The cheapest version, which has 4GB of storage memory, will cost $480.

The LifeTouch Note runs on Android 2.2 and has access to the Android Market. This is striking, because according to Google, this version of the mobile OS is only intended for smartphones and the company therefore regularly denies other form factors, such as tablets, access to the software store.