Acer Iconia B1 is another 7-inch super-cheap tablet

Acer is planning to launch a 7-inch budget tablet next year called the Iconia B1, as the PC maker looks to expand its reach in the handheld market.

This is according to the Wall Street Journal who says it's spoken to a source with direct knowledge of the Iconia B1 project over at Acer - a tablet which will come with a very low price tag.

Going head to head with the likes of the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Acer is so-say planning on stealing the show by offering the Iconia B1 for just $99 (around $60/AU$95).

A good, old fashioned cheap-off

According to the source the Acer Iconia B1 will pack a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display – neither of which matches the power and output of its closest rivals.

Images of the Acer Iconia B1 leaked last week on a Serbian forum, so it looks like Acer is certainly readying something, but whether it will sport that attractive price tag is another question.

Acer isn't the only company supposedly planning a ridiculously cheap tablet, with several rumours surrounding a $99 Nexus 7 also refusing to go away.

We will be visiting all the key manufacturers at CES 2013 and MWC 2013 to find out what their plans are for the 7-inch market, so stay tuned for more.

From WSJ and Benchmark