Pantech Element: AT&T's Waterproof Tablet Unveiled At CES 2012 (VIDEOS)

AT&T hosted a press event on Monday as part of the company's CES 2012 kickoff, during which company announced the arrival of the Pantech Element, a waterproof tablet.

According to PC Magazine, the tablet, which goes on sale January 22 for $299 dollars with a two-year contract, can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes without damage. The tablet isn't for using under water, since the screen becomes inoperable as soon as it's submerged, but it is good for anyone who wants to take their tablet to the beach.

Besides the waterproof element, Pantech's first tablet boasts an 8-inch 1,024x768-pixel screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, microSD memory expansion, HDMI-out and LTE connectivity, which according to Gizmodo means 100Mbps download speeds "if you're inside a tower." The Element also has two webcams (one, a rear-facing 5-megapixel; the other, a front-facing 2-megapixel) and boasts a 12-hour battery life.

While the tablet currently runs on Android 3.2 (Honeycomb), PC Magazine reports that Pantech has promised an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich, though the company has not said when the upgrade will happen.

PC World calls the 16.5-ounce Element "small enough to comfortably hold in one hand" and notes that the "display is large enough for gaming, video watching and Web browsing."

HANDS-ON WITH THE PANTECH ELEMENT:

The Element is one of several waterproof gadgets at this year's CES. Toshiba, among other companies, unveiled its own waterproof tablet concept that can actually charge underwater via magnetic signals from a transceiver, reports The Seattle Times.

HANDS-ON WITH TOSHIBA'S UNDERWATER TABET:

According to MobileBurn, Fujitsu also announced the ARROWS ES IS12F, which in addition to being waterproof, is the world's thinnest smartphone, so Fujitsu claims. However, on Monday, Chinese manufacturing giant Huawei announced the Ascend P1S, which has also been touted as the thinnest smartphone in the known universe.

HANDS-ON WITH THE FUJITSU ARROWS ES IS12F:

Visit our big news page for full coverage of CES 2012.

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[bluguy8]

06:57 AM on 01/12/2012

I was wondering how I could use a tablet and swim at the same time. Good to know-NOT

[MichaelMcKLA]

08:23 PM on 01/11/2012

Finally a tablet you can p*** on and it won't stop working. Might stink a bit, tho.

:)

[mojo filter]

05:06 PM on 01/11/2012

They need to make a wifi version. I've been looking for a decent Android tablet with a 3:4 aspect ratio.

[WthyrBendragon]

08:27 AM on 01/12/2012

a 3:4 ... 4:3 aspect ratio is the 78rpm phonograph of the display industry. Any more you're going to find widescreen (14:9 or 16:9) formats pretty much the rule except on some specialized devices for which that format is impractical.

[mikennz]

03:17 PM on 01/11/2012

Why aren't they making these things solar powered?

[Daniel Zook]

03:33 PM on 01/11/2012

To busy making waterproof lol

[bluguy8]

06:57 AM on 01/12/2012

its coming- Apple has been working on that

[Ash G]

01:11 PM on 01/11/2012

Headline should read: "This iPad Rival Has A Superpower: It Can Survive In Water"

[WthyrBendragon]

08:28 AM on 01/12/2012

My 1st generation iPod Touch has been through the laundry and works fine. The difference here is that they're actually able to use this device in an aqueous environment.

[CERDA]

12:24 PM on 01/11/2012

soooo many gadgets that i want.... although that 2yr contract is bs. whatev i'll just by it on ebay unlocked

[Jam75]

11:43 AM on 01/11/2012

If it's not shark proof, this is pointless!

[lioness39]

10:32 AM on 01/11/2012

That will certainly satisfy my obsession for googling under water.

[bohol2528]

03:54 PM on 01/11/2012

You won't do it with this, it won't work under water, just survive.

[planetjeffy]

01:17 AM on 01/11/2012

Ordinary-Looking Tablet Has Surprising Secret

the pantech element is people?

[War peace]

11:54 PM on 01/10/2012

WTP

[whodo1952]

11:12 PM on 01/10/2012

Not impressed

[Samuel Bun]

07:59 AM on 01/11/2012

Candles, a glass of wine, a hot tub of water and your tablet. Too much wine, tablet in tub. eh impressed now. Or you are walking on thin ice like I do all the time. You just never know. or you're in bed with tablet and your neighbor puts the garden hose in the window, he is so funny.

[whodo1952]

08:27 AM on 01/11/2012

Thanks for my first morning laugh, you should offer to do a commercial.

[Deleuzian Nomad]

12:30 PM on 01/11/2012

lol...

[momofvegasgirls]

10:25 PM on 01/10/2012

Already DOA if you force people to take a 2 year contract.

[six seven]

09:55 AM on 01/11/2012

Bingo!

[OneOleMan]

09:57 AM on 01/11/2012

Too many feel if a device doesn't have xG it's worthless.

[LibbyGal]

12:00 PM on 01/11/2012

I'm the opposite to be honest: I am so sick and tired of being YAFSed to death! (Yet Another F- Subscription.)