CMS PERIPHERALS has launched a tablet computing device on the British market through its Disgo subsidiary.

The Mayo-headquartered company’s Disgo Tablet 6000 costs £180 (€212) and is on sale at HMV stores and through Amazon’s UK website.

“Tablets have been one of the big consumer technology stories of 2010, and we’re delighted to get our offering onto the shelves before most other companies,” said Luke Noonan, purchasing director of Disgo.

Consumer electronics firms have been rushing to launch tablet computers since Apple introduced its iPad last April.

The device sold three million units in its first 80 days showing there was huge consumer demand for a product that other technology companies, most notably Microsoft, had previously failed to have any success with. The Disgo tablet runs Google’s Android operating system, which is also used on smartphones.

Mr Noonan said it would open the tablet market to more people by “offering fun and affordability, without compromising on performance”.

The Disgo Tablet 600 is a seven inch touch screen device that comes with 2gb of storage on a Micro SD card which can be upgraded to a maximum of 32gb. It comes preloaded with a range of apps including YouTube, the SlideMe Market apps downloader, wowBook eReader and Skyfire Internet browser.

Founded in 1988, CMS was originally a data storage specialist which sold to corporate customers, but Disgo and its other consumer brands have grown rapidly in recent years.

CMS reported a pre-tax -profit of €1.3 million in 2009 up from €1.1 million in 2008.