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I wasn’t going to buy an Apple iPad I not paying silly money for a brand name!
But still curious about the touch tablet/pad revolution and if these types of device are at all worth it?
I will do a much fuller review soon… but first impression as very promising.
Built quality is good perhaps not great, but definitely feels solid as has anodised aluminum casing.
Note it is only Wifi connectible only, but definitely works very well. Not super fast, but no real drawback at all as things like Google Maps worked more than adequately.
Plenty of built in applications. I particularly liked PDF reader and youtube apps.
720P HD video player – excellent. Sound quality very good on video and mp3, etc.
Android market is looking very promising with 30,000 download able applications and most of them seem to free.
** Only negative is that resistive touch screen is a little insensitive. A firm touch is needed. **
This point is a bit techy – but it seems confirmed Rockchip 2808 will allow software upgrade to Android 2.0 and above so not too shabby! Though Android 1.5 that is already running is not too bad as a starting point.
All said this piece of kit is showing promise!
Rating: 4 / 5
For starters, this tablet PC is generally known as an APad iRobot. This YouTube video shows you pretty much what you’re going to get (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMI6ZywOvyo&feature=player_embedded).
If you do decide to order this, I wouldn’t recommend going for the Express Delivery option. Mine took 5 working days to arrive which doesn’t really shout Express Delivery to me.
I’m going to talk about the whole experience I found when using this product. You’ll have to take into account that some of the things I mention are out of the control of the product, like the Android apps or the OS itself.
The build of the device itself is a mix between feeling well made and really cheap. The case is made with sturdy aluminium and has a nice heaviness about it without feeling like you’re holding a brick. The buttons, switches , lights and ports aren’t superbly finished and they really do reflect the item’s price. The camera is ever so slightly too big for the box and causes a bump in the front panel. Nothing significant, but it’s there.
The device is certainly a lot smaller than the iPad. It’s three times as big as an iPhone and roughly about the size of a Kindle.
No instructions are supplied so you’re on your own. It took a few of us to figure out how to turn the thing on and I’m still not entirely sure how we did it. My advice is to charge it for a bit and then hold your finger on the buttons for a few seconds until you see the Android logo. Don’t forget use the On/Off switch too.
The touch screen is actually a surprise. It’s not brilliant but once you get used to the sensitivity required, navigating through the OS is pretty smooth. It is certainly not a frustrating experience, my biggest concern when I purchased the device.
There are plenty of applications already supplied out of box. The good news is that the Android Market place is there so adding more apps is a walk in the park. As the device is using the old Android 1.5 be prepared for a few apps to fail horribly on you. I couldn’t get any of the comic book readers to work but the Aldiko book reader did.
There is a certain amount of glare from the screen but it’s a decent enough size and I read through a few pages last night without wanting to stick forks in my eyes. I was reading PDF files rather than an eBook and I’m hoping the experience improves with a dedicated book format.
WIFI works fairly well but the range is slightly worse than my iPod touch. It’s a lot, lot quicker though and browsing the internet is a much better experience with a device this size.
After the initial charge I was pretty much playing with the tablet all day. With WIFI turned on in the evening the device became a lot thirstier but hovered between yellow and green for a long time before asking for more power. Oddly, the battery meter went from yellow to green a few times too. Either the battery is a bit flaky or the device has mystical powers of recuperation.
It’s easy to be critical of the device. It’s a cheap, iPad rip off from China and has all the hall marks of one – right down to the dodgy European power supply and adapter. However, it is unfair to compare this product with devices that cost over £400. For the price you pay for this product, you get really good value for money.
Rating: 4 / 5