Review: W1060 7-inch MID by WireLession

[FriendOfEntropy]

Originally Posted by nor11wan

btw:how do I tell the difference:new and old unit Technical and physical changes!!
Any forum members have got the latest unit??maybe we can get some comments
tks

I got an older non-GPS unit a couple of weeks back straight from Kathy at Witstech. I purposely chose not to "alpha test" their new production run since none of the new features mattered to me for CE. But seriously, the new things weren't compelling to me, and the older units were tried and true with good testimonials here so I went for their leftovers.

Here is the list of features from her recent e-mail announcing the new unit's release..it sounds great if you want Android.

1) OS:WinCE6.0-->WinCE6.0/Android2.1
2) Updated GPS hardware with better sensitivity
3) Changed the USB port position from bottom of the casing to the left
4) Added left & right buttons and 3 control buttons (Home,Back,Menu)on the surface
5) Support WIFI 802.11n
6) Improved the audio quality
7) Improved the firmware upgrade method

[nemesis101]

I guess we are still awaiting a 'fix' to try Android 2.1 on the 'original' A81? It would be really really helpful if people here made it clear when posting what they are talking about, i.e. A81 OR A81E.. I wasted no little time trying something before realising it was A81E specific! Some posters even say 'it's just the same on the A81 as on the A81E, just press this or that button..' apart from the on /off the A81 does not have any buttons!

So were these people mistaken, delusional or??? I'm sorry my first post is so negative, but it irks when there are really straightforward posts like the one I am quoting, from people who think AND have a command of reasoned English, and then there are others so vague or misleading as to be worse than nothing?

So.. back to basics. Who is 'Kathy' in the Wits organisation?
When (if ever) with WITS release a version of Android 2.x for the A81, and why (if Kathy is a WITS employee) is a manufacturer so seemingly confused about their own product?

I bought a Wirelession 1060 (A81 original) and have found that apart from a zip file of apps sent me by a helpful member, nothing seems to run on CE 6 (why didn't they use a species of Mobile instead for which there are thousands?) and unless there is Androidy goodness this unit seems to be an evolutionary dead end - infuriating when Wirelession (acting on info. from WITS) told me that 2.1 would be along soon, not that a whole new iteration of the wretched tablet would be required!

Well that's my first post, steam is blown off, now.. answers????


Doug.

Originally Posted by FriendOfEntropy

I got an older non-GPS unit a couple of weeks back straight from Kathy at Witstech. I purposely chose not to "alpha test" their new production run since none of the new features mattered to me for CE. But seriously, the new things weren't compelling to me, and the older units were tried and true with good testimonials here so I went for their leftovers.

Here is the list of features from her recent e-mail announcing the new unit's release..it sounds great if you want Android.

[DMDyne]

If you need 1.8.9 firmware for the A81 with the original A screen, here's how to get the firmware.

Open Yahoo's babelfish:
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

Copy and paste "http://bbs.witstech.com.cn" in the web page translator with out the parenthesis and use the "Chinese-trad to English" translation.

Click on "Firmware Issue Area"
Click on "[original] Dev_1.8.9_R3_ENG_STD"
For the firmware for the A screen and NOT the C screen, click on "dev_1.8.9_r3_a-eng_std.rar"
For the UI for the A screen firmware, click on "homecab_en_0310_v1_cab.rar"

[DMDyne]

@Nemesis

I believe you can download Android 2.1 for the A81(original) here:
http://www.jiongtang.com/fourm/andro...a81-t1341.html
but I may be wrong...

Win CE 6 is more of a developmental OS for people specifically like FriendOfEntropy, where you can create and design your own programs and completely customize the OS to feel exactly how you want it to feel. You can make it feel like Linux, Unix, Apple, or even Android. It's a very flexible and basic OS. Most people are most familiar with Win XP, Vista, or 7 now and the mobile equivalent would be Win Mobile, but a lot of people confuse Win Mobile with Win CE. They are, indeed, two completely different OS'. If something says it is made for Win Mobile X.X, that means it will take some tweaking for it to work on a Win CE device.

The biggest issue causing confusion is that Witstech is a Chinese company and they manufacture their products for Chinese and in the Chinese language. After they figure out any bugs and fix the bugs, then they have to port it over to other languages. If you look at all of the locations to update your firmware, they have multiple languages available so they are working hard to get good products out to all of their customers. To complicate matters even more, after the original run of A81's, like mine...they changed the LCD screen that they are using. So now you have an A81 with an A screen and another A81 with a C screen. Then the consumers wanted Android and Android doesn't seem to work so well on a device with no buttons so they refreshed the device to an A81E that has buttons. So now they have a total of 3 models that they need to keep updated on WinCE because that is what we want, and they are also making Android across them as well. All in all, they have to make 6 updates every time they find a new break-through. And that doesn't even get into the porting of other languages...

I'm not sure, exactly, who Kathy is. I know she has posted on these forums and she has given out her email address but it is a hotmail address, not an official Witstech address. She has been instrumental in helping all of us get firmware and find links to help with more specific questions. Kathy is the one that got me Wanshan's email address and he has given me links several times to find firmware for my old A81 with an A screen. Wanshan does have an official Witstech email address. From my emails back and forth and the posts from Kathy on here, I'm assuming English is not her native language, but I don't know for sure because I haven't asked. She has been really helpful for me thus far.

[FriendOfEntropy]

Originally Posted by DMDyne

So now they have a total of 3 models that they need to keep updated on WinCE because that is what we want, and they are also making Android across them as well. All in all, they have to make 3 model x 2 OSs updates every time they find a new break-through. And that doesn't even get into the porting of other languages...

So I didn't know about the A versus C screen on the original hardware form factor, but regardless, I had anticipated this issue with 2 devices x 2 OSs worth of updates plus x language localization. DMDyne correctly points out that now it would be 3 devices x 2 OSs x the number of languages to update.

So I mention that to say that I will NOT be shocked if I'm stuck with the 1.8.11 R3 eng forever on my C screen hardware.

I HOPE if there are serious issues found that they will update the firmware for the older hardware. I even asked Kathy about this specifically. I'm not posting this e-mail quote to gripe or finger point later saying "waaahhh, waaah, she promised me, see it in writing". I'm posting to say that I considered the issue up front, asked her specifically about CE, and she expressed their plans to support the older hardware too.

From MY perspective, it's just a hope based on their expressed desire. I asked the question because she had been telling me just to wait a couple of weeks to get the new hardware that was almost ready. So, it's obviously not like she was pushing the last old hardware unit on me and then promising me updates to trick me into buying the old unit. Again, I'm the one who was badgering her to dig up an old unit in the warehouse to sell me right away, LOL.

blue=me, red=Kathy

06/10/2010
Once the new hardware version is released, will you release any new firmware/ Win CE updates that will bring fixes/improvements to the existing A81 hardware....or will new firmware/ Win CE updates be ONLY for the new hardware? ---Witstech will not be to like the new and loathe the old. We will continue to release the new version to update the existing A81 hardware.

--------------------------
Witstech Technology Co., Ltd.
Website: www.witstech.com.cn
Address:RM 311，3F，B1 Building , Northeast Industrial Area, Huaqiao city,Shen Zhen, PRC
Mail: Kathy@witstech.com.cn

BTW, her sig line shows her real e-mail at the company, not hotmail. Also, I think it's clear she speaks Engrish not English, lol. I love that she said "loathe the old"

She was SUPER nice and helpful exchanging several e-mails with me over the course of a couple of weeks. As I looked around the web for reviews on this device, it appears that she is an engineer who basically acts as their web public relations type person in a sense.

http://cn.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-zhong/17/47b/145

http://witstech.en.alibaba.com/conta...mseq=200409627

[nor11wan]

Hi there,all these serious discussions regarding the various versions of the A81 have left me
very very confused,I am an ordinary user seeking to replace my aging Axim50,my needs
are simple:
reading e-books txt,pdf,pdb (Isilo,PocketXpdf,uBook)in English French Chinese
Dictionaries English,French,Chinese
comics cbr,cbz,pdf image
view photos
Surf web (e-mail,IM,QQ,Skye need wifi)

Can anyone suggest a model I should get (know nothing about Android O/S but keen to learn)
it would be better if the unit comes with all my required applications pre-installed)
thanks

[FriendOfEntropy]

Originally Posted by nor11wan

Hi there,all these serious discussions regarding the various versions of the A81 have left me
very very confused,I am an ordinary user seeking to replace my aging Axim50,my needs

I apologize, I probably need to go over to one of the UMPC or HPC type development boards and keep my development type discussion there instead of this site which is supposed to be mobile reading centric.

I am probably just adding noise on the signal to noise ratio here for common user purposes.

I'm sorry that I can't offer you a suggestion for something that "just works" out of the box, but I can tell you some of the thoughts I went through when in a similar boat as yours.

I was replacing a Toshiba E-310. Pocket PC OS is no more. It was raw CE on a device like this, or take it in the neck from AT&T each month with a Widows mobile smart phone.

Or, for an exorbitant sometimes Ipad-like price, there's the enterprise NON-phone types that only HP still makes with Windows Mobile "Classic" (which means no phone).

Amazon IPAQ-211-Enterprise-Handheld-210

So bottom line... a device like this A81 from the CE side is the no-frills, DIY Windows CE core OS. If you want all the baked in nice stuff that just works, then you need the Windows Mobile type device which has all the extra goodiness baked in on TOP of Windows CE to hide you from the rawness and make the device work more like a gadget.

The Chinese manufacturers license the cheap base Windows CE OS, and I can't imagine how much more expensive a device like this would be if they licensed a classic non-phone version of Windows Mobile to put on here.

In the end for me, as much as I liked the HP classic PDA, I couldn't justify getting a small expensive screen to replace my old Toshiba, plus I'm a tinkerer so a raw operating system was fine by me for the price and larger screen size.

If I were just an ordinary user instead of a developer, I don't know what I'd do...probably Android. I think the Ipads are too big, the pocket PC form factor too small, and this 7 inch tablet is just right.

[pphilipp]

I now have three fully operational Bibles installed and three partially-functioning ones.

The three that work are:
1) Olivetree (This is an older, more limited version... not the newest with multi-divided windows. -Pocketpc version blown-up to the large screen.)
2) SwordBible (also called electiobible) (+This has smooth multi-tabs for cross-reference. +Many free reference materials easily added. +Smooth scrolling. +Functions well on A81/W1060. -Very limited option/preference controls. -Inline text links are non-functional. --Tiny font cannot be enlarged. +Becoming a favorite.)
3) Online Bible (I just discovered this one.) (+++Full, complete sync to desktop version with multitudes of free bibles and reference material! ++Tapping word or verse instantly takes you to tons of reference information. +Tapping takes you to Strongs numbers instantly. -Designed for small ppc screen, but enlarges somewhat well to 7" screen. +Very intuitive and indepth controls. -I'm deciding on whether to pay an extra $15 which allows syncing many more reference bibles, books, commentaries, etc. +Perhaps the most indepth and library-like of Bibles easily loaded to the A81/W1060.)

The three that only partially work are:
1) Laridian PocketBible (-I have it fully loaded and working but... the font loads as white (who knows why) and unreadable. -It does not remember any options and reverts back upon closing option window. -I can't decide on what works and what doesn't. +Potential powerhouse but not until -obstacles are overcome.)
2) Pocket e-Sword (-I have it fully loaded and potentially working but... it continually asks for Bible apps and will not recognize them when 'shown the way' upon start-up. -Designed for small ppc which makes the enlarged screen quite pixilated. +Potential powerhouse but not until -obstacles are overcome.)
3) Olivetree (This is the newest with multi-divided windows. -It opens but nothing is functional. -Freezes and requires force quit.)


Overall, if a person is simply reading the Bible, any of the three operational Bibles are recommended. But, when I'm doing an indepth study which requires multi-referencing, I use the Online and the Sword together, switching back and forth... which is effortless and quick on this Wince platform with it's easily-accessible taskbar!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Note to folks who have no interest in this information...
Most of these apps are somewhat similar to ebook readers... but with much more referencing power! Just imagine reading a book and also having fast, accessible information on what various critics had to say about it; what the individual words mean today... and did mean yesterday; what pertinent culture, customs, geography and clothing are regarding the book; and much, much more as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

PS- I also have a couple of simple HTML bibles loaded, and a few bibles which connect to the internet for their reference. <--Must have internet connection in order to work.

[DMDyne]

Originally Posted by nor11wan

Can anyone suggest a model I should get (know nothing about Android O/S but keen to learn) it would be better if the unit comes with all my required applications pre-installed) thanks

Honestly, I think ColdSun would be the person you should pose this question to. The very first post on this forum is a review of the A81 by ColdSun. Send him an email through the forums, explain exactly what you're looking for. He reviews all of these ebook readers, ultra mobile pc's, and the like. He's probably the most knowledgeable on the broad spectrum of hand held devices.

If you find a device you like but it doesn't do exactly what you need (like the A81), then sort through the forums. A lot of us have spent countless hours downloading and installing software that doesn't work just to find the perfect piece of software for our needs. Each of us have these things tailored to what we're looking for and I'm sure with a little bit from each of us, your device can be tailored to what you need.

[ColdSun]

Originally Posted by DMDyne

Honestly, I think ColdSun would be the person you should pose this question to. The very first post on this forum is a review of the A81 by ColdSun. Send him an email through the forums, explain exactly what you're looking for. He reviews all of these ebook readers, ultra mobile pc's, and the like. He's probably the most knowledgeable on the broad spectrum of hand held devices.

If you find a device you like but it doesn't do exactly what you need (like the A81), then sort through the forums. A lot of us have spent countless hours downloading and installing software that doesn't work just to find the perfect piece of software for our needs. Each of us have these things tailored to what we're looking for and I'm sure with a little bit from each of us, your device can be tailored to what you need.

Hello! There is an archive available in this thead that has all the applications he needs. I'm in a hotel room on a business trip, but when I get back next week I'll post a new thread that has a collection of useful links like that.

As for which device to choose, are you looking for which A81 to purchase or which tablet period? If the answer is which A81, I would highly recommend getting the new model, A81-E, since it supports both WinCE and Android. I'm not sure which one comes installed. Can a new owner of an A81-E clarify this for him? The A81-E also has more buttons, which is a fact that I actually like quite a bit, and the Android users of the older A81 models may be a little sad about (because they have issues without the buttons). Personally, I would leave WinCE on the older A81 because it works very well with that OS.

If you are looking for any tablet, WinCE or otherwise, and not specifically the A81, well that is a hard question to answer. Besides the fact that there are so many new tablets/slates on the horizon, and there are already some good ones out there, let me take a stab at your question with those things in mind.

Of the currently released tablets, its all about what you can afford. Be wary of some of the cheaper ones, like the EKEN M001, which is highly customizable but extremely lacking in performance. If I had to choose, based on price, my choices would be (from highest price to lowest):

Dell Streak
Huawei Smakit S7
Ramos W7
Archos 5 Internet Tablet
Archos 7 Home Tablet
A81-E
X10 MID/DAWA D7

Notice that I don't mention the iPad. If they had a 5" to 7" inch iPad it would be at the top of the list, which I might add is MY list and not to be confused with THE list (since these are only my opinions).

Here is something to consider, maybe all of us here should. Before spending a large amount of cash this year on a tablet, buy something cheaper to get going in the tablet club and then you can stash more money away for buying whatever fantasy is coming. I'm calling this the year of the tablet, and I'm sure we will see some great things from electronic brands, and all at competitive prices (or as much as an iPad, which some find priced just fine for them and others find high). Now I'm rambling. Time for sleep, if that is possible in a hotel room far from home.

I thought this post from my friend Chippy (owner and lead editor at Carrypad) to be quite entertaining and I thought of it when I replied.

[nor11wan]

Hi there fellows Mobilread forum members,thanks for all the helps and
suggestions given, just to report my quest for a device to replace my
aging Axim50 is over,my son came to my rescue,he got for me a (slightly
used but in very good conditions) HTC Advantage 7510 running on WM 6.5
and to top it all,the sell helps to install all the applications, that I am using,
to the new device,at the same time up-dating some of the applications
to newer versions.
The forum is a great place to pick up tips and suggestions from others,I have learned much from reading all the postings,and am sure to continue to carry
on reading
thanks

[pphilipp]

It has taken much time and effort but my A81 has become a 'very good' computer in the vein of a pocket computer or much older Windows (not compared to new, full computers).

What threw me off, and what seems to throw most buyers off, is that out of the box this is quite mediocre. It's only through time, research, adding apps, tweaking, trial-and-error, and such, that it shines and comes into it's own.

Problem is, most of us are expecting something like an ipad which arrives fully functional right out of the box. No effort... or additional apps are required to enjoy such a device. The A81 requires some blood-sweat-and-tears to even come slightly close.

I can state that it has been well worth the effort (I'm not finished either), and I now own a device which not only has replaced my older pda(s) and ebook reader, but is an even better form factor than what they ever were!!

Just remember, most of those older devices costs two, three, or four times as much as this and so, from that perspective, this is a good bargain for those who are willing to work at getting it up to speed.

[pphilipp]

I'm including my reply from another forum which also applies to this forum as well...

Originally Posted by sepinho

Care to share some of your travails to turn the A81 into that great piece of hardware? What apps do you deem worthwhile or even mandatory? Any hard- or software hacks that are required to make the most of it? I've been reading this thread ever since it first cropped up and now have an A81-E in the mail. I'm totally stoked and can't wait to play around with it.

Actually, your A81-E should be a better device than mine. You should be able to get it flying with much more ease than I have.

My basic A81 does NOT have the three hardware buttons to fully utilize Android. That said, I never was able to get Android operating like it should. Perhaps a future release of Android 2.1 firmware will allow me to get the most out of it... in the same way I have with the Wince OS. For the week that I ran Android on it, I was quite impressed with the smoothness which it did certain operations. This verified that with a less buggy firmware release, the A81 can really do justice to the software!

But, for those interested in Wince (which is many of us who have used pocket computers over the years), my efforts have brought forth a very good product. I have tested several hundred apps and have chosen about 150 to stay on the storage card all the time. Here's a couple tips off the top of my head (since I don't have the A81 here at the moment)... By adding the Iris browser, internet experience is much faster and better (it is now my default browser). A Japanese software tweak is called "Mem" and it allows you to permanently increase the memory % to where apps run better and won't crash near as often. IT-task stays permanently in my taskbar, allowing full taskmanager functions. I have several system utilities which allow easy navigation of device and allow operator 'interference' regarding system. The GAPI emulator allows playing many older games, video, and music apps which wouldn't open otherwise. The interface 'iphone today' makes Wince appear much more like a newer OS (specifically iphone) for those not wanting an older system look and feel. Be sure and close unused apps to get more speed and performance.

Also, be sure and spend time to organize folders and file names. From the taskbar, I can access and launch any app and internet 'favorites' instantly and intuitively. I have separated both games and utilities into separate sub-folders for those which I use all the time and those which rarely get accessed. This really makes things easier with almost 100 games, and yet I normally only play around with about 10 to 15 of them.

These tips are only a few off my head, there are many, many more which have helped tweak this thing to a better level of user experience.

[bodhikhalid]

Hello,
I'm planning to get A81E soon, but I dont know if I should use the Android or WINCE.
My previous experience in Handheld is Palm Tungsten T, which was years ago... so basically, i dont know much about the WinCE. And I dont know much about Android too. But after I read all the opinion and discussion published, I'm not sure which OS to choose? So my question is
1. Is WinCE difficult to learn or get used to? because i'm totally new to it and I'm not a programme developer....
2. Although I dont need many tools or application (pdf reader, dictionary, calculator, music player, movie viewer will do, and if possible, word/excel viewer....) but is it difficult to find apps if i use android?

I really enjoy to read the all the opinion and discussion here. Hope someone can answer my silly question.

[Intri]

Originally Posted by ColdSun

Here is something to consider, maybe all of us here should. Before spending a large amount of cash this year on a tablet, buy something cheaper to get going in the tablet club and then you can stash more money away for buying whatever fantasy is coming. I'm calling this the year of the tablet, and I'm sure we will see some great things from electronic brands, and all at competitive prices (or as much as an iPad, which some find priced just fine for them and others find high).

This will be a bit off-topic post, so I hope it will be forgivable.

First of all, thanks for the incredibly awesome job with reviews, ColdSun.

And finally to whats on my mind: I hope you as a reviewer are not bound to NDAs or such stuff, because Id like to ask you about your opinion about upcomming tablets. Which ones do you think are comming and when? Which ones do you think are just vaporware without much of a chance to come out this year? Which ones do you think are really worth buying now or on the contrary worth waiting for?

Its a broad question that would require quite an elaboration to answer to full extent, so Im not really asking you to spend your afternoon just answering this. I would be happy for any insights on the topic you could provide, no matter how extensive they are.

And BTW, I directed these questions to ColdSun, but everybodys input on the topic is welcome, of course. Should it start vast OT discussion in this thread, please, move the post and answers to it to its own thread or a thread it belongs to.