what's wrong with it? cheap £75 7" ePad aPAd iRobot Android 2.0 Tablet PC ?

[readit]

Hi Guys, as I said, I am searching for cheap devices, so found this one today:

ebay link

This seems to be a good cheap offer, shipped from Uk, a uniform Platform (Android) and quite versatile:

* 7" LED Touchscreen
* 1.3Mega Pixel Built-in Camera
* 2GB memory - expandable via Micro SD Card slot
* Android Mobile Operating System
* Embedded apps and Marketplace
* Wi-fi wireless
* Resistive touch panel for fingertip navigation
* Virtual onboard keyboard
* Screen turns portrait to landscape
* Standard 3.5mm headphone port
* Micro SD Card Slot
* Microphone
* Stereo speaker
* Power adaptor
* Weight: 350g

What's wrong with it? Anyone have experiance with it?

Compared to others, this has even a "LED Touchscreen", which seems to be better than the usual TFT?

(PS: I am not connected to eBay or anything, it's just that there are a lot of first time cheap offers!)

[eksor]

Originally Posted by readit

Hi Guys, as I said, I am searching for cheap devices, so found this one today:

ebay link

This seems to be a good cheap offer, shipped from Uk, a uniform Platform (Android) and quite versatile:

* 7" LED Touchscreen
* 1.3Mega Pixel Built-in Camera
* 2GB memory - expandable via Micro SD Card slot
* Android Mobile Operating System
* Embedded apps and Marketplace
* Wi-fi wireless
* Resistive touch panel for fingertip navigation
* Virtual onboard keyboard
* Screen turns portrait to landscape
* Standard 3.5mm headphone port
* Micro SD Card Slot
* Microphone
* Stereo speaker
* Power adaptor
* Weight: 350g

What's wrong with it? Anyone have experiance with it?

Compared to others, this has even a "LED Touchscreen", which seems to be better than the usual TFT?

(PS: I am not connected to eBay or anything, it's just that there are a lot of first time cheap offers!)

Hi:

I have a smartq V7, same kind of device: cheap.

A few poins:

1) Having marke app does not mean having enabled market access, Google restricts market access to devices with a unique identifier (IMEI or something like that). If your device does not fulfill that requisite you'll have to find a workarround to enable the access, for instace download the apps with SDK emulator and move the downloaded apps to the device.
2) Which version of Android is installed?
3) How much RAM (for running apps, not storage) has? Some apps need a lot of memory to run or install.
4) How much does the batery lasts? In different conditions, browsing, listening to music or watchig movies, very important: suspended.
5) How goog is the wifi coverage?

And may be some one else can think about more issues...

Regards

[petermillard]

From the specs it has a VIA WM8505 ARM926 chip running at "300-533Mhz" with 128Mb of RAM and "Android 1.6 upgraded to 2.0". From questions asked of this eBay seller he states that the firmware isn't (can't be??) upgraded so can't access Android Marketplace, and that the Skype App can't handle voice or video, just iRC. He states that it's "3G ready" but what he means is that you can plug in a USB 3G dongle into the USB port - there's no SIM card slot. He quotes battery life as 3.5hrs, but doesn't say what type of usage.

Then again, it's seventy quid - what do you expect for that kind of money? Personally, although I'm looking for a cheap and cheerful Android tablet to play with, this isn't it for me as I don't think I'd be giving Android a fair crack of the whip with a device like this <shrug>

[readit]

hm, did not check the details of the Android Hype in General, just searched for a mobile Device with readable screen...if buying an Android involves being limited to "buying" software on a "Android Marketplace" linked to a HArdware-ID (clever) , then the Android-Thing is a money making & control scheme...

Thought Android is a new, alternative OS-Platform (like linux) made by Google, where you can use a lot of Freeware.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by readit

Thought Android is a new, alternative OS-Platform (like linux) made by Google, where you can use a lot of Freeware.

I don't know the device in question, but for these early versions of Android, Google have a set of specs that must be met before they allow access to the official market, which includes the ability to be used as a phone.

However, you should be able to download free Android apps from other sources and load them onto the device via the USB port. It'll just be a bit fiddly and you'll need to do a bit of research.

Graham

[eksor]

Originally Posted by readit

hm, did not check the details of the Android Hype in General, just searched for a mobile Device with readable screen...if buying an Android involves being limited to "buying" software on a "Android Marketplace" linked to a HArdware-ID (clever) , then the Android-Thing is a money making & control scheme...

Thought Android is a new, alternative OS-Platform (like linux) made by Google, where you can use a lot of Freeware.

Hi:

I agree with you mostly in everything, not to mention that the ful OS is intended to keep track of everything you do, when and where. For instance, with almost every browser that I tried, the "compact page" version is done by google servers, so they read what you read. The lack of proxy setting is in my opinion a way to track your physical position, teh first time that I connected to my wifi in my home, goole maps position was very accurate. One point to the OS is that when youy install an app, you are inforned about all the resources that tha app will access.
I'm editing this because I forgot that, another point to Android is that you can install an app from the .apk file without rooting the device. Can you do so with an iPad? And even more, you can download a SDK with a fully functional emulator, create an application and install it on your device, without the iTunes equivalent. Moreover, without paying anithing to google.

Finally, I have to say that there are some free and even open source apps out of the market:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...d_applications

Regards.

[skyline]

to eksor: try "droidwall"


to topic starter: this is a very slow tablet with limited capabilities so it will be laggy. It also has a resistive screen so no multitouch, the resolution is low, the quality of the LCD most definitely low and so is the battery life. Just don't expect it to play any videos but if you can live with all these faults I guess you can browse, read ebooks, take notes, listen to music etc but not at the same time due to limitation by CPU and Ram.

You shouldn't worry about the market issue, most of these devices can be hacked and take Google applications the unofficial way. But yeah, I wouldn't buy this tablet if you want my personal opinion, it's parts are a few generations outdated and thus the cheap price.

[eksor]

Originally Posted by skyline

to eksor: try "droidwall"

Big, big thanks!

[readit]

Originally Posted by skyline

to topic starter: this is a very slow tablet with limited capabilities so it will be laggy. It also has a resistive screen so no multitouch, the resolution is low, the quality of the LCD most definitely low and so is the battery life...

I agree totally after having tried 3 devices in Staples (here in UK) where they have an old one like this with slow CPU and this horribl, "milky" display (compared to the newer,cristal clear looking ones) and, which is not "multitouch"(started a "display thread" in here after this experience)

I do not agree on "what do you expect for this price" because you know we in the so called "1st world" are the milk-cows when it comes to "paying"...especially "Mac Users" (..the kindle is a really top,innovative product and with it's 100 quid on a quite low price compared to the overprice, overhyped Apple Devices, but hey, "marketing" that's called) and most devices are produced for 5 to 10 percent of the sales price.

Anyway, back on topic this device here is availble somewhere on eBay for 50 quid, which would be ok, as said, display looks crap, slow response, the android "experience" with using your more fingers doesnt work.
(Staples tries to sell it for 139 quid by the way )


to Eksor:

Originally Posted by Eksor

...not to mention that the ful OS is intended to keep track of everything you do, when and where. For instance, with almost every browser that I tried, the "compact page" version is done by google servers, so they read what you read. The lack of proxy setting is in my opinion a way to track your physical position, teh first time that I connected to my wifi in my home, goole maps position was very accurate. One point to the OS is that when youy install an app, you are inforned about all the resources that tha app will access....

Very good point(s) you mention here...it seems that after years of moaning about "big brother policy" with microsofts OS's there comes a better marketed product of the REAL "Big Brother", who watches everyones (Searches) by profession, "Brother-G00gle", and suceeds without any resistance of the "target group", to collect any data they want..well, at least it'S open source and it will be watched carefully.

But strange phaenomen after all the windows-spying fuzz, isn't it?

Said that, coming back to handheld devices, it makes me wish to have more platforms available (with bigger screens than mobiles) like Linux, symbian, WindowsMobile, to view pics, browse a bit, read books & docs...

...and after all, why do we really need a 1000Mhz CPU just to get a "multitouch display" up running, that we can slide some icons around on a screen...what a glorious nonsense!