We’ve got a few videos coming up on the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 but first, here’s the pics and a few thoughts (I need to hit decent internet connection before I upload the videos they’ll come later.)
In summary, the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is delivering most of what the Galaxy Tab is delivering, for an excellent price. You haven’t quite got the build quality (it’s good though) and you’ve got a known brand, Android 2.2, capacitive touch (good screen quality), 3G, voice and the Google apps. The only thing you might notice is the user interface. It’s not as swift as the Galaxy Tab and that’s clearly because the CPU is a Snapdragon at 600Mhz and not the high-end A8 Cortex device of the Samsung. It’s not bad though and in my tests over 3G I was happy.
The price, BTW is a decent 399 Euro (350 UK pounds) and it’s coming soon. (Within the next few months)
We’ve got a few videos coming up on the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 but first, here’s the pics and a few thoughts (I need to hit decent internet connection before I upload the videos – they’ll come later.)
In summary, the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is delivering most of what the Galaxy Tab is delivering, for an excellent price. You haven’t quite got the build quality (it’s good though) and you’ve got a known brand, Android 2.2, capacitive touch (good screen quality), 3G, voice and the Google apps. The only thing you might notice is the user interface. It’s not as swift as the Galaxy Tab and that’s clearly because the CPU is a Snapdragon at 600Mhz and not the high-end A8 Cortex device of the Samsung. It’s not bad though and in my tests over 3G I was happy.
The price, BTW is a decent 399 Euro (350 UK pounds) and it’s coming soon. (Within the next few months)
Viewsonic announced their 7 inch Viewpad 7 Android tablet yesterday [Full Details now in the database] and we’re keen to get hands on with this one over the next few days while we visit IFA. It’s ticking nearly all the boxes so far with Google applications and Market, A-GPS, 3G, capacitive multitouch (beats the Huawei S7 that was in the running until now) and Android 2.2. The processor is a 600Mhz Snapdragon which shouldn’t be too bad at all with the latest Android version. The rear, 3MP camera is also interesting. We wonder if it’s an HQ job or just something to satisfy Google’s requirements. This thing can even make voice calls! There are question marks over the RAM and built-in flash. The price, 350 UK Pounds (which includes taxes.) That’s not super-cheap but with those specs, it’s right on the mark.
The recorded videos from our live, open review with the SmartQ T last night are available and shown below. Ustream have put a pre-roll and ads on them but I guess they have to pay for 2 hours of 500kbps streaming somehow.
Remember that this is a preview device and isn’t fitted with final firmware although it’s close and SmartDevices are constantly working on firmware upgrades. We have some issues we’ll take back to the reseller, HOTMID, so that they can talk to SmartDevices in China. Those issues include: (See UPDATE below)
Adobe Reader very slow. Almost unusable.
Unable to reset the device to remove private data and Google account
Will the Market and Google apps be distributed?
Stream audio fails on Last.fm and XiiaLive.
USB OTG not working.
Market only able to download one app. Further downloads fail to start.
Video playback only works with H.264, will there be accelerated WMV, MPEG2 and Xvid support?
3G software unable to work with PIN-locked SIM cards.
In high brightness settings with lots of colour on the screen, a slight flicker is seen in the backlight or LCD refresh
Will there be a model with GPS?
Cell Standby uses a lot of power when 3G is supposed to be of.
Update: From HOTMID.com we’ve just recieved this quick reply to feedback from our live testing: New firmware will be released before August 31st and will ‘solve’ Market and Google apps, USB OTG, Video playback, Cell Standby
On the positive side, we see good build quality for the price, a usable 600-wide portrait mode, excellent value 3G version, loud and clear speaker, good quality controls and a battery life in the 5hrs+ region. Actually we suspect there’s some improvement that could be made to the battery life as we’re seeing the 3G using battery while its supposed to be off.
Highlights on the applications we tested:
Kindle (works very well used in 30 minute bedtime test!)
Opera Mini (not shown in video produces significant browsing speed improvements)
720p H.264 playback worked
NewsRob as offline Google Reader
Acast as podcatcher.
Google Maps and search for local information.
4-way auto ratate working.
Target audience:
Those looking for a very low-cost handheld 3G 7 inch internet tablet (the SmartQ T7 is unique in the sub $300 bracket) a flexible and cheap ereader with internet and multitasking, holiday device (location-based services work through Google’s location services if available on final firmware) a low-cost SD card reader for photographers. (TX files, edit and share very quickly.) Standard browsing is very slow but Opera Mini works well to improve basic browsing speeds. Works well as a social networking tablet. Works well as a bedside companion. Taxi drivers and truckers should check this out too!
The resistive touchscreen is going to put some people off for sure but for the price and target audience, we think you’ll get used to the resistive screen without any major issues.
Just in! The SmartQ T7 3G from Smartdevices (and sent for testing by HOTMID.com, formerly Eletroworld.cn – changeover happening this week.) is a 7 inch touchscreen tablet running Android 2.1 and offering an 800×600 resolution, Wifi, 3G/BT option, SDHC Card slot, USB OTG in a sub 500gm package. It’s not the highest spec device out there but when you consider the price – $249 (exclusive shipping and possible import taxes) or with CDMA/EVDO (no BT) just $289, you’ve got yourself quite the bargain. We’re testing a WCDMA (UMTS/HSDPA) version here which could be a big seller considering pay-as-you-go 3G in Europe is easy and cheap to get hold of.
We’ve unboxed, turned it on and taken a look around and we’re quite impressed. GPS is something we would pay another $20 for if available (turning this into a great Google Navigation device) but overall, the 3G version is turning out to be quite the bargain. Well built, light, matt (resistive) screen and a suite of applications that, on this buid, include the Google suite. Yes, Market is there. The device also appears to be rooted so beware, this could be a late development version of the firmware. If the final version doesn’t include the Google suite you’ll be looking at alternative app stores and sideloading as your route to apps like Kindle (600-wide screen is going to work well for that) Acast,Listen, Last.FM (excellent quality mono speaker) and your favorite twitter application. We’re testing out some video apps to see how it copes too. We expect to see a few issues (browser speed is certainly one to flag straight away) as we continue testing so stay tuned for more review and testing articles over the next weeks. (Note, due to IFA and IDF commitments and a Toshiba AC100 that was despatched to us today, time is very very tight right now. We’re going to do our best to get the important info out to you ASAP)
There are a slew of Android tablets which are heading our way but here’s one for the more budget conscious. The Smartbook designed ‘SURFER’ is a 7 inch tablet loaded with Android 2.1. For the €179 ($236 USD) price tag the specifications are actually quite impressive, a 720MHz Telechips TTC8902 processor, 256 MB DDR2 RAM, 2GB inbuilt storage, WiFi, microSD slot, webcam, 800×480 resolution display and a 1400mAh battery all make this a compelling option for someone in the market for such a device.
On top of that, Smartbook say the tablet is cable of 1080p output via its onboard HDMI port and supports flash, although we assume this is through flash lite.
Interestingly on the Smartbook site the tablet is priced at €249 ($328 USD) although at online retailer Marktkauf its a slightly more wallet friendly €179. The sleek package comes with a leather case and is available in German now.
There are a slew of Android tablets which are heading our way but here’s one for the more budget conscious. The Smartbook designed ‘SURFER’ is a 7” tablet loaded with Android 2.1. For the €179 ($236 USD) price tag the specifications are actually quite impressive, a 720MHz Telechips TTC8902 processor, 256 MB DDR2 RAM, 2GB inbuilt storage, WiFi, microSD slot, webcam, 800×480 resolution display and a 1400mAh battery all make this a compelling option for someone in the market for such a device.
On top of that, Smartbook say the tablet is cable of 1080p output via its onboard HDMI port and supports flash, although we assume this is through flash lite.
Interestingly on the Smartbook site the tablet is priced at €249 ($328 USD) although at online retailer Marktkauf its a slightly more wallet friendly €179. The sleek package comes with a leather case and is available in German now.
Carrypad is a place to check out the advanced, fun, easy, consumer-focused world of handhelds. We love the direction that Android, iOS, MeeGo, WebOS devices are heading to and we love the way that smartphones are taking on the ‘Mobile Internet Device’ theme but if you’re a productivity user or someone that relies on desktop Internet quality and applications, you might want to check this out.
The Viliv N5 has been with us for a few weeks and we’ve just posted an extensive review on UMPCPortal. Windows 7 + Optical Mouse + Touch + 3G + Voice + Slick design = A device that really could cross-over and appeal to people looking for a fun and quality mobile experience.
