Who needs a tablet computer? That is what I've been saying to my Apple Fanboy friends since the iPad came out. Honestly, if it weren't for the Vine program, I would not have gotten a tablet.
This thing is perfect for having in the kitchen and following recipes you found online or just reading an ebook while you let something simmer.
My first impression, out of the box is, I'm impressed. It seems to act just like my Android phone. It is very responsive for a 1GHz cpu.
The instructions that come with it are non-existent, a card with where the buttons are. Their support page gives a URL error. Their FAQs has no entries except for the specs.
Cons:
* The sound is very tinny. It is not very good, especially compared to my friend's iPad.
* No rear facing camera. So this is only good for chat. Can't really take pictures or use a scanner app. A little disappointing.
* The auto-brightness doesn't work very well for me. I think it makes the display too dark under all lighting conditions.
* It cannot play trailers from apple.com/trailers.
* The system tutorial in Settings->About Tablet doesn't work. It just returns to the previous screen.
* Android 2.2 is not designed for tablets. Google said this.
* The wireless can use 802.11n but only the 2.4GHz band and not the less cluttered 5GHz band.
* My biggest complaint is that both the on/off and the volume buttons are very hard to use. They are too small or too recessed.
Pros:
* The display is very nice and a good size.
* Price, though I think they could have sprung for more than a 4gb card. Even my phone came with 8bg card.
* Battery life seems real good. I've been using it for over 3 hours over two days and it is at 56%.
* The Android system is a plus. I hope it can be upgraded to 3.0+
* It comes with the Kindle app installed and ebooks look real nice. I do still like my Kindle better since it is so much lighter.
* Touch screen is very sensitive. I find if I press too hard, it doesn't work. But of course that kind of sensitivity can be bad too, because I press things I don't mean to all the time.
Some other notes: I tried Firefox mobile on it. It doesn't feel like Firefox and the password manager doesn't allow for a master password and that made me nervous. Also flash did not work with Firefox, so I removed it. I do not like the generic Browser on Android. So I will be looking for a new one.
I installed the "Hackers Keyboard" from the app store and really like that. No more hunting around for special keys, they are all there.
I played some games that required interaction of the touch screen and the motion detections system. Both worked very well.
You might think from all my cons that I don't like this tablet, but that is incorrect. Most of the cons are nits. If you are looking for a device that you can sit on the couch with, browse the web and check email, this is it. It would be nice if the speakers sounded better (I'm looking for an equalizer app) and if the buttons were easier to use, but this is a very nice device for $350.
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