I did not have a lot of expectations for the device as I have a ton of experience with white box CE devices but when comparing to similar Android devices the features out weighed the risk. Through out my review I will call it a device, not a tablet. That is because it is best to think of devices like this as a media device that happens to function like a tablet, rather than a full blown tablet.
First the Specs:
Amlogic M3（ARM Cortex A9 CPU, ARM Mali400 3D graphics acceleration hardware GPU）, 512MB DDR3
Android 4.0(also support Android 2.3)
5-point all function touch screen
Screen 5.0-inch(diagonal) Touch Screen
Resolution: 800-by-480-pixel
Wi-Fi(802.11 b/g/n) ; Support MSN, Email, Facebook and Skype etc.
Game Support Android Gravity and Touch games, Arcade games, GBA games, Nintendo N64 3D games, Nintendo FC and SEGA MD games etc.
Camera 0.3M Back Camera; Support Video Recording; Support JPG, BMP and PNG etc., browsing and slide show
TV-OUT HDMI 1080P
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
USB2.0 High Speed
3.5-mm stereo headphone mini jack
TF Card Slot,Max 32GB
Some concerns I had were from other reviews of the device one the web so I will address those first.
What I read - Not capacitive touch.
What I found - Untrue, it is definitely 5 point capacitive and very responsive.
What I read - Weak WiFi.
What I found - Not weak at all for an Android tablet/media device. I still did a couple of tweaks but over all satisfactory right out of the box. I started the download for GTA III and walked out to my car on the street, the download did slow but did not drop. After some tweaks it kept it's speed a little better still didn't drop.
What I read - Physically cheap/low quality screen.
What I found - Again not true, but it is also not your typical touch screen. It is not glass covered they use a soft screen like some MP4 players or the Pandigital e-readers and tablets. So some people not familiar with this type of screen can assume it is of lower build quality. One thing I like about this style is they are very responsive. If there is a negative they are almost always recessed in the case so you have a little edge. That does make touching things close to or on the edge a little harder.
What I read - Battery life low.
What I found - I don't know what will qualify for some people as low but I got a good 4 hours with WiFi on playing with the emulators. That is not bad even compared to similarly priced "real" tablets. One nice feature is there is a physical off switch for the WiFi so you don't have to worry about drain from repeated scanning in a weak signal area or if you start watching a movie or playing a game and forget to turn it off. You can just hit the switch.
Now for what I have found so far. I am surprised how well the buttons integrate with the operating system. You can move through menus, swap your home screens, and select options pretty easy after just a little getting used to it. You can pretty much do most basic tasks without ever touching the screen.
For the us geeks out there the device comes pre-rooted and it does overclock with OverClockWidget. I haven't tried SetCpu or any others yet. I got it to 1.5 and it seemed pretty stable but I run it at 1.0. The system is odexed which does make it run a little slower at boot, but some Google time and you can find ways to fix that. There are a couple custom ROMs out there but I don't see the need for one yet.
I tested a couple of the preinstalled emulators and they all run smooth. Some of the N64 games have minor sound issues but that is common even on PC based emu.
The controllers work well with the analog and digital d-pads, shoulder triggers, and Sony style STCX.
It has so far played every movie I have tossed at it. Flash Streaming is actually pretty good on non mobile enhanced sites. Netflix won't even load but I am playing around with it.
The sound? For a low end android device it borders on awesome. I am running at 1/3 volume and am hearing the games fine with a TV on in the room.
Aesthetically I am pretty happy with the device. It sites well in the hand, feels solid. Besides the recessed screen my only other issue is the camera placement. It is right under where my finger wants to rest when holding the device and I find my self pressing down on the lens cover. When I first tested the camera the pic looked fuzzy even for good light when I realized it was from my finger smudging the cover.
I do think there has been some kind of upgrade from the original white that might explain the 5 point touch instead of 3, the instructions and all files in English, and possibly some reports of build quality.
I tested the USB charging and it works well. The power management system seem to be a lot better than some smaller 4.3 inch devices. With WiFi on and playing a game it holds it charge when the USB connected. Most devices I have used including tablets will continue to discharge at a slow rate.
So far I am really pleasantly surprised with the device overall and would definitely recommend it for a check out. You just have to look at it for what it is and not on what it is not.
First the Specs:
Amlogic M3（ARM Cortex A9 CPU, ARM Mali400 3D graphics acceleration hardware GPU）, 512MB DDR3
Android 4.0(also support Android 2.3)
5-point all function touch screen
Screen 5.0-inch(diagonal) Touch Screen
Resolution: 800-by-480-pixel
Wi-Fi(802.11 b/g/n) ; Support MSN, Email, Facebook and Skype etc.
Game Support Android Gravity and Touch games, Arcade games, GBA games, Nintendo N64 3D games, Nintendo FC and SEGA MD games etc.
Camera 0.3M Back Camera; Support Video Recording; Support JPG, BMP and PNG etc., browsing and slide show
TV-OUT HDMI 1080P
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
USB2.0 High Speed
3.5-mm stereo headphone mini jack
TF Card Slot,Max 32GB
Some concerns I had were from other reviews of the device one the web so I will address those first.
What I read - Not capacitive touch.
What I found - Untrue, it is definitely 5 point capacitive and very responsive.
What I read - Weak WiFi.
What I found - Not weak at all for an Android tablet/media device. I still did a couple of tweaks but over all satisfactory right out of the box. I started the download for GTA III and walked out to my car on the street, the download did slow but did not drop. After some tweaks it kept it's speed a little better still didn't drop.
What I read - Physically cheap/low quality screen.
What I found - Again not true, but it is also not your typical touch screen. It is not glass covered they use a soft screen like some MP4 players or the Pandigital e-readers and tablets. So some people not familiar with this type of screen can assume it is of lower build quality. One thing I like about this style is they are very responsive. If there is a negative they are almost always recessed in the case so you have a little edge. That does make touching things close to or on the edge a little harder.
What I read - Battery life low.
What I found - I don't know what will qualify for some people as low but I got a good 4 hours with WiFi on playing with the emulators. That is not bad even compared to similarly priced "real" tablets. One nice feature is there is a physical off switch for the WiFi so you don't have to worry about drain from repeated scanning in a weak signal area or if you start watching a movie or playing a game and forget to turn it off. You can just hit the switch.
Now for what I have found so far. I am surprised how well the buttons integrate with the operating system. You can move through menus, swap your home screens, and select options pretty easy after just a little getting used to it. You can pretty much do most basic tasks without ever touching the screen.
For the us geeks out there the device comes pre-rooted and it does overclock with OverClockWidget. I haven't tried SetCpu or any others yet. I got it to 1.5 and it seemed pretty stable but I run it at 1.0. The system is odexed which does make it run a little slower at boot, but some Google time and you can find ways to fix that. There are a couple custom ROMs out there but I don't see the need for one yet.
I tested a couple of the preinstalled emulators and they all run smooth. Some of the N64 games have minor sound issues but that is common even on PC based emu.
The controllers work well with the analog and digital d-pads, shoulder triggers, and Sony style STCX.
It has so far played every movie I have tossed at it. Flash Streaming is actually pretty good on non mobile enhanced sites. Netflix won't even load but I am playing around with it.
The sound? For a low end android device it borders on awesome. I am running at 1/3 volume and am hearing the games fine with a TV on in the room.
Aesthetically I am pretty happy with the device. It sites well in the hand, feels solid. Besides the recessed screen my only other issue is the camera placement. It is right under where my finger wants to rest when holding the device and I find my self pressing down on the lens cover. When I first tested the camera the pic looked fuzzy even for good light when I realized it was from my finger smudging the cover.
I do think there has been some kind of upgrade from the original white that might explain the 5 point touch instead of 3, the instructions and all files in English, and possibly some reports of build quality.
I tested the USB charging and it works well. The power management system seem to be a lot better than some smaller 4.3 inch devices. With WiFi on and playing a game it holds it charge when the USB connected. Most devices I have used including tablets will continue to discharge at a slow rate.
So far I am really pleasantly surprised with the device overall and would definitely recommend it for a check out. You just have to look at it for what it is and not on what it is not.
