Tablet and Mobile

Posts Tagged ‘iPAd Killers and Splashtop for the iPAD’

Don’t you just love adverts…. just about every so-called iPad killer has a 7” screen – about the same resolution as a mini-notebook -  try reading an A4 manual on THAT! But there is at least one 10” screen floating about – the iROBOT. http://www.apads.net/

This advert shows a new “iPad killer” – another Android product. On the surface of it, it looks JUST like an iPAD but at £179.00 it has to be a winner, right?

Well, let’s take a look. According to the ad, the unit is proving to be “the most popular MID table computer available…

Look at the key phrases… “10.2” high resolution screen”, “can be used with a 3d dongle”, “Microsoft Office Suite”, “Skype”… these are all powerful claims – I’ll have one – NOW.

 

But just hold on a minute.. the high resolution screen turns out to be only 600px high which means many modern websites will fall off the bottom. As for the dongle – no mention of WHICH dongles – I doubt VERY MUCH if a standard UK Vodafone dongle would work, OR if Voda have ever heard of the tablet and as for the oriental manufacturer helping you with Voda or Orange…

It has “Microsoft Office suite” – right? Wrong. Firstly it only comes with 256MB of RAM – and the “suite” comprises free Android readers for Microsoft Office – some office – maybe 2010, maybe not. As for SKYPE, well I’m only aware of one Android phone that SKYPE has been released for. What you ACTUALLY get with the unit is Android, a browser, Gmail and Google MAPS -  the rest you have to download and take pot luck with! Looking on web reviews the unit appears slow and does not like PDFs. No customer reviews in Amazon.

No camera in case you were hoping for one. No mention of battery life.

The colour display is a “resistance touch screen” – funny I thought they were capacitance touch screens – that should be interesting.

But here’s the biggy – it’s roughly the same size as an iPAD – as per the photo – BUT – according to at least one advert, it’s a WOPPING 1 INCH THICK!!!

Let’s wait and see – the HP Slate looks like having similar issues – it only has 600PX height and the battery looks to last half as long as the iPAD. It also runs Windows 7 – slow to start up and not really designed for pad operations – but you never know. The GALAXY I believe has the same screen size issue… only time will tell if this changes… how anyone can consider under 1024*768 is beyond me.. Often quoted is lack of ability to multitask in the iPAD – that will come in Oct/Nov with version 4.2 software – now if Steve Jobs would JUST get over his dislike of FLASH…… that is about the only thing that will give competitors the edge – though I understand APPLE and ADOBE are back to speaking with each other.

MEANWHILE if you really want an iPAD running Windows 7 and office and are prepared for tiny icons which are difficult to handle with big fingers.. don’t wait for Microsoft and HP to get their act together – may I suggest.. the iPAD!!  Checkout SPLASHTOP REMOTE!! It costs a couple of quid and lets you run your PC from your iPAD – and we’re talking sound and video including FLASH!!! Browse the BBC website – watch flash video – all the things that WERE difficult on your iPAD are now easy. All you need is a WIFI connection, the APP and a free driver on your PC or PCs.