Laptops, Tablets & Netbooks: 2011

Product Details

7" iRobot APad iPed Epad Google Android Tablet WIFI Touch Screen
From Texas Teknology

List Price:	$199.99
Price:	$127.99

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by PLEXSUPPLY

13 new or used available from $114.99
Average customer review:

Product Description

Unique design and tons of features compliments of the 1.6 Android Operating System. Download thousands of helpful applications. Also has a USB port and Ethernet connetion to plug directly into internet connections. Webcam also featured on this unit. Specifications : CPU: VIA 8505 450Mhz Screen: 7 inch touch screen Screen resolution: 800*480 (16:9) Memory: 256MB DDR2 Harddrive: 2GB Net weight: 370g Dimensions: 200 * 127 *16mm Operation system: Android 1.6 Memory card slot: Micro SD card Network adapter: built-in IEEE802.11b / g (wireless LAN), RJ45 (through interface converter) Built-in speaker, microphone, audio/video output Online video playback Adroid application install/uninstall Skype / Google Talk E-mail client Photo format support: JPG/BMP/GIF/PNG Audio format support: MP3/WMA/APE/FLA/OGG/AC3 Video format support: MP4/FLV/H.263/H.264/RMBV Interface: USB 2.0 host / USB 2.0 device (through interface converter), power socket, microphone socket, MIC input / memory card slot Languages: Arabic(Egype), Arabic (Israel), Blugarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Duth, English, French, Finnish, Spanish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian Bokmal, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Chinese

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #86 in Personal Computers
Brand: Texas Teknology
Model: MID82

Features

Android 1.6 Operating System
USB & Ethernet Connection
Skype Application (Free Phone Calls)
MP3/MP4 Player (High Definition Video Playback)

Customer Reviews

Whoa, now. Hang on...

Right, so yes, this was advertised as an iRobot, but what was in fact delivered was an Epad/Flytouch. Not really a big deal, since I was really just looking for a 7" Android (1.6 or higher) tablet. And cheap. Which this is. Please see the first review for the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Google-Android-Tablet-camera/dp/B003XGNOY2/ref=pd_sim_pc_3

If you look around the web, it will be easy to find a HUGE fanbase that will be only too willing to help you identify the exact model/version of your Android tablet. However, buying any of these tablets is not for the faint of heart. You WILL have to do some messing about to get it to work the way you want, and you WILL be making some compromises. But that's why this thing is so cheap. Right? If you want easy, whether it is Andoid or iOS, you'll be spending four times more on your tablet, minimum.

With the help of the web I was able to install a new "improved" version of the OS (flash the ROM) on this tablet, and that has made the tablet so much more functional. Flashing a ROM is perfectly easy, and with the fanbase I mentioned earlier, you will be able to get this tablet working the way you want in very little time.

I now can use it to:

Listen to music (downloaded from my home server)

Watch YouTube videos, and other web videos

Read my Kindle books

Read my Nook books

Read my Aldiko books

Read my .pdf books (MS certs)

Play games (ok, don't look for high-end graphics)

Check my email

Login to the facebook app

Read Huffington Post, BBC, and AP mobile news

Synch with my Google calendar

And...ok you get the idea.

This is a great value tablet, but it does take some effort and is not as functional out of the box as the iPad. Big surprise, there.

Try it out. You might love it. Or wait for the holiday season and buy into a cell contract for a "nice" tablet.

***UPDATE***
11/21/2010
There are now a number of good Android tablets out there with later versions of Android (ex., Augen Gentouch). If you have a recent Android phone and a little experience with the apps, I would suggest getting a tablet with Android 2.0 or higher. The tablet will run a larger percentage of Android apps without much fiddling. To date there are VERY few tablets that have Android Market out of the box, so there will continue to be a need to do some research to get Market working. Good luck!

***UPDATE***
11/29/2010

I include a link for a suggested ROM for the Gome Flytouch or ePad. DISCLAIMER - this assumes your know your model is either of those two versions of this tablet. I do not know what the seller listed here is currently selling. As always, please create an account at the site I provide and have the experts there help you identify your tablet BEFORE flashing the ROM. Here you go (copy and paste into your browser address bar):

[link removed]

Also, there is a wiki I mention in the comments, below:

[link removed]
Mediocre tablet

So I have borrowed one of these from a coworker. Lately I get a bit more than 1 hour of battery life from it. Alternatively, instead of 'home', 'menu', and 'back' buttons like a proper Android device, it just has one button that sometimes seems to act as 'back' and sometimes seems to act as 'home'. There is a 'menu' button in the on-screen UI, but full screen apps sometimes hide it. Every time I try, I can't get any video to play correctly; it shows a fraction of a second of animation, then the video freezes while the audio keeps playing.

Droid devices should have more battery life and proper buttons. Really if it did, it would at least be a good ebook reader, but it's not even that. Obviously, the CPU is not that much faster than the Eken m001 (also available on Amazon), and that unit does have buttons and decent battery life. If you don't need to play videos and want the proper buttons, why not get the Eken instead?

Definitely I would recommend a different tablet, as well as searching google for forums about these devices.
UGHHHHHHH!

First lets start with the HORRIBLE customer service! i paid for EXPEDITED shipping and we got the regular 3-5 days!! That would have been okay if the product description/picture was the same as the product they sent me!! THIS IS NOT THE PRODUCT IN THE PICTURE!!! IT IS A "VARIATION" OF THE iROBOT BUT IT IS NOT THE REAL THING!! The "2" USB ports, and the "Ethernet" plug is EXTERNAL! and its not mini USB it REGULAR sized USB! IT COMES WITH NO CORDS! the only cord it came with was the charger. If you YouTube the REAL aPad you see that this picture looks like the real thing but it is NO WHERE NEAR THE REAL THING!! Please don't give these people your hard earned money cause you upset with this cheap "apad"! It also came with scratches on the screen!!!! the screen feels cheap and it moves! its just HORRIBLE! I am going to return this for the REAL iRobot!

Product Details

ASUS Eee PC T101MT-EU27-BK 10.1-Inch Convertible Tablet (Black)
From Asus

List Price:	$469.99
Price:	$447.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

14 new or used available from $447.99
Average customer review:

Product Description

10.1"/1024x600 (WSVGA), Touch Screen-Multi Touch (Multi-Touch only works with Windows 7 Home Prem or higher)/Intel ATOM N455 CPU/1GB DDR3/Intel UMA/250GB HDD/No ODD/Windows 7 Starter 32 bit/802.11 bgn/0.3M Pixel/35W/h polymer (Up 6.5* Hrs)/1 Year Global Warranty, (6 months for battery)/Black

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #88 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Asus
Model: T101MT-EU27-BK
Dimensions: 1.22" h x 7.13" w x 10.39" l, 2.86 pounds
CPU: Unknown 1.66 Hz
Memory: 0MB Unknown
Hard Disk: 250GB
Processors: 1
Battery type: Lithium Ion
Display size: 10.1

Features

Intel ATOM N455 CPU
1GB DDR2 1 x SODIMM slot; up to 2G; 250GB HDD; no optical drive
10.1" Touch Screen (Multi Touch functionality when loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium OS)
802.11 bgn; .3M pixel camera; 2-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC); 3 USB 2.0 ports
Windows 7 Starter OS; 35W/h polymer (Up 6.5* Hrs)

Customer Reviews

Easily met my expectations

I have had 24 hours to play with and customize this computer. So far it is meeting my expectations.

My last computer died on Thursday. It had a swivel screen that you could write on with a pen. It was a good computer but finally ghosted. After it died on Thursday I started thinking about getting a new one. My requirements were:
1. Small
2. Runs Microsoft office
3. Monitor out connection.
4. Swivel screen
5. windows 7
6. decent battery time.
7. decent internet
8. email
9. Not to expensive
10. Physical keyboard

Ironically, I was talking to my wife Thursday night (she was across the country)and telling her about my computer. I had turned on the t.v (something I rarely do) and QVC was on. They were advertising an earlier version of this computer for about $80 more than Amazon was asking for this computer. I did a quick search of the QVC site, then and internet search and wound up here. When I saw that they had a more updated version but cheaper it seemed like fate. I could not find any reviews of this version of the computer, but the previous had plenty of reviews that were mostly positive. since the two computers are basically the same, I decided to take the leap and am happy so far.

1. The reviews for the computer said that to get the full potential from this computer you would need to add a gig of memory and upgrade windows 7. I played around with the computer for a couple of hours before getting the upgrades. Definitely a noticeable difference and worth it. The memory cost about $35 and the windows 7 upgrade was $70. Altogether it cost about
$540 to get this computer up to its optimal configuration. The only reason I did not give the computer 5 stars is because I would rather them to have put a higher price tag on the computer and send it out with 2 gigs of memory and the windows upgrade then to have to go out and waste time doing it myself.

Pros: Meets my needs. I can type, surf the internet, take notes, read a book, use the keyboard or touchscreen. The computer works well, is relatively cheap, and seems to be sturdy. Is responsive and the hardware requirements are up to snuff for my needs. The touchscreen is more responsive than I thought it would be. You have pinch to zoom capability on both the touch screen and the mouse pad.

Cons:
1. Needs work to get up to optimal ability.
2. The keyboard is small and takes some getting use to. The page up key is right next to the shift key. I hit it better than 1/2 the time when I go to capitalize a letter and the cursor winds up in the line above it. It is annoying but I am sure I will get use to it. Also the cursor sometimes seems to have a mind of its own and I will be typing in one spot and the next thing I know I am typing somewhere else on the page.

Note: The computer would not read the extra gig of memory I put in until after Windows 7 was installed. Just something to keep in mind.

These are my first impressions. I will post an update in a week or two after I have had a chance to use more feature and put some serious time on the computer.

Overall, right now if your needs are similar to mine, I have no problem recommending this computer.

Great for school

This little netbook was exactly what I needed. I am currently a college student studying math, and I needed something that was small and portible to help with my organization. Little did I know that I would constantly be on this thing. I am able to take all my notes on it, the touch screen is extremely responsive and I can clearly read my own handwriting. One feature that I particularly like is the handwriting to mathematical formulas, so I don't have to search for specific symbols when typing up some homework. I also really like the fact that it is small. It fits perfectly in my backpack and I don't have to worry about it taking up too much space, unlike my 17" laptop which is massive. Just realize that this is a netbook, and it doesn't have the speed and capacity that a full size laptop or desktop has. I upgraded to full windows 7 to get the access to all touchscreen options, and I also upgraded my memory as well. I generally don't use it to watch videos or play games, just simply for homework, and to surf the internet from school, and read books off the kindle for pc or google books.
Great tool for the price, minor limitations

I ordered the ASUS Eee PC T101MT after my big laptop video card died. I wanted something more portable and lighter for my daily commute to the office and to take on vacations. I also wanted a tablet since I needed to be able to enter data while working and trying to hold a traditional laptop while walking through stores updating my Excel spreadsheets was too awkward. I looked at the current tablet offerings from Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry, and others and decided that they didn't meet business needs (I needed a business tool, not a toy). So I looked at netbooks and only found two that offered a touchscreen, the ASUS and a Lenovo. Amazon.com had the best price by far compared to other stores and I got the ASUS netbook with a larger hard drive for less than Office Depot!
The Eee PC tablet is fairly impressive, although it came with Win 7 starter which has only basic touch capabilities. I upgraded to Win 7 ultimate and added Office 2010 Professional Plus and IE9. It took a long time to install all the updates because the Atom processor is not as powerefull as the quad or dual core processors on larger laptops and I maxed out the RAM at 2G which is only adequate for Win 7. After installing all software, the netbook ran well. A little sluggish at times, but my goal was to load everything I might need and then start removing unnecessary software once I determined my usage habits.
The touch screen works well with both fingers and stylus. There is an occasional delay as the processor works to respond to input (web pages loading, resizing screens, etc) but overall, it is reasonably responsive. The hard disk is big enough to accomodate all my applications and data. The size of the keyboard is comfortable for my average sized hands. Having three input modes (keyboard, touchpad and touchscreen with finger or stylus) is really convenient. the screen is a good size that makes my normal daily tasks easy and the screen is sharp and bright although I haven't tested it outdoors yet. The overall weight of the unit is comfortable for me and the size is easy to hold. The battery has been holding its working charge for about 6 hours without using a power saving profile.
The only feature I would like to see added to this netbook would be a bluetooth transmitter. Since I have the touchscreen, I don't use my bluetooth mouse anymore, but being able to sync my cell phone without a cord would be convenient. Also, the touchscreen is a think flexible plastic layer that you can feel moving when using the stylus. Not as attractive as the gorilla glass on the Ipad, but it does allow the use of the stylus which the Ipad does not. I've not seen any reports on the lifespan of the touchscreen, but if it lasts more than 3-4 years (especially at the low price of this netbook) then I'll be happy.
All in all, I'm very pleased with this netbook. It's smaller and lighter than my old laptop and seems to do everthing it did just a little more sluggish. Hey, it's an inexpensive netbook and I can live with that!