Hisense budget Android tablets start at $99

These tablets aren't about being innovative. They're about being cheaper. But Hisense promises that screen brightness and battery life on the Sero 7 are better than average, too. That remains to be seen. Each tablet is Google-certified and features Hisense's smart remote software, which allows them to function with Hisense TVs in some capacity over a local network (it's software, not an IR blaster).
The Sero 7 LT is a 7-inch Android tablet with a 1.6-GHz dual-core CPU, 1,024x600-pixel IPS display, running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It houses a piddly 4GB of internal storage, but Hisense has the sense (ahem) to give it a microSD slot (supporting up to 32GB cards) as well.
There's also Mini-HDMI, Micro-USB, and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, all draining the battery down to a purported 4-hour duration. The Sero 7 LT ships with a bargain-basement price tag of $99.
An impressive price given its specs, especially when compared with the more expensive Asus Memo ME172V and HP Slate 7.

The Hisense LT and Pro get budget prices, pretty decent specs and features.

(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)

The Sero 7 Pro ships with Android 4.2, features a 1,280x800-pixel-resolution display, 8GB of storage, and includes a 1.3-GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU.
Other specs include a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 5-megapixel rear camera, Mini-HDMI, Micro-USB, and a microSD port. NFC, Bluetooth 3.0+EDR, and 1GB of operating RAM round out the spec details. The Pro also features a promised 7-10 hour battery life and ships for $149.
Sounds a lot like the Nexus 7, except it's $50 cheaper, includes storage expansion, and has a Mini-HDMI port. However, the Nexus 7 ships with 16GB of storage at its $200 price. Still, the Pro is one of the more exciting contenders to the best small android tablet PC throne. 745TDBanty 130528

Both tablets will be sold at Walmart stores starting May 24.
During some brief hands-on time, both Sero 7 models felt much like the Nexus 7: compact and plastic. Hardly exciting, but if you consider a big family outfitting all their kids with little $99 tablets, the savings makes sense. It also gives Walmart a clear ultracheap tablet PC strategy going up against Amazon, in a...sense.

The Sero 7 Pro being held by a hand. Riveting, I know.

The Best Kindle Fire Yet

The good: The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 has zippier navigation than its 7-inch counterpart, a beautiful high-definition screen, incredibly fast 4G LTE speeds, seamless streaming performance, and access to one of the best media eco systems available. The new Fire HD interface feels better suited on the 8.9-inch screen.

The bad: Web performance is lacking compared with that of other tablets. Its physical design is fairly plain with buttons that are too flush with its chassis. The curated Appstore means many games and non-entertainment quality apps are not available. There's a $15 opt-out for ads.

The bottom line: If you're looking for a pure media consumption experience, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 delivers better than any android tablets before it. People looking for something more utilitarian, however, will want to look elsewhere.

On March 13, 2013, Amazon cut the starting prices of both the Wi-Fi and 4G versions of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. The Wi-Fi version now starts at $269 (down from $299), and the 4G version's new starting price is $399 (down from $499). Some text in our review has been changed to reflect this, but the tablet's rating remains unaltered.

If you're interested in purchasing a Kindle Fire, know that the Fire HD 8.9 is the version to get. It has a large 1,920x1,200-pixel-resolution screen that facilitates Amazon's current Kindle Fire interface better than the 7-incher. Also, its faster processor makes for a much smoother and zippier experience.
The Fire HD 8.9's unique screen size lands in between the 7.9-inch iPad Mini and the 9.7-inch iPad. While the iPad Mini carries with it the trump card advantage of Apple's ecosystem and industry-leading App Store, the Fire HD 8.9’s lower pricing, superior streaming capability, and higher-resolution screen make it a better deal if you’re looking for a media consumption device. Especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member. The Mini does have speedier performance and as mentioned, many more app options, however.
The fourth-generation iPad is still the ultimate premium android tablet PC. Its performance in just about everything beats all other tablets, and it's the best doorway to the most and highest-quality apps you can find on any mobile device. But, the Fire HD 8.9 has superior video-streaming prowess and is also a lot cheaper than the iPad in both Wi-Fi (starting at $269) and 4G LTE (starting at $399) models.

I should also note that Barnes & Noble offers the 9-inch Nook HD+ for $269 as well, with a slightly higher-resolution screen than the Fire HD's as well as expandable storage. The Nook ecosystem however isn't as mature, nor is its app store as well-stocked as Amazon’s. There’s also no 4G version of the Nook HD+.
The Fire HD 8.9’s $269 entry price is a fantastic deal, as the content and services Amazon provides are well worth the price. It’s not as versatile as the iPad or Nexus 10, but it’s the best version of the Kindle Fire yet and the best media consumption tablet PC out there.

Samsung Tablet 10.1 Review

If you’re looking for Samsung Tablet 10.1 reviews then I’m really glad that you find this website. I strongly recommend that you keep reading as this is my underscored review regarding the new Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. The world is becoming smaller due to all the latest inventions are taking place daily. Today, in this fast and competitive market tablet pc is becoming more popular among people due its completeness and flexibility.

Samsung tablet 10.1

Merits : Samsung tablet 10.1 with its thinner and lighter body and first ever Android Honeycomb Operating System makes it different from others. At the same time having 3-megapixel back and a 2-megapixel front camera, and great user experience. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 can be in everyone’s dream.

Demerits : Having plastic back interface, data sharing problem with no USB and SD slot and less solid than iPad 2. 745TDBanty 130528

The bottom line: Samsung tablet 10.1 can be a good tablet to get one.

Here I would like to include that Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 released back in 2011. It took its command in the market from the first day of arrival. This Samsung tablet became the first choice among people due to its simplicity, well skilled design. It looks like it took inspiration from iPad and managed to get the cleanest design around the android tablet industry.

The first ever Honeycomb tablet, The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will soon be upgraded to Android 4.0 Jelly bean and claim to be the one of the lightest and thinnest tablet around.

Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1

Display: Samsung tab 10.1 got a cool 10.1-inch screen having 0.8-inch black bezel around it and with silver aluminum outlines all edge of it. Since Samsung’s are best known for its camera quality and here Samsung Tablet 10.1 got a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Specifications:  In the designing department it got a good mark with its power/sleep button on the left to right edge of the tab. It also has the volume rocker and headphone jack on that edge too.  Two speakers on the right and left side of the tablet PC and a universal connection port at the bottom edge.

Back Side: In my Samsung galaxy tablet 10.1 review I have to say, the demerit that I found are its back side. It has a plastic back which doesn’t give a solid feel like iPad 2 and which makes it uncomfortable and unsafe.

Other Things: The Samsung Tablet 10.1 doesn’t have any USB or HDMI port not even SD card port. So it can be said that sharing files or things can be a bit tougher. But at the same time it has built-in storage up to 32GB is a good part.

Samsung tablet 10.1 Other Specifications

OS	Android OS, v3.0 Honeycomb
Chipset	Nvidia Tegra 2 T20
CPU	Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9
GPU	ULP GeForce
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, compass
Browser	HTML, Adobe Flash

Still the best small tablet

Several months after its debut, the Nexus 7 is still an excellent tablet. The 8GB version is gone and the tablet now starts at $199 for 16GB. Paying $249 nets you the 32GB version, and the 32GB version with HSPA+ is available for $299.
Since the debut of the Nexus 7, we've seen the release of three major small tablets: the Kindle Fire HD, the iPad Mini, and the Nook HD. Each tablet has its own strengths; your choice will eventually come down to which tablet best fits your needs.
However, thanks to its low price, great battery life, sharp screen, and complete and open Android 4.2 environment, overall, the Nexus 7 is still the best small tablet you can buy.

Design
Aside from its new SIM card slot and slightly heavier weight, the Nexus 7 with HSPA+ is identical in look and feel to the original Wi-Fi-only version. It's yet another black tablet in a long line of black tablets; however, it does its best to break from the cookie-cutter mold of most slates. Chief among those efforts is a leathery, grippy back texture, similar to what we've seen on the Acer Iconia Tab A510, but with both "Nexus" and "Asus" embossed on it. It may not look like much, but this seemingly small bit of design panache makes the tablet one of the most comfortable I've ever held.
Then there's the bezel. Held in portrait mode, the right and left side bezels of the tablet are refreshingly thin, while the top and bottom are thicker than what I usually find on 7-inch tablets. While the thicker bezels can be useful as a place to rest your thumbs while holding the tablet, they are a bit too thick for my taste and make the tablet feel needlessly long.

	Google Nexus 7	Amazon Kindle Fire HD	Barnes & Noble Nook HD	Apple iPad Mini
Weight in pounds	0.76	0.86	0.68	0.68
Width in inches (landscape)	7.8	7.7	7.65	7.87
Height in inches	4.7	5.4	5	5.3
Depth in inches	0.4	0.4	0.43	0.28
Side bezel width in inches (landscape)	0.8	0.9	0.3/0.5

Speaking of holding, the Nexus 7 is noticeably lighter than the Kindle Fire HD, but isn't as wispy as the iPad Mini or Nook HD. It's the same thickness as the Fire HD and a bit thinner than the Nook HD, but it can't compete with the iPad Mini's slightness.
When the Nexus 7 is held in portrait mode and viewed from the front, the 1.2-megapixel front camera sitting in the middle of the top bezel is its lone distinguishable feature. On the right edge toward the top is the power/lock button, closely followed by the volume rocker. Following the right edge down and around to the bottom reveals a headphone jack, with a Micro-USB port in the middle of bottom edge. Right above that, on the back, is a horizontally aligned 2-inch-long speaker slit. The HSPA+ version of the tablet houses a SIM card slot in the middle of the left edge.

Enter the cellular option!

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

That's it, though. No memory expansion, no HDMI-out, and no back camera. Their exclusion is likely a cost-saving measure, but this simplified design also serves to make the tablet that much more approachable for the tablet layman.
Android 4.0, the second
If you've seen Android 4.1 on the Wi-Fi version of the Nexus 7, visually you'll have a good idea of what to expect from version 4.2. It has the same controlled, focused feel and is less intimidating to the uninitiated than the typical Android tablet interface. It also feels less constrained than its original implementation.
The now-familiar tray on the bottom of the home screen is by default filled with Google services apps such as Play, Music, Books, YouTube, and Magazines. There's also a folder housing Chrome as well as Google Maps, Google Plus, Gmail, and other services. Directly in the middle of the tray is the apps button. Swiping up from the home button and across the apps button takes you to Google Now, Google's predictive personalized helper.

The apps tray now features smaller icons than before.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Google Now uses voice recognition to field queries and displays information such as the current weather, local bus schedules, and nearby restaurants you may be interested in. The thought is that Google Now will give you information when you need it. If it's 5 p.m. and you're about to leave work, it will conceivably update you with traffic information without you having to fetch it. The information would just appear in Google Now at the right time. I've spent a few weeks using Google Now and while I can appreciate its value, since I walk to work, don't travel much, and am not really into sports, its usefulness to me is very limited.
The new new
There are quite a few new features in Android 4.2; some interesting and useful, others just kind of cool. First, the Gesture Type feature is Google's native OS answer to Swype. I'm not a Swype user, but I was impressed by Gesture Type's ability to accurately interpret my finger sliding and determine, for the most part, what I wanted to type. It did, however, have trouble with the word "badass," which is kind of unacceptable to me.
Tablet PC settings can now be accessed much more quickly. Simply swipe down from the top-right corner to reveal a tray of shortcuts, including brightness, Wi-Fi settings, general settings, battery life, airplane mode, and so on.

That smooth textured back kind of makes the Nexus 7's design.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Magnification attempts to take advantage of the screen's 1,280x800-pixel resolution. After enabling in settings, if you tap the screen three times in quick succession, assets on the screen will magnify in the section where you tapped. This is different from zooming, which scales images and text and applies anti-aliasing to smooth things out. Magnify simply makes things bigger. It's a nice feature for those with poor eyesight, but I was disappointed by the lack of anti-aliasing.
Daydreams is essentially an interactive screensaver that plays when the android tablet PC is asleep and charging. You can choose to display a clock, colors, jelly beans, or, my favorite implementation, Google Currents. Stories from your feed will slowly scroll across the screen, and tapping any of them opens the story in the Currents app.
Gmail gets a new design and a new, awesome feature. Awesome to me, at least. When viewing your inbox, you can now swipe messages away to archive them. As a person who gets a lot of spam in his inbox, this well-implemented addition is one of those details that seems small on paper, but makes a huge difference to your experience.

Thanks to its comfortable design and sharp screen, the Nexus 7 is one of the best e-readers out there.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Multi screen
Multi Screen implements users accounts in Android 4.2. Simply add a new user from the Settings>Users menu and follow the steps to setup an additional user account. New user accounts and all content on those accounts can be deleted by the tablet owner (the primary account) at any time. Also, any other user accounts on the tablet can accept updated app permissions on behalf of the additional account.
To switch to a new user you’re required to enter the lock screen, select the user icon and then unlock the android tablet. This is a less elegant solution than the Nook HD’s implementation of profiles which allows you to simply tap the user account at the top of the screen, select your new user, and watch your content change to the new user’s content before your eyes.

Asus MeMo Pad 7: Is It An Affordable Alternative To Samsung Nexus 7

There is no second thought that almost all the Android devices from Samsung displays a strong performance, compared to other Android powered devices in the comparative categories and that has made it very hard for other manufacturers to cope up with the competition against the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer.

Asus was one them, who are facing a tough challenge from its Android counterpart that delayed the release of their Android MeMo Pad 7, which was announced way back in January by the company. However, the device is finally released and seems the company took it’s own time in planning the marketing strategy and have finally succeeded with their plans by reducing price upto $50 when compared to the mighty Samsung Nexus 7 at price of just $149.

Asus’ new Android Tablet PC looks very much similar to it’s main competition, at least when they are kept side by side powered off, but the Memo Pad comes with low resolution 1024×600 display, which could be a setback if one can afford an extra $50 and definitely the Nexus 7 is an incredible one.

Nevertheless, if you can afford only $150 the MeMo Pad definitely is the one to go with, since specifications are powerful enough with a 1 GHz VIA processor, combined with 1 GB RAM running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean along with a custom skin. This tablet PC is also loaded with a few extra widgets and holds an extra button on the bezel for convenient use of floating apps.

Another major loss of purchasing this tablet is that the device is fitted with a 1 megapixel front camera that is rather disappointing, since the devices priced even less are fitted at least 2 to 5 megapixel camera, either on back or front.

Ultimately, the company seems to have wasted their time in releasing a very disappointing Android Tablet PC that’s claimed to be competing against one of the most popular 7 inch tablet at just a difference of $50 and lacks many things, or rather uncomparable. Personally, I would with the Nexus 7 for an extra $50 and if I can’t afford, I would would cut coming month’s budget, instead of regretting for the mistakes.

Zero Devices Z802 mini PC Unboxing and Review

The AllWinner A10 based Z802 and the Telechips TCC8925 based Z900. Today, I’ll show the unboxing pictures of the Z802 and review the device, and I’ll take care of Z900 mini PC another day.

Zero Devices Z802 Package

Zero Devices Z802 is actually the same design as Rikomagic MK802, and was released about 2 weeks earlier, but fate made the media “gods” hype MK802 instead of Zero Device Z802. This mini PC features AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 processor clocked at up to 1.5 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB flash,  built-in Wifi 802.11 b/g/n, a mini USB OTG port, USB 2.0 host port, a microSD card slot and an HDMI female connector. I received the device in the package pictured on the left.

Once you open the box, you’ll see the Z802 on top, and once you pull off the cover, you’ll see quite a lot of accessories (Pictured below):

• USB to mini USB cable
• 5V/2A power supply
• USB female to mini USB adaptor
• mini HDMI to HDMI cable
• mini CD with English user manual
• Zero Devices Authenticity Card

The Authenticity Card contains a number at the back that allows to register your product on zero-devices.com, and access a VIP Area where you can access the Download section (Only the user manual is available, the same file as in the CD, but I’ve been told firmware will come very soon), forums (ready, but yet to be opened), promotions (nothing at this time) and contact section. The contact form in the VIP area is different from the general contact section on the site, so you may be able to get support faster via this channel.

Let’s connect Z802 to the TV via the mini PC HDMI to HDMI cable, connect a USB mouse and the power supply, and get started. There has probably been a lot of reviews of MK802 HDMI TV Sticks, but I’ll give it a go anyway.

Review Oval Elephant Android / Linaro mini PC HDMI Stick

Since Rikomagic MK802 and Zero Device Z802 mini PCs have gone viral and started the Android mini PC craze, this type of device has been popping a bit everywhere… The latest interesting device I found is Oval Elephant Mini PC based on AllWinner A10 processor with 1 GB RAM and selling for 71.49 USD. They have appears to have a whooping 11 in stocks now to be shipped on the 3rd of July, but they are also taking pre-orders and if there is enough demand (over 1,000 pieces), the price would go down to 68 USD.

Oval Elephant mini PC Prototype

The device pictured above is just a prototype, and they have decided to replace the HDMI mini male output by a proper HDMI output (probably male). As I said before I prefer this form factor, especially since you can just connect mini BlueTooth dongles (no sure that one works with Android / Linux though) to add BT connectivity and use your BT wireless keyboard and mouse.

Here are the specs of the device:

SoC	Allwinner A10/ 1GHz Cortex-A8 with Mali-400
RAM	1GB DDR3
Storage	4GB NAND Flash
	Micro TF card,max 64GB
Connectivity	Wireless 802.11b/g/n
USB	Micro 5pin USB / USB2.0 OTG
Audio	AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
Video	WMV/ASF/MP4/3GP/3G2M4V/AVI/MJPEG/RV10/DivX/VC-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/H.263/H.264
HDMI	Full HDMI port (not mini) 1080P&2160P
HDMI ESD	3xRailClamp0502B
Power Chip	AXP209

Some of the specs on the Oval Elephant are blatantly wrong (e.g. Adreno GPU – AMD Z430), so I modified it on the list above. The specs have now been updated.

You would not normally mention things like HDMI ESD and power chips in a product spec, but they did that because MK802 designers took some shortcuts that can potentially fry the device… and Oval Elephant chose to use a more reliable design. It has also been reported that they will include UART pins on the board so that hackers can “play” with low level software.

By default the device will come pre-loaded with Android 4.0, but they also plan to release XBMC and Ubuntu Linaro images. Using Linaro image for end-user devices is probably not something you would not normally do, as it may not be as stable as the proper Ubuntu release, but those are the best distributions for ARM development as you get the bleeding edge features with monthly releases of the image.

The package includes the HDMI stick, a wireless mouse and a mini USB cable to power the device.

The price does not include shipping, so in the case of the US you’ll have to add about 
$11 (now reduced to $7.95). Currently it seems it will only ship to select countries. For example, shipping to Thailand is not available.The site has been updated and they can now send to Canada for $14.95 and Worldwide for $19.99.

Go over Oval Elephant page to learn more about their device. Bear in mind that this is a new site (Dec 2011) and a least part of the checkout is not encrypted via SSL. To be fair, I could just go to the address and contact details part, and I’m now waiting for my account to be activated. So I did not go as far as the payment info page.

Early build of CyanogenMod for the MK802 Mini PC

CyanogenMod is a custom version of Android based on Google’s open source software. It includes a number of performance tweaks and customization options you won’t get from most other versions of Android including notification bar and lock screen enhancements and CPU controls.
While the MK802 Android 4.0 Mini PC isn’t officially supported by the CyanogenMod team, independent developer Christian Troy has ported the software to run on a range of devices with Allwinner A10 processors. And that includes the $7oish MK802 Mini PC.

Installing CyanogenMod on the MK802 takes a bit of time and patience at the moment.
First you have to install ClockworkMod Recovery on the little computer. That’s not extraordinarily difficult to do, because the version of Android 4.0 that comes with the MK802 already includes root access.
But you’ll need to install BusyBox, SuperUser, and an app called Script Manager from the Play Store and then follow the instructions at the Rikomagic forum to download and install ClockworkMod Recovery.
Once you’ve done that, you can reboot into recovery — but you may be greeted by a screen that shows the same options four different times, and which doesn’t respond well to keyboard and mouse input.

Through a lot of trial and error (pressing up and down keys and hitting the left mouse button to select), I managed to create a backup of my device on a removable SD card.
Then you’ll want to download the latest nightly version of CyanogenMod 9 for Allwinner A10 devices, the latest Google Apps package for Android 4.0, and the latest MK802 compatibility zip file and install them one at a time using ClockworkMod recovery.
Again, the Rikomagic forum has links and instructions.
Once that’s done, you should be able to reboot into CyanogenMod 9… but that may be as far as you get. Some users are reporting that sound doesn’t work, nor does video decoding.
I was able to boot into Android, watch the system update applications… and then reboot and get stuck on the boot logo.
Fortunately if you get stuck in this situation you can always connect the MK802 to a PC and use the LiveSuit recovery utility to flash the latest official MK802 firmware to the mini PC. This will wipe all of your data — but if you’ve already used ClockworkMod to make a backup, once you’re done you can re-install ClockworkMod recovery, insert your microSD card and restore from your backup.
For now, it’s nice to know that it’s possible to install CyanogenMod and other custom firmware using ClockworkMod… but I’d suggest that casual users wait until the kinks are worked out.

All new Dual Core RK3066 Android 4.0 Mini PCs look like

A couple of companies have started promoting new Android mini PCs featuring dual core Rockchip RK3066 ARM Cortex-A9 processors over the past week. Now South African distributor Reno Botes has received his first shipment from the manufacturer, and he plans to start filling orders tomorrow.
But he’s also taken the time to share a few photos with us, so we can get a better look at what the little computers look like.

The mini PC is the size of a large USB flash drive — if a flash drive had a dual core CPU, 4GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM, as well as a microSD card slot, full and micro-sized USB ports, 802.11n WiFi, and an HDMI connector.
The little computer runs Google Android 4.0 and it’s designed to be plugged directly into the HDMI port on a TV. You can hook up a mouse and/or keyboard to navigate through the Android interface.
There case is pretty much covered with vents, which should help keep the little computer from overheating.
Botes also included a few photos of the retail packaging and images of what the mini PC looks like when you remove its plastic shell if you want to go for that Raspberry Pi-esque look.
Reno Botes isn’t the only one offering this sort of product. This week US retailer Oval Elephant started taking pre-orders for an identical android mini PC for $90. It’s expected to start shipping in September.
Meanwhile, a company called Minix plans to launch a similar device called theMinix NEO G4 soon. Like the other two mini PCs, it features a Rockchip RK3066 dual core processor. But the Neo G4 comes with 8GB of storage instead of 4GB. The case design is also a little different.

Kimdecent B12 Rockchip RK3066 HDMI TV Dongle Features a 2MP Webcam

Kimdecent has added a new Rockchip RK3066 Android 4.1.1 mini PC to its offering. The device comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity, and a feature I’ve never seen in any other PC-on-a-stick: a 2 MP camera for video conferencing with Skype or Google talk.

Apart from the webcam, the rest of B12 specifications are very similar to MK808:

• SoC – Rockchip RK3066 dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.6GHz + Mali400 quad core GPU
• System Memory – 1GB RAM
• Storage – 8GB ROM + microSD slot (up to 32GB)
• Connectivity
  • WiFi 802.11/b/g/n 150Mbps
  • Build-in Bluetooth 2.1
• USB – 1x Full Size USB 2.0 + 2x micro USB ports
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4 output+ AV output
• Camera – Build-in 2MP webcam
• Audio I/O – Mic
• Misc – Hardware Standby key, software power off key, and recovery hole.
• Dimensions – 97.5 x 39.8 x 9.8mm
• Weight – 42g

The package contains Kimdecent B13 Android Mini PC, a power supply, a USB Cable, an HDMI Cable, an OTG cable, an AV cable, an “hold” kit, and a user manual in English.The “hold” kit (there must be a better word) is used to hold the mini PC horizontally in order to use the webcam. I’m not sure how convenient this is compared to a standard USB webcam connected to a mini PC.

The firmware has been improved with software power off, and video playback is now full screen (Status bar hidden). This is the mini PC with the most features I’ve seen, and it costs $67.99 on Kimdecent shop on Aliexpress. I could not find it on other shops for now.

ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GB Perfect for the Price

Featuring a unique design with the most compressed Android, the Archos 101 Internet Android Tablet is a 10.1-inch multi-touch pinch and zoom capabilities, a fast 1 GHz for the Internet browsing and playback high-definition multimedia and multitasking between applications Android 2.2 (nicknamed "Froy"), the ARCHOS 101 features support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, you can visit the Web sites and streaming video without compromise.

    The ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GB features a patented construction process, which uses a form of PVD stainless steel, which allows the tablet to be smaller, thinner and lighter - and therefore easier to carry. Measuring only 0.47 inches thin and weighs just over 1 pound.

    An integrated stand allows hands-free multi-position, which allows you to define the ARCHOS 101 in a standing position (60 degrees) to use the display as a PC monitor with an external keyboard or low (30 degrees) to use the keyboard virtual.

    With ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi, you can connect to your home or office wireless network and areas where you are. An integrated webcam means you can make video calls with friends and family. In addition, a new feature in the settings menu Android allows the device to be connected to a 3G phone via Bluetooth or USB to connect to the Internet anywhere.

An integrated kickstand makes it easy to type using the virtual keyboard

    This version of the ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet offers 8 GB of internal memory can be expanded using microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. Includes an HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV or a compatible monitor and a USB port for transferring large files between your PC and connect an external keyboard.

    Other features include a variety of pre-loaded software (the application of productivity for 3D car game Raging OfficeSuite Thunderlite), e-mail client that can handle e-mail accounts, multi-format media player for music and video and up to 10 hours of battery life while surfing the web.

Key Features

Unique Android Multimedia Applications

    At the top of the latest version of Android, the ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet features a series of exclusive music videos and photo applications that allow you to navigate seamlessly through the album covers and screen reader that allows immediate access and control of media. One of those features - 3D Album Cover question - can slip into your music by album cover. You can also make your own playlists and navigate your favorite songs and music, recently played or recently added.

   Why do you want to enjoy your videos and television programs without re-encoding software with complicated life easier by supporting the ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet video and audio formats than the standard Android. You can also display subtitles and alternate audio tracks - all you need to do is drag, drop and play.

The innovative photo browser.

   Browse through photos with a flick of the finger or a presentation of the last holiday with music and transition effects. You can also display photos uploaded to your friends Facebook or other photo sharing sites. The high resolution screen perfectly reproduces the images so you can easily zoom in to see the details, there is no limit.

   Other multimedia features of ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet include the application of frames with an Internet connection with 3D transitions and the ability to sync photos with Facebook, Picasa or Flickr.

Connectivity to TV and PC

    With its TV output, the ARCHOS 101 internet tablet displays every Android screen on your compatible widescreen HDTV or monitor. You can then browse your files or the Internet from your couch.

    The ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet also offers the Samba and UPnP protocols. This means that to play movies, videos and photos on your ARCHOS 101, but is actually located on your computer in another room. There is no need to store everything on your ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet to see how to get your files via Wi-Fi

Connect to a compatible HDTV using the HDMI port.

Read or Edit Your Office Documents

  The ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet with the application preloaded OfficeSuite allows you to create, modify or revise all Office documents. This office suite compatible with Microsoft Office lets you manage all your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. 

   This application also serves as a central place for managing documents both online and offline. It offers many advanced features including the extraction of ZIP files, the zoom mode, download files, the options for text encoding, and more. The ARCHOS 101 is also compatible with other formats such as PDF, RTF and electronic books.

What's in the Box

ARCHOS 101 internet tablet, power charger, USB cable, Quick Start Guide (QSG)

The ARCHOS 101 measures just 0.47 inches thin.

 Specifications

• Internal memory: 8 GB
• External memory: microSD/SDHC card slot (up to 32 GB)
• Display: 10.1-inch TFT LCD screen, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Operating system: Android 2.2 (Froyo)
• Pre-installed applications: Aldiko, Ebuddy, Wikipedia, Avecomics, HubKap, Deezer, Mewbox, Raging Thunderlite (a 3D car demo game), WordNewspaper, Touiteur, Fring
• Processor: 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8; 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator
• Wi-Fi: Wireless-N (802.11b/g/n)
• Bluetooth: Version 2.1+EDR
• Video output: HDMI
• HD video: Up to 720p resolution with compatible format
• Subtitles: Supports files with .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub extensions
• Video format compatibility: MPEG-4 and MPEG-4 HD; H.264 HD; WMV9/VC1
• Music format compatibility: MP3; WMA; WMA-Pro 5.1; WAV; AAC; AAC+ 5.1; OGG Vorbis; FLAC
• Photo format compatibility: JPEG; BMP; PNG;GIF
• Battery life: Up to 36 hours of music playback; up to 7 hours of video playback; up to 10 hours of web surfing
• Dimensions: 10.65 x 5.91 x 0.47 inches
• Weight: 16.95 ounces 

Customer Reviews for ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GB

 

Archos 101 is Perfect for the Price

 

    Is the Archos 101 an ipad, no. But does it do just about everything, yet TONS more. YES!

    The build quality is actually pretty good, no it's not made out of the same material as a Macbook Pro or the ipad. But it's actually pretty well built for only being $299. I mean really, you can't expect to much for $299.

    The ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GB for the price is actually very good. I love mine. I have a 32GB MicroSD in mine and I have plenty of Storage. Android 2.2 should be dropping on the device any day now. I heard tomorrow.. Just a few things that make the Archos 101 way better than the ipad are: Camera, USB Host Slot, Micro USB Slot, MicroSD Slot, HDMI OUT IS HUGE FOR ME. oh and it runs Android. That little Green Robot that is taking over the world.

    HDMI out works great to my TV. Watching movies are extremely clear and audio sync's fine, Playing games also works great over HDMI. Overall this is a great device. I can access data or files over my network wirelessly, from the internal storage, the MicroSD Storage, and even a USB stick, or USB Hard Drive all at the same time with this thing. So technically it's storage space is unlimited.. This thing rocks! 

The Good device Blackberry Playbook 7" Tablet Wi-Fi

Then you've probably been waiting for a while for RIM to enter the tablet market with their long-overdue BlackBerry Playbook. RIM's been touting a couple of features that were a first for any tablet at the time - namely two cameras, one front and one back, HD output and a mini-HDMI port, along with finally releasing the new QNX OS (which RIM badly needed).

    Well, unfortunately for RIM, they once again took their time getting this to consumers, and the end result is once again a whole bunch of those new features aren't really new anymore. IPad 2 introduced the two camera system for Apple, and I believe the new Galaxy 2 tablet coming out in a few months will have it as well. A bunch of tablets are also now HD-capable, and a bunch also have HDMI ports.

Anywho - I picked Blackberry Playbook Android Tablet up today from Best Buy, and to sum it up in a sentence: classy, but expensive.

PROS:

1) The OS. By George, RIM finally has a decent OS!! If anyone has ever had or messed around with a Blackberry phone, one of the biggest gripes you'll have is that the OS is just... well, crappy. OS 5 and 6 were big improvements - but they still each leave alot out (like the browser - god, does Blackberry's browser suck at times), especially when you check out an IPhone or Android phone.

    The QNX is RIM's newest OS, and I hope they move their phones over to it ASAP. Clean, snappy, and doesn't actually use all that much memory - if you delve into the settings of the device. I will add, though - that as soon as I turned on my Blackberry Playbook, it had to update the OS. Nice RIM - already pushing out updates.... Doesn't bode well, but we'll see.

2) Screen. I'll give RIM credit, they did awesome here. The screen on the Blackberry Playbook is nothing short of stellar. I played the movie Megamind (great movie) in HD on it, and it looked fantastic. Even better, hooked it up via HDMI to a projector, and it looked fantastic on the wall too. 7" may be a little small to people - IPad's is almost 10", and so is Galaxy 2 (supposedly - we'll see) - but I like the 7" screen personally. I don't really need a bigger screen - that's what I have a laptop for.

3) Weight. This also might be a touchy subject - but again, I personally like a device that feels solid in my hands. The Blackberry Playbook definitely fits this bill. Although it only technically weighs 1 pound, it feels much heavier. The construction seems excellent - putting pressure on various points, the device barely bends.

4) Blackberry Bridge. Hell yeah RIM - I do NOT want to pay extra for another 3G data plan. Instead, what RIM does is by tethering your Blackberry phone to the Blackberry Playbook, you can use the data plan on your phone to get the internet on your Playbook - and it works right out the box!! You don't even need a cable - it also works via BlueTooth!! Only problem - just works with Blackberry phones. If RIM updated this to work with all phones, that would make it literally perfect.

CONS:

1) Price. Jeez, 499 for the base model - 16 GB. 64 GB rings in at 699. (These prices come from Best Buy). It's a nice device, don't get me wrong, but 500 bucks for the base model?? There's a bunch of cheaper options out there. Especially with the size of the device - it's a little hard to justify. I hope RIM fixes this problem soon, for their sake.

2) Apps. Always seems to come back to this as well for RIM. The apps for Blackberry Playbook - at the time of this - equal less than 100. Yeah, that's right. With the new OS, that means that all apps have to be rewritten to be able to work with the Blackberry Playbook - and be able to handle the bigger screen.

    I believe the IPad has over 25,000 apps specifically made for it, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola XOOM both use Android - and have its market to work with. Clearly RIM has an uphill battle here. Hopefully RIM supporting Flash on the Playbook will help the apps roll in, but I wouldn't hold my breath...

3) No e-mail support. As of right now - the Blackberry Playbook does not work with BES servers. That means no enterprise e-mail support, or ability to control the device via IT policies. You must be joking RIM. Seamless e-mail support is the main reason people get Blackberries, and you can't make the Blackberry Playbook to support this?? Fail....

MOTOROLA XOOM VS IPAD 2 Comparison Reviews. I prefer Xoom over iPad 2

First of all let me say that I own Apple and Google Android /. I have an iPod Touch and have played with a member of the household IPAD itself. IPAD2 also played a little and I have a friend at the store on launch day. Currently I have the original Droid and looking to move to the new Android phones this summer. It hard not to compare Xoom to its competitor aka iPad 2. Therefore, this hotfix requires Xoom features (wireless version) and compared with IPAD 2.

Operating System 

    An iPad is more like a smartphone that Xoom is more like a laptop computer (Best Buy is actually in the notebook section, instead of the pills as Android Samsung Galaxy). Honeycomb is more like android tablet. There is only one line of applications and the waste of space as IOS. Plus, you have room for customization (widget, live wallpaper, theme etc).

    There are also little details that do appreciate the knowledge of technology (grid lines, advanced settings, Google Labs, etc.) Honeycomb is still a bit buggy, but not to the extent that it becomes annoying. I only have the force of closure of a number (application closed because of an error) from time to time (not all applications work with your Xoom .. yet).

IPAD 2

    Obviously IOS, an operating system and has been shown that almost four years is more stable than the honeycomb, a new operating system (optimized for the use of pills), which was a month ago with its SDK. Google knows honeycomb should be improved, so that honeycomb is incomplete and do not mind waiting for an even better experience.

    It 'also easy to transfer files between your computer and Xoom. Just plug in USB and it works like a hard drive, then drag the desired files. There are also applications such as file and ES Astro Explorer File Manager to manage the files / folders (like Windows Explorer). I think that requires IOS software, unless you just do music / movies through iTunes. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I hate all linked / synced through iTunes. The Xoom, more freedom and do not stick with a program like iTunes.

Winner: To each his own but I like Honeycomb better.

Design / Layout / Display 

    Xoom is heavier, but this is due to the robust quality that I love. It 'more often and has a large screen (better suited for movies IPAD 2). Despite Xoom has a higher screen resolution, IPAD 2 still has a brighter screen and bright eyes.

Winner: iPad 2 by little bit

MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (Wi-Fi)

User Interface 

    Some people say honeycomb is too complicated to use. Well, maybe they were just using IPAD. For someone who has used both, I must say that it is fairly easy to use. IOS is more intuitive and infallible, but there are many details about the possibility of Xoom that many people enjoy.

Winner: Tie

Multitasking 

    One button and it takes you to 5 most recent apps for easy switching on Xoom. iPad 2 sort of have multitasking but not a true multitasking experience.