I finally received my eLocity A7 tablet last night around 730pm (BTW, **** you, UPS, for making me literally sit around all day waiting, refusing to give any sort of time. Couldn’t even sit on the back deck for more than a few minutes, in case I missed them. ALWAYS use Fedex), and, after a short time playing with it, I love it. I’ve been using an iPhone for years and years, and, sure, there are a whole lot more apps, and the learning curve is lower for the iPhone, but, after a short time, I’m starting to really love Android. Might still upgrade to a newer iPhone, but, for a tablet, Android is the way to go.
For one thing, it was a hell of a lot less expensive. I paid $299 plus shipping. It has 4gb internal memory, and can take a 32gb card and a 64mb thumb drive. The least expensive iPad is around $420, for the gen 1 with 16gb.
eLocity has flash. Said flash doesn’t work on the Firefox for Android browser (which can be sync’d to your laptop Firefox, great for bookmarks), but, did I mention that, besides the stock browser (which has Flash), I also installed Opera and Miren Browser (I like Miren the best so far. Can’t copy text in Firefox, sadly)?
My point in getting this was to have something to mess around with while chilling on the couch or back deck, rather than hold laptop in lap. More often, I tend to lean forward with laptop from couch, which tends to annoy my back. And, I had some money to burn, but, didn’t want to spend that much for a tablet.
So, the Pro’s
- Android 2.2 (Froyo)
- Flash
- Unbelievably fast processor. The A7 has been given high marks by users and reviewers alike. It is an NVIDIA® Tegraâ„¢ II Tâ€20, 1GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, with 512 MB DDR2 RAM. They say it is super duper awesome for graphics and gaming. Only played Majong so far, so, we’ll see. Works awesome for cruising the web.
- HDMI output
- USB input (thumb drive only)
- Docking port (probably NEVER use it, though)
- The speakers are actually not bad
- Front facing 1.3mp camera, for those very few occasions where I video chat with a friend, or Mom. Could care less about back camera, wouldn’t use it that way
- True multi-tasking
- Capacitive screen (though, really, the only Android tablet or phone that comes close to Apple is the Motorola Xoom. Damned sure not paying that much.)
- Battery seems to be lasting quite well so far
- Feels solid (though, a bit heavy compared to Kindle, but, I will almost never use it to read books)
- Pinch and zoom worked well, as did tapping (except with Opera, to some degree)
- Screen resolution is fantastic. Played Avatar on it (small size vid), looked great.
- Have had no problem with apps, either from Market or Amazon. Slowly building up the ones I want
Cons
- Bluetooth will only connect to stereo headsets, so, can’t tether to a mobile phone
- The SIM card reader mentioned in the Amazon page is a bunch of hooey. It’s there, but, not active, and, supposedly doesn’t have the hardware behind it
- Because it has no phone capability, doesn’t come “Google Certified.” So, none of the main Google stuff, like the Gmail app, Google Calendar, and others, along with the Android Market, do not come with. That’s OK. Rooted it almost immediately.
- The fixed buttons aren’t backlit so at first it’s difficult to use in the dark. You quickly figure out where they are and it’s not that big a deal
- Not as many apps as iPhone (that’s an Android knock, not an eLocity knock)
- Proprietary charger, meaning have to travel with yet another one. Should have allowed charging through USB port, or used USB2.0 or micro, eLocity!
- Can’t hook directly to PC. Have to use thumb drive or microSD.
So far, the Pro’s well outweigh the cons, especially for the way I plan on using it. 7 inch screen is big enough for my purposes, bought some Galaxy screen protecters, cut them a bit, though, a bit thick, which makes scrolling a little more difficult. Can pop news, sports, weather, Twitter, email, Internet, etc, in a heartbeat. So far, loving it. Will give it 4 out of 5 stars (mostly, the sim thing pisses me off). 4 1/2 stars once rooted. I compared it to many others, and, while I could have gotten one with a true sim port, slower processor or much more expensive.
Did it come with chic pictures?!!?
I also got an elocity A7 I love it. It is a great tablet for the price.
But now I also got a Del Duo that is a tablet and a netbook in one. IT flips form tablet mode into a netbook with a keyboard. And it also runs on a real version of Windows 7 mot the starter that most netbooks have.
Is a little more expens
ive than the elocity A7 though, but I got it for my work on websites.
I have a daughter who is just breaking up with her husband over facebook and the computer. It seems no one can communicate anymore.
They had their break up fight or fights by using text messaging on their Iphones and Twitter and Facebook.
I talked to her last night and I asked her if they actually spoke to each other and she said “Sure….he texted me this….or twittered me that”
I said no as in speak face to face using voice boxes and moving lips and she looked at me like I was crazy.
“No one does that anymore” your like not with the 21st century dad.
Everytime I see the ooggling and gaga’ing of the newest Iphone, Ipad, Android, Windows or whatever I cant help but think its one more nail in the coffin of human society. A society that is growing ever more used to something doing our own personal work, our own personal duties and challenging our own personal responsibility…Morphing our society into a society incapable of interpersonal relationships.
I do not use Facebook, twitter or have my own blog. I believe that it is much more stimulating to peruse the internet, check out a few websites, post a Word of the day in a few places……..then get on with life as in chatting and speaking and interacting in person with people, places and things.
Without A cell phone, I pad or blackberry. No Xbox, playstation or nintendo in sight and by the way I still have a phone hanging on my wall at home, next to the computer which collects more dust then it does Intelligence from outer space or in this case…….inner space.
In short society is evolving and the old addage “Words have meaning” no longer applies to the digital age. “I hate you” said in person could mean many things based upon the situation, the delivery, inflection in the voice, facial and body language…….
But on a digital page such as twitter, facebook, here or on your iphone it means what it says…….there is no facial features, no real context and no real way to comprehend what the person actually means because a smiley face attached to it could mean many things as well.
We must remember to communicate in our daily lives or we will lose the ability to do so as we evolve into digital ^666’s^
And that is my Word of the day.
No chic pics, Captain. But I can easily access them. :)
Very nice, Stix, though, yeah, a wee bit more $$$.
Some excellent points, Word. I used to see that a lot when I worked in wireless, people who wanted to communicate by text and email and stuff, but not talk. I’d call someone up because it was easier, and faster, to talk, and they’d be like “send me an email.” I always wanted to scream at them over that.
So, WORD, you are actually suggesting that we are turning in to the fat cowardly blobs of human gas sacks that were portrayed rather succinctly in the WALL-E movie?!?
I heartily agree.
(where’s that icon for banging head with hammer!?!?!?)
I agree but also disagree. With me having friends in all corners of the US and also the world, a lot of the time it is much easier to send a text or an email than to call some people. With time differences and with busy lives, it is hard to actually call some people, and it is hard to call me (I am working 24/7 some weeks). I work for a Senate campaign that is in Maine and I live close to St Louis, and I also am a webmaster of a network of blogs, and my partner or the owner is in Cali. This is while I have a 40/hour a week job which would really not like me to be on the phone all the time
But I do agree that in many ways we are loosing touch with human contact. And face to face conversations, but in a lot of ways with the technology we have today, many of my friends do not live anywhere close to me, it is easier to send an email or text.
I have been eyeballing the AUSE Eee Pad transformer, but still cannot force myself to pull the trigger on anything yet. I bought the wife and kid an iPad i, wow, guess almost 2 years ago on vacation. I like it when I know I am going to be stuck somewhere, like the doctor…but I rarely get to use it now that the kid has found Angry Birds :)
Rob