There are many cheap Android Tablets nowadays wanting to get a share of the iPad’s success. Most of them perform poorly, at a point where you may not able to use it even in the basic computing task, but that is not the case with the 10.1-inch Advent Vega tablet. Priced at £199, this tablet uses a 1GHz NVIDIA dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 512 RAM, and runs Android 2.2 (Froyo).
Unlike the iPad’s brushed metal construction, the Advent Vega is made of plastic. Remember, Vega is around half the iPad’s price so we can’t directly compare it to the iPad. When you tap the rear panel, it sounds like a hollow box and it is reasonably thin at 275 mm (10.8 in) x 178 mm (7.0 in) x 13.6 mm (0.54 in) and weighs 700g.
The 10.1-inch (1024 x 600 resolution) display is a capacitive multi-touch screen. The screen is bright and the colors are descent enough, but it has poor viewing angles especially when viewed vertically. It is also not a good idea when you lay it down on a table at an angle because doing so will distort the picture.
There is no rear camera but the 1.3-megapixel front camera is available when you want to video chat your friends. Located on the top edge are the power/lock button, lock screen orientation switch, back button, and microphone. The power connector, HDMI port, USB port, MicroSD slot (preloaded with a 4GB card), headphone socket, and the volume rocker are all located at the right side edge and at the lower back of the tablet is a pair of stereo speakers.
While other tablets are 3G-enabled, the Vega is limited to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi b/g but Advent is planning to release a 3G-enabled version soon.
On the software side, Vega runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system. It is disappointing to discover that this tablet has no access to Android Market and lacks Google apps like Google Voice, Google Maps, and Gmail. There is also no Office File Viewer and native PDF viewer, but out of the box you get the online Vega help portal shortcut, sound recorder, search, music, iFileManager, gallery, email, WHSmiths ebooks app, clock, camera app, calculator, and the browser.
You can load third-party apps via their raw .apk files by browsing them at a website like GetJar.com and installing them with no problem. You can also go for a third-party application store like AppsLib and SlideMe.
Since it is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, it responds very well when scrolling through webpages, quickly render sites that are complex, pinch-to-zoom has no issues and playing Angry Birds (installed via .apk mentioned above) is great. YouTube videos can only be played via m.youtube.com because the installed Flash Player 10.1 can’t be recognized by the full YouTube site.
Playing video files like SD MKV is not a trouble, but it is too much for the Advent Vega to play the MKV HD.
The tablet’s battery life is impressive for it can last a full day of internet browsing when tested! Advent also states that it can last around 16 hours of audio playback when the screen is off and 6.5 hours of HD (High Definition) video playback.
Although the Advent Vega tablet have some issues with its viewing angles and limited apps, the tablet overall is still impressive because its performance can be compared to expensive tablets.
June 10, 2011
Android Tablet Reviews