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$99 7" Android Pad WiFi Touch Camera ePad — Parallax Forums

$99 7" Android Pad WiFi Touch Camera ePad

ercoerco Posts: 20,260
edited 2010-11-22 17:34 in General Discussion
Looks like a good deal, once you add a memory card... you can download all the apps for Android.

http://cgi.ebay.com/7-Google-Android-Pad-WiFi-Touch-Camera-ePad-aPad-GPad-/230540935930?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35ad4f82fa
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Comments

  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-10-22 11:10
    nice.

    Does it have all the peripherals the phones do?

    GPS, accelerometer, photosensor, dual touch?

    ETA: Ew. just noticed the specs.
    half the speed of the phones
    2gb only of storage
    1.3Mp camera?!?

    that thing is a year or more behind the phones.
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-10-22 12:22
    I wonder if the lithium battery is readily replaceable? I'm not keen on disposable electronics.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-10-22 12:31
    AFAIK, this can't do GPS since it's not a phone. Smartphone pseudo-GPS uses triangulation from cell towers.
  • Roy ElthamRoy Eltham Posts: 3,000
    edited 2010-10-22 14:18
    The biggest downside for me is this thing is Android 1.6.
    My phone is Android 2.2, and I wouldn't want to go backwards.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2010-10-23 01:04
    erco
    , this can't do GPS since it's not a phone. Smartphone pseudo-GPS uses triangulation from cell towers.

    Not so. Smart phones have GPS receivers. I see no reason why an Android device without the phone part cannot have the GPS receiver. Whether they actually do or not is another matter.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-10-23 09:26
    @Heater: Right you are! http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gps-phone2.htm Thanks for setting the record straight, most new Smartphones do come with built-in GPS receivers. Maybe it's time to upgrade from my old Razr phone!

    Still not sure if this older unit has either type of locator capability. I suspect if it did, they would call that feature in the description.

    Best,

    erco
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2010-10-23 13:00
    erco:

    As far as I can tell from the spec. this particular unit has no GPS.

    Also, from previous searching around the net I find that most people have warned against these ultra cheap Android tablets.

    Given that you can get a reliable and much more advanced Beagle Board /http://beagleboard.org/ for not much more that will run Android http://beagleboard.org/project/android or how about an IGEP http://www.igep-platform.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=55
    that will also run Android http://labs.igep.es/index.php/How_to_get_the_Android_distribution

    then I don't see the point of taking a risk on these cheap units.

    Yeah, OK you need a display as well with my suggestions.
  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-10-24 15:59
    wow heater. you just let it slip right out huh?
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2010-10-24 23:51
    Campeck,
    wow heater. you just let it slip right out huh?

    Maybe I need more coffee this morning but I don't understand what you are getting at with that comment.
  • vicky0330vicky0330 Banned Posts: 3
    edited 2010-10-25 02:43
    Hi, i see this product, it is great, but one of my friends have bought one, it is only$89 named Epad 7 Inch Touch Screen Epad MID Tablet PC Android1.6 Processor 533MHZ With Webcam, it is good,too. He bought if from internet, and he gave me the website of that onlineshop, http://www.duduta.com/product-1988.html, everyong can see it, and compare them to help me to make a decision, because it is hard for me to decide which to buy, thanks.
  • wjsteelewjsteele Posts: 697
    edited 2010-10-25 04:05
    vicky0330,

    I'm not sure but it seems that their pricing is out of line. They want $53 for shipping on that $89 unit + customs duties.

    The one on eBay is basically the same unit for $99 with free shipping.

    Bill
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2010-10-25 09:46
    Martin_H,

    Ouch. I'm getting into a lot of hot water now a days for my lack of "PC"ness.

    So, possibly offensive word now removed.
  • Bill HenningBill Henning Posts: 6,445
    edited 2010-10-25 09:57
    The tablets with the external RJ45 / usb breakout silver box are actually "Flytouch" brand; and by googling you can get Android 1.9.88 for it. I re-flashed mine, works fine.

    The battery life is not great, about 2-2.h without WiFi on, about 1.5h with Wifi; Android market place is a pain to get running. Supposedly you can parallel a second set of batteries inside, or buy 3000mAh replacements for the supplied 1700mAh batteries.

    Note WAP does not work for WiFi without 1.9

    accel: a cheap one
    dual touch: no
    takes a uSD card, I have an 8GB one in mine
    Campeck wrote: »
    nice.

    Does it have all the peripherals the phones do?

    GPS, accelerometer, photosensor, dual touch?

    ETA: Ew. just noticed the specs.
    half the speed of the phones
    2gb only of storage
    1.3Mp camera?!?

    that thing is a year or more behind the phones.
  • vicky0330vicky0330 Banned Posts: 3
    edited 2010-10-25 18:17
    Hello, yes, freeshipping is more attractive, but it must take long time that i can receive the product, i saw it says it takes about 10-25 BUSINESS days for shipment, but when my friend bought, the freight is not $50, but only $24, and after 3-5 BUSINESS days he had received the thing, it is very fast.


    http://www.duduta.com/gallery-69-p,0-0---71-grid.html
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2010-10-26 00:25
    Oh wow, lot's of nice toys on that site.

    I'm particularly taken with this: http://www.tabletsandtechnologies.com/SmartQ-V7-MID-7-Inch-Android-21-Linux-WinCE-60-OS-1080P-HDMI-Bluetooth-2GB_p_25.html

    Has USB OTG and Bluetooth, runs Ubuntu. No problem hooking it up to Propeller projects.
  • vicky0330vicky0330 Banned Posts: 3
    edited 2010-10-26 01:15
    Hi, so many good website, and i like the www.duduta.com very much, there are so many super quality and competitive price produces, especially his cell phone and tabletPC, camera, they are amazing. Everyone can see it, i promise you will like it.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2010-10-29 06:53
    This thing is being sold in Walgreens now..

    Might have to pick up a few for Christmas..

    http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/maylong-7-inch-m-150-wifi-middie-universe-tablet-powered-by-android/ID=prod6047418-product

    Any chance that I can program my Propeller with it?

    OBC
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-10-29 07:10
    Fairly favorable reviews on the Walgreen's site.

    I ordered one the first day, just out of curiousity. Since then, Bill and OBC's contributions have given me hope that it might be something useful. If these sell well, I expect the grassroots support effort will grow, too.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2010-10-30 13:47
    Eh...

    I have a similar model, without the camera...
    http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39169

    It's the worst hunk o junk I've tried.
    It's not even possible to select the correct country when setting up timezones, as the touch sensing is so unreliable that it almost always registers a tap when you put your finger onto the screen to scroll.
    (These dialogs doesn't have a scroll-bar in Android 1.6)
    Mine doesn't even recharge through the USB-port.
    Thankfully, I didn't buy it to USE it, only to add it to my collection of computers.

    The only reason to buy one of these tablets is to hack them for their parts.
    (LCD with touch, battery, accellerometer, connectors... And that assumes that you can find the part specifications somewhere. )

    If you want a eBook reader, get a Kindle.
    (I have the latest Wi-Fi model, also a couple of Sony PRS models so I have some experience. )
    Or possibly a Nook?

    If you want to run SW, get something that runs Android 2.2

    Programming a Propeller is not possible, unless you can load some custom SW that allows you to use the SD-card slot as I2C port and make an adapter that connects to the EEPROM on the Propboard. (This means a really messy hack of the OS as the port needs to be 'remoed' from the device list as a possible Disk-drive)
    The 'USB port' is a 'slave' port only on these devices. It's for transferring files to and from a PC only.
    That is, unless you can find any signs of a serial port used for diagnostics in the factory, but as these are all Chinese-made, don't bet on it.
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-11-01 08:45
    While I love the whole E Ink idea, E-readers seem like a rip-off. Last week I looked into what it would cost to get electronic copies of a few of my favorite novels. It was shocking. Dune, a 45-year-old book was selling for $14! I think Frank Herbert got his money back a long time ago. Meanwhile, he's been dead 25 years. And we have to pay $14 for an electronic copy of a book we already have sitting on the shelf? No thanks.

    That was a little OT. Apologies.

    I bought this particular Android tablet for one of my daughters. Her school has wi-fi and I was hoping this tablet would provide her convenient email access in emergency situations. She had previously expressed a desire for something like that.

    If she ends up wasting two hours a day fiddling with it, she'll have bigger problems than a dead battery.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2010-11-03 01:14
    My Kindle is mostly filled with downloaded(Free) files.

    There's the Baen Free Library, Project Gutenberg, loads of fan-fiction and other good stuff out there...
    The Web browser on the Kindle is... Emergency use only... No flash, no Java(Javascript is supported) and with a screen refresh measured in seconds, you really don't want to visit a site that uses mouse-overs or anything.

    Some eBooks, like Dune, are overpriced, yes...
    (Frankly, I don't consider that book any good, and the movie... urrgh... )
    I fully expect that eBooks will drop in price over the next two years as more and more people get readers.
    One good thing with the Kindle, though, is that they allow for 'previews' to be sent to them.(Usually the first chapter or so) so that you can decide if you want it or not at your leisure. This has led me to buy a couple of books that I otherwise would have skipped over.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-11-03 02:19
    If you don't like "Dune", try my fave, "A Canticle for Liebowitz".
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2010-11-03 03:29
    Thanks for the tip.
    Will order it as soon as the next paycheck drops in.
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-11-06 13:02
    Raking leaves today with the kiddies, our postal carrier drove by and handed me a parcel from Hong Kong. erco's $99 7" Android Pad had arrived.

    While the battery charges, I've been doing some fiddling - after all, I have to be able to show my daughter how to use it. In a nutshell, I'm absolutely delighted. I feared it would be fragile or flaky. Instead it seems rock solid. The touch screen works perfectly. The tough Mylar cover is what it will need when my daughter schleps it off to school with her textbooks.

    I had plans of upgrading the OS, but those plans have been postponed indefinitely because the tablet already does exactly what I needed it to do. All indications are that it will keeping doing it for a long time. The two questions remaining in my mind are 1) how big of a job will it be to replace the lithium battery when that becomes necessary and 2) whether or not to wait a whole week before ordering one for myself.

    A radiograph seems in order - it might help resolve the first question. Even if it doesn't, I want to see what's in there. :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-11-06 21:26
    Phew! Nice to hear some good feedback about "my" $99 Android pad. So I'm off the hook with 100% customer satisfaction. As Seinfeld said, always end on a high note...

    "Thanks a lot, you've been great, good night!"
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-11-07 10:07
    Frankly, erco, I'm in your debt. I knew little about Android and figured it wasn't good for much. Meanwhile, I knew nothing about tablets except for the existence of the iPad and various e-readers.

    Perhaps for a gadget freak that has experimented with every device out there, this humble Chinese Android tablet would be an also-ran. For me, it is freaking amazing! I had no idea it would be such an excellent web browser, or that its screen would be as bright, sharp, and colorful as it is. And as I mentioned before, I had no idea it would be so robust.

    For me, this isn't so much an outstanding value as it is a freaking miracle.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2010-11-07 11:45
    @K2, please post an update if you are able to read ePub books out of a library. Ditto if you install the Kindle app.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2010-11-07 15:41
    K2 has about got me convinced to get one of these things for myself.
  • K2K2 Posts: 693
    edited 2010-11-08 09:09
    localroger wrote: »
    K2 has about got me convinced to get one of these things for myself.

    Just one caution, local roger...the case is utilitarian, not fancy. No Danish design studio cranked this one out. It's slender and smooth, and the buttons are well-placed. But it's still utilitarian. It's kinda what you'd expect in a $99 Chinese tablet.

    Martin_H: It wasn't originally part of the plan to install an EPub app, but it is a good idea. I have become particularly interested in FBReader. I'll let you know how that goes.

    Kindle, otoh, may be a while in coming. There is no compelling interest yet in going in that direction.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2010-11-08 10:11
    Sent in the order this morning.

    Don't worry K2, "utilitarian" is perfect by me. I design industrial controls, and "works well" impresses me a lot more than "pretty."
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