Most helpful client reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Not great, not bad. Don’t depend on it as your indispensable mobile device.
By squashpup
I like this tablet, and I keep it on my night stand for evening web surfing before I go to bed. Works great for casual use like that. I find that using the stylus is not necessary and do everything with the tips of my fingernails/thumbnails. No finger touches work, however, but I quickly got employed to the method I now use.
But, when I go out, I still take my netbook. This device lets me keep the netbook downstairs where I use it most and still browse when I’m in bed without lugging anything around.
There’s a good assortment of apps on it, plus a software installer (package manager, for those intimate with Linux) that comes with pre-installed. Limited apps of questionable quality, for the most part. Hint: Download Opera, and use the App Store built into that. Most of the apps are free, there’s a much better selection, and heck, Opera is the browser to use anyway.
No Flash, as another user mentioned, but you may watch online videos with the included Skyfire browser, which may pull embedded video and play it in a new window. Works gorgeous slick, if a bit annoying to switch back and forth among it and other browsers.
There’s also a Youtube app, which is handy. Beware that video actually sucks the battery, which is OK for browsing (can last assorted hours), but runs down quickly with video.
Screen rotates. Keyboard works OK, but the enter key doesn’t always work correctly, resulting in extra letters added to what you type.
Yes, it requires a microSD card if you want to install anything. Kinda chintzy, and in truth means that to make the tablet usable, you’ll have to make an extra investment, but taking into account you may find this thing for around $150, it isn’t a dealbreaker.
I’ve never applied an Ipad. This is probably not a challenger in any sense of the word. Don’t get me wrong, Android is one slick OS, and I’d like to see it optimized for a more prominent screen, with a real touch screen. But, if you’re wanting an Ipad, get that instead.
I tend to think of the Sylvania tablet as the successor to the handy Nokia tablets of a few years ago, but in a bigger, more usable size, at half the price. And, in that regard, the internet tablet for casual use is getting ubiquitous, and that’s a good thing.
24 of 26 persons found the following review helpful.
Decent, but no iPad
By M. Koo
I purchased the Sylvania mini tablet in December 2010, but it has a better processor than the Augen tablet.
Android 2.1 was optimized for smartphones with littler screens, and is not optimized for tablet devices. The Sylvania mini tablet may do the following:
1) Has an accelerometer, but you may likewise use a setting to manual shift the screen orientation.
2) Can only use 16GB micro SD cards or smaller. The box even states 16GB micro SD cards, and not 32GB micro SD cards.
3) Use the stylus and not your finger, which is due to the difficulties of Android 2.1 on a tablet device.
4) Comes with a pre-installed music app and a picture/video app.
5) If you enable the third party install option, the following apps work without any problem: Angry Birds, Kindle, ASTRO File Manager, and Flash 10.1. I have difficulties with the ComiXology app.
6) Device has WiFi for web browsing, e-mail, and other apps that require it.
7) Two web browsers were installed, where links default to Skyfire rather of the Android brower. Skyfire does not like working with airport WiFi or other WiFi that requires an acceptance sign-in.
In general, the device works as my eReader, music player, and video player. If that’s what you want, then this tablet is for you. If you want an iPad, wait until the better tablets from CES 2011 are released.
5 of 5 humans found the following review helpful.
Less than impressive
By Sean Thames
The tablet was majorly disappointing. Features listed for the tablet are non existent. The camera is not there the ambient light sensor isn’t there. The device is overwhelmingly slow on start out up. If you lose WiFi signal the device doesn’t automati reconnect. There is no access to the Android Market. I wound up giving it to my sister who only uses it to read PDFs. Tech support is horrid they never answer any calls and it takes them days if not weeks to get a response thru email which is the way they commend contact.
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