Nexus 7 [year] review

Nexus 7 2023 review

November 19, 2018 PTdrivers 0

In the 1982 sci-fi movie “Blade Runner,” there are hints that the hero, played by Harrison Ford, is an artificial human – an “android” or “replicant.” His job is to go out and kill other, rogue androids.
If he's an android, he's of the latest model, Nexus 7. That's also the name Google Inc. has picked for the first tablet to bear the Google brand. Clearly, its mission is to go out and kill rogue tablets running Google's Android software.
Specifically, the Nexus 7 seems to have been designed to give anyone who bought a Kindle Fire from Amazon.com Inc. or a Nook Tablet from Barnes & Noble Inc. a lethal case of buyer's remorse.
The Nexus 7 costs $199, the same that Amazon and Barnes & Noble charge for their tablets. But it's better than theirs in significant ways, as it became clear to me after a couple of days of use. Google announced the tablet last week and is taking pre-orders for delivery in mid-July.
Why is Google targeting the Kindle Fire and the Nook ..

Lenovo Tab A7-50 3G - [year] Review

Lenovo Tab A7-50 3G – 2023 Review

November 29, 2018 PTdrivers 0

There definitely is a market for tablets which can be used as phones. They might not fit in a pocket or be comfortable to hold for very long, but you can browse the Web and enjoy movies on a large screen without having to carry multiple devices around. Lenovo's offering is budget-minded and competes with the likes of tablets from local as well as international brands. Its street price of Rs. 13,999 puts it roughly in the middle of the price range as far as this segment is concerned.
Lenovo's Tab A7 series is available in a variety of configurations. We have the A7-50 3G with us for review, which is also known as the A3500-HV. The HV suffix indicates that this model supports 3G data as well as voice calling – other variants listed online, which might or might not necessarily be available, do not support 3G voice. The front of the box only says Lenovo Tab A7, so make sure you check the labels on the back.
Look and feel
There isn't very much you can do to make a tablet stan..

Samsung Galaxy Tab global 7 - [year] review

Samsung Galaxy Tab global 7 – 2023 review

April 10, 2018 PTdrivers 0

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 was a success and proved that there was room in the Indian market for a hybrid device, which combined the best of both phones and tablets. The Galaxy Tab 3 series is hoped to mark a comeback for the company in the tablet segment, after quite some time.
The South Korean giant unveiled the Galaxy Tab 3 series with three new tablets for the Indian market, and rather than experimenting with an odd screen size, this time the company has gone back to its roots and come out with a 7-inch tablet and two 8-inch tablets. We got the chance to play with the new Galaxy Tab 3 211 (7-inch) tablet. Will the new Galaxy Tab 3 211 carve a niche for itself or further muddy the already distinctly murky 7-inch tablet segment? We try to find out in our review.
Design/ Build
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 is built along the lines of Samsung's high-end smartphones. Out-of-the-box, the tablet looks like a blown-up version of the Samsung Galaxy SIII or Galaxy Grand smartphones. But un..

Microsoft Surface [year]

Microsoft Surface 2023

July 30, 2016 PTdrivers 0

Microsoft seems to have gotten the design and form factor right with its new Surface tablet computer. But the user interface, not so much. That's an odd conclusion to make about a device from a software company that usually lets others do the manufacturing.
Still, that's how I felt after feeling the heft of the device, examining it from all sides and making a few swipes at the screen. The Surface has a touch keyboard cover that feels great and, to me, is a big step forward for tablets. The tablet's software interface, however, seems non-intuitive and sluggish.
Microsoft is clearly straddling the uncomfortable divide between the old world of mice and keyboards, where it dominates, and a future ruled by touch screens, where Apple and Android devices prevail.
Although the Surface won't go on sale until this fall, I had the chance to spend a few minutes with some devices in a group demonstration after Microsoft unveiled them in Los Angeles on Monday.
The removable cover..

Croma 1177 [year] Review: A Tablet With a Twist

Croma 1177 2023 Review: A Tablet With a Twist

September 12, 2018 PTdrivers 0

Croma has been selling house-brand products for a while now, with varying degrees of success. There's definitely a risk involved when a company puts its brand on products sourced from outside; more so in categories that already have their fair share of cheap made-in-China OEM/ODM products.
The large-format retailer has now decided to put its stamp on tablets in addition to home appliances. Two models have been launched; the Croma 1179 with an 8-inch screen and the Croma 1177 with a 10.1-inch screen and a detachable keyboard case. We have the latter, which the company refers to as a “2-in-1”, with us for review today.
While the device is sold exclusively by Croma, it does not carry the Croma brand in the same way that its appliances do. The box and device itself clearly state that it is manufactured for and imported by Datamini. If you were following the branded PC market in the late 90s and early 2000s, that name might ring a bell – the company was well-known for its Festiva range..

Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro: First impressions

Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro: First impressions

October 22, 2017 PTdrivers 0

Is Microsoft's Surface a tablet or a laptop?
I'm not quite sure, but it is a lot easier to type on than an iPad.
The software company unveiled updates to its Surface tablet computers Monday at an event in New York, where I had a short amount of time to try them out.
It almost seems unfair to categorize the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 as tablets. Although they have touch-screen keyboards like regular tablets, they work best when attached to an optional cover with a keyboard on the inside.
The better one I tried was the Type Cover 2. In addition to coming in four fun colors – pink, purple, blue and black – that cover has backlighting, silent keys and a typing feel similar to that of a laptop keyboard. At $130, it is just $10 more than a Touch Cover 2, which doesn't have movable keys like real keyboards.
The slick wireless mouse designed for the tablets is helpful, too, as is the docking station created to go with the Pro version of Surface.
The result is something that..

Review: HP TouchPad makes a mediocre tablet

Review: HP TouchPad makes a mediocre tablet

March 9, 2016 PTdrivers 0

A year after Hewlett-Packard Co. purchased flailing Palm, the technology behemoth is rolling out the first tablet that uses Palm's webOS operating system.
The July 1 release should be a triumph for HP, showcasing its ability to compete in the increasingly crowded tablet market. Yet while the TouchPad's software is beautiful and intuitive, overall the tablet is more of a “meh-sterpiece” than a masterpiece.
The TouchPad looks a lot like its peers: It's black and shiny with just a few buttons dotting its frame. The screen, 9.7 inches at the diagonal, is the same size and resolution as Apple's iPad.
At $500 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage or $600 for one with 32 GB, the price is essentially the same, too. The device I tested used Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet; HP says a version will work on AT&T Inc.'s wireless network later this summer.
At 0.54 inches thick, the TouchPad is fatter than the iPad. It's heavier, too, at 1.6 pounds. With its rounded ..

Milagrow M2 Pro 3G [year] Review

Milagrow M2 Pro 3G 2023 Review

September 17, 2018 PTdrivers 0

Milagrow rose to prominence a few years ago for selling tablets it called “TabTops” with crossover features such as USB host connectivity, but has since then been better known for its pioneering line of domestic and commercial robots. The company currently sells an impressive variety of vacuum cleaners (including one that doubles as a cloud-connected home security device), window washers, massagers, air purifiers and much more.
The tablet vision is still alive alongside, and we have with us today the Milagrow M2Pro, a compact 7.9-inch tablet with features that the company hopes will give it an advantage over bigger brands including Apple, Dell and Samsung. It isn't aimed at the very lowest end of the market, which makes it all the more interesting.
Domestic brands haven't made inroads into the tablet market in the way that they've taken over the low-end and mid-range smartphone space, so it will be interesting to see whether Milagrow can counter its competition with abun..