For us, GoClever is a new name. Tab A73
looks the same as Kurio 7, though, in discreet coat with no rubber cushion. In
fact, it is a similar copy with some differences in specs.
In comparison with Kurio, Tab A73 similarly
owns 7in display, 800x400pixel resolution, mini-USB and mini-HDMI ports, plus
4GB storage. Meanwhile, processor differently features 1GHz clock rate (instead
of 1.2GHz). There’s also 512MB of RAM. These things can be blamed for amazing
low price but does performance get affected?
GoClever
Tab A73
Although you can smoothly slide through
A73’s home screens, it’s a different story when browsing webs. The
disappointing experience forces you to wait few minutes for Google Maps to draw
every time you scroll or zoom, and BBC’s website took 20sec to be loaded, which
is unacceptable.
SunSpider JavaScript test revealed how slow
A73 was: it took 13,538ms to finish the test, which Google Nexus 7 completed in
1,665ms.
Gaming performance was faster thanks to
Mali 400 graphic chip. A73 didn’t face any problem running Angry Birds.
Like Kurio, A73’s display showed narrow
viewing-angle in portrait mode and the resolution was remarkably low, resulting
in blurred texts. This might be acceptable, according to the price.
However, video was fluently played and
displayed nice. Based on the device’s 350g weight, it’s quite comfortable to
hold the tablet and watch TV shows on a trip. One sole problem was that display
was unclear and reflective. On the other hand, the tablet didn’t find
difficulty playing 1080p H.264 videos, plus happily streamed them to TV via
HDMI connection.
You have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich UI
and access to Google Play store. Google Maps, Gmail and Latitude are already
installed.
Beside 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is also
available but there’s GPS receiver. You can use mini-USB for a 3G dongle. There’s
no rear camera and front camera is only good for video calls.
Build quality is good, though you may be
prone to press power button mistakenly due to its top-right position on the
edge.
Runtime is proportional to GoClever’s
statement but 4h-and-8min playing video is not impressive.
|
Info
·
RRP: $135
·
Website: www.goclever.com
Verdict
·
If you budget is too narrow for a 7in tablet,
Tab A73 seems appealing. It is good for playing video and common game, not
browsing webs. If possible, spend more money for a better device.
·
Design: 2.5/5
·
Feature: 2.5/5
·
Performance: 2/5
·
Value: 3.5/5
·
Total: 2.5/5
|
Google Nexus 7
Google
Nexus 7
Google finally entered the tablet market
with Nexus 7 assembled by Asus. This 7in (1,280x800) tablet is the first model
that has run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It is also slim (10.9mm) and lightweight
(336g).
The model is designed to work mainly in
portrait mode; we found using it by either of our hands quite enjoyable. A
dark-brown colored back cover feels like rubber-coated, assisting user’s
holding the device.
The number of ports and buttons were
minimally reduced. On the right are power button and volume keys. A sideways
4-pin dock can be used for accessories. Stereo speakers are placed on the back
near the bottom, covered in a long bar.
Despite the price, Nexus 7 is a hi-end
tablet with good build quality. However, we saw some ripples near the screen’s
top and bottom edges when they were pressed.
Nexus 7 shines with quad-core processor and
1GB of RAM, given 1,452 scores by Geekbench.
IPS panel provides excellent contrast,
brightness and viewing-angle. The model appears great for web-browsing and
gaming, and even better for movie-playing.
Storage is a downside: you have only 8GB
for this price or 16GB for $299. No version has storage extended via removable
memory card. It must be noted that Android occupies considerably 2GB storage.
There’s no 3G version, but Bluetooth, GPS
and NFC are already installed. Nexus 7 also supports 802.11b/g/n wireless.
Browsing webs in default browser (Chrome) was
very smooth. Pages were loaded fast while zooming and scrolling were, too.
Unlike most tablets, Nexus 7 has no rear
camera while front webcam features 1.2MP resolution for video calling.
Android 4.1 looks similar to Ice Cream
Sandwich but Google did improve the operating system’s speed and performance. Jelly
Bean is really interesting plus it fills the gap between Android and iOS.
Notifications display more information
about warning and allow you to perform tasks with without execute relevant
apps.
Dictation can work offline, and Google Now
tries to guess the info before requested. Oddly, Home screens are displayed in
portrait mode only. Remarkably, Flash is not supported.
Nexus 7’s runtime is extremely impressive:
our videos repeated for 9h and 40min.
|
Info
·
RRP: $239
·
Website: www.play.google.com
Verdict
·
Google sets a new standard for budget tablets:
this is the best cheap tablet you have afforded unless you need a 10in model.
However, it will soon receive Kindle Fire HD’s fierce rivalry.
·
Design: 4/5
·
Feature: 4.5/5
·
Performance: 4.5/5
·
Value: 5/5
·
Total: 4.5/5 |
