Kurio
7
On paper, Kurio 7 deserves being stated as “the
most innovative tablet for family”. It has custom interface, content for
children, full controls plus access to Android Ice Cream Sandwich for parents,
web-browsing, content filtering, and a rubber case.
Opening the device, you are guided through creating
user profiles, choose specific content for age groups and assign which app can
be entered. You can assign which time or how long the device can be used by a particular
user. A control enables you to set up opening and closing time for each day.
Although there’s nothing driving you
bankrupt if you buy them from Google Play, yet it’s good to see Angry Birds,
Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, World of Goo, Doodle Jump and Where’s My Water? are
,by default, installed. Separate Boys Colors and Girls Color are also good
while MeeGenius includes 20 book titles with worlds that can be highlighted and
spoken loud to assist your kid’s learning.
Other apps are not much impressive. Mr.
Nussbaum games look as if they were made in 1980s, and display basic math
questions with no award for kids when they are correct.
Though Kurio 7 supports Flash, some
kid-websites won’t be loaded appropriately such as mrmen.com. It also can’t play
videos on well-known Channel 5 Milkshake website. Besides, low resolution means
most web pages are not appropriately displayed, peppapig.com for instance. The
tablet’s slow processor is really unable to deal with Flash-based sites.
Kurio 7 offers custom web-browser and sensitively
uses SafeSerach for Kids that provides suitable protection during search. In case
one suspicious link appears in search results, Kurio’s filter will be activated
to block that website. Kurio 7 is one of the best tablets that are used for
kids without parental monitoring.
For this price, the model’s comparison with
Google Nexus 7 is unavoidable. Kurio has lower resolution, yet the screen’s low
quality is a real problem, resulting limited viewing-angle. Slower processor
means that websites take considerable time being loaded, plus navigating Google
Maps is the most disappointing experience. Two cameras all create low-quality
images and videos. Additionally, Kurio 7’s runtime is short.
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Info
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RRP: $225
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Website: www.kurioworld.com
Verdict
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Kurio 7 has interface which is suitable for
children, good content filtering and it doesn’t require fee from subscriber.
Some games are installed by default. However, hardware configuration is
disappointing. This is not the most innovative home tablet.
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Design: 2.5/5
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Feature: 3/5
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Performance: 2/5
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Value: 3.5/5
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Total: 2.5/5
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Samsung
Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Not long ago, iPad’s closest enemy was the
first Galaxy Tab. Now, things get more complicated. Not only third-generation
iPad but also Google Nexus 7 and some hi-end tablets, (Asus Transformer Prime
and Windows RT tablets) are changing the game. Tab 2 even faces an internal
competition from Galaxy Note 10.1.
Tab 2 10.1 is now Samsung’s cheap large-sized
tablet. The model is not different from its predecessor, with dual-core 1GHz
processor and 10.1in screen featuring 1,280x800pixel resolution.
There’s 16GB storage and Samsung added one
micro-SD slot for extended memory. You also have rear 3MP camera, front VGA
camera for video-calling, and GPS. Tab 2’s 3G version is available for $623. In
addition, the device runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Samsung moved the speaker onto the front
and made the device thicker than previous model by 1mm. The screen doesn’t change
much: bright and colorful, plus good viewing-angle. Watching HD movie is really
interesting.
It’s quite fast and we didn’t find any
difficulty browsing webs or playing HD videos, whereas Nexus 7 and Note 10.1
are much faster. The device’s resuming from standby mode took considerable
time; opening and closing apps did, too.
Tab 2 is able stand one day working after
each charging but I can stand only 6h playing video.
It’s not sure whether you prefer taking
photos with 10in tablet thus rear camera is surely not professional but enough
for your demand. Image quality is quite unclear and blurred. Besides, 1080p video
recording is available, not stunning, whereas sound and visual detail are
acceptable.
Like Note 10.1, Samsung added TouchWiz UI
for Android. We may manage to live if Samsung’s apps don’t dominate our home
screen, but at least it can be customized. Though Google Play Movies & TV
is better than Samsung’s Video Hub, the latter has more contents and more chances
of buying rather than hiring films.
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Info
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RRP: $449
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Website: www.samsung.com
Verdict
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Tab 2 is far better than the original Tab but
it receives harsher competition. iPad appears superior as it charges
additional $150. In case you want to spend time with Android, Toshiba AT300
is another option charging you an extra $45.
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Design: 3.5/5
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Feature: 4/5
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Performance: 2.5/5
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Value: 4/5
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Total: 3.5/5
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Toshiba AT300
Toshiba
AT300
The 10.1in AT300 tablet is Toshiba’s best
tablet ever and it runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This model has 16GB
storage while 32GB version costs $569 – $150 as cheap as iPad featuring the
same storage.
It is well built, feeling sturdy and
balanced in palm. We like that way corner are smoothly rounded yet they may
look dull. Like Galaxy Tab 2, it doesn’t feel like a hi-end product.
The screen delivers standard 1,280x800pixel
resolution and LED backlighting. Viewing-angles are appropriate yet contrast is
not ideal. Generally, it is either less or more than Tab 2’s screen.
Quad-core processor gives interesting
experience when user is sliding through Android’s main screens as well as
playing HD movies or games. In Geekbench, AT300 impressively got 1575pts. It also
completed SunSpider JavaScript’s test with 2056ms – not the best but AT300 is
overall a fast model.
There’re many ports and connectors,
including micro-USB and micro-HDMI, allowing you to connect to external storage
and larger screen. A large-sized SDXC card slot means that you are able to insert
memory card from camera to share and edit images.
You also have 802.22n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
and GPS. Besides, stereo speakers lie in the bottom. An exclusive dock
connector and lack of USB charging ability are this model’s downside when
compared with Tab 2.
Front 2MP camera provides sufficient
quality for video-chatting. Rear 5MP camera features helpful LED flash. Despairingly,
there’s considerable latency and the display is not bright enough to be used as
focus lens in bright lighting condition.
Image and video quality resulted by rear
camera is below standard. Color is quite good but noise reduction (in bright
lighting) leads to decrease in detail. This effect is recognizable in scenes
featuring leaf canopies and brick structures.
Toshiba didn’t modify standard Android UI much.
You have media player and file manager. There will also be Toshiba Places where
you can afford music, videos and games, yet it may be redundant, according to
the fact that Google Play’s icon is standing next to it.
We were impressed by AT300’s runtime. The
tablet could work all day long. Plus, it performed 9-hour playing videos.
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Info
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Price: $495
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Website: www.toshiba.com
Verdict
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A good combination of great performance, good
runtime and useful SD card slot makes AT300 a good value. The screen is not
among the best ones have ever seen but it is not bad at all. It’s a pity that
there’s no 3G version.
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Design: 3.5/5
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Feature: 4/5
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Performance: 4/5
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Value: 3.5/5
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Total: 4/5
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