The SmartQ V5 is still the most ambitious gadget to come out of China. It’s a small tablet(pictured on the bottom left) with a 4.3″ 800×480 touchscreen, HDMI output, full SD card slot, wifi and three operating systems installed (Linux, Android and Windows CE). It’s even capable of playing 1080p videos. Since our SmartQ V5 review, there have been quite some updates which vastly improved the device. Even better is that AllPMP dropped the price to a sweet $149.99/€116.06. The SmartQ V7 is basically the same device with a 7″ screen and a larger battery. It’s now selling for $209.99/€165.29.
The SmartQ T7 is basically a SmartQ R7 with a faster processor and Android 2.1 installed instead of Linux. The clockspeed of the processor has been increased to 720MHz, up from 667MHz on the R7, but besides that it’s technically the same device. Unlike all other Android tablets from China (except the Ramos W7), the SmartQ devices are actually very decent products. Battery life is good, the 7″ touchscreen is decent with a resolution of 800×600 and the devices are well built. So the Android junkies who were waiting for a decent 7″ tablet might consider the SmartQ T7. The only downside is that it uses one of those old-fashioned resistive touchscreens. Even though the processor speed has been increased, the price stayed the same at $233.99/€177.58 for the Wifi version. There is also a 3G version priced at $283.99/€215.53.
The Ramos W7 was announced somewhere late in 2009 and after countless delays, it’s finally released. It’s probably one of the most anticipated devices from China. The specs look good on paper: a 4.8″ capacitive touchscreen, Android and 8 or 16GB internal memory all for a relative low price. Read on to find out if it can live up to the expectations.
The SmartQ R7 is the latest mobile internet device in the popular SmartQ series. While still called a MID, it’s obvious that Smart Devices put their focus more on eBook reading with the SmartQ R7. The R7 both adds and loses some functionality compared to the other (cheaper) SmartQ devices. Read on to find out if they still stepped up their game of if you should stick to the older MIDs. (more…)
Yes, it’s another Windows tablet with mediocre specs: 8.9″ 1024×600 touchscreen, 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, 1GB memory. However, the attachable leather case with a built-in keyboard looks rather slick and useful. It’s something that a lot of other devices could use (sorry peeps, touch typing just doesn’t cut it for me). You can get the PC819 for a pretty hefty $471.23/€387.68 at ChinaBuye.
After my good experiences with the other SmartQ devices, I decided to get the SmartQ R7 from AllPMP for $258.99/€207.32. First impressions are decent. The SmartQ R7 is a more accessible device for the average user, but loses some functionality in the process. Anyway, enjoy the unboxing video until the full written review is up.
For those who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on some touchscreen surfing and mailing, this little device might be interesting. The 2GB HD 7″ Touch Screen WiFi Portable MID UMPC White at ChinaBuye costs only $138.26/€103.65 and like the title suggests, it has a 7″ 800×480 touchscreen, 2GB flash memory and 802.11B/G wifi, but isn’t a UMPC. According to the description the device is able to run Windows CE 6 and Android, although it’s very unlikely that Android will be running smoothly: it’s powered by a measly 300MHz processor and comes with only 128MB RAM. Still, there are a lot of things that should be possible to do on this tablet. Use it as a cookbook in the kitchen, control your webserver via Wifi or just check your mail and play minesweeper.
Hong Kong based AllPMP is now taking pre-orders for the much hyped Apple iPad. Starting at $578.99/€423.95 for the 16GB version, it costs considerably less than the 499 euros that Apple will be charging in Europe. It’s not very useful for the Americans amongst us, but those living somewhere else where the iPad will cost more or doesn’t even have a release date, might be delighted by the fact that AllPMP ships worldwide. Besides the 16GB version, they also take pre-orders for the 32GB version for $698.99/€507.80 and the 64GB version for $798.99/€580.45. Depending on the model, they expect to receive 40-100 units between 8 and 16 April, so you got to be quick before they sell out.
Here it is, the world’s first review of the SmartQ V5, the so called HDMID, a high definition mobile internet device. The SmartQ V5 is the successor to the SmartQ 5, a nice and affordable gadget that gained a modest, but active following of tech and Linux enthusiasts. China-based Smart Devices tried to address the shortcomings of the SmartQ 5 and added new features to the SmartQ V5, like 1080p video playback and three pre-installed operating systems. Read on to find out if they succeeded.
For those who don’t know: the SmartQ devices are cheap MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices), capable of running Linux and a slew of other operating systems, like Windows CE and Android. They’re used as internet tablets, eBook/comic book readers and much more. After my good experiences with the SmartQ 5, I was curious if it’s bigger brother would be worth the $211.02/€145.72. Would it just be a bigger SmartQ 5 or does it bring anything new to the table? With the SmartQ V7 already being available, the review might be a bit late, but the two devices are mostly similar. So read to see if the SmartQ 7 is worth your hard earned pennies.
