10 replies to this topic

[animalz]

Hi all,

I see everyone is raving about this tablet and they're pretty hard to find to say the least. I'm not so much looking for one to buy, but just to compare it to my Galaxy Tab.

From the reviews I've seen the screen is poor - is this any better in person?

If anything, I'm just intrigued to why / how it's doing so well. I guess if you're buying it as a "toy" then the budget price appeals. However, if you're going to be using the device a fair amount I cannot see how it can compete with the Galaxy tab. The fact the Galaxy Tab has the phone feature is just an extra bonus for me. But seeing as the Samsung's screen is superior and the device is faster (According to reviews) - what made you go for the Vega?

I know it's got the Tegra 2 which is great, just seems the screen is particularly poor.

Hope it doesn't come across as a knock, as that's not the case. I'm just wondering what steered people towards the Vega when you can get the samsung for £469 with 32GB etc.

Cheers

Edited by animalz, 25 November 2010 - 10:34 PM.

[emergant]

animalz, on Nov 25 2010, 22:27, said:

Hi all,

I see everyone is raving about this tablet and they're pretty hard to find to say the least. I'm not so much looking for one to buy, but just to compare it to my Galaxy Tab.

From the reviews I've seen the screen is poor - is this any better in person?

If anything, I'm just intrigued to why / how it's doing so well. I guess if you're buying it as a "toy" then the budget price appeals. However, if you're going to be using the device a fair amount I cannot see how it can compete with the Galaxy tab. The fact the Galaxy Tab has the phone feature is just an extra bonus for me. But seeing as the Samsung's screen is superior and the device is faster (According to reviews) - what made you go for the Vega?

I know it's got the Tegra 2 which is great, just seems the screen is particularly poor.

Hope it doesn't come across as a knock, as that's not the case. I'm just wondering what steered people towards the Vega when you can get the samsung for £469 with 32GB etc.

Cheers

Well its 3 inches bigger and £200 cheaper and a whole lot faster

[animalz]

emergant, on Nov 25 2010, 22:43, said:

Well its 3 inches bigger and £200 cheaper and a whole lot faster

Really? - If it's fast that has grabbed my attention as a potential couch tablet for my family this Xmas.....

The reviews really seem to differ. Some are saying the Tegra 2 in the Vega isn't that great and the screen is poor? Have you had hands on time with the Galaxy tab to do a direct comparison?

The 10.1 screen seems to be the real thing I'm interested in hearing about to be honest and how it holds up.

I suppose a direct comparison to the Galaxy Tab is slightly unfair, seeing as the tablets are very different. For instance, the 7" screen I can hold one handed anywhere. I can use it as a phone as well if need be. It pretty much does everything and I can't say mines been slow - it will be even quicker once there's a custom ROM for it with some of the bloat apps removed.

So with Paul's ROM I imagine it has improved things greatly - as from the reviews I've seen I don't like the GUI.

What's iPlayer functionality like - good?

Like I say, I'm just after some real good feedback on it - if it all sounds good it will be the gift for my family this year for Sofa-browsing and videos etc.

Cheers

[Neo_VR]

the gui can be changed with launcherpro etc...

the screen is average, but for the money i think its good value.. although there is definately a price to pay with being first to market, to their credit Advent are working hard to iron out bugs!
Q1 next year will see lots of other similar spec tablets launch

For the iplayer it can use the "full fat" site you would get if you were browsing on a windows PC and it plays fine.

My only real want now is better video performance. the tegra2 has hardware decoders.. i get all my TV eps as 720p MKVs these days, and my trusty atom netbook struggles with them.

[emergant]

animalz, on Nov 25 2010, 23:05, said:

Really? - If it's fast that has grabbed my attention as a potential couch tablet for my family this Xmas.....

The reviews really seem to differ. Some are saying the Tegra 2 in the Vega isn't that great and the screen is poor? Have you had hands on time with the Galaxy tab to do a direct comparison?

The 10.1 screen seems to be the real thing I'm interested in hearing about to be honest and how it holds up.

I suppose a direct comparison to the Galaxy Tab is slightly unfair, seeing as the tablets are very different. For instance, the 7" screen I can hold one handed anywhere. I can use it as a phone as well if need be. It pretty much does everything and I can't say mines been slow - it will be even quicker once there's a custom ROM for it with some of the bloat apps removed.

So with Paul's ROM I imagine it has improved things greatly - as from the reviews I've seen I don't like the GUI.

What's iPlayer functionality like - good?

Like I say, I'm just after some real good feedback on it - if it all sounds good it will be the gift for my family this year for Sofa-browsing and videos etc.

Cheers

I dont have one yet and I agree that the smaller size has advantages and disadvantages.  But you asked why people liked this device and I gave you the obvious differences.  Tegra is a dual core A9 processor and an Nvidia graphics engine.  Its the next generation and next year I'd guess A8 products will begin to show their age qickly.  Just my opinion.  Tegra certainly ought to be faster and more future proof.

Personally I've also been impressed by advents support and the fact that the device is not locked down

I've nothing against the Samsung whose main advantage are its its screen, 3g and GPS I'd think.  You certainly pay for it though.

I quite fancy a 7 inch too one day

[JingleManSweep]

Review:

- Screen: The screen is of average quality. Colours aren't as vibrant as the ZTE Blade screen. Viewing angles could be better, however, it isn't too much of a problem for me. The software "home" and "back" buttons (in the notification area) are a little "hit and miss". You have to press them in just the right place. Also, I've found that dragging icons around the desktop is a bit flaky too, in that if you don't apply the right amount of pressure, they keep getting dropped. However, the touchscreen within apps (Gmail, Browser, etc.) is perfectly acceptable.

- Build Quality: The device has a good build quality (especially for the price). The hardware buttons seem pretty solid and the flap covering the HDMI and USB sockets seems to be sturdy too.

- Sound: The audio output is really very good. Plenty loud enough to hear, although not very bassy, but I think that's to be expected. Compared to my Dell Mini 10v netbook speakers, it is great.

- TV/HDMI: I connected mine via HDMI to my 50" Panasonic plasma and it worked instantly. The Android OS appeared on both the Vega and my Plasma. Admittedly, it was upscaled and looked a bit blocky on my big screen. I haven't tried direct movie playback yet, so cannot comment on the HD output of videos yet.

- Stock Software: Quite disappointing to be honest. The provided launcher and selection of applications was very restricting. I installed some third party market applications and it improved the situation a bit. However, see the "MCR Software" point below, you'll be impressed!

- MCR Software: Paul's latest addon pack (including the performance pack) has vastly improved the usability of the tablet. Before, it felt like a tablet web browser, now it is a full Android experience device with Gmail, Calendar etc. Installing this addon has effectively doubled the quality and usability of the tablet.

- USB: I use Ubuntu and it is recognised by "lsusb" and "adb" perfectly fine. Currently, you have to use Windows to install official firmware updates (provided by Advent) which is a bit annoying, but hopefully this will be addressed soon.

- Bluetooth: I've successfully paired the device with a couple of other bluetooth devices and it works fine.

- Wireless: I've connected to several wireless networks (including my Three mobile MiFi device). It supports full WPA2 security and obtains an IP address relatively quickly (even after awaking from sleep). For example, if I awake my device from it's overnight coma, it literally takes about 5-6 seconds for the WiFi to connect and IP address to be obtained. By the time you've opened an app or browser, it is ready.

- Nice To Haves: Unfortunately, the Vega lacks 3G support, GPS and a Compass, which is a bit of a shame. However, for my purposes (e.g. sitting in the lounge), it is perfectly acceptable. When combined with a MiFi device, it is perfectly usable. Please consider this before purchasing one. If you want to install this in your car as a dashboard mounted computer, then it probably isn't the right device for you. If you just want to have a home tablet device, then it is perfectly acceptable.

- Battery: I received my device with approximately 95% charge. I connected the charger only temporarily when I first switched it on whilst upgrading the official firmware (as recommended in the instructions). I used the device for about 5-6 hours (heavy usage) on the first night, left it in standby all night and all day the second day while at work, had another 4-5 hours (heavy usage) the second night. It was left in standby all through the second night and the third day (again, while at work), and then had another 2-3 hours usage on the third night. By this time, the battery was at 5% so I plugged it in to charge. I was using it heavily whilst charging and it took about 2-3 hours to fully charge. Overall, the battery life is perfectly acceptable to me. I'm sure it would last well over 12-15 hours of constant heavy use. During my usage, I had WiFi on permanently, Bluetooth switched on and Brightness at about 50%.

- Overall: With all the additions MoDaCo have provided, it is a really good device, and considering the price, I'd recommend it to other people. However, compared to an iPad, it isn't as polished etc., but the iPad is almost 2-3 times more expensive, and remember, like all iOS devices, it has no direct USB connections, so you have to transfer everything via iTunes. Unlike Android, where I can just download music, videos etc via USB, SD Card or just by downloading it.

Hope this helps!

Edited by JingleManSweep, 26 November 2010 - 07:17 AM.

[dwok]

@JingleManSweep, good review, thanks!

[unclebob31]

My impressions exactly.

Need to add that it would suit moderately technical people to get the apps on that are really necessary.

Non techies moving from phones with pre-installed apps and market will have a hill to climb even if they find this site on the net.

Great product though.  Really really happy with mine.

[daniel.weck]

emergant, on Nov 25 2010, 23:33, said:

I've nothing against the Samsung whose main advantage are its its screen, 3g and GPS I'd think.  You certainly pay for it though.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has a bigger battery (4Ah), so with a smaller low-power display...you do the maths
Don't get me wrong, I love the Advent Vega hardware because it is cheap and fine for most couch-computing tasks. The main drawback IMO is the bad viewing angles in portrait mode, which kind of ruins the whole PDF-reading experience. But other than that, the tablet has a great future given how many devs and hackers are working on the Tegra2 optimizations and custom ROMs.
The Tab may be overpriced, but the overall build/component quality is higher and there are a few added critical hardware features, which make it a fantastic mobile machine for the road warrior, as well as a nice leisure device for couch computing / entertainment.
Cheers, Dan

[emergant]

daniel.weck, on Nov 26 2010, 09:44, said:

The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has a bigger battery (4Ah), so with a smaller low-power display...you do the maths
Don't get me wrong, I love the Advent Vega hardware because it is cheap and fine for most couch-computing tasks. The main drawback IMO is the bad viewing angles in portrait mode, which kind of ruins the whole PDF-reading experience. But other than that, the tablet has a great future given how many devs and hackers are working on the Tegra2 optimizations and custom ROMs.
The Tab may be overpriced, but the overall build/component quality is higher and there are a few added critical hardware features, which make it a fantastic mobile machine for the road warrior, as well as a nice leisure device for couch computing / entertainment.
Cheers, Dan

Agreed the tab is good hardware.  Not sure how hackable it is?  My feeling is that its too soon to spend that kind of money on a tablet.  Particularly an A8 based one.  Might be worth looking on ebay in a few months.  

I'm not convinced that a 7 inch screen is comparable to a 10 though.  My feeling is that they'll be used in different ways.  Personally I'd like both

[tim.embedded]

Hi JingleManSweep, thanks for ur excellent comments! Thinking of how to get one to Singapore.