Cruz 7" Tablet for $149

Forums › Android › Cruz 7" Tablet for $149

stevenz

2785 posts

Uber Geek

# 99713 26-Mar-2012 09:17

http://www.warehousestationery.co.nz/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/WSL-B2C-Site/en_NZ/-/NZD/ViewOfferDetail-Product;pgid=sso.01pJh3A00043GLQg7oNK0000JipUhxDE;sid=sC6MrDPrl1iNrHyExLqTpiNHel1LT1yIDU4=?ProductUUID=q78KBTFxEUgAAAEz_hh2JqOT&CatalogCategoryID=5nIKBTFwyUwAAAEvglpmwt.h

I see there was some mention of one of these things back in December - are there any comparable, but possibly "better" units around for similar money? (Sub $300 would be ideal).

It basically just needs to be able to play 720p video acceptably, pretty much any other feature(s) are optional.

Going by the tech guide they've linked to it's a T301 which is compatible with Turbo Dalvik which supposed makes it a fair bit quicker, requires some hackery to install it though.

@KnightNZ

nzgeek

592 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 600093 26-Mar-2012 10:35

The big problem with the cheapest Android tablets is that they usually aren't very good. They either have slow processors (making everything run like treacle), low screen resolutions (e.g. 800x480), or very little built-in storage.

The Cruz tablet fits into all 3 of these categories, at least to some degree. The tablet itself only has 2GB of storage, with (at a guess) less than 1.5GB left for apps and data. You'll need to buy an additional microSD card to store your movies on. While you should be able to play 720p movies just fine, the low screen resolution means that you'll be playing these movies at 5/8ths of the original size (800x450 instead of 1280x720). The CPU and RAM are acceptable, but they're what you'd expect from a device that's 2 generations old so won't give the world's greatest user experience.

If you want to have a look at what else is available, PriceSpy is a great help. You can filter devices based on a number of factors, including price and screen resolutions, so hopefully you'll be able to find something that does what you want.

numfarr

329 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 600127 26-Mar-2012 11:29

The Cruz only has Android 2.2 and has quite a slow CPU. Look at newer tablets like the Ainol Elf, which has Android 4.x, faster ARM Cortex CPU and higher-res display. You should be able to get the Elf for about $NZ190 on eBay, or a bit more on Trademe.

stuzz

331 posts

Ultimate Geek

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Subscriber

# 600130 26-Mar-2012 11:41

I have just been given an Elf 7 courtesy of a giveaway on AMNZ & Assassin Imports.

Early days so far, but I am liking what I have. No where near iPad quality, but $$ wise is no comparasion.

Screen is pretty good. Usability is good. It took a short time to upgrade the ICS version to current & that gave me full market & Google app useage.

Novatech

71 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

# 600136 26-Mar-2012 11:43

I had one of these for a bit, they make excellent ebook/comic readers, not so much for other tasks.

They lack the android play store (although it possible to shoehorn it in) most of the apps don't support the processor. There are custom roms out for it if you look hard enough but installing them is a little trixy. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are pretty familiar with things like that.

It's a nice little toy but that's what it is - it's not a serious tablet by any means but at that price I really would not expect too much from it.

stevenz

2785 posts

Uber Geek

# 600201 26-Mar-2012 12:57

Doesn't sound promising, there's some of the Ainol units on TradeMe, mate who was interested has been pointed at one of those.

An 800x480 screen is not an issue, it'd be pretty rare for any media with higher res than that to be played on it, more likely for it to be of the 640x360 variety.

@KnightNZ

kiwijunglist

2812 posts

Uber Geek

# 600398 26-Mar-2012 17:33

Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 Wifi - These are around $200 mark, near new on trademe. Discounted price because they gave them away free with TVs a while back. Retail was $500, but currently selling for $350 at Noel Leemings. If 5" is large enough, this is probably the best buy.

HTPC: Intel i3-2100 / 12GB RAM / AMD HD7750 / 480 GB SSD / 58TB Storage / MediaPortal / MadVR / Win10
AVR: Pioneer Elite SC-LX87 220W 9.2 Ch AVR
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Accessories: Gefen HDMI Detective with splitter

iamian

38 posts

Geek

# 602803 31-Mar-2012 08:40

I'd be careful getting a Ainol one from trade me. The ones they have on there have stopped production because of problems with the screens. They have changed their screen manufacturer and have new models coming out early/mid April if you can wait a few weeks.

stevenz

2785 posts

Uber Geek

# 603746 2-Apr-2012 12:36

My mate got an Ainol Nova7 Advanced II. I found a nice easy script to gain root access and install the Google apps onto it. Seems like an excellent unit for the price. The build quality seems to be pretty good, the display is pretty reasonable although not particularly high resolution. For a basic device for watching videos on it seems ideal.

They've even released a firmware update just last week to a current 4.0.3 system.

I may wait for one of these newer screen models for myself, seems like a bargain.

@KnightNZ

langers1972

1034 posts

Uber Geek

# 603759 2-Apr-2012 12:40

Ainol, seriously???

Asking for an Ainol Tablet must be highly embarrassing

stevenz

2785 posts

Uber Geek

# 603938 2-Apr-2012 15:59

langers1972: Ainol, seriously???

Asking for an Ainol Tablet must be highly embarrassing

Yeah, it's not great. On the upside, replacing the bootanimation makes it lot harder to notice.

Who knows what it means in the native language though.

@KnightNZ

iamian

38 posts

Geek

# 603963 2-Apr-2012 16:14

Yeah poor branding isn't it.

I wonder if they advertised a job for an Ainol Brander but didn't get the right kind of applicants??

The newer models seem to address most of the previous problems with cheap Chinese tablets - ie slow processors, poor build quality etc...

NZtechfreak

4649 posts

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# 603995 2-Apr-2012 16:39

Granted they are not as cheap as the ones being discussed here, but the new Archos G9 Turbo models (same processor as the Galaxy Nexus, 1GB RAM) are a lot of tablet for only $269US. Even an option to have 3G via a USB device that will accept any SIM and is also compatible with PC and MAC (nifty). I have one coming to me and will drop some feedback later in the week after it arrives.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

stevenz

2785 posts

Uber Geek

# 604000 2-Apr-2012 16:45

iamian: Yeah poor branding isn't it.

I wonder if they advertised a job for an Ainol Brander but didn't get the right kind of applicants??

The newer models seem to address most of the previous problems with cheap Chinese tablets - ie slow processors, poor build quality etc...

I put it beside my original Samsung Galaxy Tab, and quality wise there wasn't a great deal between them. The Tab was a bit more substantial and I believe has a slightly better CPU/GPU combo, but there really wasn't a great deal between them. The Tab felt a bit snappier to use but not significantly so.

I'm not sure the Ainol would cope with falling off a car roof as well as my Tab did though ;)

@KnightNZ