Gooapple i5S (p)review with pictures! - Hardware Hacking General

I don't know where to post this thread...
This will be my first ever kinda proper review. It's still incomplete, and I will amend it later. The text corresponds to the image below it. It may be a bit hard to follow, but you can pair them up judging from the context.
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The Gooapple i5S, as can be deducted from the name, is an Apple iPhone 5S knockoff that runs Android, hence Goo(gle)+apple i(Phone)5S. I bought it with the intention of using all those fancy iPhone accessories like cases and stuff. It is more or less 1:1 to the real iPhone, and has a nice aluminium construction (although it is obviously not as well made as the real thing). And although not explicitly stated by the seller, this phone also looks like it uses the real, reversible lightning connector found on the newer iOS devices (which is true). The cost was $122.55 + $26.61 EMS postage, making it a total of $149.16 (all in USD).
Specifications at a glance:
MediaTek MT6572 chipset @ 1.2GHz, dual core (the highest I've experienced is 1 GHz)
Android 4.2.2 heavily modified to look and work like iOS 7
512 MB RAM
4.0" 854x480 LED backlit display (looks like TFT judging from the viewing angles)
Glass (not plastic) touchscreen with 5-point multitouch
8 GB internal storage (more on this later)
8 MP back + 1.3 MP front cameras with dual LED flash (front camera is probably 5 MP digitally upscaled to 8 MP)
1400 mAh battery (quoted, actually 1200 mAh)
Uses a single nano SIM, supposedly operating at GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz and WCDMA 850/2100MHz (it can make phone calls fine)
Has WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth (2.1) and GPS
FM radio (doesn't work)
Feel free to ask about other stuff!
In the box: knockoff Apple EarPods, Lightning to USB Cable, SIM eject tool and a fake iPhone 5 Quick Start Guide.
Outside of the box (posted in the same parcel, but wrapped outside of the box): A cheap AC to USB adapter with plug that probably corresponds to the country of your postal address.
This knockoff iPhone 5S uses the real Lightning connector! It charges fine, and can probably use non-iOS 7 compatible Lightning cables. Chances are the one bundled is not iOS 7 compatible.
When you first turn on the phone, you are greeted with the Apple boot logo. To be specific, it is the one with the black Apple logo and the white background that is found on the white and champagne gold iPhone 5S and the white iPhone 5 running iOS 7. The developers of this heavily customised version of Android were probably too lazy to differentiate the space grey boot logo with the black background and white Apple logo from the other, maybe because this Gooapple is available in three colours; space grey, white and champagne gold.
When the phone finishes booting, the iPhone Tri-tone message tone can be heard as the boot sound, then you are met with the iOS 7 style lockscreen. Unlocking it laggily (if that's a word) transitions to the iOS 7 style launcher. It scrolls with a lot of lag. Dragging down on the homescreen reveals the spotlight search bar, just like in iOS 7.
Some of the apps you see in the picture below were installed by me (the file manager, root checker and iLauncher).
The layout of the Settings app is unlike what you normally see in Android. Instead, it has been modified to look and work just like the one in iOS 7.
Double tapping the "home" button on the homescreen reveals an iOS 7 style task manager than swipes both up AND down to kill an app, as opposed to the swipe-up-only one in iOS 7.
Interesting thing about the home button; single tapping it actually sends the "back" command to Android. Double tapping it sends a "home" command, and long pressing it sends a "menu" command. Single tap then long pressing it will bring up Voice Command. It does not have Touch ID.
Pretty much all the system applications are stylised to look like iOS 7, such as the dialer, calculator, stopwatch, calendar, music player, gallery (or photos, as named in this system).
It does not have root out-of-the-box, and I can't say when there will be a method to root it.
Pressing the home button+power button does indeed take a screenshot.
This phone has one especially handy feature - a working silent/vibrate toggle switch. I don't know any Android phone that have one.
The touchscreen has 5-point multitouch. Plenty for a 4" screen, if you ask me.
If you know me a bit, then you'll know how much I like taking things apart. It took me a while to figure out how to disassemble this knockoff. I tried undoing the two pentalobe (yes, real star-shaped pentalobe) screws on the bottom and prying the screen's frame from the aluminium shell just like you would on a real iPhone, to no avail. The top and bottom seemed to be especially stuck, and I almost broke the phone trying to open it by force.
Then I tried heating it up using a hot air gun and separating the glass itself from the frame. The home button fell out, then I lifted the bottom of the screen away from the frame, and I saw that the cables were connected along the top edge. I also saw one other thing; screw holes that corresponded to screws on the other side of the frame.
So instinctively, I pryed off the glass inserts on the back of the Gooapple, and they turned out to be plastic held in place by double sided sticky tape. As it turns out, there is one relatively large screw in each corner of the phone holding it together. Unscrewing these made the disassembly a sinch (cinch?).
The seller said in the product description that this phone has a 1400 mAh battery. Tearing it down proved that it was a lie. 1200 mAh is clearly printed on it, and there is empty space above the battery, probably to accommodate for a 1400 mAh battery.
The silent switch is much simpler than the real thing. All it is is an open/close circuit switch that closes the circuit when the switch is switched to vibrate, and opens when it is not.
Oh, what's this? A Micro SD slot?
Yes, it is! It's not cheapo, either. It's a Kingston 8 GB SDHC Class 4! Which means I can upgrade it! I'm guessing the maximum is 32 GB, the SDHC limit. I will try 64 GB though, when I backup my existing one.
Putting it into a computer showed that the system does not reside here. It has its own real internal ROM separate from the Micro SD.
I only had a 64 MB Micro SD lying around at the time, so I put it in and restarted the phone (as it was not designed to have a hot-swappable SD card). It was revealed to me that the capacity stayed the same regardless of what card you put in, but the 'Available' storage is accurate.
This concludes my "review" for now. I know it wasn't much; all I did was play around with the phone and take pictures along the way, then commenting on them here. I didn't intend to write a review, so as a result, it didn't flow very well and wasn't very comprehensive. So please feel free to ask away!
Thanks for reading up until the end!

I thought review was awesome with all the pictures, but when I got to the part where you took it apart - holy crap!!! Much respect!!!

Nice review. Thanks for that! So are you actually using the phone?How does it feel? Any roms you can flash?

vectron said:
I thought review was awesome with all the pictures, but when I got to the part where you took it apart - holy crap!!! Much respect!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Anything that I own has or will inevitably be taken apart.
Hanzo.Hasashi said:
Nice review. Thanks for that! So are you actually using the phone?How does it feel? Any roms you can flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My primary phone is the Galaxy Note 2, and after using the Gooapple, it makes my Note 2 feel faster than before. I'm just experimenting with the Gooapple for now, and trying out all those fancy iPhone 5 cases (bluetooth gamepad, here I come!). I'm probably going to use it as a GBA emulator and stuff like that.
I'm looking for ROMs I can flash. I recently discovered that although running 4.2.2, it doesn't use MTP, but USB Mass Storage Mode! It only charges using the Lightning cable, but for some reason I can only connect it to the computer using a 30-pin to 8-pin Lightning adapter. It looks like this:

OMG
No triggers/bumper buttons though
Update: I just bought it for $45. It should arrive in a week or so.

To that data-phenomenon - maybe it works with a lightning to usb-adapter?

Daemonarch2k said:
To that data-phenomenon - maybe it works with a lightning to usb-adapter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the problem - the phone doesn't pop up with 'USB Mass Storage Mode' if I use a Lightning to USB cable, but it does when I use a USB to 30-pin then a 30-pin to 8-pin Lightning adapter.

Time to upgrade the storage!
Aww yiss

its amazing how far people will go to make fakes look like the real thing!

exscume for the up , you can extraction the apk ??

Man that was really interesting to see it in detail, inside and out! I'm actually slightly impressed, the software look especially.

Related

Sony Announces VAIO UX Micro Computer

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Sony today announced the new Ultra Mobile PC VAIO VGN-UX50! The computer runs on Intel Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage 1.0GHz CPU and Windows XP operating system. It features 4.5-inch wide SVGA screen with XBRITE technology for enhance image clarity. Weighing only 520 grams and measuring 150mm x 95mm x 32mm, this little PC can go with you anywhere.
You also get a stylus, WWAN (Wide Area Network), Wireless LAN, and Bluetooth. The UX model has two built-in cameras - one in fron for VoIP or conferencing and another on the back to take photos. For security and if you don't want to remember passwords, it comes equipped with a biometric fingerprint sensor.
Even better, Sony will offer an optional Bluetooth GPS (VGP-BGU1) so you can get directions anywhere you go!
source: http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/detail.php?id=890
I think Sony already have a similiar product in the market, slightly bigger.
Anyway, I wonder how practicle is this thing. I mean, it is rather big to have it as a pda/handphone, and rather small screen to be used as a laptop.
Even if you consider the case you don't mind a bulky PDA, rather difficult to have things to be useful on the small screen (e.g. running winXp). Does it have extra software that will do a PDA job on that small screen (e.g. big enough fonts for you to display on the small screen)? Or you will have to change the screen resolution from time to time (e.g. when you reach your office and plug it into your PC).
When will they come out with a foldable screen
hanmin said:
When will they come out with a foldable screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, they have rollable screens already. I like the idea of being able to pull a large screen out of the side of a slimmer but just as tall Universal XX.
Anyone remember the com units used by the agents in the tv show Earth: Final Conflict? Pull out touch screens, nice. 8)
Cheers
Nasdaq
Its nice to see Sony offering a true micro PC. The 'Origami' pcs were some what dissapointing, as they are basically just portable media and email devices. This however is a genuine micro pc, you could literally do a tonne of work of any kind on it.
Very impressive, coming from SOny it wont be cheap but hey, very cool device to have.
here is a small comparison:
285 g vs
520 g
127 x 81 x 25 mm vs
150 x 95 x 32 mm
640x480 vs
1024x600
Windows Mobile vs
Windows XP
520MHz vs
1GHz
the exec is much better then this sony rubbish as:
1. Its lighter
2. The battery lasts much longer (the sony will last 1-2 hours max)
3. The sony has no GSM/GPRS or 3G ... jeez
4. The sony is much bigger
5. The sony has a horrible aerial poking out the top
6. The sony is much heavier
7. The sony has a memory stick socket - yuck, betamax all over again
If I need a laptop I'll take my tiny Compaq with 1gb mem, 1280x768 screen, 80gb harddisk and 64bit amd chip.
For small devices I'll take my change with WM5.1 and WM6. XP was designed for beefy big screen PCs. It don't work on these things ...
colonel said:
...3. The sony has no GSM/GPRS or 3G ... jeez...
7. The sony has a memory stick socket - yuck, betamax all over again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US version comes w/ Cingular Wireless Broadband.
It also has a 30gb hard drive which to my knowledge is a bit more than the available memory on the universal
$1800 at Sony Style
When it comes with GPRS and 3G, and I can get it subsidised woth T-Mobile, then I'll buy it.
Otherwise it's like my exwife. Cute, but far too expensive.
The only thing I don't like is the use of Memory Stcks, very expensive memory cards. I hate them.
belfast-biker said:
Otherwise it's like my exwife. Cute, but far too expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something in this forum that finally makes sense...!
belfast-biker said:
When it comes with GPRS and 3G, and I can get it subsidised woth T-Mobile, then I'll buy it.
Otherwise it's like my exwife. Cute, but far too expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL
Well according to a blogger who had a hands on; the keyboard is crap.
colonel said:
the exec is much better then this sony rubbish as:
1. Its lighter
2. The battery lasts much longer (the sony will last 1-2 hours max)
3. The sony has no GSM/GPRS or 3G ... jeez
4. The sony is much bigger
5. The sony has a horrible aerial poking out the top
6. The sony is much heavier
7. The sony has a memory stick socket - yuck, betamax all over again
If I need a laptop I'll take my tiny Compaq with 1gb mem, 1280x768 screen, 80gb harddisk and 64bit amd chip.
For small devices I'll take my change with WM5.1 and WM6. XP was designed for beefy big screen PCs. It don't work on these things ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you never used one before. I have the U70, the last model. Normal battery 4-5hours and the extended battery 8-9hours. Thats with Wifi on the whole time. You can do 100 more things with XP then WM5. It also has a SD and MS slot. 30gig HDD.
Shame you wont try it.
zakeen said:
I guess you never used one before. I have the U70, the last model. Normal battery 4-5hours and the extended battery 8-9hours. Thats with Wifi on the whole time. You can do 100 more things with XP then WM5. It also has a SD and MS slot. 30gig HDD.
Shame you wont try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm somewhat sceptical. The Universal fits in my pocket - just. Anything bigger wouldn't be usable - and amongst my friends I'm the most easy going about device size, no one else will carry anything close to as big.
Irrespective of its capabilities its no good to me sitting on the shelf when I'm out and about.
So, for me at least, when it comes to trading off capability against 'pocketability' the latter wins every time... YMMV
some more links:
Sony Vaio UX50 resuming from standby in six seconds - Google Video
Hands on with the UX50
hi Zakeen,
That battery life you mention does sound much better. I have had a few sony laptops over the years and they always faired much worse then other ones.
I am following the new Ulitra Micro laptop generation with interest. The Samsung Q1 and Toshiba libretto look more interesting to me as the Toshiba has a better spec. and is cheaper, and roughly the same size, whereas the Samsung is smaller. I think the 2nd generation of these devices will be better. I am prepared to spend around $1000 on a 1Mhz Pentium clone around the size of the Samsung Q1. The Libretto and UX180 are just too expensive.
I was also disappointed that Apple hasn't brought out a tiny laptop. The new macbook is very cheap at $1099 with a core duo cpu, but is actually bigger then the previous G4 macbook.
I have a feeling it'll take another year for these devices to mature. However then the Universal II (or whatever) will be out and again we will have to see whether a micro-laptop is actually worth it!
Using Universal as micro notebook is an excercise in how much compromises you can make/take.
- Lack of built in storage
- No USB Host
- No VGA out
- Poor or no office compatibility (even Text and Page maker are a pain, Power Point and Project editing is even more of a strech and there is no Visio at all.
- Browsing capabilities and compatibility
- Even Mail clients are rather poor
... ant the list goes on ...
I'm sure Sony users will also have to make many compromises, but I'm also pretty sure not even close to Universal's users. If only it would not be so expensive...

HTC replacing MOGUL and Touch from Sprint.

Hi everyone,
Good news guys, HTC is gonna be replacing the HTC Mogul with a newer Device CODENAMED HTC RAPHAEL and the Touch with HTC DIAMOND, it seems to be Sprint EXCLUSIVE, so lets wait for Fall '08 to see these babies.
Source: Engadget Mobile
EDIT: sorry for the misunderstanding guys, THEY ARE NOT RECALLING, THEY FACING OUT THE MOGUL AND TOUCH FOR THE HTC RAPAHEL AND HTC DIAMOND NEW DEVICES and it seems to be SPRINT EXCLUSIVE.
Ohhhh, I thought you meant there was a recall lol.
YEAH! I can't wait! Awww man, that phone looks sexy!
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They have a replacement for the HTC P4350 that looks similar, but the keyboard is not as nice and the device as a whole is fatter and has slighly rounder edges.
I hope I can upgrade for less than $150
It's hideous.
Seriously, you gonna put that in your pocket?
I don't put my phones in pockets, I put them in holsters. And its not hideus. Its much better looking than the Mogul at least.
Here's a better idea of what its going to look like:
Like that but with a glossy body.
Wow! Looks really nice. How is the RAM on it?
No word on that yet but I'm willing to bet its 128MB.
Man, thats some exciting news bro!
I am most concerned with how many hard buttons vs. the mogul and if it will have the scroll. Two things I will never go down on from here on out.
I'm not really concerned about that. I find the scroll wheel useless since I can scroll by swiping my finger. And I find the IE and Messaging buttons useless when I have shortcuts for that on my screen. Makes my phone look weird...
wow thats whats up. Cant wait for this to come out. I'm happy with Mogul design, just hate the limited memory. They can take the wifi away and hopefully add a better camera, although not really needed...
I really dislike the face of the Mogul. Its not anywhere near as good-looking as the Wing or the Tilt. Also, its really slippery, unlike the Wing and the Tilt.
They need to give the Raphael better battery life, a 3mp camera, and the wifi is necessary for most people, including myself.
hidavi said:
I really dislike the face of the Mogul. Its not anywhere near as good-looking as the Wing or the Tilt. Also, its really slippery, unlike the Wing and the Tilt.
They need to give the Raphael better battery life, a 3mp camera, and the wifi is necessary for most people, including myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put an invisibleShield front and side protection for about $25 and it has the best grip all around now. It makes it a much better phone. I have that stuff on all our phones and cameras and ipods. You can drop your phone and that stuff really protects it like no other.
I hope you're right, and if it doesn't have wifi, I am not interested.
hidavi said:
I'm not really concerned about that. I find the scroll wheel useless since I can scroll by swiping my finger. And I find the IE and Messaging buttons useless when I have shortcuts for that on my screen. Makes my phone look weird...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't like the IE and Messaging buttons at first but I love them now. Having a shortcut on the screen only helps if you go back to the Today Screen. I love being able to open either program with 1 button push no matter what screen the Moguls on.
I'm excited about the idea of getting more RAM but I'm pretty disappointed with the look of that new phone. Looks really cheap and I don't like the layout of the buttons on the bottom.
Since this phone is the successor to the Mogul, I am assuming they are kicking the TITANII(kaiser) to the curve.
With that being said this phone should have all the necessary drivers unlike the kaiser. It makes me think that HTC won't be planning on updating the Kaiser to new drivers and just decided to skip the phone and build a new line.
Now a days I would consider Rev. A, 256MB ROM, 128 RAM, Bluetooth, WIFI, GPS & AGPS, WM6.1 or Android, 3 MP or higher camera w/ flash, Functional / existing drivers, slide out keyboard or full size on screen key board, STEREO speakers, SDHC card capabilities, and Bigger screens a new standard for phones these days.
Looks Sweet!
I for one think it looks great. I love my phone and wish it was thinner. I do keep it in my pocket and not holstered. Thinner is better. More ram is a must 128 isn't enough. I would sacrifice the camera upgrade for better ram. 512MB would be ideal. I had the 6700 and when it took a dump it took it in and they replaced it with a Mogul. Hopefully they'll do it again when my phone mysteriously takes a dump on me... PS [email protected](K THE IPHONE.
My 2 cents....
There's a few things that i'm not liking.
First of all the 2.8" screen should be bigger, it better take up the majority of the front if it stays 2.8". unlike the mogul
Second. i don't think i could deal with the keyboard sliding to the left. I like to be able to hold my phone in my right hand and open the keyboard with my thumb by sliding the screen to the left. how would that work sliding the other way? I would have to use my left hand. Then the directional pad will be on the right. wtf. I hope this doesn't stay.
The name? who came up with that?
Also, I don't think we will see more than 128mb of ram. For WM6 there's really no need. If we're able to put WM7 on these then how is HTC going to sell us their next 'mogul'. (If WM7 even requires that) especially if this has H/W acceleration and it's up to what the msm7500 sounds like it could be.
I would love to see more than one micro sd slot. leave one on the bottom of the phone so it's easy to get to and put a few under the battery. They wouldn't take up any room at all and with as cheap as micro sd cards will eventually get we could have 32gb of storage easily. Whenever i need more room just pop in a new 8gb sd which will probably be under 20 bucks in 09.
Maybe have a tilting screen like the tilt
WiMax... ok maybe im dreaming.
Anyways, If this has a 3"+ vga screen, working H/W acceleration, a few micro sd slots, keyboard that slides to the right, decently thin, and it actually runs good i would pay $700 for it. If not i'll just keep the mogul, hope drivers get hacked, and buy an UMPC (go WMWiFiRouter!). Can't wait untill september.
I like it a lot. It fixes a big complaint I have with the Mogul, the phone buttons are the same height as the others, so you don't keep accidentilly calling people while the phone is in the case. It looks slimmer, which is good.
For the love of god please let it not "tilt", what a stupid feature, amkes the phone impossible to use in your hands. And I like that there's no "bing" on the front.
Multiple SD cards slots is dumb. One slot is fine, don't go jacking up the price of the phone with usless features like that.
Better camera ++. I would like to see a bigger screen, but as lonf as it's the same size as the Mogul, I'm cool with that. Rev A, GPS, and WiFi all needed. As far as RAM, as much as you can cram in there, 128 should be a minimum.
As for the name, I'm sure that's an internal developmnt name, it will debut with another name.
WOW looking at the second pi on page one. the new phone looks Very cimilar to my 4 year old Creative Zen: Vision M.
BE PREPARED TO BE AMAZED WITH ITS SPECS!
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* Qualcomm MSM 7201A 520MHz CPU
* 256MB ROM
* 128MB RAM
* 7.2MB HSDPA/HSUPA (Rev A for Sprint versions)
* 2.8″ VGA Screen
* WiFi
* Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
* eGPS
* 3.1MP With Flash
* Forward Facing Camera (for video calls I presume)
* 4GB Internal Flash Storage (Diamond only)
* TV Out (Raphael only)
* Orientation Sensor (just like the iPhone)
* FM Radio
* MicroSD Expansion
* 900mAh Battery

My experience and negatives of SGS II

Hello XDA.
These are NOT MAJOR problems for me personally. The phone is brilliant, blazing fast. However if I had to pick out things I disliked/gripes these would be it. And will update if I or we happen to find more.
___________________________________________________________________
Hardware
- MicroSD and Sim slot has switched places from original SGS
Its more common to take the MicroSD out than the SIM card. Have to take the battery out just to insert/take out my MicroSD!!!
- Camera prone to scratches
The little platform that the camera is raised on is prone to scratches.Laying on a table the phone virtually rests on the camera lens! Comparing with the SGS the case takes the damage.
A good temporary way would be to stick a bit leftover from invisishield onto where the "8.0 MEGA" sign is and let that take the weight and scratches.
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- Gap in Speaker
I don't know if you've noticed but there is a GIANT GAP between the slits of the cover and the internals underneath it. And unlike the SGS I. There is noway to reach inside it get get dirt/bits out. Is a big whole waiting to collect dust IMHO. :S
- Lack of Base comparing to the SGS I
I have to say the speakers on SGS II imho is not better than SGS I. Maybe there was a bit of compromise in the design?
On the original SGS you couldn't listen to it whilst on the table or sofa.
Now on the SGS II there is a massive gap between the outer chasis and the internal speaker inside so you can listen to music perfectly without any muffling when laid on a surface which is a GOOD THING. However there seems to be a real lack of base comparing with the SGS I.
- No cover for MicroUSB slot
Again dust prone. Why they took that feature out from the Original sgs I don't know.
- Did not come with USB2go or HDMI cable EDIT: Samsung Infuse 4G has a USB2Go adapter included in box!
I know they didn't advertise this as one of the strongest points but a little disappointed that it didn't come with it. I actually asked about this at CPW on launch day but the accessories were still all boxed up so couldn't take a look.
- Some people having problems with Screen
Pixel/Lines appearing and disapperaing. But looking at this forum and others only a minority/rare case and I personally don't have this problem on my SGS II.
___________________________________________________________________
Software
- Flash videos
Problems with BBC iPlayer, video stuttering. A faint mesh background when you watch any flash embedded videos using the stock browser.
TRY TESTING THIS YOURSELF. Play a video which has a white if not a bright coloured background.
- Menu Key vibration in Game Hub
It is excessively long and loud unlike any other hubs or just when you press the menu key.
- Low call volume when using personal head phones. CONFIRMED
yeah, I've noticed these things too... but since I wasn't an original sgs owner didn't think too much of it. I actually noticed the deep speaker gap when I saw something just inside.... had to fish it out with a toothpick?!
dk206 said:
- Camera is a real worry. The little platform that the camera is raised on is prone to scratches. I don't like cases and I tried sticking the bits left out of my Invisishield screen protector onto the back cover but it doesn't seem to stick on...I was trying to stack a a neat circle of invisishield at the sides of the camera so when placed down on a desk/table it wouldn't scratch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't the camera has also gorilla glass?
Otherwise it is a big worry
My negatives so far are
* Flash videos are not smooth on BBC iPlayer, even using the official iPlayer app.
* Camera shutter noise cannot be disabled
* Some popular games are not working, NFS Shift, Dungeon Defenders etc
* No LED for email/sms notifications
* Phone vibrates loudly when fully charged - waking me up at 4 am
dk206 said:
These are NOT MAJOR problems
Negative points for me
- MicroSD and Sim slot has switched places. Its more common to take the MicroSD out than the SIM card. Now I have to take the battery out just to insert/take out my MicroSD!!!
Not a problem i take sd card out once a year at most .
- No cover for MicroUSB slot again dust prone. Why they took that feature out from the Original sgs I don't know.
Odd that maybe they think wont attract dust as its on the bottom .
- USB2GO cable didn't come with the box!
Not expecting it to
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hung77 said:
Doesn't the camera has also gorilla glass?
Otherwise it is a big worry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno. I bets not. Hope so but yeah, the glass edges mounted on the silver chrome is just waiting to get scratched! :S
@jgittins
Agree with the LED not having notification functions.
But the rest of the issues can be software-fixed and will improve in time e.g games compatibility. Remember the SGS II just came out. Like-wise maybe bbc iPlayer is not yet tailored for the SGS II. Strange though, my Carphonewarehouse phone did come with it installed. I'll check this out.
As for phone vibrating loud turn the vibration down in settings.
Camera shutter sound even on silent, yes I can confirm too that it is not working for me too. I'm on CPW (sim-free unlocked) firmware
JJEgan said:
- USB2GO cable didn't come with the box!
Not expecting it to
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah agree they are not major problems like I've said. I just tried focusing on the h/w problems which might be hard to change/alter unlike software problems.
The cable tbh I expected it to come with it.
The box is smaller than the Galaxy S which I applaud Samsung environmental/wasting less resources but for a 500Pounds phone...disappointed nonetheless.
dk206 said:
Dunno. I bets not. Hope so but yeah, the glass edges mounted on the silver chrome is just waiting to get scratched! :S
@jgittins
Agree with the LED not having notification functions.
But the rest of the issues can be software-fixed and will improve in time e.g games compatibility. Remember the SGS II just came out. Like-wise maybe bbc iPlayer is not yet tailored for the SGS II. Strange though, my Carphonewarehouse phone did come with it installed. I'll check this out.
As for phone vibrating loud turn the vibration down in settings.
Camera shutter sound even on silent, yes I can confirm too that it is not working for me too. I'm on CPW (sim-free unlocked) firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since screen is SAMOLED you can get an app to flash a couple of pixels with minimal power drain IIRC
RE the vibration, if it's annoying, I'll find a way to stop it by hacking the framework if required...
Hmm nothing really sticks out as bad or negative, personally just gripes.
Also annoyed by the SD card being ballache to remove, I'd prefer a external access port.
I'd prefer Samsung not stamping there name front and back, on the back would have been fine, I'm well aware of what i bought it doesn't need a f'in label.
Disappointed with the hotspot on the camera CCD. had this on the HD2, Desire etc.
I don't like the lack of a notification LED
The clicking of the hardware key sounds cheap IMHO.
16gb storage, hmm 2gb apps 2.5gb unaccounted for? 500mb Rom 500mb Rom backup? even at that rate, still missing 1.5gb ???
Battery life isn't what i hoped for, can't get anywhere near other users standby times
USB2GO not included nor HDMI lead?
all in all i am happy but a few adjustments and it would have been perfect, literally
jgittins said:
My negatives so far are
* Camera shutter noise cannot be disabled
* Phone vibrates loudly when fully charged - waking me up at 4 am
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those two drawbacks are actually disturbing, as SGS has an option to disable shutter sound from within camera settings.
I also remember, that in previous, first Froyo firmwares for SGS it was also vibrating at night when charged.
Samsung fixed it with newer firmwares and this problem was gone.
I wouldn't worry about this just yet, I think those two maybe fixed in the future.
pulser_g2 said:
Since screen is SAMOLED you can get an app to flash a couple of pixels with minimal power drain IIRC
RE the vibration, if it's annoying, I'll find a way to stop it by hacking the framework if required...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
camera shutter noise is priority now I think.
Really strange usually U.K or Europe for that matter has the function to silent shutter noise when in silent/vibration mode for companies like Samsung, Nokia etc.
diablous said:
Hmm nothing really sticks out as bad or negative, personally just gripes.
I'd prefer Samsung not stamping there name front and back, on the back would have been fine, I'm well aware of what i bought it doesn't need a f'in label.
I'm actually glad they did this. People need to know that it is a Samsung phone and not a knock off of an iPhone most people believe it to be. The general public will be amazed with Super AMOLED plus therefore I think it was good Samsung to do this front and back. (IMHO)
The clicking of the hardware key sounds cheap IMHO.
You mean the middle home button????
16gb storage, hmm 2gb apps 2.5gb unaccounted for? 500mb Rom 500mb Rom backup? even at that rate, still missing 1.5gb ???
Yeah this is a little strange, will look on this
Battery life isn't what i hoped for, can't get anywhere near other users standby times
Hmmm I've been easily getting over 24hours with my moderate usage. 3G always on/ MP3 everyday 45mins there and back from Uni, browsing 2hours at least. Auto-sync turned on all day
USB2GO not included nor HDMI lead?
Neither included...for a 500 Pound phone...
all in all i am happy but a few adjustments and it would have been perfect, literally
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah agree. Happy, blazing fast. Like the SGS will only get better and better with time. I'm just so looking forward to what our devs can do with this beast >
diablous said:
Hmm nothing really sticks out as bad or negative, personally just gripes.
Also annoyed by the SD card being ballache to remove, I'd prefer a external access port.
I'd prefer Samsung not stamping there name front and back, on the back would have been fine, I'm well aware of what i bought it doesn't need a f'in label.
Disappointed with the hotspot on the camera CCD. had this on the HD2, Desire etc.
I don't like the lack of a notification LED
The clicking of the hardware key sounds cheap IMHO.
16gb storage, hmm 2gb apps 2.5gb unaccounted for? 500mb Rom 500mb Rom backup? even at that rate, still missing 1.5gb ???
Battery life isn't what i hoped for, can't get anywhere near other users standby times
USB2GO not included nor HDMI lead?
all in all i am happy but a few adjustments and it would have been perfect, literally
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm only going to refer to the 16GB part. I know that when I purchase ANY storage (hard drive, memory card) it is NEVER the full amount. Such as my 16GB micro SD card gives me around 14GB of space. Just like my 500GB hard drive is also in the 400 something GB range for usable space. It is just the nature of storage, you never get the full amount .
my personal negatives are:
1.no touch to focus on camera app.(it does work, my bad)
2.aliasing on web pages.
3.too many incompatible games.
4.no mhl cable bundled with the phone
that's all
awesome-member said:
my personal negatives are:
1.no touch to focus on camera app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine does..
What i done like:
the gap inbetween the screen and the silver bezel
the home button moves around a little
Big gap where the speaker is
no protective cover for the camera
jgittins said:
My negatives so far are
* Flash videos are not smooth on BBC iPlayer, even using the official iPlayer app.
* Camera shutter noise cannot be disabled
* Some popular games are not working, NFS Shift, Dungeon Defenders etc
* No LED for email/sms notifications
* Phone vibrates loudly when fully charged - waking me up at 4 am
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, how can the shutter noise not have an option to turn it off????
use an APP called NOled it worked amazingly on the SGS1
RedBlueGreen said:
Mine does..
What i done like:
the gap inbetween the screen and the silver bezel
the home button moves around a little
Big gap where the speaker is
no protective cover for the camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
opps,,,, mine does too. i swear it didn't a minute ago. only after i rebooted the touch to focus worked.
valdigre said:
Those two drawbacks are actually disturbing, as SGS has an option to disable shutter sound from within camera settings.
I also remember, that in previous, first Froyo firmwares for SGS it was also vibrating at night when charged.
Samsung fixed it with newer firmwares and this problem was gone.
I wouldn't worry about this just yet, I think those two maybe fixed in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont understand. original SGS had the vibrate issue when full, so they fixed it. they relesae the successor, and put the issue back in place? oh samsung you silly devil dogs, cant think things thru can they...kinda stupid.
My number one concern is bbc iplayer.
When I visit the iplayer website and play video it suffers from stuttering.
My second concern is white mesh on flash animations. Why cant the vectors be smooth like flash on the pc?
Dannyboyni said:
My number one concern is bbc iplayer.
When I visit the iplayer website and play video it suffers from stuttering.
My second concern is white mesh on flash animations. Why cant the vectors be smooth like flash on the pc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I've said this before above somewhere iPlayer will most certainly improve for SGS II. It just came out.
I have no problems with flash. Watch (not in youtube) embedded sites and click full screen set on 1080p it is AMAZING.

Voyo A1 mini

Got this information from slatedroid by ebsbow, online.
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Voyo A1 with Intel Atom Quad-core:
- Intel Atom Z3735D [email protected](2core burstmode@1.8Ghz)
- Intel Atom Z3735f is the new cheaper slower version.
- Using the next-gen 22nm technology. More power less energy.
- Intel HD technology GPU(build around 4 EU and 700Mhz)
- 8" new technology 1280*800 IPS screen(approx. 194dpi)
- 2Gb Single channel DDR3L-RS
- 32Gb internal space(minus installation and restore space)
- SD card expansion slot for extra 32Gb~64Gb
- Windows 8.1(64bit) full version(not RT)
- Supporting virtualization, x86 apps, Metro apps...
- HDMI output(Max.FHD)
- Charging port 9v 2Amps.
- Micro usb OTG(also for 5v charging)
- BT 4.0, Wifi b-g-n
- Dual camera's: 2.0Mpx(Pipo w2/Livefan: 5Mpx). Minimal but handy.
- Accelerometer, Gyroscope.
- Plastic shell, sturdy and basic clean design.
- About the same weight and dimensions as a Nexus 7(first gen)
- Comes in various funky color:
Gray(metal), White, Green, Blue, Pink(dark), Yellow.. No black.
Originally based on the Emdoor-i8080(Z3735G China)
- i8180
- 8080-A
- 8080-C
Look a likes include:
2G 32G(64-bit single channel)
- Pipo W2(Z3735D China) xda
- Croma 1179(Z3735D India)
- QUMO Vega 8008W(Z3735F Russia?)
- LIVEFAN F8C(Z3735D China+64Gb version)
- sTouch W801(Z3735D China)
- SonQi w1088(Z3735D China)
- Jumper EZ pad(Z3735E China)
1G 16Gb(32-bit single channel)
- CUBE iwork U80GT(Z3735E or Z3735D+gps(..)) xda
- FNF Fine 8(Z3735E)
- Other...?
First look at the price point, then acknowledge it's an cool little 8" Windows 8.1 Intel Atom device.
Nice screen and battery life is great in normal use. The power drain of running full fletch PC games,
which are fare more complex then Android games, is much higher. Metro games are obviously more
suitable. They are efficient, smaller and modern. Nonetheless some older PC games run surprising well.
It is also possible to install Android(x86 64-bit) or an Linux distribution if you like. And because of its x86
nature and running an full fletch OS, all Windows applications will work fine. With a few exceptions like
running the latest Photoshop CC. This may prove not very productive or efficient on an 8" screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has come to our attention that some sellers are dispatching fake D types to buyers.
Obviously we will not stand for this. If you are victim of this let us know(post or pm), we will post them here.
If you buy through paypal or aliexpress you are secured with buyers protection. Make use of it to complain.
-Banggood
-Amazon(lots of seller sell fake D)
-ebay(lots of seller sell fake D)
-Aliexpress(lots of seller sell fake D)
-efox
...
Bought an fake sdcard? Let s now what shop. Post or pm.
Check fakes sdcard(suggestion by ebsbow)
-Amazon(lots of seller sell fake 64gb)
-ebay(lots of seller sell fake 64gb)
Additional Slatedroid Voyo A1 forum
Problems:
<i>In case you are locked in an update loop, use this recovery walkthrough(courtesy of Downstar) <here>
And then there is some other info. (Also by ebsbow.)
For those who don't know yet, the differences between Z3735 models are designated with D - E - F or G.
All-in-all the following applies.
Spoiler
Type 4 SoC model D of the Z3735 series seems the best choice for more extended use. The other
versions are streamlined from there. Not just lower memory and functions but the price is very competitive.
They all run at the same core frequency of Quad-1.58Ghz to Dual-1.8Ghz. So the streamlining consists by
reducing the amount of internal hardware components.
Because of this the F version will have the same memory values as D but will effectively run a little bit slower
in real world applications then the latter(..)
For Internet, video, music, casual game, the E and G variants will more then suffice and will come with lower
thermal resistance. Battery life will be longer and the price lower.
D will perform all these task with 2Gb 32Gb (an a 64-bit Windows) a bit better for just an couple of buck more.
Posted pricing seems a bit weird on most Chinese sites, e.g. selling E and G's at the same price as a D.
They should be going for around a 115$ ~ 125$. D's should go for around a 135$ ~ 160$ or less.
Just be sure to look at that when making your choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it is possible to install Android and Linux on this.
It should be running and 32-bit version of windows 8.1 in WIM configuration right now.
This seem an good place to start Link
Hey Buddy, just found your awesome post here.
I have the hardware drivers for those in need of them. <here>(82.1Mb)
There from the A1. Don't know if they are the same for the other models.
<i>Still waiting for the tablet, so I haven't tested any of these yet.
Sweet! Those will come in handy. Thanks, ebsbow!
i've been using this tablet for about a month now, it's a really good tablet for its price range, capable of running all kinds of daily apps that i need, a couple of nice games, and the battery life is amazing..
Guy's I am looking to get an 64Gb sd card for this. But it seems not all versions or types do work. It
does support SDXC/SDHC(obviously) 64Gb class 10.
With all those differences on sale it's troublesome to go out and buy one just randomly. Even if they are class brands.
If you could share your experiences on this that would be great. Model, type, brand etc..
Here you can read a review
http://www.retroandroid.com/review-tablet-windows-8-1-voyo-a1-mini/
Very good tablet.
Here you can see some videos:
The bang for the buck is great.
I've owned one of these for over a month now and I love it. I get a whole lot more use out of this than my ASUS TF300T.
I can't say enough good things about it, really. I've put it through it's paces and it hasn't let me down yet. I took the time to turn off eye candy where-ever possibly and applied all the usual gamer tweaks one should do to Windows and extended my battery life out a bit.
I've run Fallout 3 and Skyrim on it. Sure, it takes some concessions on video quality and some mods to reduce memory overhead, but the balance is acceptable and quite enjoyable to play. Not to mention the scads of GoG games that run well on here. Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate play flawlessly.
I see people wanting to run Photoshop on it. I say, why not? While the latest and greatest Photoshop CS may be a bloated whore, Photoshop CS3 runs brilliantly here and gives access to most of the tools in the CS arsenal.
I've been able to run Linux Mint in a VM through VMPlayer, and thanks so some tips from the ASUS T100 guys have been able to at least boot Ubuntu to a terminal in native mode. So a native Linux install is certainly possible, but beyond my expertise at the moment. There is a version of this tablet that comes with Android preinstalled, but Bluestacks runs on it fine, and I've been able to launch some games using ARCHON-APK in Chrome, so I kind of have the best of both worlds there.
Hardware compatibility thusfar has been 100%. I have yet to encounter a peice of hardware that causes grief. My XBOX 360 wireless contoller and dongle work perfect, and the bluetooth is even compatible with Wiimotes, so gaming is easy. Even something as obscure as a Serial Port replicator that I have laying around for running Drivewire with my CoCo II was detected and worked without a hitch.
Like I said I've hit this thing with everything I have got and it hasn't let me down yet. I just hope someone gets a fully functional native Linux install working on it so I can use it as a portable development studio, too.
Any problems with charging?
[email protected] said:
i've been using this tablet for about a month now, it's a really good tablet for its price range, capable of running all kinds of daily apps that i need, a couple of nice games, and the battery life is amazing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Ryan,
Do you have any problems using this device when charging? I have one, but when it is plugged in to the mains (NOT trickle charge through USB) the screen registers multiple touches for each single touch, making it unusable.
Thanks,
Jason.
@jcsammut -
I have the same issue, it appears to be bleed off from the charging circuit affecting the capacitance of the touch screen. It only seems to happen for me when the battery is fully charged. It may be the screen protector acting as a capacitor as well, not certain though. I usually will just unplug it and let it drain back down to 25% or so and plug it back in. It doesn't act that way when you charge via USB. I use a Bluetooth mouse 90% of the time so the touchscreen going berserk on a full charge isn't a game-breaker for me, personally.
themagi said:
@jcsammut -
I have the same issue, it appears to be bleed off from the charging circuit affecting the capacitance of the touch screen. It only seems to happen for me when the battery is fully charged. It may be the screen protector acting as a capacitor as well, not certain though. I usually will just unplug it and let it drain back down to 25% or so and plug it back in. It doesn't act that way when you charge via USB. I use a Bluetooth mouse 90% of the time so the touchscreen going berserk on a full charge isn't a game-breaker for me, personally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, it happens for me regardless of charge amount, but it is sometimes intermittent at any charge level - e.g. one second it does it and the next it doesn't.
I agree that it does not do it via USB but the trickle charge is not enough to sustain a charge under normal usage and the battery depletes.
I tend to use a mouse too, but is a bit of a pain when just wanting to use the touch screen. Oh well now I know it affects multiple devices I may stick with it.
Out of interest could it be a shielding issue of the adapter itself? Would a different model help perhaps.
Thanks.
jcsammut said:
Out of interest could it be a shielding issue of the adapter itself? Would a different model help perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Certainly couldn't hurt to try especially if you have a compatible adapter that has a ground plug. I've never noticed if the plug on the stock adapter is polarized. It might make a difference if the polarity is switched.
I have the same thing around 80% when the battery is charging. Only horizontally.
I seem to remember reading something about an little adapter thingy to add to the charger tip.
Buggster said:
I have the same thing around 80% when the battery is charging. Only horizontally.
I seem to remember reading something about an little adapter thingy to add to the charger tip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I just tried portrait but it still happens.
Any idea what the 'little adapter thingy' is?
I am trying to find an alternative power supply, but everyone seems to offer a 9v 2a adapter with a 2.5mm barrel, when this take a 2mm barrel.
Cheers!
No buddy, can't recall. I forgot reading about something regarding this kind of problem before I got the tablet.
Some adapter. 2mm in, something magical in between, 2mm out
I'll may look into it later today. Probably have an link to it somewhere..
edit;
you can also try an usb to 2mm cable on an prober usb adapter
Buggster said:
No buddy, can't recall. I forgot reading about something regarding this kind of problem before I got the tablet.
Some adapter. 2mm in, something magical in between, 2mm out
I'll may look into it later today. Probably have an link to it somewhere..
edit;
you can also try an usb to 2mm cable on an prober usb adapter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers mate, I will try searching for that, as searching google for "2mm in, something magical in between, 2mm out" returned some very 'intersting' results .......magic gold rope anyone?.
Did some research and this touchscreen issue is definitely related to the ungrounded charger supplied by the manufacturer.
Apparently it's a common problem with newer touchscreens because of the push for thinness. It produces EMI interference that causes a "ripple" effect to cross the screen outward from the charging plug. This is why the extra touches always seem to be in-line with your finger. A way to avoid it "temporarily" is to touch the grounded edge of the USB port or other exposed metal surface while using the touchscreen. It puts you on the same ground plane as the device and "mutes" the "ripple" effect.
The cleaner the power from the Mains the less you'll notice this effect. So a quality surge filter will probably help at the plug end.
You could also try one of these.. Which should filter the noise out and "mute" the "ripple."
I think I have one of those barrel filters at my house. I'll try to find it and see if it works for me. Touching the USB port works for sure as I've tried it myself.
Magic gold rope, my basement visitor may appreciate that. Eew. Just kidding guy's!
What I have reckoned so far is that using 1.5a vs 2.0a charge would be beneficial to
lessen the interference when loading. So at this point I suspect using 'a' capacitor,
as already suggested, as the magic part. The extra benefit would be an longer cable!
It would slowdown the loading cycle, but don't see a problem there.
Anyone volunteering to make an schematic?
edit; good find thmagi. didn't see your post there.

Onda V975W (aka my cheap surface alternative) Experiences

For the pictures in high resolution and a nicer format of the article, check out the original post:
http://klonom.com/onda-v975w-aka-my-cheap-surface-alternative-experiences/
And here go my first impressions of my new Onda V975W Tablet. It has Windows 8.1 (fully, no RT cr*p) preinstalled, 2 GB RAM, Bay Trail quadcore processor (each up to 1.8 GHz) and a Retina Display.
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I bought the tablet out of two main reasons. First of all my old Lenovo S10 netbook is dying slowly, so I need a replacement. Secondly I was interested in the Surface tablets, but their prices are way to high in my opinion. Obviously you get a lot for its price, but I do not really need an i7 processor in my tablet. My tablet should be powerful, but does not need to be too much, since for main tasks I still use my bigger main computer. Then my focus got on the Onda V975W tablet. I bought it at eFox for roughly 195€ with sending (slow registered air mail) und customs insurance. Although I chose slow sending, the parcel already arrived two and a half weeks later. Let’s start with the specs:
Specifications:
-Windows 8.1 (no RT)
-9.7 Zoll Display
-2048×1536 Resolution
-2 GB RAM, 32 GB ROM
-5 MP backcamera, 2 MP fontcamera (according eFox)
-MicroHDMI Output
-MicroUSB Input
-MicroSD slot
– 7800mAh Akku (according eFox)
-Intel Z3735D processor
Items delivered:
The tablet was delivered in a worthy looking box with chinese texts on it. Additionally to the tablet itself, not much was given beside. Just a short chinese manual and a charger (5V, 2.5A according to the label). There was no Windows 8.1 or Windows 365 license card put in beside, which was reported to be the case in other boards. On a request the shop answered that this would be simply not part of the product. Since I already have an unused Windows 8 license, this is not a big downside for me, but for people without this could become a hurdle when they want to reinstall Windows.
First impressions:
After the unboxing I was very surprised of the worthy look of the tablet. It is really a look-a-like of the iPad Air (so much, that even iPad Air cases can be used mostly, more on that later). The front has a camera in the top middle inside the white border. I did not try the back- or the front camera yet, I will update this later.
The back is made from brushed aluminium. It feels nicely cool when touched. On the bottom there are stereo speakers. Above them, there are product details lasered in, pretty much like at the iPad. At the top side the HW buttons are placed: Power and the volume rocker. Both seem worthy and have a nice pressure point.
At the top side the ports are placed: MicroSD, MicroHDMI, MicroUSB and headphone jack. Additionally a microphone.
First use:
I already prepared myself, that the tablet arrives in chinese language. At least that was reported for most of the V975W of the latter generations. But my Windows was already changed to english (at least most parts) and an user account called “as” was set up. And wow, the resolution looks amazing! No pixels can be determined at all on the Retina display. A few tweaks later also the last parts of remained chinese language were gone. Also the newest BIOS and drivers were installed. So I started and installed some programs like Thunderbird and Firefox and was happy, since everything ran smoothly. The CPU usage while Idle is at about 0-3%, while about 40-45% of the RAM is used. The latter one can be still optimised, for the case that no applications which heavily use the GPU are used. That’s the case, since the GPU splits up 500 MB of RAM by default. It is said that this can be reduced to 256 MB without problems, but I haven’t tried it yet. A small downside is the small internal memory, since with Windows installed there are just about 11 GB free by default. That’s why I installed most of the programms on my 64 GB microSD card.
Usage:
The touch display responds quick and after a bit getting used to, Windows 8 can be nicely navigated by touch. Just the typing I do not really like on the display. That is why I wanted to have a kind of “Type Cover” from the Surface for my V975W. Good point here, that the V975W is so close to the iPad Air, that even many cases fit. Anyhow, my first try failed. I ordered a keyboard case from Anker for the iPad Air (“Slim Folio Bluetooth Keyboard Case”). With a bit force it fitted, but not really nicely. But the second try worked out. For about 22€ I bought this case with bluetooth keyboard and it sits perfect! Just the ports can not be perfectly reached, so I cutted a small hole for the microUSB (see last picture). Also the backcamera does not sit perfectly over the hole, but this does not bother me, since I never really understood the sense of backcameras for tablets .
The keyboard can be removed (holds via magnets) and the top cover can be moved to the back, very nice for using while sitting.
The keyboard can nicely be used for typing. In fact, I am writing this article on this keyboard. After a few seconds of not using it, it goes into sleep mode and the first keyboard hit is ignored while waking up, but all in all it has a nice respond.
Battery:
The battery I can not really rate yet. According to the shop it has a capacity of 7.8 Ah. The charging takes many hours, also with the delivered charger. At normal usage the battery holds for about 6-7h. Obviously it has to be considered, that the display has a very high resolution and it has a full Windows. I will still make some tests for the battery and will update this part later.
First conclusion:
I do not want to give a final conclusion yet, since this Windows 8 tablet has so many aspects which I did not test yet and might still change my opinion. Untill now I am fully satisfied with my decision. I could not find any other tablet with preinstalled Windows and such a high resolution for this price. As an alternative for a cheap “china-Surface” it pretty much fits my needs (except the internal memory).
It does look nice! But yeah, that 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (those are OK stats for a smartphone, but kind of crap otherwise; my first-gen RT tablet has more) is a deal-killer for me. Thanks for the review though! You may want to mention the MicroSD slot in the feature list at top (better than an iPad in that way!)
Thanks for the microSD card thing, totally forgot to mention it there . Untill now everything works smooth for me, will see if it stays like that.
Ive had my v975w for just over a month now and i love it. its more than met my expectations.
its fast, well designed and battery life is very good for a windows device.
My only compliant is the micro usb is used for charging so you cant use micro usb and charge at the same time but am thats fairly common across a lot of tablets.
i now look at my desktop pc and think "should i pack that away" as i dont see the need for it anymore. (i ditched pc gaming years ago) but i feel cruel abandoning my trusty old pc like ive betrayed it, even though its just a machine, lol am weird i know
Tonian1878 said:
Ive had my v975w for just over a month now and i love it. its more than met my expectations.
its fast, well designed and battery life is very good for a windows device.
My only compliant is the micro usb is used for charging so you cant use micro usb and charge at the same time but am thats fairly common across a lot of tablets.
i now look at my desktop pc and think "should i pack that away" as i dont see the need for it anymore. (i ditched pc gaming years ago) but i feel cruel abandoning my trusty old pc like ive betrayed it, even though its just a machine, lol am weird i know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some cables which are actually capable of charging and data connection at the same time. Other users of the Onda V975W report this one as working:
http://www.pabbos.com/36884493084.shtml
Really close to get one too .
Yeah ive ordered a otg+charge cable but from what ive read, its abit hit or miss which devices actually support them.
find out when it arrives
Tonian1878 said:
Yeah ive ordered a otg+charge cable but from what ive read, its abit hit or miss which devices actually support them.
find out when it arrives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one which I posted is reported by other Onda V975W users to work with this specific tablet.
KloNom said:
The one which I posted is reported by other Onda V975W users to work with this specific tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one ive ordered is different. that is a USB hub within the OTG cable. ive ordered a OTG thats split, female micro USB for charge and normal female USB for OTG.
was only £1.50 so not much lost if it doesnt work. fingers crossed
any luck with cases?
Ive ordered a bluetooth Keyboard cover that is meant for the ipad air. not arrived yet but hoping it fits ok with the design being identical to the ipad air
Tonian1878 said:
the one ive ordered is different. that is a USB hub within the OTG cable. ive ordered a OTG thats split, female micro USB for charge and normal female USB for OTG.
was only £1.50 so not much lost if it doesnt work. fingers crossed
any luck with cases?
Ive ordered a bluetooth Keyboard cover that is meant for the ipad air. not arrived yet but hoping it fits ok with the design being identical to the ipad air
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can see my case in the pictures, it is also for the iPad Air. It was really cheap, around 22€ and untill now working fine. I ordered a not fitting one for the first time, but the second was a hit .
KloNom said:
You can see my case in the pictures, it is also for the iPad Air. It was really cheap, around 22€ and untill now working fine. I ordered a not fitting one for the first time, but the second was a hit .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh yeah lol. my cover arrived
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IHQ1WQU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00
made up with it. fits perfectly and the design is a perfect match for the Onda v975w. nice spacing between keys as well considering its a small keyboard
Tonian1878 said:
oh yeah lol. my cover arrived
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IHQ1WQU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00
made up with it. fits perfectly and the design is a perfect match for the Onda v975w. nice spacing between keys as well considering its a small keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That looks really cool! Do the keys touch the display?
KloNom said:
That looks really cool! Do the keys touch the display?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
assume you mean when its closed. no it doesnt seem to but the is also a little on/off switch on the keyboard so you can just turn it off when your closing it.
only complaint is: the is a backspace button but no delete button, so you cant press ctrl+alt+del to access the task manager but luckily windows 8 has made is easier to access the task manager without pushing ctrl+alt+del.
Tonian1878 said:
assume you mean when its closed. no it doesnt seem to but the is also a little on/off switch on the keyboard so you can just turn it off when your closing it.
only complaint is: the is a backspace button but no delete button, so you cant press ctrl+alt+del to access the task manager but luckily windows 8 has made is easier to access the task manager without pushing ctrl+alt+del.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have the same problem with the Task Manager . Still want to make an alternative shortcut for it, but for now I am just using a shortcut on the desktop.

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