- Large 7-inch Android 2.1 Resistive Touchscreen
- microSD card slot(upgrade up to 16GB)
- Built-in 4GB internal memory
- Connect and enjoy Full 1080p on your HDTV via a HDMI cable
- Full-size USB connection enables keyboard of your tablet
Price: $ 179.99
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Coby Kyros MID7015 7-Inch Android Internet Touchscreen Tablet – Black
Price: $ 179.99
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Coby Kyros MID 7015,
So, after researching what I could of the various Android OS Internet Tablets out there (most with terrible reviews of hardware issues), and considering the purchase price, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the Coby unit. I was at first leary of buying something of this nature which is made by Coby, a manufacturer of basically cheap, low end electronics.
I purchased this unit (K-Mart, $149.95(save $30) in 12/12/10 – 12/19/10 AD – I also bought an additional year replacement contract for under $18 – a good idea on new electronics!), and immediately plugged it in to charge the battery (it notified of full charge after 1-1/2 hours). I decided to play with the unit a little, since I could not resist. I will say, I was impressed with the quality of the unit, it seems very sturdy and well built. It powered up fine and I found it very easy to navigate thru the functions (both on screen and the case side buttons). Of course, I recommend that you visit coby.com and download the manual in PDF format (as I did several days ago).
Now, as far as the touch screen, it functions excellent in my opinion. None of the quirks other mention about this unit or other units being sold. And forget about HAVING to use yor fingernail or the stylus to select or scroll. It works great with my finger tip, better than even the stylus. I admit, the finger swipe method to scroll thru lists or menus takes a bit of practice, but that may be only me, because I have never used a touch screen device of this type before. Oh, and the actual look of the screen (800×480 TFT), very nice. Again, better than expected. Enough about that. It just works.
Setting up a wireless connection was simple and effortless (using my own home wireless connection). Surfing the Internet was easy too, once you get used to seeing “mobile device formatted” versions of web pages. All my favorite web pages loaded quickly (I mean fast) and problem free. (For those interested, even Facebook loads and works fine – I tried it). The Ap for Youtube works great as well. Youtube videos load as fast as my desktop PC and of all the 10 or more that I tried, they played without any delay, chopping or buffering. Way better than I expected.
Using the Email AP, I very quickly set up a POP3 account and sent and received messages effortlessly (all verified).
File transfers to and from my PC went smooth, using the included USB cable (to the Coby’s internal 4GB memory – I have yet to buy a mini SD expansion card).
The included Ebook reader works perfectly too.
And, the built in accelerometer works nice. The screen will automatically change from portait and landscape mode, with only perhaps a 1 second delay. (The screen self-rotates 360 degrees – upside down, etc).
The only thing I can mention, which was not expected, is that when you go to the Apps Library onine for additional Aps, many are listed, and listed as free too. But when you choose them (all that I tried) and download them, the start up screen for the Ap gives mention that you can purchase it or continue with 15 day free trial. To me, that is called “limited shareware”, not a Free Ap! Perhaps some are indeed free, but I did not bother to search thru the hundreds and hundreds offered, and there is no advance way to know if they ARE indeed free. I am not really an AP person, so none of that really matters to me. The unit does, as it is, what I expected and bought it for, and it does it well.
*One note. If you purchase one of these, there is a firmware update on Coby’s site, with a Youtube instruction video as well. You WILL need a mini SD card (8Gb or less in size) to install the update file onto first, as the update takes place in the Coby unit itself (from the memory card). (I have not yet done this, but will next week). After this update, the site states that the unit will show even better performance.
Battery life is stated to be 7 hours (we will see), with it’s rechargeable 3200 mAh battery (a larger capacity than most other brand tablets).
That is my experience with this unit. I purchased it for the small, light form factor (no more clunky laptop), the wireless Internet, Email function, Reader and MP3 player, things I use often on the move (outside on lunch break at work, in bed at night or anywhere in the house or workplace, etc), but hate being tied to a power cord or a heavy laptop. So far, it has shown to serve this purpose with flying colors. (Some people have cellphones to do these tasks, but I hate cellphones and believe they are the leading cause of added stupidity in this country).
Included is a vice semi-hard protective case, wall charger, ear buds, USB Host cable (for thumb drives, mouse, etc) and a USB transfer cable…
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Be smart, research anything you purchase before setting expectations,
I already know what to expect as the positives and negatives of these devices, primarily the resistive screens that are not as nice as our Moto Driod’s Etc. But with facts in hand, the tons of functionality they offer, and the extremely low price tag, I was very comfortable purchasing three of these as Christmas gifts for my loved ones.
If you have considered an iPad, and are looking at one of these Android tablets as a cheap alternative, then you have already set yourself up for upset. These do not perform the same way. The screens are not the same technology meaning they do not recognize a soft swipe of the screen, or multi touch like most of their mobile phone brethren. They are resistive screens much like the older Windows mobile phones that react to pressure on the screen. A stylus is going to be more precise of course, but not always needed to operate the touch screen.
As for browsing, it is only as fast as your wireless connection will allow it to be. Many of the reviews others have made during test drives of the Colby show excellent response times loading web pages. But just like any device including your high performance notebooks, wireless signal strength, internet speeds, and many other factors come into play when you decide to hit a website.
I can honestly say, that these are by far the funnest little gadgets you can pick up for this low of a price, that offer so much features and functionality. They will and should never be a comparison to a high dollar iPad with a ton more hardware resources available. But at a third of the price, I am much happier playing my HD movies and MP3′s, surfing the web, checking email, etc on an Android then paying the price of an Apple.
And I must correct all those out there bashing the lack of Android’s mighty marketplace. This is not missing due to not having mobile connectivity, or even funnier, “an obscure legal loophole” LOL! This is due to the fact that Google requires high cost licensing from manufactures against their devices to allow access to their Market. The Android Tablet arena is still very new, and has not reached the sales yet needed to take on the cost of this licensing, and still produce a profit worth production. Once these devices are welcomed into the community, and sales become profitable, most manufacturers will have the leverage they need.
For most, the offerings of these tablets will provide allot of satisfaction as a media and internet device in your home. For those with little patience, you can’t save money and be happy at the same time. Whip out that wallet and go get yourself something more expensive so we don’t have to hear your whimpers of an another poorly researched purchase. And for those who are driven heavily on performance, and not scared by technical challenges, get out there and upgrade this Kryos and you will open up tons of limitations and performance from the hardware and OS.
Hope this helps some out there. Good luck, and happy smart shopping for the holidays!
Some of the great resources I used: (remove spaces in URL)
-Colby Kyros MID7015 Hands on Review (Unbiased)
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-Competing Android Tablets Test Drive Comparison Data
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-Colby Kyros MID7005/MID7015 Resource Page (Contains bugs, apps, and mods)
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-Manufacturers Site (Contains Manual and Firmware Update)
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-Excellent video on Home Shopping Network showcasing what it offers (if you can get past HSN’s cheesy sales guys)(very biased of course)
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Not bad at all,
It is quite thin and light. Ignore other reviews as they are talking about the model 7005.
It comes with a protective case, USB cable and USB mini-to female connector. The latter is very useful to mount USB drives. Be warned the tablet mounts it as the ‘scsi’ drive.
The battery life is quite decent (capacity is 3600mAh).
It has only 256 MB memory and the available memory is usually vey small. So you need to kill the backgroud apps from time to time.
It plays Angry Birds (with some font problems) and other 3D games quite well. Looks like there is a support for 2D and 3D acceleration. However, the Quadrant Benchmark marks around 300. Compare it with Galaxy Tab around 900 and Viewsonic gTablet around 1800.
No problem with any book readers. Actually can be a decent book reader considering the size and weight.
No Google Market as it has no Phone support. Not a big deal as I was able to install apps/games from various web sites.
Wi-fi support is good and Wi-fi stays on without any problems.
The is a manufacturer’s support web site (cobyusa). It has the latest update zip package and installation video alongside with the online user guide. So you are not alone when it comes to update this tablet.
The screen response is OK if you know how to deal with a resistive screen. You should not use your finger , but the tip of your finger nail or the stylus provided.
Overall a decent tablet, very compact and light (again this is 7015 not 7005) and performs well within the price range.
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