1) Slots:
At the bottom of the device, there is a reset button that can only be accessed with a pin or something really small. Microphone is also there along with a 3.5mm headphone port. The mini USB slot is also there.
The external speakers are at both sides of the device. The power button is at the bottom of the left speaker (see picture above). Now here is something odd… there is a small hole just above the speakers. I have no idea what these are for, nor does the manual say anything about it either. Part of the design? Hard to believe.
The top house the slot for both the microSD card (4GB is included) and for your SIM Card. In Malaysia, we use GSM, but the brochure says that it works also on WCDMA. I am not sure whether the chip allows for global usage. The hinge for the slots are made of plastic and seems capable of taking some amounts of violence on it. Next to the card slots, are the volume controls, decrease button followed by the increase button. I find this irritating when using the tablet in portrait mode; whenever I grip the device using my hands, I will somehow accidentally touch the volume buttons. I guess I am too much of a rebel to use it ‘properly’ in landscape mode.
2) The Display:
Click to enlarge
Previously in my quick review, I mentioned that the screen looked a bit washed out. Well, it was, and I now know the reason why: the screen protector that is included is totally at fault. I would advice against putting any screen protector on it because it would make it harder for the device to register your touch. On the brightest setting, the display holds its own quite well… colours are bright and everything seems clear. Contrast seems okay, though it is not that great. The low resolution of 800 by 480 does not fit a screen this big well. I believe that though that resolution is alright for a device like the HD2 with its 4.3″ screen size, it is pushing it for a 7″ screen. The crispness of the fonts and graphics are lost and pixelation quite obvious when your eyes are within 25cm from the display. Again, for the price on this device, I do not expect the quality that Samsung Tab is pushing. However, the viewing angles are something of a concern for me. Putting the device on the table before me, I can already notice that the darker colours on the screen are all darkened, making it hard to differentiate images of similar tone. The lighter colours are alright though. If viewed from the same angle from the top, the backlight brightens the display a bit too much, making it hard to see too. It is sad because the side angles are perfectly fine. I suspect this has to do with the imbalance of the bezel design which disrupts the angles from the top and bottom. A real pity, but a minor problem (in my books).
Click to enlarge
The screen is made of glass, as far as I can tell, TFT LCD quality. It will scratch, though I have not tested that myself. Fingerprints are not as obvious as the back cover, from what I can tell. Do not expect spectacular sensitivity on this device. It is capacitive and it works as well as my old HTC Dream did. But it does not have the same level of the iPhone or even Galaxy S series. But it is usable and much better than the best resistive screens. This is one of the attractions of this tablet that I find, over all other cheaper, but with resistive screen tablets around. There is not much frustration in using this, as long as you are not expecting blazing speed responses to your touches.
3) Sound
Sound is loud and clear. It is adequate to fill a regular sized room with music. I find it more effective to amplify the sound when it is resting on a flat surface. The sound quality is passable, though not fantastic, as some of the higher pitch range gets distorted. Again, this is only a tablet device that is not meant to be a media player replacement. I tried using the external speakers in a conversation with a friend the other day, and the other party’s voice sounded loud enough for my wife and I to hear. Using the in-built microphone, my friend noted that my voice was clear on his line.
The headphone/handset given is practically useless for listening music. It is really bad quality. The moment I put in my Sony earphones and even HTC ones, the music that comes through was pleasing, and had a nice balance to it. Nothing to complain here concerning the sound (again, I am not an expert in this area).
The next post will talk about the software side of things.
Reminder: Er Lern’s blog is here.
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I just got myself Mi700 2 days ago lol…
I agree that the screen protector do somehow degrade the clarity of the screen, as with all matte surface screen protectors out there (only benefit is it does not attract much fingerprint).
I requested for clear screen protector but they didn’t have any of that sort. I would definitely prefer clear screen protector over the matte ones.
And yea, the resolution 800×480 is a bit pushing for 7″.
If only this device is able to root, i would try to change the dpi to get the icons and text smaller, which may helps….
How would you change the dpi with root access? Is there a software app that allows for that? No one, at the moment, seems interested in the Mi700 among the developers. Sad… but I have been trying to get people interested in the XDA forums… to no avail. Alas!
Hi Er Lern, there is an app in the market which allows change the dpi. But only if you have root :(
Instead of XDA forums focused on phones, you might want to try Slatedroid.com, a community for tablet development. In other words, you can try me, lol, I’m active there at the Pandigital Novel section. Though if a solid, professional testing and review is needed, the review unit must be sent to US.
And yes, I absolutely don’t know why people here trying to play DPI prank on you. In Android, theoretically you can go all the way to render subpixel and dithering, but with the standard autohint framework which is a compromise for both portrait and landscape orientations, the results are not good both for text and images. Loss of color depth in video is also not acceptable.
I do that with the Smart Q T7 as it allows DPI changes. It’s much better that way.
Good review so far. The Viewsonic version is my number 2 tablet I am waiting for. My list is Galaxy tab ,viewsonic, archos 70. I have a archos 7ht and I am not pleased. Probably cause I have a defective unit.
wheres the video?!?!?!?!
Sorry, but I’ll upload the video much later. Have to redo some of it all over again. :)
I ended up buying ipad clear screen protector and manually cut into the size for this….improve clarity vs the supplied screen protector and some protection to the screen. lol
Nice review. I just thought I’d mention that WCDMA is another name for 3G GSM, and is not the same as CDMA.
Thanks a lot… hahahha… I am so noob at that… :(
Thanks for the initial review. As expected using a tablet in mobile situations isn’t very fun. You end up being forced into a situation (at a table) where a netbook/notebook would be better.
I’m also having a hard time figuring out what situations a tablet would be more useful than a smart phone or laptop. All I know is that I want one anyway. Yeah, I fell for all the tablet hype going on right now.
I actually felt that the best thing at the moment is a 4.3″ pda phone. Many of my friends are saying that the 5″ form factor is the best compromise between the two though :)
I agree, 4.3″ or 5″ is probably the largest I’d go for a “tablet” type device. After that, it gets a little to unwieldy to use.
how much?
I would rather have the Archos 70 than the Viewpad – the Archos has the OMAP3 (Cortex A8) processor, which is much more powerful than the Viewpad’s Qualcomm MSM7227 (ARM 11) processor. I hope that the Froyo on the Archos 70 will support full Flash 10.1
Can you confirm that this unit does not have a HDMI output port?
No HDMI port.
BTW, the device has been rooted already… search for Mi700 rooted… :)
from singapore, someone bought it and within a day gave up by ready to sell immediate away in market resale forum at dirt price. So far no taken.
Think carefully before you commit a mistake.
mapkin app can not use the spice mi700, never be open and operating … all that is mentioned about mapking navigator, just a lie and nonsense
Why cant i get this in singapore? :(