Sunday, February 17, 2013

Acer AO725-0687 Laptop PC


Acer 11.6" AO725-0687 Laptop PC with AMD Dual-Core C-70 Processor, Windows 8 Operating System-Red

Product Description

Key Features and Benefits: ?AMD Dual-Core C-70 accelerated processor 1.33GHz, 1MB L2 Cache ?2GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory Gives you the options for surfing, video conferencing, documents, basic photo editing and simple computer tasks ?320GB SATA hard drive Store 213,000 photos, 91,000 songs or 168 hours of HD video and more ?10/100Base-T Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a WiFi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC ?11.6" HD CineCrystal LED-backlit display ATI Radeon HD 6290 Graphics with up to 256MB of dedicated system memory Additional Features: ?Built-in webcam ?5-in-1 memory card reader ?1 x USB 3.0 port, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 1 x microphone-in jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x VGA port, 1 x HDMI port ?4-cell lithium-ion battery, up to 5.7 h battery life Software: ?Windows 8 ?Microsoft Office 2010 trial ?McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial ?Acer ePower Management, eRecovery Management and Backup Manager Support and Warranty: ?1-year limited hardware warranty ?Restore discs are not included (unless specified by supplier). We recommend you use the installed software to create your own restore and backup DVD the first week you use the computer. What's In The Box: ?Power cord ?4-cell lithium-ion battery ?Quick Start Guide




Product Details


  • Amazon Sales Rank: #54 in Personal Computers
  • Brand: Acer
  • Model: Aspire One 725-0687
  • Hard Disk: 320GB
  • Display size: 11.6

Features

  • AMD Dual-Core C-70 accelerated processor,2GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB SATA hard drive
  • 10/100Base-T Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN, 11.6" HD CineCrystal LED-backlit display, ATI Radeon HD 6290 Graphics with up to 256MB of dedicated system memory
  • Built-in webcam,5-in-1 memory card reader, ?1 x USB 3.0 port, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 1 x microphone-in jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x VGA port, 1 x HDMI port
  • Windows 8 64-bit,CineCrystal LED-backlit Display (1366 x 768),
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 Customer Reviews


Bought the 725-0487 from another retailer. I had bought this one (-0687) from Amazon before, they wanted around $269 at the time, but the -0487 came with 4 gb of ram which I read is really needed on these things, so another $18 made Amazon's cost around $290. Also the red is a BRIGHT red. I didn't care for it. I returned the Amazon computer and kept the -0487.

I owned an Acer 751 before this, bought in 2009. That thing couldn't even play Youtube videos smoothly @ the 360 resolution setting. This will play 720 and 1080 resolutions on my LED TV w/ the HDMI output and do it smoothly at full screen.

Only 3 negatives

1) There is no bluetooth integrated into the laptop, you need some sort of USB adapter. Haven't tried that yet. Not the biggest deal but I would've paid a couple extra $$ for that to be inside the laptop.

2) The camera is "ok", at the 720p resolution shooting video on the laptop the action is very choppy. Unusable.

3) Battery life is substantially less than my last Acer netbook. You'd be lucky to get 3 hours of internet out of this thing.

First time using Windows 8, at first I didn't like it now I don't mind it too much, we'll see. Comes with typical Acer bloatware crap you have to spend time getting rid of as well.

This is a travel netbook, I travel 100% for my job (I work for an airline) and these netbooks fit the bill. The last one I had was beat up badly but kept on ticking. I finally cracked the screen putting the thing in the overhead, which was a blessing because the hard drive had started to go and the battery wouldn't stay in the back of the laptop, the plastic tabs had broken.

Looking forward to using this one for another 2-3 years.
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I am rating the Acer Aspire One (AO725-0687) as 5 stars based off what it is, not what it isn't. So maybe the best place to start is to say what it isn't. It isn't an Apple Ultrabook, a tablet PC, or a google or linux machine. If you're expecting a superfast, sleek, no-thought machine then you should cough up the couple grand to get an Apple. It also isn't running linux- so if you want to be able to customize every detail then you should probably go that direction.

So what is it? It's a balanced machine, which offers good performance, and nice perks, for a minimal price. Let's be honest- if you're looking at an Acer Netbook you're attracted by the price primarily. This computer gives exceptional bang for your buck. It's only $60 more (at the time of writing) than a Kindle Fire HD, but you get a real full-fledged computer, with Win 8, with 320 gig HDD, with a pretty screen, and snazzy color. What more can you expect at this price point?

For the haters of WIn 8, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good. I would say to go with Windows 7 if you want a real work horse (my work computer is a Win 7 Lenovo), but Windows 8 is a great home operating system. It's fast, fun, cool, and integrates pretty seamlessly with a lot of the mobile apps available (e-mail, pulse, netflix, amazon, etc.) The OS is nice and doesn't take long to get used to (contrary to other reviews) so long as you're willing to learn.

Bottom line- if you want something which is a balance of different factors (customizable vs. no-work, price vs. performance, "cool" vs. work machine, etc.) then you can't do better- this is a great machine and truly a 5 star experience

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Dell Axim PDA X51 Touchscreen


Dell Axim X51 416MHz PDA w/3.5 Touchscreen

Product Description

The Dell 520 MHz Axim X51 delivers performance, connectivity and a brilliant VGA display in a sleek, sophisticated design. Powered by the Intel XScale PXA270 Processor at 520 MHz, 64 MB SDRAM and 256 MB Flash ROM, the device offers excellent performance. This handheld comes equipped with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. It includes an integrated CompactFlash Type II and Secure Digital/SDIO Now!/MMC card slots for flexible expansion. Featuring a 3.5 mm headphone / headset jack for headsets, this handheld also includes an Intel 2700G multimedia accelerator with 16 MB video memory. In addition, the built-in microphone and speaker ensure easy recording while you are on the go. Moreover, the integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth wireless technologies offer flexible connectivity options




Product Details


  • Amazon Sales Rank: #7958 in Consumer Electronics
  • Brand: Dell
  • Model: X51

Features

  • It is bluetooth enabled.
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Customer Reviews

I was looking for a PDA to organize my daily tasks, shift work, notes and contacts. After doing several searches on the internet, reviews, and compare prices and quality products, I chose the Dell Axim X51. This unit offers everything you need to stay organized,it has bluetooth technology plus you can connect to the internet. Despite being a refurbished unit, upon receipt I thought, "truly is a refurbished one?" This unit was basically new, as brought from the factory. In addition, the seller (Guaranteed Tech) provides a fast and quality service. I definitely recommend the Dell Axim X51.  
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This PDA has been great in every way. Long battery life, easy to read and use screen, fast wireless capability. The buttons on the device are in the exact right place for ease of use. There is a compact flash slot that i have attached devices to, like a bar code scanner for inventory.

I would highly recommend this product for people wanting to be productive, organized, and mobile.

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Samsung Series 7 23-Inch Touchscreen Desktop

 

Samsung Series 7 DP700A3D-A01US 23-Inch All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop

Product Description

Simply put, Samsung Series 7 All-In-One PCs are absolutely beautiful. An elegant aesthetic and brilliant HD displays featuring touch screen technology garner ultimate style points for your home or office. And once you finally get beyond the cutting-edge design, you’ll discover a PC that offers everything you demand. From emails to multimedia presentations to Web browsing and more, Series 7 All-In-One PCs truly live up to their name.
The Series 7 All-In-One with 23.6-inch Full HD

Gesture Control
Gesture Control for a whole new PC experience
At a Glance
DP700A3D-A01US
Series 7 All-In-One
At a Glance:
  • 23.6-inch Full HD 1080p touch-enabled display
  • 2.9 GHz Intel Core  i5-3470T processor
  • 1 TB SATA2 hard drive
  • 6 GB installed RAM
  • Integrated Intel HD Graphics
  • DVD±RW Super Multi
    dual-layer drive
  • Wireless-N Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
  • HDMI input and output
  • See full specs below
At a Glance

Explore your favorite apps, websites and more with touch screen and gesture control technology. Access the Web, type and send emails, chat with friends and more with the simple touch of the screen

23.6-Inch High Definition Touch Screen

The 23.6-inch multi-touch screen has a viewing angle up to 178˚ and can detect up to 10 pressure points for a seamless and more efficient user experience.

Gesture Control

Use gesture control to adjust the volume of your device from across the room , play games and even control the cursor without touching the device
Series 7 AIO touchscreen
Elegant and beautiful touchscreen

Share apps and content across devices with the touch of a finger

Now you can connect your Series 7 All-In-One PC with multiple compatible devices via the Internet. Download content from a Samsung Smart TV, smart phone or camera running AllShare™ technology. Stream music, movies and photos from your Series 7 All-In-one PC to your Smart TV.

Customizable User Settings

Be even more productive with user settings designed with you in mind. The most commonly used features are designed to be fast and simple to use. And you have complete control over it all. Change networks in the blink of an eye and customize sound and vision with a simple touch of the screen. Adjust power settings to improve productivity without sacrificing performance. Switch from touch screen interaction to a traditional PC experience with the included wireless keyboard and mouse.

Discover the New, Beautiful, Fast and Fluid Windows 8

Reimagined to be all about you, Windows 8 lets you personalize your desktop and gives you instant access to all your favorite people, apps, sites and more. Use S Manager to keep your PC running smoothly with the latest software and drivers, and to download Samsung’s Quick Starter feature, which adds a toolbar and start button for easy navigation. Plus, connect to SkyDrive® and store files, photos, videos and more, so wherever you go, you’re connected to the cloud.

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

In keeping with the Series 7 AIO's simple and elegant design, the included keyboard and mouse are wireless.


Customer Reviews

I just bought this computer at staples...pros: Staples offers training on windows 8 and the computer. They set up antivirus, Microsoft office, gave me cd's and good warranty.

Love the color on screen, volume is really loud I was surprised. moves fast and sleek doesn't take up a lot of space. I have looked at HP and all the others for over a year. This has i5core and that's what I needed you can have a lot of screens up at one time and doesn't freeze or jam up. I am happy with it so far and I looked for a long time. I am a fan of Samsung I have all there TV's. Yes, it has Tv hook up too- HDMI- USB3, USB2 SD card reader, So easy to set up. Getting used to Windows 8 but I like it. I have a PC and I also have I-pad and I-phone but I really like this a lot. I transferred all my data from old computer (windows xp) right into a file on here. Easy breezy at staples now I have every thing in here I need. I like that I can bring it to get fixed and serviced I live in the city so it's a pain mailing stuff out.

Cons: Keyboard it too thin and low to the desk. Sleek but I am having to hit back space too much.( preference I suppose) I am going buy a meatier Keyboard. Hooking up was easy and flawless though. Never been so easy. This was really the first time I literally was ever able to plug in one cord and I was done.
I do highly recommend. I will write again as I continue to use it. Good for games although I don't play games, can watch TV from it also. Oh also plugged my iphone to it and all the video and photos were uploaded really fast.

Hope this helps.
Any questions I'll be happy to answer Touch screen is great and watching videos looks amazing. Great clarity. If I can't figure out the windows8 function I can scroll with finger and I like having that as a back up especially since I have an Ipdad so It's nice to have best of both. 
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There's a few of these touchscreen enabled Windows 8 all-in-ones that have hit the market recently - I've played with the Samsung 23 inch and 27 inch models. I also considered the Acer and Dell models but the Acer was under-powered, and the Dell seemed over-priced. I'll focus on the computer and not on Windows 8 (there's enough on that all over the net). First the pros:

1. Fast and smooth computer - boots up fast, the OS and programs are generally spiffy.
2. Graphics processing is good. Can play games without issues.
3. Display is bright and clean - could be higher res (Dell, Apple Thunderbolt) but I can't tell the difference. You will want to turn down the default brightness though.
4. Nice looking computer.
5. Good connectivity - connecting to the wifi network, bluetooth devices, etc. was fast and painless.
6. Touch screen is responsive and cool (though not very useful - see below).

Now the irritants that take away two stars for this:
1. Wireless keyboard and mouse are terrible - Samsung packaged what looks like a $5 pair of accessories with their high end Win 8 computer. Figure on spending some more on a decent Logitech keyboard, mouse.
2. This was in the specs, so its as much my fault for buying the computer anyway - the hard drive is 5400rpm. This should have come with a 7200rpm HDD at the very least, if not an HDD/SSD combo.
3. Gesture control is either a sham, or I'm doing something very wrong. I haven't managed to get a single gesture to work yet.
4. The stand doesn't allow the computer to tilt (see comparable Acer computer).
5. This is not really a con about the computer itself - do yourself a favor and buy the non-touchscreen version of the computer. If you are using it on a desk, it is much more convenient to use the mouse than it is to reach over and touch the screen. So after the first couple of days when you show off your cool new touchscreen computer, you will hardly ever touch the screen again.

Overall, a decent buy - but Samsung could have made it so much better if they had just not cut some corners.

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Asus Nexus 7 32 GB

Product Description

Simple. Beautiful. Beyond Smart. The Nexus brand represents a premium Android-based device that delivers the best Google experience available on tablet. It's the confluence of the latest software and state-of-the-art hardware and represents a literal nexus of digital life. Nexus 7 is Google's latest Nexus experience device and the first tablet to feature Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It combines the best of both Google and ASUS design, with the most advanced software from Google paired with cutting edge ASUS hardware.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #8 in Personal Computers
  • Color: black
  • Brand: Asus
  • Model: 1B32
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 7.81" h x .41" w x 4.72" l, .75 pounds
  • CPU: Tegra 3.0 1.2 GHz
  • Memory: 1GB SDRAM
  • Hard Disk: 32GB
  • Processors: 1
  • Display size: 7

Features

  • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 7 inches Display
  • NVIDIA Tegra 3.0 1.2 GHz
  • 32 GB Flash Memory, 1 GB RAM Memory
  • 0.7 pounds
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Customer Reviews
 
I've had the Nexus 7 8gb since Late August. I'll share some of my experience as well as pitfalls. The 8/16/32 Gb are functionally identical abet with a few minor difference between them, largely being the size capacities. There is also a 3G cellular version for $300 on Google Play. Remember that currently Amazon is NOT selling the Nexus 7 itself, but merely providing 3rd Party sellers a place to sell it. Occasionally Amazon takes care of the shipping, but this is not an Amazon company product. It will be cheaper elsewhere.

The 32 GB version was released on October 29th, 2012. The 8 GB version was discontinued and the 16 GB version dropped $50 in price. The 3G cellular version went on sale on November 13, 2012 only on T-Mobile and AT&T networks for $300 big ones.

A few things key to know about the 32 GB version:
Flash memory works faster the more there is up to a plateau of around 480 GBs. Benchmarks on the 32 GB Nexus 7 show a slight improvement in speed in most activities. Meaning, despite having the same parts of its smaller sized brethren, the 32 GB will see a few seconds shaved off in terms of performance. The Nexus 7 8/16 versions were plenty fast already.

Asus should have fixed many of the defects that plagued the early releases from screen separation, light bleed, bad audio plugs, etc. Sometimes it pays to wait for technology.

Not all 32 GB are free for the user. Based on the previous models, you should have around 28 to 29 GB of empty space available.

Let's address some of the perceived flaws and some of the real flaws of the Nexus 7.

1) Storage. 8/16/32gb (the three flavors the Nexus 7 comes in) can go real fast real quick in today's age of HD movies. I took my 16gb iPad on a trip and I maxed out with movies incredibly fast, even after I shrunk them down to least tolerable quality. The Nexus 7 does deserve some criticism for no Micro-SD slot and I was not going to buy it for that sole reason. However, like all good Android Tablets, there's a solution.

It's called USB On The Go. You take a USB OTG cable (like $1 here or on eBay), plug it into your Nexus 7, download the Nexus Media Importer app (Currently $3 on Google Play) and then connect whatever side hard drive or flash drive you want. The largest size external media I could connect to (and have access too) is a 3TB Western Digital. So much for 8/16/32 gig limits! The only problem I encountered with large drives is that the Media Importer app (which streams media as well as allowing one way coping to the Nexus 7) is that it crashes when you try to stream media out of folders that contain huge amounts of files, like 3,000 mp3s. Oh yeah. And this requires absolutely ZERO rooting. Take your Nexus out of the box. Download the Nexus Media Importer App. Buy the cable. Plug in your thumb drive. You're good to go.

If you're cheap, you can do much of the same via Stickmount and a file manager (Stickmount requires rooting). But the Nexus Media Importer just makes it ridiculously easy. Also be aware that apps that move other apps to SD cards in other tablets will not work with this. Apps such as App 2 SD don't do anything. I tried.

As of today (11/19/12), I was able to connect a canon point and shoot, iPad 3, iPod Touch, 4 small flash drives (less than 2 GB), a 32 gb flash drive, a 1 TB and 3 TB external hard drives (Western Digital), a SD card reader (with regular and microSD via adapter) and was able to pull/stream files off all of them (FAT and NFTS formatting, no EXFAT at the moment sorry!). For some reason my old Motorola ZN5 (ancient eh?) no longer registers anymore, but as long as you plug in relatively new devices you'll be okay. An exception is I plugged in my 9 year old iRiver player and it streamed music perfectly.

Don't forget that OTG also lets you plug in and use keyboards (wired and wireless via dongle) and mice without rooting. Mice generate a cursor when plugged in. Also be aware that OTG may charge devices from your Nexus 7. For you true gamers, PS/3 controllers work as well. Not on all games, but games like Dead Trigger they'll work just like they do on a PS/3. Like to see that on a Kindle Fire or an iPad.

Speaking of that issue: Game controllers and utilities such as Sixaxis and Stickmount (among other apps) require rooting as well as installing a ROM (not sure why though you'd do that over pure Android). To those who are unsure of what rooting is, rooting grants the user access to the most bottom command line access of a device. Be aware this voids your warranty, risks turning your device into a very expensive paperweight and prevents auto updating of updates over the air. I learned this the hard way. Search on the XDA developer's website how to root, but research how to do it before attempting. There are benefits and disadvantages of rooting. Make sure that you know exactly why you are rooting.

2) Display. Yes, it's not an iPad 3 or 4 or a Nook HD (which by the way is gloriously beautiful). It's also less than half the price of the new iPad. Text is still crisp and clean and colors are largely well done. Not take that-iPad well done, but save yourself lots of cash well done. It's fairly responsive, not quite iPad responsive, but better than many other tablets out there. I have no complaints about it. I honestly don't think people will notice the difference between the two in sharpness and text, but it is not as good in showing colors. That said, the Nexus 7 has a better screen then the iPad Mini. Go to your local Apple store, look at the iPad 4s and then the Mini. Prepare to be shocked. It's that noticeable.

3) Camera is pretty terrible. The front facing 1.2 megapixels is nothing to get excited about. And there is no back camera. I honestly don't get why that's just a big deal. You look like a tool using the back camera. Anyone does. Even Olivia Wilde (13 on a total possible score of 10 house fans!) would look like a douche using a tablet's back camera to take video/pictures. Odds are you have your smartphone with a decent camera. Use that. There oddly though, is no app for the camera that ships with the Nexus 7. But there is a free Nexus 7 camera launcher app. One cool thing about the camera is that it does allow Face Unlock which takes a picture of your face and uses it as the unlocking mechanism for your tablet.

4) Apps. The Apple ecosystem has far more apps designed for tablets than Android does. But most of your apps, like Skype, Facebook, office utilities are all there. Furthermore, rather than being stuck on iTunes you can install Amazon's app store in addition to the preloaded Google Play store via going to the Amazon App Store, registering your email and then opening the email they send you on your tablet. It's annoying but it works. One word of caution on the Apple selling point: according to a few studies, something like 60% of all apps on iTunes (roughly 400,000) have never been downloaded which gels with the economic data showing only a relatively few app developers actually make any money.

5) No cellular connection. Fair enough, but it does have the capacity to get on to a hotspot. Meaning, just tether your smart phone. Granted, that costs money, but the fact that something like 80% of all tablets sold, Android and Apple are wi-fi only suggests that cellular connections on tablets is highly overrated. If you're one of those 8 out of 10 people who don't care about cell connections on your tablet, this shouldn't obviously matter.

The 3G cellular model available now on Google Play sells for $300. Also, does not support CDMA networks so no Verizon or Sprint. Ships with an AT&T sim card.

6) No Flash - This is technically half wrong. While Jelly Bean does not support Flash off the bat, there are FREE fixes to get flash on to your Nexus.

Google "Install Flash On Nexus 7"

The downside is you need a browser that is flash coded which includes Firefox Beta (free on Google play). It's a bit convoluted but follow the instructions and you'll have your flash games. I've posted pictures on the Nexus 7 8GB image gallery of both flash games AND streaming flash video off my Nexus 7. Flash is being phased out entirely by Adobe. It's not pretty on the nexus 7 but you can get it to work, especially if you need to stream Amazon movies.

7) No home screen rotating - Not true! Update 4.1.1 fixed this. Home screen rotates now!

Now on to other things:

Performance:

Little black rectangle is lightning fast. The five core processor (yes, there are five I'll get to that later) loads things speedy without crashes and without bugs. My iPad crashes apps pretty regularly. Only once has my settings crashed but that was largely due to me screwing up my setup of my Wi-Fi extender. I can't fault the Nexus 7 for that. Speaking of which, the Nexus was super useful walking all over my house and yard to diagnosis network dead zones and other problems. 3/4 of a pound and strong Wi-Fi pick up made that job real easy, especially with free Wi-Fi apps. I could have done that with my iPad, but that would have been far less fun. Also, the Nexus 7 picks up Wi-Fi networks my iPad doesn't

Oh yes, five cores. The process actually has a fifth core that keeps basic services running when the device is in sleep mode. That saves massive amounts of energy. The battery life on the Nexus is better than my iPad without comparison even when doing the same things. The fifth core doesn't operate during normal operations. Battery life on this device is phenomenal.

On light usage, I am able to get ~195 hours before hitting 5% battery. On medium, movie watching no heavy gaming, I can regularly do ~110 hours before hitting 5%. GPS however, will eat power like nobody's business.
Speaker is pretty terrible compared to iPad. But the audio on headphones is on par. I don't expect anyone to really use the speaker so I'm not counting that as a real disadvantage.

Operating System:

Jelly Bean isn't as smooth as iOS 5/6 but it is better than every other Android device that my friends and family have used (and I played around with). Be aware that the most recent update 4.2 allows multiple users accounts on the tablet (same as Nook HD) but right now has a bug with the clock that keeps crashing the clock, annoying, but not a big deal. Because this is a Nexus device, Google is pushing out updates regularly and you don't have the problem that many Android phones have in their carrier refuses to release updates. You'll have the most recent update of Google for the foreseeable future.

What I like about the Nexus 7 is that I can largely customize anything I want. The Nexus ships with a format that is more phone than tablet, but with a Root and a few apps, I was able to switch it to the Tablet UI that you see in 10" Android tablets. I personally prefer that format but it makes icons smaller to fit it all in. Not the best for older people. But that's the great thing about Android in general. Whatever you want to change, you probably can. And the Nexus 7 is no different.

Google Voice Search is pretty awesome. It's not as good as Siri in actually reading back answers to you, most of my searches lead to a web search with links. Weather does get repeated in a Siri like female voice. Speak slowly and clearly. Or you'll get weird results. Also, phrase questions more as searches than something you'd ask a real human. Google Voice does not do well with questions like "do I need an umbrella today?" Ask "Weather forecast (your location)."Also Google Voice does not have the witty banter of Siri. For instance, asking Siri "what are you wearing" gets her to say "Why do people keep asking me that?" Google Voice doesn't do that kind of funny stuff.

GPS & Directions:

Now, in my opinion, one of the coolest things about the Nexus 7 is in the built in GPS coupled with the free cached maps. Say you're going to visit your friend who's getting married in small town in Iowa. You can either buy a GPS or bring your Nexus 7 with the map of the small town saved to memory. Turn on the GPS and it will track where you on in the town on the map real time no wifi/cell connection required. I downloaded a map of my town and tracked myself going to work. Planning your route out can easily turn the Nexus 7 into a GPS system without any additional costs.

Note, this doesn't give you turn by turn directions by itself. To get turn by turn directions you need the "NAvFree USA" (there is a Navfree for other countries) app off the Google Play store. It's free. Download your state and set your destination. It gives out voice commands on when to turn similar to a dedicated GPS device. It doesn't name street names which is expected considering it's free, but it is largely accurate saying "in 100 meters, turn right." My recent test of the app did ask me to drive over a divided highway though. As long as you pay attention though, this app coupled with the Nexus 7 will function as decent GPS offline, no wifi, no cell connection. And it even recalculates the route if you miss a turn.

Other:

Widgets are small applications that sit on your home screens showing whatever you want. Right now I have weather, Settings controls, Youtube, Facebook and Salon online magazine. It's real nice to be able to look at your screen and get all the info you need rather than having to crack open an app or a browser. This is partially why Android web usages is much lower because there's no need to go to the Web to get information when it's right on your home screen.

I previously argued that this device was awful for note taking. I take part of that back. While the screen is tiny, using a real keyboard either via OTG or Bluetooth isn't that bad after I spent a month doing it. I still suggest getting a real laptop, iPad or Galaxy Note 10.1, but this will do in a bind. There's no latency in typing like other Android products have seen. The Asus Transformer with keyboard has a real noticeable latency issue when typing so much so it's unpleasant to type. The Nexus 7 with keyboard can write as fast as you can.

If you're looking to jump into Android, this is the tablet to do so.  

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TOSHIBA EXCITE TABLET 32 GB

Toshiba Excite AT305T32 10.1-Inch 32 GB Tablet Computer - Wi-Fi - NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.20 GHz

 

Product Description

choose from a growing line of tablets. compromise elsewhere. these tablets provide the unchained entertainment and performance you crave-right out of the box, with a full, rich android experience, generous battery life rating, sharp styling, simple ways to share, connect and capture the moment, plenty of ports, along with support for full adobe flash-enabled web. no matter which one you choose, they're all one of a kind. general information - manufacturer - toshiba; manufacturer part number - gf6300a15?de; manufacturer website address - toshiba; brand name - toshiba; product line - excite; product series - at305; product model - at305-t32; product name - excite at305-t32 tablet computer; product type - tablet computer; miscellaneous - package contents - excite at305-t32 tablet computer ac adapter ; processor & chipset - processor manufacturer - nvidia; processor & chipset - processor type - tegra 3; processor & chipset - processor speed - 1.20 ghz; processor & chipset - processor core - quad-core (4 core); processor & chipset - cache - 1 mb; memory - standard memory - 1 gb; memory - memory technology - ddr3 sdram; storage - flash memory capacity - 32 gb; storage - optical drive type - no; display & graphics - screen size - 10.1"; display & graphics - display screen type - active matrix tft color lcd; display & graphics - aspect ratio - 16:10; display & graphics - screen mode - wxga; display & graphics - screen resolution - 1280 x 800; display & graphics - touchscreen - yes; display & graphics - graphics controller manufacturer - nvidia; display & graphics - graphics controller model - ulp geforce; display & graphics - graphics memory technology - ddr3 sdram; display & graphics - graphics memory accessibility - shared; network & communication - wi-fi - yes; network & communication - wi-fi standard - ieee 802.11b/g/n; network & communication - blue

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #763 in Personal Computers
  • Size: 32 GB
  • Color: Black
  • Brand: Toshiba
  • Model: PDA08U-002001
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 11.70" h x 8.40" w x 1.90" l, 2.20 pounds
  • CPU: Tegra 3.0 1.2 GHz
  • Memory: 1GB SDRAM
  • Hard Disk: 32GB
  • Processors: 4
  • Display size: 10.1

Features

  • NVIDIA tegra_3_0 Processor 1.2GHz (1MB Cache)
  • 1 GB SDRAM RAM
  • 32GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
  • 10.1-Inch Screen, NVIDIA ULP GeForce
  • Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
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Customer Reviews

I've been wanting to get a tablet since last year and have been holding out since they announced ICS and Quad-Core processors. I was going to get the Prime for christmas, but it was unavailable, so I decided to wait and see what came out in the spring. I've stayed away from the Prime due to the higher price and GPS issues, so it came down to 3 tablets while making my decision (Transformer Pad, Acer Iconia a510 and the Toshiba Excite 10). All 3 tablets are very similar and met my criteria for a tablet (ICS, Tegra 3, 1280x800 display, HDMI-out, etc.). I had originally ordered the Iconia a510, but it was back-ordered. Then I saw the Excite was available and in stock early on Amazon last week, so I cancelled my order for the Acer and immediately orderd the Toshiba. What ultimately sold me on the Toshiba model was the Gorilla Glass, the Stock ICS experience and the Full SD card slot. My wife takes a lot of pictures and will love being able to just pop the SD card out of the camera and into the tablet.

I received the device yesterday and it is very fast and slim. I used it for a good 3 hours straight last night with music playing in the background and experienced no lag at all and still had 70% battery remaining after the 3 hours. The Excite 10 is very well built and feels sturdy in the hands. Not too heavy, but just enough that it doesn't feel like you are going to break it. The WiFi signal was very strong and didn't have any issues there. The speakers sound pretty good considering how small they are. The setup took no time at all and with the Google Restore function, I had all of my phone apps (about 100) on my tablet within 20 minutes.

So far I haven't come up with too many Cons for this device. If I had to list some they would be the following:

1. There is a good amount of pre-installed junk on the device. Not that big of a deal since apps can be disabled in ICS.
2. The Charger is proprietary. It would be nice to charge over microUSB, but with the size of tablet batteries, it would take forever to fully charge, so it is understandable why it doesn't.

Overall, I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it.

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So far I've owned the ASUS Transformer Prime (TF201), Acer Iconia Tab A510, and now the Toshiba AT305. The TF201 had build quality and wireless/GPS issues and the A510 had a "grid effect" to the LCD and some bad heat issues (106+ degrees). And now the AT305, which has light bleed issues. The sad part is that despite this annoying "issue," it's still the best Tegra 3 tablet out there.

As with the Acer and Asus, I've already gone through two AT305's just to make sure these issues were consistent. But let's go into a bit more of a detailed review first on the AT305 that I've been using for a few days now.

DESIGN:

Out of the box, initial impressions are very good. The tablet has a great solid feel to it, it's comfortable to hold, thin, and yes, even light weight. The back has a hard, smooth, plastic feel to it - although I hear its aluminum. If so, it probably has some type of coating on it. Basically, it's one nice looking tablet.

I won't go into details regarding where everything is or what feature it has, as you can easily see this from the pictures. Although the one item I must point out is the SD Card Slot, which is on the right side. There is a blank filler card that must be removed when you want to use your own SD card. While the addition of a full-size SD slot is very welcome, there is nothing to cover the slot once your card is in there.

So your hand will frequently rub against the sharp inside edges of the plastic casing. I'm normally not a big fan of plastic covers, but in this instance, it would have been very nice to have. If you're planning on getting a case, this won't likely be an issue.

WIRELESS:

I've tested both wireless and GPS extensively and found them to both perform very well. I'm able to maintain a solid WiFi connection even at the furthest reaches of my Access Point. And GPS can actually pick up a few satellite in-doors, which is always impressive. Outside I can get accuracy down to less than 18ft, within 1-2 minutes. This of course was verified with the GPS Test application.

PERFORMANCE:

Overall the device is very snappy and I haven't had any issues that I didn't run into with the other Tegra3 devices on Android 4.0.3. There are still a few occasional bugs or glitches with ICS, which I hope they'll resolve soon. Otherwise, nothing specific to the AT305.

Antutu scored a 10,313 and Quadrant is right at 4,000. I've seen slightly higher Antutu scores on the A510, which was closer to 11k. Although as I recall, this is the highest Quadrant score I've seen to date. Keeping in mind that both devices I had scored nearly identical. And in either case, the scores are subjective and personally don't put a whole lot of faith in them.

Until they have some new benchmarks that really take advange of the quad core CPU and Tegra3, they're just something to give you interesting numbers to look at. :) Real world tests are where it's at. Speaking of which, playing Tegra 3 games is smooth and they all run expectedly nice. Surfing the web, running apps, and other such tasks are all as expected. Quite good.

After watching movies and playing games, I got temps as high as 93 degrees on the back, right side. This was determined by my infrared thermometer. It's not as cool as the 85 degree TF201 but also nowhere near the 106+ degree A510. So I consider that to be on the warm side, but not uncomfortably so. I think the material on the back Toshiba uses helps to dissipate the heat so it doesn't "feel" hot or uncomfortable.

While surfing or running normal apps, the temps were staying in the 80's where it should be.

DISPLAY:

Starting positive here, the LCD does look very nice. In fact, of the TF201 and A510, it's the nicest I've seen. Even though it's not IPS (it's TFT as I recall), it looks great. The images are very crisp, colors are vibrant, and it has surprisingly good contrast ratio. The best part is that they've found a very nice color temperature balance.

While the A510 was very cool and the TF201 was on the warm side, I found the AT305 to quite neutral. This makes it very pleasing to use whether you are reading, surfing, playing games, or watching a movie.

But of course we can't ignore the negative part of this. There is light bleed, and it just makes me very sad. You won't notice this on any normal colorful image. But if you're watching a movie or looking at a picture that has a black background at the edges, you'll see a very uneven amount of light emitting from the sides. And the more you turn up the brightness, the worse it is.

In fact, just powering on the tablet, you'll see this on the Toshiba logo as it has a black background. It was exactly the same with both AT305's I got. And it's not something I ever experienced with any other tablet I've owned or used. Normally, this is considered a defect and swapping it out would resolve the issue. But based on my experience and countless other reviews/posts on-line, this is quite common with the AT305.

Whether you call it a defect, poor build quality, or a cheap display, it's not desirable.

BATTERY:

Just in general, when you make something smaller, you tend to make some sacrifices. In this case, it was the battery life. To test it out, I started with a fully charged battery. Then basically used it non-stop until I got down to 20% remaining, at which point we were right at 6 hours of usage. This isn't very good. Although keeping mind this is "heavy" usage. I was downloading a bunch of apps, playing games, watching movies, and even ran a benchmark or two during that time.

So I'd say heavy usage, you're looking at 7+ hours. Personally I don't like allowing the battery get much lower than 20%, so that's normally about the time I'm looking for a power cord. And yes, the power adapter is straight out of the 90's. There's no reason it needs to be that big; but it is, and I got over it.

For me, with "normal usage," I'm easily lasting the entire day on a single charge. This is mostly because I don't use it non-stop and spend most of the time checking e-mail or surfing the web. And overall, it's a fair compromise for its light weight and thinness.

SPEAKERS:

As with the A510, the AT305 has down-firing speakers at the bottom, and there are in fact two of them (unlike the TF201). They are backed by Toshiba and SRS enhancements, which are definitely needed. If these sound enhancements are turned off, the sound is horrible. But with them on, the speakers actually sound pretty descent.

I do suggest turning on the "boost" function if it's not loud enough. Surprisingly even with that turned on and volume maxed out, there is no distortion. The A510's speakers still sound noticeably better as there is most detail and they have a fuller sound. The TF305 has a tendency to sound a bit muffled at times, depending on how you're holding it.

I still wish they'd put them forward facing. Otherwise, I find them perfectly acceptable and wouldn't mind watching a few shows or demoing the device to friends.

So let's wrap this one up.

Pros:

+ Looks very nice
+ Light weight and thin
+ Tegra 3 Performance
+ Full-size SD Card Slot
+ USB functionality
+ Descent stereo speakers
+ Gorilla Glass

Cons:

- LCD Light Bleed
- Only "OK" battery life
- No SD Card Slot Cover (when in use)
- Considering specs (16GB model), could be a bit cheaper

CONCLUSION:

So how bad is the light bleed? It's annoying enough that this is getting returned. I've been in the IT field for nearly 2 decades and have repaired so many computers and electronics (including many LCD's), I wouldn't even want to guess as to how many. In other words, I know a defect when I see one. :) However, my lovely wife did play with this for a while and she did "volunteer" to take it off my hands - even after showing her the light bleed. It didn't bother her one bit, which I'm sure will be the case for many other folks out there.

So my search for a solid Android tablet continues. On the plus side, I think we're getting closer! Just give me all of the good features from Asus, Acer, and Toshiba, and we'll have one killer tablet on our hands. Come on folks, it can't be that hard to spend $400-$500 on a tablet without making compromises. 


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Editorial Reviews


Delivering more performance, sleek durability and more essential ports and features than the average Android tablet, the Toshiba Excite 10 Tablet is an all-around tablet designed for home and on-the-go use. It features a bright, high definition 10.1-inch LED backlit display with 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. And it's powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with GeForce graphics and 1 GB of RAM, opening up the possibilities for both everyday computing and mobile gaming.
AT305 main angle
Ultra-powerful with 10.1-inch multi-touch display and quad-core processer (view larger).

AT305 hands
Ultra-thin, ultra-light computing power (view larger).
The Excite 10 runs the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, which builds on the things people love most about Android--a simplified UI, easy multitasking, customizable home screens, resizable widgets, and a full suite of familiar Google mobile services.
AT305 profile
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Sporting an elegant yet durable premium design, the Excite 10 measures less than a third-of-an-inch thin and weighs 1.32 pounds. It also offers stereo speakers with Toshiba and SRS sound enhancements, dual cameras for capturing on-the-go photos and videoconferencing, and an array of built-in ports to help you easily connect and share--plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
This model (AT305-T32) comes with 32 GB of onboard storage, and you'll get up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Quad-Core Performance

From scrolling and swiping the web to the fast action of the latest games, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor delivers amazing multitasking, web, gaming, and video. This innovative mobile processor features the world's only 4-PLUS-1 mobile quad-core CPU, providing outstanding performance for even the most demanding applications. Plus, it features a unique fifth low-power core that handles your everyday apps while saving energy, then kicks into full quad-core mode for demanding apps like video editing and gaming.

Bright and Brilliant 10.1-Inch Display

With the Excite 10 Tablet, the view is always great wherever you go. Its 10.1-inch AutoBrite multi-touch, LED-backlit display makes reading ebooks and blogs a pleasure. It has a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution for native HD 720p viewing, and its 16:10 aspect ratio is great for widescreen movies. Plus, its 10-finger multi-touch design lets you navigate and control your visual experience with ease.
The screen is made of lightweight Corning Gorilla Glass, which offers exceptional resistance to the scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday life. It's cool to the touch and easy to clean, yet sensitive enough to enable today's most sophisticated touch applications. And because it’s equipped with Toshiba AutoBrite technology, the Excite 10 automatically tunes the screen to the ambient lighting environment, so you always get perfect contrast and rich color saturation.
Ice Cream Sandwich

Powered by Android 4.0

Spend less time learning new software and apps, and more on what matters with the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. In addition to easy multitasking and rich notifications, you also get powerful new ways of communicating and sharing. The Excite 10 includes a full suite of familiar Google Mobile Service applications, including YouTube, Gmail, and Google Maps. And Google Play is a new digital content experience that lets you find and enjoy your favorite music, movies, books, and Android apps and games.
Additionally, the Excite 10 comes pre-loaded with a useful mix of Toshiba software and third-party applications, including TOSHIBA Book Place (offering more than 3 million ebooks), the TOSHIBA Media Player that supports content sharing, TOSHIBA File Manager, as well as Netflix and Zinio--the ultimate app for magazine lovers and more.

Dual Front and Back Cameras

Videoconference with clarity using the front-facing 2-megapixel camera with integrated microphone. Additionally, the Excite 10 Tablet offers a 5-megapixel auto-focus rear camera as well, so you can shoot high-quality photos and videos in Full HD 1080p resolution. It's also great for augmented reality apps, which enhance what you're seeing through the viewfinder (and experiencing firsthand) by overlaying sound, graphics and relevant text.

Excellent Expansion and Connectivity

The Excite 10 is the only tablet in its class with an array of built-in ports to make moving media content to and from other devices and screens so simple. You get micro HDMI and USB 2.0 ports along with a full-sized SD memory card slot for swapping files, and it has a docking connector for using Toshiba's optional Standard Dock accessory. It also has Bluetooth for connecting wireless headphones and a keyboard, plus ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking for connecting to home, business, and on-the-go hotspots.

Packed with Sensors

Upside-down, sideways, even miles from nowhere... Wherever you take it, the Excite 10 Tablet knows where it is, and which way is up, thanks to an onboard suite of sensors, including a gyroscope, accelerometer, e-compass, and GPS. Tilt it into a portrait or landscape format--through a full 360 degrees of rotation--for the very best viewing. Experience a whole new way to play games, note your location most anywhere on Earth, and take advantage of today's popular map applications, photo tagging, and more.
Excite 10 flat
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Specifications

Display 10.1-inch LED-backlit display (1280 x 800 pixels; 16:10 aspect ratio) with capacitive 10-finger multi-touch capabilities and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass
Operating System Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Processor & Graphics NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor with Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core with 5th battery-saver core
Storage 32 GB internal flash memory
Memory 1 GB internal DDR3L-1333 memory
Wireless Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) plus Bluetooth 3.0
Audio Built-in stereo speakers with SRS Premium Voice Pro Suite and Toshiba Sound Enhancements
Sensors & Location GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
Cameras
  • 5-megapixel rear with auto-focus, digital zoom, LED flash and Full HD 1080p video capture
  • 2-megapixel front camera with microphone for video chats
Multimedia Playback
  • Adobe Flash support
  • Audio compatibility: MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC+, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE
  • Video compatibility: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV/VC-1
Ports & Expansion
  • Micro HDMI port for 1080p video output
  • Micro USB port
  • Dock connector port
  • 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
  • Full-sized SD card slot
Battery Up to 10 hours on a single charge from 2-cell lithium-polymer battery
Weight and Dimensions 1.32 pounds; 10.3 x 7.0 x 0.35 inches (WxDxH)
Warranty 1 year

AT305 tall front
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AT305 rear
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What's in the Box

Toshiba Excite 10 tablet; charger; operating instructions

Included Software

Google and Android Apps
Google Maps, Google Maps Street View, Google Maps Navigation, Google Movie Studio, Google Places, Google Play, Google Latitude, Google Search, Google Sound Recorder, Google Calendar/Calendar Sync, Google Contacts/Contact Sync, Google Mail, Google Talk, Google Videos, Google Voice Search, YouTube
Third-Party Apps
Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Adobe Reader, Crackle, Kaspersky Tablet Security, LogMeIn, Netflix SD Player, Rdio for Android, Quickoffice, SilverCreek Games (Hardwood Backgammon, Hardwood Euchre, Hardwood Solitaire IV, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades), Zinio
Toshiba Apps
TOSHIBA App Place, TOSHIBA Book Place, TOSHIBA Media Player, TOSHIBA News Place, TOSHIBA Service Station, TOSHIBA File Manager
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