Digitalandroid

[iphadke]

I hope this is the right place to post this. This post will contain my entire experience of buying and using the RS10-PAD unit from digitalandroid.com shop.

Here's the link: rs10-pad The price was USD 119 or INR 5600 shipped to India.

Sam - the seller - claims on the website to ship using a "fast" method, and allows marking the package as "Gift" from a Customs duty perspective. I just put the prder in today.

I have also dropped him a mail asking if he can sell an additional battery and if he can include it in the shipment. Let's see how responsive he is!

Why I ordered this unit: It has Android 1.6, was almost cheapest shipped to India, and has 256MB RAM against the usual 128 MB for M001. I think that should improve performance a bit.

My main usage is going to be Ebooks, PDFs and maybe Audiobooks. I'm especially hoping for a good PDF performance with the better RAM!

Cheers,
Neel

 

[xaueious]

PDF will be slow, but everything else will be good for this device. I haven't heard too much of the seller, but at least his specs are accurate. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the device.

 

[iphadke]

Thanks! I hope the PDFs are not atrociously slow though... To set the expectation, my current phone is a Cingular 8125 which I use to read .doc, .lit files. The processor is supposed to be a 196Mhz, this is a 5 year old unit. So anything today is certainly going to sound fast to me

Heard from Sam today 5 mins back. He mentions following which may be of interest:
1. Unit will be sent to the Paypal address I mentioned.
2. Express shipping with tracking # will be used though it is not mentioned if it is DHL/UPS or EMS. In India EMS is more likely to end up being stuck with customs.
3. Unit comes with "built in battery" which sounds like I may not be able to buy another battery to use when the current one runs out to give me a longer usage time.
4. He is also going to test and check the unit before sending so that's one more good news!

 

[iphadke]

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the unit has user replaceable battery? I was really hoping to be able to buy a spare battery and use it to give me a longer use time... Would be fantastic on my 24 hour flights

Sam... if you're listening...

 

[iphadke]

Heard back from Sam - the battery is NOT user replaceable... So this is unlike a few 10.1" models being sold on Aliexpress where the seller offers additional bat at $10.

 

[iphadke]

Looks like it has shipped. He uses this shipper: Aramex :: delivery unlimited :: International Express, Domestic Distribution, Freight and Logistics. Though the status there still shows as "updating". I'll check back later tonight to get an estimated time of delivery... I need all your wishes to make sure it doesn't get stuck in Customs

 

[cheekymcgee]

I can't wait to hear the review.

 

[iphadke]

Shipment got registered in HongKong on 13th, reached Mumbai- India on 14th and got registered about an hour back...

I just noticed a local contact# in Pune, and gave them a call. They said it will be in my hands Monday latest - so hopefully Monday Tablet Goodness

 

[iphadke]

Finally, I got it the day before! Because of lack of time I've decided to break my review into multiple parts. Also, idiot that I am, I didn't order the microSDHC card that's more or less mandatory if you want to do stuff like read ebooks etc. Sadly, that's still travelling and I won't see it till this month-end.

Anyway, feel free to comment or correct! Here we go...
Packaging: The unit was very securely packaged and survived the trip from Hong Kong to India without anything happening to it. Inside the box were following items:

1. Device
2. Carrying case - this is the thick cloth type with a drawstring, not a hard shell.
3. Power cord with country specific adopter (square pin/round pin/flat pin etc) - I got the round pin one for India.
4. Manual - Both in chinese and English. I barely glanced at it.
5. Stylus

Device:
I don't know if mine was partially charged or not, I just stuck it in a wallwart for charging by default. There is a pre-applied screen protector. It is not great though and doesn't do anything to improve visibility. May need replacement.

"BACK" button - feels a bit "clicky". On pressing the tactile feel is good but not great. About what I expected. Not sure how many presses it will survive!

Firmware version mentioned on the product website was 1.8.2. However the product came with 1.7.4. I have written to Sam about it. I'm fine even if I just have to reflash, I can live with that. However there's some talk of 1.9.0 which is supposed to make things considerably faster, and if Sam can provide that, I'd call it truely awesome!

Gravity Sensor:
As of this writing, it doesn't work - period . I tried messing around with the "Game Mode" etc but that is not supposed to matter. I have written to Sam about it, let's see how it works out. However, because of this neither FBReader nor Aldiko will run in Portrait which is a BIG bummer for me. Even manual changing to Portrait from the default landscape is not recognized by these Apps. Is there any way? Anyone please?

USB/Ethernet dongle:
I have so far tested whether it can be a "host" by putting in an 8GB stick. Works fine. It has two USB ports, however the orientation is the most unergonomic that it can be.

The layout at the bottom of the device is as follows:
Speaker, Power Port, Headphone Port, Dongle Port, Memory Card Slot, Speaker.
If you consider the Dongle port, then it is obvious that the USB ports should be facing right. However here they face left and obstruct the power cord if you're plugging in both.

The dongle port itself doesn't have any other clamping mechanism beyond simple press fit, and so the dongle can move a bit. Just feels flimsy. However you'll probably never need to use it unless you do not have the microSDHC card or want to use Ethernet.

Stylus:
Fits properly in ones hand, and is not too thin. Just right. But there is no place on the tablet itself for it! Once it is clear there is no need to return the tablet I'm probably going to stick something on the side which can hold the stylus.

Screen:
I haven't tested this very thoroughly, however would certainly like to point two things:

1. Finger presses not very accurate. For example, which using keyboard I get much better performance using stylus.
2. Swipes are horrible. Scrolling any kind of list is a nightmare. Let me elaborate. The swipe on the home screen itself works fine. Swipes within individual apps used to turn pages etc work perfectly accurate. However, whenever I want to scroll a lit and select an item, it turns into a nightmare because it can't make out the difference between a click and a swipe. So which setting my timezone it kept on picking stuff either where I started my swipe or something a bit below that location.
3. At this point I do not know how to use a stylus for scrolling through a list. If I can figure that out I'll update my review. Till then this stands.

Well, that's it for now. Major items open are the G-Sensor and Firmware version, so I'll update as soon as I hear back from Sam. Or if I don't. Meanwhile, please comment!

Cheers,
Neel

*********************************************************************
Update on 6-Nov-2010

First of all - apologies for letting this lie for so long, been traveling a lot!
1. The G-Sensor issue is fully resolved. Apparently, what was missing was the microSD card. Once I inserted a microSD card, the G-Sensor started working perfectly!
2. Sam's customer service is excellent, he's always been very patient and polite in answering all my queries.
3. My comments about the swipes and finger scrolls not working great still stand. However, this may just be because it's a resistive touchscreen and not really designed for this type of input. As long as I use a pointer, I'm fine. Basically, the only real problem at the moment is scrolling a list. Depending on your use, this may or may not be a large problem.

Cheers,
Neel

 

[digitalandroid]

Dear Neel,
Thanks for the updates on placing an order with me.
Its always good to have such a supportive and understanding customer like yourself.

FYI :
The Touchscreen is based on the CPU which is a VIAARM 8505 533Mhz hence it will feel different or slower to users who have used the RS1 that runs on a ROCKCHIP 2808.
Bottom line is the engine that runs are car - and here the engine is a Viaarm 8505 hence the difference of feel.

The OS for the 1.6 Android keeps on being updated by the PCBA manufacturers however the one that I have sent you is the 1.7.4 which I find as the most stable version of them all. This also goes for the G-sensor which was auto when it all started out with the 1.6 and then became manual with the user having to toouch the screen to change view.

The issues or notes highlighted are connected with the CPU - ViaARm and the android OS and not to be noted as my fault.
Android is in a development stage and is not 100% on the tablets however its perfect for entertainment and internet use.
The Viaarm 8505 533Mhz is the cheapest unit in the market atm and is for the BUDGET CUSTOMER who is looking for the all features at a lower cost, hence the experience is not that awesome as a rockchip or telechip however it is great with its 256Mb ram that gives it a quicker response time and a faster internet browsing experience.- this is a very important point to be noted.
User experience may vary.

I hope you dont forget to mention my timely shipping + responses to your emails which are the true traits of a honest and reliable seller.
Unlike other sellers who promise but dont deliver.

FYI to all:
I have helped countless people from these and other forums with their issues on their units however sadly none of them remember to give a feedback.
I guess people remember the bad points quite easily and forget the goods ones.
Sam

 

[mattgsx]

Sam,

I didn't order from you, but the feedback you've given users is wonderful. I want to point out, however, that I have this same device, and my G-Sensor works fine. I'm running 1.7.4, as I have yet to take the plunge and try 1.8 or 1.9. I have my sensor set to "normal" with Shake set to off. Otherwise, it's just too sensitive for video and audio playback.

Iphake,

I'd recommend uninstalling all unused, non-core applications or flashing to a newer version of the firmware. As well, turn off auto-sync for all Google Services and get rid of the bundled "Email" app (you can leave Gmail on there). These little tweaks make the device run much, much faster. If you get the G-sensor working, turn off the auto-rotation, as it just slows things down. Also, use the thinnest possible blunt input device you can for calibrating your touch screen - it really makes the device more responsive in terms of click/drag recognition.

Once someone gets a working build of WinCE I'm going to try it out. My biggest disappointment with Android is a lack of quality ports for Linux applications like MUSE, since they rely so heavily on JDK and nobody wants to try to integrate a touch-screen input method.

 

[digitalandroid]

Dear mattgsx

A very awesome reply indeed.
and I also thank Iphake for his thread.

I am very happy to see how the users of these tablets have self evolved to making all this work to the best of these devices.

Very much happy to be there for all my buyers 100% for any issues and concerns and every one knows that

As a personal choice and also a 100% stable workable tablet to date is the RS1 , the 7" Rockchip 2808. To date have sold over 5000 units and not a single customer who came back to me saying its crap....its works.

The second best that is evolving is the RS2 with the telechip 8902 so thats a slow but steady starter and I will keep you guys posted.
I am working on getting telechip on a 10.2" however thats in the making....+ a android 2.2 tablet that will be out in October end (secret).

However what we need to be aware as I always say in my blogs on slatedroid and other forums that - The product quality comes with who you buy it from.

At digitalandroid we get over 20 emails every day from people who bought tablets from one of the biggest websites (don’t want to take any names) and who have got nothing but a lemon for the money they paid....however what you need to realize is to go with some one who specializes with these things.
The bottom line at my office is check and double check.

FYI- the RS1 or the Rockchip 2808 that comes in its plastic casing is still the best and original and it works 100% even with its new PCBA.

I even heard that one of my customers has modified the RS1 (apad) Rockchip 2808 to work on a security cam network for shops and he is selling it well....and I have some one who has already modified the RS2 Telechip 8902 to work with gps and blue tooth and reselling further to his market.

The possibilities are endless...however we need to understand that any operating system is always evolving and will have bugs and errors...however we should look at the wide picture of weather it delivers or not.... and not concentrate on the small bits that don’t and make a bad name for it.

Thank you every one
Sam
Always an email away

 

[tipstir]

Just use the rooted version of Android OS v1.6 Build 1.9_88, install Memory Lite, MySettings, Advanced Task Killer Pro, Home++ (for desktop replacement) Then your set.

 

[@milco@]

User experience may vary.

I hope you dont forget to mention my timely shipping + responses to your emails which are the true traits of a honest and reliable seller.
Unlike other sellers who promise but dont deliver.

i wish i was having the same experience, i am yet to hear back from you sam my RS1-PAD was purchased via your web site and paid for thru paypal straight away. it has been two days i have not received any emails form you, no order confirmation, no info from you or www.digitalandroid.com THE money has been removed from my bank account and i am starting to get worried, the main reason i purchase from www.digitalandroid.com was after reading all the positive comments and post from multiple android support websites/forums.... am i just unlucky?

 

[@milco@]

i received an email today from SAM, he was having technical difficulties with this email.

i will post when the item has been received