eLocity A7 Setback - Not True Capacitive Multitouch

[xaueious]

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Pre-orders of the eLocity A7 has arrived for some already. However, it has hit one major snag in becoming the most powerful 7" Android tablet on the market, and certainly will dampen developer and community interest towards the device. The A7 is the just first 7" Tegra 2 Android tablet on the market. We will certainly see many viable Nvidia Tegra 2 Android alternatives in the coming year. Some people are returning their A7s already.

According to reports by users at XDA, the capacitive touchscreen is 1+1 touch. While it works for pinch to zoom actions, it is not a true multitouch device. This rules it out from being a true next-generation Android device. Other Tegra 2 devices released on the market that have true multitouch are typically 10", such as the Viewsonic G-Tab.

Other useful interesting bits includes the device being reported as a 'Compal NAZ10' with 375MB of actual application memory available.

For those who are looking for a last-minute Christmas gift, the Nook Color might be the better looking device for the tech savvy. But right now, the $299 price tag on the A7 is still tough to beat, especially compared to the Archos 70, which is certainly a lesser device in terms of raw hardware capability. Tack on the fact that the A7 is available now and shipping everywhere in the US (Canada as well, through Tigerdirect).

 

[Darkseider]

OK so not "TRUE" multi-touch but pinch to zoom works fine and it is capacitive. That will be enough for most folks. I am just hoping to see how well XDA supports it and if the performance is on par with the GTab before I pull the trigger on this one. It would be nice to add another Tegra 2 tablet to the family.

 

[xaueious]

The lack of multitouch is really unfortunate, because new generation Android devices are supposed to have that problem solved already. This is one of the major things that would hold it back. I need to see a few more articles before I am going to actually recommend this as a buy though.

 

[Darkseider]

After reading through the XDA forums from folks who have received it it is a "no go". Apparently the 1+1 multi-touch it does have is using that hodge-podge software hack. So there is NO WAY even through firmware to enable true multi-touch because the screen itself is incapable of doing it. Stay away from this turd. If you want a Tegra 2 tablet and aren't afraid of a little hacking the Viewsonic GTab is still the way to go.

 

[tipstir]

Did you watch this video from xda user...

 

[tipstir]

Multi-touch? If it don't work just take it back to Bjs get a refund.. But I want to see how this works..

 

[Zenwood]

The multi-touch works for me.

 

[mpit52]

Watched the video and it seems to run nice. I can't seem myself really using to much multi-touch on a tablet besides zooming in on things (like the guy was doing) and it seems to run smoothly. Who knows, I haven't made up my mind on a tablet yet..Im looking to get one after the New Year.

 

[TabletConnect]

there seems to be confusion about what constitutes true "multi-touch." I actually happened to be doing research on this very topic for an article in my blog . True multi-touch means that the device can simultaneously register three or more inputs. The 1+1 is just as the name says, it registers only 2 inputs. It is up to the individual to decide if this is a negative knowing the types of apps that one uses. If the majority of apps you use require 3 or more touch inputs then this is not going to work.

The eLocity A7 is next on our list of devices to review but may not have this ready until Jan.

 

[xaueious]

The emphasis on multitouch wasn't so large before Gingerbread and the Nexus S, but now Android is clearly moving towards gaming applications next year. Everything in the A7 screams 'next gen' except for the touchscreen. It doesn't mean that this is a bad device for the money. It depends on what you were expecting out of it. If this is just a stop gap device, it is difficult to justify the cost for some.

 

[tipstir]

Multi-touch more added features have or have not. Right now just need a tablet that offers 3D GPL, is fast to run anything currently available. Have CTS screen, HDMI 1080p and just be able to work right! But now with Staples ViewSonic 10 due to hardware defects. Still too much of a rush to get these tablets out the door. Are they really ready for prime time?

 

[xaueious]

I do not really know about the bugs on the Viewsonic right now. I'll read up on that sometime.

Hm... Maybe i should have chosen different wording for my title. This was not supposed to be a negative bashing against the A7, but the linkbacks seem to be indicating otherwise

 

[spikey911]

This was from another thread, direct from Leo Riley....

"To clarify the touch feature of the eLocity A7 for everyone. This is a capacitive touch screen with single point zoom out and zoom in gesture technology. It is not a multitouch screen. We are sorry for the touch screen confusion mentioned in the Amazon description and other articles as they were written early on in the product development stage. We will introduce multitouch screen technology in 2011. Our capacitve touch screen still outperforms most if not all of the tablets on the market. We use Grade "A" LCD panels from Tier 1 suppliers in our products and our goal with the A7 is to deliver the best performance, video and image quality and other functionality (i.e. NVIDIA Tegra 2, 1080P HDMI Output) that is superior to other tablets at similar price points. I know of no other tablets in our price range that offer true multi touch, which is fairly expensive for larger lcd screens at this time. Do your comparisons to the other tablets feature to feature and you will see that the eLocity tablet stills stands apart from the competition."

Finally admits it...

 

[HTC Fan]

What do people use a 7" tablet for? I've never played with one (since they don't have them here) but I don't see a great deal of use. Is it mostly for gaming? Or is it a day to day personal organizer?

 

[gadgetrants]

This was from another thread, direct from Leo Riley....

"...I know of no other tablets in our price range that offer true multi touch, which is fairly expensive for larger lcd screens at this time. Do your comparisons to the other tablets feature to feature and you will see that the eLocity tablet stills stands apart from the competition."

Chiming in as a Nook Color owner: agreed the A7 has features that the NC lacks. But the NC has a better resolution screen AND a two-point touchscreen (confirmed with Multitouch Test). I'd say overall it's a pretty good comparison AND the NC costs $250! Hah!

-Matt