Genuine or fake tablets

[andreasy]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here and I decided to ask because for the last 2 months I am doing my research on Android tablets and the more I research the more I get confused to do the lack of trust on Internet shops and particularly eBay.

First of all:
1) There are different types available (epad, apad, mid, etc.) My 1st question is: you find those tablets on an Internet shop at about £140 and then you find the same model name (maybe with slidely different specs) on eBay for £60 from Hong-Kong. So, are there genuine and fakes or are they all the same. If I buy an ePad from eBay, it will be the same ePad that I buy from another Internet shop that sells it more expensive? From one hand I know that they are all China made but from the other hand I know that maybe a good China made product with good reputation could be copied easily and advertised as the same product at half the price but not even half the quality.
Yes, I have read posts that recommend to buy from trustworthy sellers in order to have better support but price is more important for me at this point.
So, the most help I need from the more experienced users is on this topic.

2) Android smartphones come with v2.2 but tablets are found with 1.6 or 2.1, etc. Isn't the OS the same or is there different OS for smartphone and tablet? Are those available at some place and anyone could download and install different verisions for testing or you have to buy it with the required OS only?

3) For me, the 7" tablet is a bit small but I've seen that it has more features than the 10". For example, almost all 7" tablets (mostly on ebay) come with webcam, GPS, proximity sensor and accelerometer. Most 10" don't. Is there any comment on this? any particular reason or recommendation for avoiding one of the 2?

 

[ta2025]

First off Welcome! I've never been in a more chaotic world that 7" tablet identification!

1. I would avoid ALL tablet sales from Ebay period. They are fly by night, they will say anything, bait and switch. There is little accountability. Stick with a major supplier / importer. I bought mine from Merimobiles. The Moonse E7002 was exactly as advertised, the price was low ($164.99 as of this writing). The order was processed in about 3 business days and the order was shipped fed ex express and arrived to me in 4 business days, packed well and safe. No issues.

There is no rhyme or reason on the naming and chinese distributors will apply any label to the product to entice you to buy their copy. They seem to be able to get their hands on many version of similar products and then package them with whatever working or half-working features they have at the time and dumping them on a greedy and hungry population.

That said, reading in here for 2 weeks before you buy can save your wallet.

Pick one of the primary tablets and pick a feature set that is up to date. I bought the Moonse E7002. Its the same as the Haipad M701-R. It is a Telechips 8902 with 256MB, 2GB of internal flash, gsensor, DUAL touch resistive screen, DUAL 1400mAH batteries, Android 2.1 with working (sometimes) Android Market, HDMI output to large screen TV. It came with HDMI cable, 3.5" headphones, and working IR remote.

At the time, it was the best feature set available for the money (still is I think).

Just now, they are working on Android 2.2 roms. The people in here have to develop these roms themselves. Im sure the major players like HTC and Samsung get advanced help directly from Google in connecting Android features to hardware but here, there is no such help. Thats why the version of android seems to drag behind a little. Honestly, 2.1 is very good.

Hope this helps?

 

[andreasy]

Thanks, it was very helpful. I thought of this about eBay after reading so many stories but just wanted to verify with more people.

Can anyone recommend a trustworthy online shop in the EU? unfortunately we have different voltage here and delivery from USA is very expensive due to distance.

By the way, are you happy with its size? isn't 7" very small? I was thinking about the 10" which is closer to iPad. On the other hand it could be very heavy. What do you think?

 

[ta2025]

Euogo.com: Best Deals on Android Tablet,Tablet PC,Smartphones,Apple Accessories,Cool Gadgets & more from Hong Kong China seems to come up in conversation a lot and they have a wide selection.

the size of the pad is arbitrary. I wanted some more portable. Since it cost me $169, I can afford to buy a 10" pad later - either to substitute or supplement. However, compared to my ipod touch, this screen is huge. I like the portableness of the 7" pad as its the same as the kindle or nook and makes a great ebook reader.

This is the same pad basically that I bought - New G10 Haipad Android 2.1 Tablet with 7 Inch Multi Touch Screen, Accelerometer, Camera - US$179.55 : Euogo.com

I would absolutely recommend a pad based on the Telechips 8902 or better and avoid the VIA 8505 and to a lesser extend, the Rockchip CPUs.

 

[andreasy]

That looks interesting but what does it differ from those on eBay? I believe it is the same thing. That shop could also sell the same items on eBay. See now why I am confused ?

 

[mcamou]

I live in Spain and have been looking for an online store in the EU. Finding none I ended up ordering from euogo.com. Shipping to Spain was fast using EMS, not too expensive, but the tablet was held up in customs for 3 days, got out of customs last Friday, so I won't be getting it until Tuesday at the least (since Monday is a holiday in Madrid). Customs liberated it directly without requiring any payment, which I assume is due to the way euogo.com declared the package (I have no idea yet exactly WHAT they did). Other times I've ordered electronics from the US I've had to pay VAT and/or import duties.

Regarding the voltage, I've found that all chargers that come with electronics these days are multi-voltage, 110-220, so all you SHOULD need is a plug adapter.

I personally got this one: New G10 Haipad Android 2.1 Tablet with 7 Inch Multi Touch Screen, Accelerometer, Camera - US$179.55 : Euogo.com which according to the forums is the same as the M701-R which is well-supported by the community. I have yet to see how the 7-inch screen feels. Just to see the size I looked at a 7-inch Archos PMP in a store here in Madrid and it *DOES* seem small, but on the other hand it's probably good for what I want (web browsing, reading ebooks, listening to podcasts). The two things I feel it lacks are 3G and GPS support. You can supposedly get a 3G USB dongle working with it but I'm planning on tethering via WiFi via my phone (so I can use my existing data plan instead of having to get a new SIM).

 

[ta2025]

I have already tethered it to a friends samsung Galaxy phone and it worked flawlessly. I also recommend this tablet, but I would stay clear of Ebay. There is no accountability.

 

[mcamou]

I can just say: DON'T BUY FROM EUOGO.COM. Avoid them like the plague. Their customer service is abysmal. I had a problem with the tablet they sent me. It took weeks to get to the point where I ended up sending it back to get a refund. It has now been 2 months and I have yet to see the refund money. They don't reply to emails, they sell shoddy product and they don't stand behind it. Really, don't buy from them.

 

[Bilgediver]

Its not the UK, but I got my archos from Droidpad.com

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