Android 2.1 Tablet PC X220 flytouch2 with GPS and Webcam Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this tablet, my first Android device, and I was kinda wondering what I would receive...
So far I'm really pleased with this thing!
Being a Palm and iPod Touch user and early adopter of what people call "smart phones", I wasn't sure if I wanted a large-format device. I have friends who are pushing their Apple tablets at me and I'm an iMac user myself... but I just wasn't sure if I needed (read that as wanted) a tablet.
I bought this on "speculation" to see if I could have a little fun and perhaps learn something new.
I'm having the fun part right away and I can see that some learnin' is headed my way here with the Android operating system this tablet uses. Not hard learning, but with the "open-ness" of Android I expect to be finding new stuff to do for a good while.
Out of the box I received a durable-feeling device with a nice large screen. It turned-on first try and responded to the battery charger just like the (little) owner's manual predicted. There is a great deal more going on with this thing than the little booklet speaks of, but the manual is complete enough for anyone to realize all but the nuts and bolts of Android... I believe the manual was not intended to tech Android to a user but to simply expose the buyer to the capabilities of the tablet. The manual is a translation, but a good one with pictures and diagrams. Easy to read and understand.
I haven't done much with it yet, but I have connected to the net using my WPA-2 WiFi "Apple Airport Extreme" and had no problem with the setup. It reminded me of getting a Nintendo DSi connected... it was that easy. I am using MAC address filtering and that posed no problem after putting the tablet's MAC address in my list.
The Localization settings were easy with the only "snag" as yet being the temperature display in the Home screen is in Centigrade and I can't (as yet) figure out how to switch to Fahrenheit. It even "found" my little home town to use as the target city :)
The only other thing I haven't figured yet is if the operating system is consuming part of the 2 gig of memory, leaving only 1 gig free or if the device shipped with only 1 gig of memory.
I think this problem is my lack of familiarity with Android :)
I will attempt to provide a better review as time allows, but for now I'm happy.
One final note, the device is called a "MID" in the Owner's Manual and the following information appears in the "About Device" screen on the device it's self;
Model Number: deb
Firmwear Version: 2.1-update1
Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9 hzhao@emma #1
Build Number: deb-r2.1.1170
There is another tablet listed on Amazon called a "MID" but it does not seem to have a camera or a GPS receiver. This unit's GPS "antenna" is external and I think the little hocky-puck is both an antenna and receiver combined.
Update: (12/26/2010)
Liking the tablet! The hardware is working great, no problems at all, no glitches or silly business from the device or the Android "build" as is installed.
The only things I'm watching are;
- The "Home" button on the front is not indexed exactly right under the front cover. Not a problem but there was a moment where it was trying to get stuck.
- One of the tiny little "plugs" covering the cabinet screws has fallen out. This is no problem at all as there will come a day when I want to take those screws out myself and those plugs are going away on that day. As a side note, this tablet survived a drop from my desk top to the plastic carpet protector under the desk without a glitch.
- The Android "build" has a little trouble when rotating the screen. Two issues so far 1.) When you use Google's Star application, the Horizon is oriented incorrectly and does not correct even when you try the adjustments for screen rotation in Android or in Google's application. Weirdly, the names of planets and stars continue to rotate (to the wrong angle) even if you turn-off all the rotation controls. 2.) When you use the device in the "Landscape" orientation there is a very useful "Back" button in the screen in the top right... when you rotate to "Portrait" orientation that button goes away and you have to use the hardware buttons. Not really a big deal but the behavior of the on-screen "Back" button and the hardware button are not exactly the same in all applications.
- About keyboards, mice, and memory devices. USB supports all these but does not recognize anything else. I am using a Bluetooth "dongle" and my Apple "Magic Mouse" but my HID Bluetooth keyboard and Bluetooth GPS are not recognized. So far I have not found an application that can pair any Bluetooth devices that are not physically incorporated in the device (that's none so far). The Bluetooth dongle I have states it is a wired equivalent of a mouse and keyboard.. but that HID keyboard is not working.
That's all for now. It's worth the $230 to me so far but I'm new at this so I might not have the expectations a more seasoned Android user might have.
Update: (1/7/2011)
The people I got my tablet from are fantastic! I used email to talk to them about getting a registration number for the Android release on my tablet and they were really warm and responsive. It was like they actually liked the product!
I no longer see them listed as sellers but I will look for them the next time I want something from China.
(Beijing Ning Rong Technology Development Co. Ltd)
I Learned some stuff.
- There are a lot of "Widgets" and "Gadgets" that fail when used on a tablet... perhaps it's just this one, but I suspect the large screen is giving them trouble.
- You can use an Apple Magic Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard (Retail Packaging) by first pairing them on your desktop machine and then moving the Bluetooth "dongle" to the Flytouch. I use an IOGear USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter GBU421
- The "Escape" key on the keyboard functions like the "Back" button on the screen.
- F4 seems to first, put the device into "sleep" then shortly it will re-boot.
- F1 acts like the "Menu" button.
Still have not found any applications that provide USB support for other than keyboard, mouse, and memory. I hope the developers of Android see the tablet as a "future" for Android and start providing full support for USB attached peripherals.
The display is really nice indoors. Outdoors it's washed-out but usable.
Price jump. What's this about?!?
I'm a little disturbed that this tablet has jumped in price. I kinda was thinking about a second one for a friend but at this rate, she's probably going to get something else. Too bad, we like this one. :)
Update: (01/19/2011) - Sorry if this is turning into a "blog"...
An update to the Android OS has come out, not a big change like version 2.2 or anything, but it allowed me to see what and how upgrades look like and are done.
It did not go so well. I had to go onto the Internet and find the proper file myself and load it again using a micro SD card. After that everything was back to "normal". I had to find and re-load all the applications I had loaded and every setting had to be re-entered. I later found out that you can back-up these things and save yourself some time. Considering the changes to the Android OS, I will wait for a major update before going with another minor one again... too much hassle for not so much gain.
The tablet is still a winner! I have it running for several hours a day and am even now watching a DVD TV show (converted using "Handbrake" for the Mac). Playback is smooth at 720 x 400 and around 1100 bits per second (m-peg4). See, this thing is making me learn about stuff like Android OS and video data rates :)
Still can't set the Weather widget to Fahrenheit, but otherwise I'm still happy with the purchase.

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