LePan Negatives?
- Thread starter S87
- Start date
You might also want to start with price when speaking about the differences.
S87
Senior Member
- Oct 10, 2010
- 91
- 7
- Thread starter
- #4
I counted those positives (Everything I wanted in a large tablet at the right price) and ordered one.
I'm just trying not to be surprised when I find out "Oh, it doesn't do..."
There's no "video out" is there? (My other tablet does HDMI-out and has a remote, so no worries there.)
Being such a good deal that it was out-of-stock was one "negative."
Like another poster, TigerDirect raised the price on me and then went out-of-stock when I called for a price match. Backordered on Amazon now. Amazon's Canadian price was even better, but not for export.
I'm just trying not to be surprised when I find out "Oh, it doesn't do..."
There's no "video out" is there? (My other tablet does HDMI-out and has a remote, so no worries there.)
Being such a good deal that it was out-of-stock was one "negative."
Like another poster, TigerDirect raised the price on me and then went out-of-stock when I called for a price match. Backordered on Amazon now. Amazon's Canadian price was even better, but not for export.
Sir_Cusfreak
Member
- Nov 29, 2011
- 56
- 13
I love my Le Pan, no secret there. I'm not quite to fanboi status, I know there are a couple of things that could be better, but my list of those is very small, and all minor things - and overall, this is an awesome tab.
But, there are some small design improvements that could be made, so here goes:
The fingerprints. Ive been reading about people using rain-x, but I don't think I can bring myself to. Not sure. I might. I keep kicking the idea back and forth, but something about it doesn't seem right. So I ordered a screen protector, but I haven't got it yet. We'll see how that goes. If it hurts responsiveness very much, it'll go away, and I'll be back to cleaning the prints after every use, or I'll bite the bullet and try rain-x.
Also...the buttons on the front have a feature where they light up when you press them. But...it would have been better if they either lit always, or lit up when the light sensor kicks in at a certain dimness or something...cause really, I can be laying in the dark reading the kindle before bed, and I can't see the 'back' or 'home' buttons...until after I press one...which doesn't help much; I need to see a button before I press it, not after. (Thats probably my biggest complaint about the whole device, honestly.)
There's not an HDMI-out. I don't need one in any way - my home theater system runs from a PC server anyway, so if I did have a file on this and I wanted it on the big screen, I could get it there without an HDMI. And I don't need to use mine for any presentations or anything, but I know some people like and use this feature. So, not a con for me, but maybe for others.
I would have preferred a USB port, though I haven't really needed one of those either.
And finally, the lack of really good cases. It physically fits into most ipad cases, though those cases are not made for this thing. The ports are either covered up, or the buttons on the front are, or the camera & light sensors are. There's a whole other thread about that, I won't re-hash it here, but it is a gripe I have.
Otherwise, the thing is sharp, crisp, pretty damn fast, and capable of everything I've asked of it. If there's a better tab at even close to a similar price point, I would love to know of it.
-Cus
But, there are some small design improvements that could be made, so here goes:
The fingerprints. Ive been reading about people using rain-x, but I don't think I can bring myself to. Not sure. I might. I keep kicking the idea back and forth, but something about it doesn't seem right. So I ordered a screen protector, but I haven't got it yet. We'll see how that goes. If it hurts responsiveness very much, it'll go away, and I'll be back to cleaning the prints after every use, or I'll bite the bullet and try rain-x.
Also...the buttons on the front have a feature where they light up when you press them. But...it would have been better if they either lit always, or lit up when the light sensor kicks in at a certain dimness or something...cause really, I can be laying in the dark reading the kindle before bed, and I can't see the 'back' or 'home' buttons...until after I press one...which doesn't help much; I need to see a button before I press it, not after. (Thats probably my biggest complaint about the whole device, honestly.)
There's not an HDMI-out. I don't need one in any way - my home theater system runs from a PC server anyway, so if I did have a file on this and I wanted it on the big screen, I could get it there without an HDMI. And I don't need to use mine for any presentations or anything, but I know some people like and use this feature. So, not a con for me, but maybe for others.
I would have preferred a USB port, though I haven't really needed one of those either.
And finally, the lack of really good cases. It physically fits into most ipad cases, though those cases are not made for this thing. The ports are either covered up, or the buttons on the front are, or the camera & light sensors are. There's a whole other thread about that, I won't re-hash it here, but it is a gripe I have.
Otherwise, the thing is sharp, crisp, pretty damn fast, and capable of everything I've asked of it. If there's a better tab at even close to a similar price point, I would love to know of it.
-Cus
AfterShafter
Member
- Dec 1, 2011
- 33
- 2
Been happily using my Le Pan for about two weeks and, for the current price of under $200, would recommend it. But it does have some downsides...
First off, some people (myself included) have had trouble with it on some WPA networks. It works just dandy for most people, and I'm lead to believe the problems are router specific. I switched my personal router to WEP and it works fine there, and haven't had a problem with any other coffee shop, bar, or school network I've come across.
Second, bluetooth keyboard. I've got one to work on the TC970, but not well. It was also a bit of a chore to get it working at all. As someone whose #3 reason to buy this tablet was for working on the go, I'm currently a bit let down on this front. I do still have some hopes for it to get some apps to help on this, but for now, if this is an important feature for you, the tablet might not be for you.
Third, the small issues. Buttons can be a bit of a pain to find in the dark, the desktop doesn't rotate with the tablet (though many programs - browser, comic reader, etc) do, fingerprints are pretty noticeable, the back is a bit slippery. These are all things to consider, but they are small potatoes in my eyes.
At the same price point, I'd take an IPad 2 over the Le Pan despite my general disdain for Apple products. It's simply a bit more stacked than the TC970. I'd probably take an IPAD 2 over the Le Pan at a $100 price difference - the back camera and the general slickness of the Apple package count for a bit, and I *could* live without having flash support (though I still shake my head over this). With the current price of the IPad 2, and the current price of the Le Pan TC970 though, unless you really have a thing for Apple products, I'd say the Le Pan is an awesome stand in for IPad 2 which has 95% of its functionality for under 50% of the price. The Le Pan does damn near everything an Ipad 2 does, at a fraction of the cost - and does those things well.
First off, some people (myself included) have had trouble with it on some WPA networks. It works just dandy for most people, and I'm lead to believe the problems are router specific. I switched my personal router to WEP and it works fine there, and haven't had a problem with any other coffee shop, bar, or school network I've come across.
Second, bluetooth keyboard. I've got one to work on the TC970, but not well. It was also a bit of a chore to get it working at all. As someone whose #3 reason to buy this tablet was for working on the go, I'm currently a bit let down on this front. I do still have some hopes for it to get some apps to help on this, but for now, if this is an important feature for you, the tablet might not be for you.
Third, the small issues. Buttons can be a bit of a pain to find in the dark, the desktop doesn't rotate with the tablet (though many programs - browser, comic reader, etc) do, fingerprints are pretty noticeable, the back is a bit slippery. These are all things to consider, but they are small potatoes in my eyes.
At the same price point, I'd take an IPad 2 over the Le Pan despite my general disdain for Apple products. It's simply a bit more stacked than the TC970. I'd probably take an IPAD 2 over the Le Pan at a $100 price difference - the back camera and the general slickness of the Apple package count for a bit, and I *could* live without having flash support (though I still shake my head over this). With the current price of the IPad 2, and the current price of the Le Pan TC970 though, unless you really have a thing for Apple products, I'd say the Le Pan is an awesome stand in for IPad 2 which has 95% of its functionality for under 50% of the price. The Le Pan does damn near everything an Ipad 2 does, at a fraction of the cost - and does those things well.
First let me say for the price the Le Pan TC 970 cannot be beat! Now, I own an iPad 2 and have been using it for about 6 months. I just purchased 4 Le Pan TC 970's for my children for Christmas. I've been using them for the past two weeks, testing software, tweaking settings, etc. and I am amazed at the quality of this product for the $200 price! In comparison to the iPad 2, I would agree with AfterShafter's comment that the Le Pan has 95% of it's functionality. Netflix, Pandora, Skype and many other apps work great on the Le Pan. It is quick and responsive, the screen is bright and vivid, and there is plenty of storage capacity with the microSD slot supporting up to 32GB cards. I actually enjoy using the Le Pan more than my iPad 2 for several reasons. One being the ability to view Flash on websites. This is a huge negative for the iPad 2 and the Le Pan handles it with ease. The ability to tweak settings is another thing I like better about the Le Pan and Android in general. I can really get granular with the settings and optimize the tablet. And one last HUGE plus for me, since my children will be using the Le Pan tablets, is the ability to install apps like N64oid and SNESDroid. Emulators and the ability to connect to a bluetooth wii remote to control games is incredible. Things I couldn't even dream of acheiving on my iPad 2 without jailbreaking it.
To sum it up (IMO) with price considered:
iPad 2 - 7/10
Le Pan - 9/10
To sum it up (IMO) with price considered:
iPad 2 - 7/10
Le Pan - 9/10
