My new LonPad A97 Tablet

agabrielcv

Member
Apr 24, 2011
10
1
After my WM8650 Fiasco, I decided to buy another tablet to see if i can finnaly enjoy Android OS. I went to Ebay and Bought this Lonpad A97 Tablet with a Amlogic Cortex A9 800Mhz CPu and MAli 400 GPU. 512MB Ram and 4 GB Storage. This also have HDMI so i was very happy with the specs. Now that i have it on my hands, i can tell you that is a good piece of equipment, fast and runs angry birds just like my iphone.the only thing that lacks is the double pinch zoom but not a big deal. Another thing that i missed is the Android Market since it does not have any, i went and installed some markets but i cant find things that i wanted. Last but not least, i m looking for some firmware so i can install a more clean OS than the one that it has ( is filled with Chinese apps) but no luck so far. In overall, im very happy but i can be happier if someone points me to a ROM update for this tablet.
 

mir2006

Member
Jun 17, 2011
1
0
I've bought this tablet and I'm waiting to receive it.

I've bought it for $160 and I think is a good tablet for this price.

The screen responds as a capacitive screen?

Some videos:


 
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Dendron

Member
Aug 21, 2011
3
0
I bought the Lonpad A97 in Shenzhen a few weeks ago.

What I like, really like, is the form factor. It's very light, and very thin, and feels comfortable in the hand. It's also got a good, bright screen, though not bright enough to use outside at noon. For travel, it's just what I was looking for. Mine does have access to Android Market, and the speed is basically fine, though sometimes videos get a bit choppy.

Unfortunately, there are an awful lot of things I don't like about the Lonpad.

Turn it on, and the splash screen says Android 2.3, when in fact it's 2.2. Yes, I knew this when I bought it, but still, no reputable company would even try to pull a trick like this. You have to buy tablets on trust -- who really knows what processor or battery is inside -- and Lonpad lost my trust from the first day with that splash screen.

The built-in speakers are lousy beyond belief. If you'll be needing more than beeps and boings while playing games, then for all practical purposes there are no speakers, they're that bad.

The mini USB socket was flimsy and was jiggling from the start, and it's now gone bad, a month after purchase. Lots of things you can't do without that USB socket.

The battery doesn't last too long, so on a trip you might want an external battery. Good luck finding one that works. The problem is the power socket; the jack looks normal enough, but it's actually a few mms off any standard size I could find in Shenzhen, where you can find just about anything. For the same reason, finding a replacement charger would no doubt be difficult.

The touchpad is unreliable. About 3 to 5 percent of the time you'll trigger some other part of the screen; type "A" and you'll get "H" for example. It happens just often enough to drive you crazy, and recalibrating improves nothing. Scrolling is also frustrating, since it's very hard not to trigger an application or option or such while just trying to scroll the screen up or down.

Does it support 3G? Well, with my USB socket now gone, I'm never going to find out. But I thought it did -- the various sales sheets show 3G support if you buy a 3G dongle. But under Networking, there are only WiFi and Bluetooth options. Further, if you search the Lonpad website, you'll find two contradictory sales sheets in Chinese, one saying it supports a 3G dongle, the other saying it doesn't "temporarily." Again, it's untrustworthy of Lonpad to post contradictory product descriptions.

Support? Have you looked at their website?

As to minor gripes, the On/Off button's small and not well placed, the screen scratches easily, and the overall build doesn't seem sturdy.

So would I recommend you buy the Lonpad?

If you're looking for an attractive tablet to carry around, yes. The red one's almost dashing.

But if you're looking for one that works reliably, then certainly not.
 
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ASD

Member
Aug 26, 2011
3
0
If you only had posted this review a few weeks earlier ;)
I bought this tab, too.
Just have it since 2 days now, but agree in most of your points.
Although mine doesen´t show 2.3 - an even when, I won´t mind it.

The one and only downside for me is the screen.
I mean, if you read "piezoelectric / high sensitive" I estimate something
near/similar to capacitive, even glass.
But for me this screen is a below average resistive (entry-level) plastic display.
I think that´s the main fraud of the whole device.
The screen is one of the most important parts of a tab and very evident for fun or pain.

A quite decent solution I found is using a stylus for capacitive screens.
Not these scratching plastic ones for resistive, it has a rubber-pin and works really good.
Another BIG con is the absence of "pinch-to-zoom "
annoying while surfing the web and impossible for games like angry birds,
because you can´t zoom out (or?)
And Battery is a joke, indeed, drains like hell with usb-otg or wifi.
4000mAh INDIUM(!) = 4500 Lithium *LOL ...maybe 1400 :p
But - so far - the rest (performance, formfactor, design) is good and as expected.

for ~165USD you easily get a better powered device with capacitive display
(Renesas A9/ Coretab /herotab or whatever)
:mad:
 

Dendron

Member
Aug 21, 2011
3
0
A standard USB mouse works with this, so long as you use the USB dongle that came with the tablet. And so long as the mini-USB port holds up, which won't be long. If you're working at a desk, you'll find the mouse gives you a lot more control than your fingers.

Agree that the battery can't possibly be as advertised. That's why an external battery's needed for travel, and why it's frustrating not to be able to find a jack that fits.

It's a shame the build's poor. The tablet's so thin, and sized so nicely that just holding it makes you want to have one. But so far as I know, there's no one else out there with a 7" tablet at 380g, and there's obviously a good reason for that: it just can't be done without cutting some corners.
 

ASD

Member
Aug 26, 2011
3
0
Take a look at the "cube u9gt" Same size, capacitive + better cpu (rk 2918) i wish i had bought this one, but unfortunately around 250 usd :( Btw - just using the lontab here & slowly get used to it usable but not really amazing...
 
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Dendron

Member
Aug 21, 2011
3
0
The retail price of the U9GT has just dropped to RMB799 (US$125) in China, about the same as the Lonpad.

www.1pad.cn/2011/0819/2186.html (in Chinese)

Unlike the Lonpad, it doesn't seem to have Bluetooth built-in.

I also found that the Lonpad screen seemed to become harder to work with after a week or so.

I bought a cheap tablet because it's for travel, when I know it's likely to be damaged or stolen or lost.

I also know that the market's moving so fast that I'll quickly become unhappy with what I've bought in any event.
 

ASD

Member
Aug 26, 2011
3
0
Oops, i mixed up the price with another device / however, my best offer for the cube was $206 (incl. Shipping +20% tax) / if i had the chance to pick up one for 125$ (eur 86) , i would grab one promptly. ;)
 
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