Android newbie here

ttweed

Member
May 12, 2012
32
1
Hello,
Just posting an intro thread as requested since I am new here, and new to the Android OS. I am a fairly sophisticated computer user, but have never had a smartphone or tablet yet, and figured I should finally get introduced to Android and try it out. I am looking at getting a cheap tablet just to learn a bit and have an alternative to my laptop for ebook reading and web browsing, etc. I am looking at this tablet from Walmart as a "starter" unit-- http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ematic-eG...GB-Android-4.0-Ice-Cream-Sandwich-OS/20564508

I cannot find any complete specs on it yet, and the Ematic site does not seem to show this model. I searched the forums here but can only find references to the older eGlide models. Anyone know anything about it?

TT
 

Frederuco

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jul 6, 2011
1,980
503
Welcome to the forum!

What additional spec info were you looking for? The Wal-Mart site seems to have most of the specs listed.

Here is an article at a sister forum about it: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...-10-inch-ematic-eglide-xl-pro-2-219-msrp.html

IMO, I think 4 GB is a bit small for the on board memory. Some devices may be able to transfer apps to the microSD card, but many running ICS will not (Samsung, Acer, Asus). My 16 GB TF101 has 13 GB of usable internal storage after the OS is installed. You may only have ~2-3 GB of usable space which will go quick for apps if you cannot put them on the microSD card. Also, I have seen some of these listed that they have access to the Google Play (Market), some that say the tablet does not. If not, this can be a deal breaker (but there are other app stores out there).
 

Spider

Administrator
Staff member
Mar 24, 2011
15,785
1,813
Hello TT, welcome to the forum. Nice to have you with us here at Android tablets, glad you decided to join.
 

ttweed

Member
May 12, 2012
32
1
Hello TT, welcome to the forum. Nice to have you with us here at Android tablets, glad you decided to join.
Thank you for the welcome and the opportunity to learn more from this forum, Spider. As an admin on another (phpBB) forum, I know how much work is involved in making a resource like this available.

What additional spec info were you looking for? The Wal-Mart site seems to have most of the specs listed.

Here is an article at a sister forum about it: A New Budget Android Tablet Available: 10-inch Ematic eGlide XL Pro 2 - $219 MSRP
I would at the least like to know exactly what processor is used in it (is it Cortex A9?), if it runs at 1 or 1.2GHz (the Walmart site says something different than the J&R site: Ematic EGLIDE PRO III Android Tablet in Portable Tablet PCs | JR.com) I saw the article you reference above, but it is for the 10" XL Pro 2, not the smaller 7" Pro 3.

IMO, I think 4 GB is a bit small for the on board memory. Some devices may be able to transfer apps to the microSD card, but many running ICS will not (Samsung, Acer, Asus). My 16 GB TF101 has 13 GB of usable internal storage after the OS is installed. You may only have ~2-3 GB of usable space which will go quick for apps if you cannot put them on the microSD card. Also, I have seen some of these listed that they have access to the Google Play (Market), some that say the tablet does not. If not, this can be a deal breaker (but there are other app stores out there).
Understood, and something in the specs that says it can access the Google Play market would be most welcome, but the Ematic site itself is void of any specs at all, and multiple internet searches have turned up nothing. I was considering getting one of the Chinese tablets like the Ramos W17 Pro, but the logistics of getting it from China and having to return it there if there's a problem makes shopping at walmart.com look like a walk in the park. At least it would be here in a week and I would be able to return it to my local Walmart store within 15 days if it's a dud. I did find posts here talking about the alternative Android marketplaces, so maybe the lack of Google Play wouldn't be too bad. If it can't run the Kindle mobile app or do epub books, though, that would be a dealbreaker for me. I may take a chance on it just to check it out, then bail for a better one if it fails to do what I need.

Thx,
TT
 

greg72nova

Member
Apr 21, 2012
1
0
hi, I have an ematic 8 gb prism 512 ram with ICS. I pieckd it up for $157. Nice toy but there are issues with it not finding the wifi. As I keep adding apps it has slowed down some. A lot of the built in apps spawn even after being killed. I am getting more messages that ICS is killing apps to open up memory. Battery life probably doesnt exceed 4 hours. Just a note, Its not an ARM 7 device so it will not access Google Play. The Ematic app store does not have all the aps that Google has. So there are a few apps I can't get. Also, it seems ICS will run most of the older Android apps, including some for cellphones.
 

Spider

Administrator
Staff member
Mar 24, 2011
15,785
1,813
Hi Greg, welcome to you as well. Glad to have you here as a new member of the forum, and thanks for participating.
 
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