Did I make a bad purchase? VIA MW8505 600MHz Processor

carstunts

Member
Dec 24, 2010
5
0
Just wondering if I made a bad purchase... unfortunately it was a good deal and an impulse decision to say the least. I bought this off ebay. Correct me if I'm wrong, but what I've read and heard so far, Android v1.6 is not so great. Will I be able to run most apps with this version or is there a firmware upgrade available? If I did make a bad purchase, am I best to get rid of this thing and consider something else?

Thanks.
 

pbrauer

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 24, 2010
3,649
561
Well, you get what you pay for. We need more detail about your tablet to say if you can upgrade.
 

carstunts

Member
Dec 24, 2010
5
0
Well, I need to actually wait for the tablet to arrive... but here is a picture if that helps? What other details would you need?

$epad.JPG
 

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
A better question of how much you paid vs what you want to do with it. The version of Android 1.6 is not a bad version. It is more the limitation of the chips and associated internal hardware. If what you want is an E-Reader and simple Internet Browser, then this may be just want you want
If you were expecting a low cost IPad alternative, then you may be disappointed. These can do many things. Search against what Tipstir has posted and you will discover it is not a horrible purchase. It is more of a it depends purchase.
The most common problem for these tablets are the battery and the desire to have access to Android market. There are many applications which can be found for this tablet using Google searching to side load apps.
The battery problem is a QA issue and seems to affect more than just the low cost.
The real problem will be support. Other than community support like this forum, you will have difficulty in repair/returns or similar. But you get what you pay for.

Best of Luck. You may be happy, or you may have wished you had bought a Nook or similar E-Reader and converted. You will find this a learning experience.
 

carstunts

Member
Dec 24, 2010
5
0
I appreciate your help and your honest answers Gurgle. I bought it for $137.00 CDN (that includes the shipping, etc). It wasn't too bad for the price. I bought it for something to fool around with - just a toy, nothing too serious. Something that I could use for web browsing and other misc apps. The Android Market isn't really necessary as I could just load any apps I wanted on to the SDHC card anyhow. I understand that the support would be very limited, but that's ok. As for repairs, I guess what do I expect for the price... i would be better off doing the repairs my self (if possible) or buy a new device. I'm pretty savvy with this kind of stuff so I figured I'd give it a go. I wouldn't mind being able to play some basic games with it. (I noticed there is a free SNES app somewhere) I will review Tipstir's posts and check things out more. What was the battery issue, just not long battery life? Thanks :p
 
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