Huawei S7 Slips into BestBuy for $299 Now - Best Bang-for-Buck Data Capable Tablet

[xaueious]

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(Nov 14: update with add unboxing video and confirmation of voice and data functionality)

The Huawei Ideos S7 at BestBuy (US) is currently on sale for $299. It has been confirmed to work with a SIM card. AT&T confirmed for 3G. T-Mobile for EDGE only. Voice works for BOTH.

It has Android 2.1 with Google Market and other Google Mobile Applications such as Gmail, wifi-n, Qualcomm Snapdragon Cortex A8 CPU right now, along with 3G/data capabilities, dual front/rear cameras, and bluetooth. The only downer is the single-touch resistive touchscreen. It should also have GPS capabilities.

At the end of the day, if you don't need multi-touch or capacitive touch, this is the best deal for Android tablet you can get on the market today, considering that the Galaxy Tab retails at about double of this.

Here's an unboxing video from Mytabletlife:


With rumors for Android 2.2 support coming in Q1 2011, this is one of the best alternatives on the market for a tablet device. While not capable of Adobe Flash at the moment, an Android 2.2 port is not out of the question, especially for a Qualcomm Snapdragon based device. The Acer Liquid (also with a 768 MHz Qualcomm CPU) has very similar specifications and is a case where users have built a functional version of Android 2.2 from source code before a full release from the manufacturer.

A PDF product guide with full specification can be downloaded here (mirrored from Clove UK)

Some more technically inclined users have started some work on this at Modaco.

Drop by here to talk about it: Huawei Tablets

Append
Voice functionality confirmed on xda here, along with T-Mobile EDGE data connectivity: Anyone else with a Huawei S7 tablet here? - xda-developers
Data for AT&T works after APN settings according to forum member esource2000
: http://www.androidtablets.net/forum...ang-buck-data-capable-tablet-3.html#post13218

 

[tipstir]

Thanks I was waiting on the ACER, but I'll go check this one out today at my local BB store. Thanks!

 

[ainyul]

^any other comments on this unit; i spoke to a BB employee who insisted this unit has no 3G capability and that there is NO sim slot; I would appreciate some confirmation from anyone; thanx!

 

[tipstir]

Must be different models then. There is one with 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, 3G, GPS etc. But I have to check tonight and see what I find out. $300 bucks is a lot and it's not even a 10". Still it if it's good I'll buy it.

 

[ainyul]

^thks, these r the links from BB and from expansys;

Huawei - Ideos 7" Tablet S7 - White - S7-104

Huawei S7 Android Tablet (WiFi, 3G) #3GWF-768MHZ-0GB-3PIN - eXpansys Inc

 

[pbrauer]

I can confirm gps and 3g (used a friends TMOBILE)

 

[ainyul]

^excellent news, just ordered from BestBuy.com as soon as I read your confirmation; thank you again!!

 

[ainyul]

EDIT: just realized, TMobile is AWS technology; when i look at the tech specs for the S7 on huawei site; as per the following link, it indicates CDMA AND GSM/3G specs;

Will an AT&T sim work on this?

 

[tipstir]

I had just finished with a test drive of this unit. I was actually on it here with the Android Tablets.net . My Test drive review here. For me it would have been $300 plus the extended protection if it fell out of my hands for 1 year @ $69 bucks. Wow almost $400 with tax. ouch!

 

[ainyul]

^ok, will go over your review, thank u again, any info on 3G HSPA ie at&t compatibility?

what about square trade guarantee, usually cheaper no?

 

[tipstir]

^ok, will go over your review, thank u again, any info on 3G HSPA ie at&t compatibility?

what about square trade guarantee, usually cheaper no?

Not with this model it has no 3G support. There is a SIM card slot though. What's being sold at Best Buy is WiFi model only.

 

[tyy10002]

Guys,

I was so curious and went to best buy and checked it out for 30 mins. My local best buy had galaxy Tab, Archos 7 HT (gen 7) and S7 next to each other. I have tried three. In my option, I would not recommend this one.

here is my brief review
1) the custom UI was very slow.. and the navigation at the bottom was not too intutive.
2) Touch screen was not responsive. I found that Archos 7HT screen was more responsive.
3) Android market worked very well and I was able to download several games.
4) 3D games - the accelerameter didn't work at all in any of the 3D games such as Car Racing, etc
5) Web Browsing is good - loaded several web sites (CNN, yahoo, etc) very quickly.
6) Open Aikib ebook reader - the device didn't rotate correctly..
7) the shape of this device was too long, not sure why did they put buttons on both side..

Overall, I would not buy this one.. the Galaxy tab was very nice.. very responsive and the UI looked much cleaner but 2x the price.. I may just buy the Nook color and hopefully someone will create a custom ROM for it to make it a full android tablet..

 

[tipstir]

Guys,

I was so curious and went to best buy and checked it out for 30 mins. My local best buy had galaxy Tab, Archos 7 HT (gen 7) and S7 next to each other. I have tried three. In my option, I would not recommend this one.

here is my brief review
1) the custom UI was very slow.. and the navigation at the bottom was not too intutive.
2) Touch screen was not responsive. I found that Archos 7HT screen was more responsive.
3) Android market worked very well and I was able to download several games.
4) 3D games - the accelerameter didn't work at all in any of the 3D games such as Car Racing, etc
5) Web Browsing is good - loaded several web sites (CNN, yahoo, etc) very quickly.
6) Open Aikib ebook reader - the device didn't rotate correctly..
7) the shape of this device was too long, not sure why did they put buttons on both side..

Overall, I would not buy this one.. the Galaxy tab was very nice.. very responsive and the UI looked much cleaner but 2x the price.. I may just buy the Nook color and hopefully someone will create a custom ROM for it to make it a full android tablet..

Web browsing to me wasn't that great! I couldn't touch so well on the links on this site or my tablet zone. Still the 3G capacitive touchscreen (bare finger pointer) version of the S7 is a run for the money but that's almost $400 bucks for 7" ouch! Compared with the one being sold at Best Buy is WiFi Resistive touchscreen (stylus pen / bare finger nail pointer) sluggish. I got this to rotate but it wasn't quick or anything. It had taken it's time to rotate and it's not a full 360 degree. Yes I do agree it was long and the two side control soft LED pad looks cheap and doesn't seem it would last long. Galaxy Tab $599/$600 not worth the price either. Even the Best Buy Mobile guy told me they had issues with the Galaxy Tab. S7 hasn't sold one yet. They were asking me if I know anything about the company which they never heard of before. For $300 bucks you don't even get a leather case. He was telling me that he had one that would fit but at the price it was $39.99 for soft pad type.

I still say the Sylvania SYNET7LP is much more quicker and I know the glitches with the unit won't make most happy. Hopefully can be fixed, but the first pallet release have to many issues for now.

 

[ainyul]

Not with this model it has no 3G support. There is a SIM card slot though. What's being sold at Best Buy is WiFi model only.

^i am confused since earlier i read that the tmobile sim worked, does that mean this is AWS capable only or that as u said it is ONLY wifi enabled?

 

[xaueious]

I am not sure which band works. I'm not in the US and cannot test this.

Please confirm so we can figure out which one it uses.