tkin
Back to school!!
Hi guys, so I had finally joined the funbook bandwagon. So here are my impressions after a week of usage:
1. Build quality: Contrary to popular beliefs the funbook has pretty good build quality, the tablet comes with a scratchguard that's pretty good, and its applied properly, no air pockets or misaligned edges. The plastic back has a matte finish and looks and feels like metal, and doesn't get scratched easily. Hard buttons are placed firmly, not loose and has a solid click, same with the side buttons.
2. Touchscreen: The screen comes with 800x480 resolution and is pretty responsive. It supports upto 5 touchpoints and has good color output. The horizontal viewing angle is not bad, vertical sucks though, the colors fade out at extreme angles but this is not amoled. The screen is glossy, the blacks are a bit faded, but again this is a normal lcd.
3. Features: The tab comes with and without some essential features, first the absentees, no bluetooth, which plainly sucks, i'd have gladly paid 500/- extra for that. Next is no support for 2g/3g sim, so cannot access network, it supports 3g modems, but locked to tata photon+ only, which everyone will agree is the worst connection ever. Next is no gps support, neither is there any digital compass, but can't complain at this range, also this cannot make phone calls.
Next we take a look at the features that are present, we have standard support for msd card upto 32GB, it also supports pen drives upto any size they come in, and I believe it supports external hdd which draws power from wall. The device can be charged via usb and via an external pin, some people are claiming that the charger is overrated @ 1.5A, and causes issues with the tab, however I had faced no such issues, so this could mean that micromax had finally fixed the issue with their latest skus, mine is made in may 2012, or there was a manufacturing defect with some models, but again my friend who bought the tab yesterday is facing issues with the charger, so I'd suggest to steer clear of the charger and use usb charging only, which is slower than my grandma who is going 85 this year, and blocks the usb port as well. The charger is not standard and it might be hard to find a replacement. The tab also has mini hdmi, and also has a feature called 3dvision, which apparently gives you anaglyph 3d, nice gimmick. Also no fm radio, "Micromax, I am disappoint."
4. Hardware: The tab comes with 1.2 ghz cortex A8 which is pretty damn fast, single core, but fast enough to drive 800x480, the gpu is a monstrous Mali 400 MP(dual core) which is the same as in samsung galaxy s2, and is among the fastest of the lot, the tab comes with 512MB ram which is not enough for ics, you have to keep an eye on apps running in background, ics supports apps running services in background, a lot of ram goes to that, the free ram on startup is around 150 MB, enough to run any game or apps. But when using multiple apps it may go down to 50MB or less. The front cam is 300kpx but quality is surprisingly good.
5. OS and Default apps: The tab comes loaded with Android v4, aka Ice Cream Sandwich. Praise to mmx for not customizing it too much, it comes with some very good default apps, like the aldiko ebook reader which has everything a person could want, adobe reader which is made redundant by aldiko, then theres documents to go office app, which is useless, can't be updated due to some package error, can't be uninstalled either, when working with doc files, the app lags like hell and becomes unusable, then I downloaded kingsoft office, it also lagged with doc files but worked with text files, but laggy, atm I could only edit and write txt files using ES explorers note editor, if I try using doc files with any app then there's lagfest, so if working with office docs are your thing, then stay the hell away from funbook, now I don't know if the issue is with a software bug, a hardware limitation or bug is with ics as whole, I need the input from other funbook or veedee or samsung tab users. The other default ics apps are there, like maps, file manager etc. The file manager sucks, I tried deleting a large no. of folders, the app hanged everytime, then I downloaded ES file manager from google play store and it did the job perfectly. The apps provided by mmx(not installed) are crap so don't bother. The media player provided is called 2160 player, not bad, but can't play all files, like flv, please download mx player which works with all files and its sleek as oil on banana skin. The task manager that comes with ics is worthless, download and use advanced task killer and gain full control of your device. The default browser is not bad but i'd suggest you go for opera, dolphin browser is good but opera is faster, more use friendly, and uses an efficient server compression. The default music player works well, with support for extended id3 tags, runs in background, does not consume much cpu/ram, so you should stick to it for music. All games run flawlessly, free games, haven't tried paid games yet.
6. Performance: With the cortex a8, mali 400 mp this tab is a beast, games run like there is no tomorrow, no lag, the ui is smooth, there are some guys claiming the ui lags, but I haven't faced any, the ui does not lag in anyway at all, unless you load a buttload of useless apps, maybe an antivirus and run all of them in background at once. However the keyboard lags a bit, when you type a letter it takes a fraction of a sec to put the character down, this however feels like ics issue, maybe an ics phone owner could verify, I'm used to fast responses on a pc keyboard, but once you get used to it the lag no longer bothers you. The tab lags a bit when changing orientation, upto two secs max but the transition is smooth none the less. Now coming to battery life, I have not done extended tests but in ebook reader mode wifi on I could pull upto 4/4.5 hours, when using wifi upto 3/3.5hours, when browsing, downloading and listening to music, i.e multitasking upto 2.5/3 hours, so a power source and charger must be carried when going for a long ride, but now a days even trains have power outlets, but you miss out when going on a bus ride etc, a car charger can be bought from flipkart for maximum flexibility, the tab has good backup time, in backup mode the tab draws very little power, I set it in backup for 5 hours and only 2% power was lost. The sound output is awesome, I used my portapro and was really surprised by the sound.
Now there are some small bugs, the tab restarted once when I turned off the pc with the tablet connected to it, don't know why it happened, a few times some apps crashed, and some hung up, but nothing I haven't seen on high end devices as well like SGSII. The tab takes 50 secs to turn on and 10 secs to shut down.
Final impressions: Whether you are a gamer, an ebook reader, a multimedia buff, this is the tablet for you, for office use look elsewhere. Under 15k, no tab even come close to this, except chinese tabs with non existent support and dodgy quality control, the tab does not have call facility, no radio, no gps but getting all that will cost you a flat 20k, for Samsung galaxy tab 2, the ics interface is smooth, apps run fast, google play store is full of free and useful apps and finally this tab is made by an indian company(simtronics) and marketed by an Indian company as we'll, so support india, buy this tab and rock on, and samsung/apple, eat your heart out.
*imgur.com/7csfJ.png
My rating:
Build quality: 8/10
Features: 7/10
Hardware: 8/10
Final: 7.5/10
The entire review was written, edited and reviewed on a funbook under 1 hour with just 30% battery usage.
1. Build quality: Contrary to popular beliefs the funbook has pretty good build quality, the tablet comes with a scratchguard that's pretty good, and its applied properly, no air pockets or misaligned edges. The plastic back has a matte finish and looks and feels like metal, and doesn't get scratched easily. Hard buttons are placed firmly, not loose and has a solid click, same with the side buttons.
2. Touchscreen: The screen comes with 800x480 resolution and is pretty responsive. It supports upto 5 touchpoints and has good color output. The horizontal viewing angle is not bad, vertical sucks though, the colors fade out at extreme angles but this is not amoled. The screen is glossy, the blacks are a bit faded, but again this is a normal lcd.
3. Features: The tab comes with and without some essential features, first the absentees, no bluetooth, which plainly sucks, i'd have gladly paid 500/- extra for that. Next is no support for 2g/3g sim, so cannot access network, it supports 3g modems, but locked to tata photon+ only, which everyone will agree is the worst connection ever. Next is no gps support, neither is there any digital compass, but can't complain at this range, also this cannot make phone calls.
Next we take a look at the features that are present, we have standard support for msd card upto 32GB, it also supports pen drives upto any size they come in, and I believe it supports external hdd which draws power from wall. The device can be charged via usb and via an external pin, some people are claiming that the charger is overrated @ 1.5A, and causes issues with the tab, however I had faced no such issues, so this could mean that micromax had finally fixed the issue with their latest skus, mine is made in may 2012, or there was a manufacturing defect with some models, but again my friend who bought the tab yesterday is facing issues with the charger, so I'd suggest to steer clear of the charger and use usb charging only, which is slower than my grandma who is going 85 this year, and blocks the usb port as well. The charger is not standard and it might be hard to find a replacement. The tab also has mini hdmi, and also has a feature called 3dvision, which apparently gives you anaglyph 3d, nice gimmick. Also no fm radio, "Micromax, I am disappoint."
4. Hardware: The tab comes with 1.2 ghz cortex A8 which is pretty damn fast, single core, but fast enough to drive 800x480, the gpu is a monstrous Mali 400 MP(dual core) which is the same as in samsung galaxy s2, and is among the fastest of the lot, the tab comes with 512MB ram which is not enough for ics, you have to keep an eye on apps running in background, ics supports apps running services in background, a lot of ram goes to that, the free ram on startup is around 150 MB, enough to run any game or apps. But when using multiple apps it may go down to 50MB or less. The front cam is 300kpx but quality is surprisingly good.
5. OS and Default apps: The tab comes loaded with Android v4, aka Ice Cream Sandwich. Praise to mmx for not customizing it too much, it comes with some very good default apps, like the aldiko ebook reader which has everything a person could want, adobe reader which is made redundant by aldiko, then theres documents to go office app, which is useless, can't be updated due to some package error, can't be uninstalled either, when working with doc files, the app lags like hell and becomes unusable, then I downloaded kingsoft office, it also lagged with doc files but worked with text files, but laggy, atm I could only edit and write txt files using ES explorers note editor, if I try using doc files with any app then there's lagfest, so if working with office docs are your thing, then stay the hell away from funbook, now I don't know if the issue is with a software bug, a hardware limitation or bug is with ics as whole, I need the input from other funbook or veedee or samsung tab users. The other default ics apps are there, like maps, file manager etc. The file manager sucks, I tried deleting a large no. of folders, the app hanged everytime, then I downloaded ES file manager from google play store and it did the job perfectly. The apps provided by mmx(not installed) are crap so don't bother. The media player provided is called 2160 player, not bad, but can't play all files, like flv, please download mx player which works with all files and its sleek as oil on banana skin. The task manager that comes with ics is worthless, download and use advanced task killer and gain full control of your device. The default browser is not bad but i'd suggest you go for opera, dolphin browser is good but opera is faster, more use friendly, and uses an efficient server compression. The default music player works well, with support for extended id3 tags, runs in background, does not consume much cpu/ram, so you should stick to it for music. All games run flawlessly, free games, haven't tried paid games yet.
6. Performance: With the cortex a8, mali 400 mp this tab is a beast, games run like there is no tomorrow, no lag, the ui is smooth, there are some guys claiming the ui lags, but I haven't faced any, the ui does not lag in anyway at all, unless you load a buttload of useless apps, maybe an antivirus and run all of them in background at once. However the keyboard lags a bit, when you type a letter it takes a fraction of a sec to put the character down, this however feels like ics issue, maybe an ics phone owner could verify, I'm used to fast responses on a pc keyboard, but once you get used to it the lag no longer bothers you. The tab lags a bit when changing orientation, upto two secs max but the transition is smooth none the less. Now coming to battery life, I have not done extended tests but in ebook reader mode wifi on I could pull upto 4/4.5 hours, when using wifi upto 3/3.5hours, when browsing, downloading and listening to music, i.e multitasking upto 2.5/3 hours, so a power source and charger must be carried when going for a long ride, but now a days even trains have power outlets, but you miss out when going on a bus ride etc, a car charger can be bought from flipkart for maximum flexibility, the tab has good backup time, in backup mode the tab draws very little power, I set it in backup for 5 hours and only 2% power was lost. The sound output is awesome, I used my portapro and was really surprised by the sound.
Now there are some small bugs, the tab restarted once when I turned off the pc with the tablet connected to it, don't know why it happened, a few times some apps crashed, and some hung up, but nothing I haven't seen on high end devices as well like SGSII. The tab takes 50 secs to turn on and 10 secs to shut down.
Final impressions: Whether you are a gamer, an ebook reader, a multimedia buff, this is the tablet for you, for office use look elsewhere. Under 15k, no tab even come close to this, except chinese tabs with non existent support and dodgy quality control, the tab does not have call facility, no radio, no gps but getting all that will cost you a flat 20k, for Samsung galaxy tab 2, the ics interface is smooth, apps run fast, google play store is full of free and useful apps and finally this tab is made by an indian company(simtronics) and marketed by an Indian company as we'll, so support india, buy this tab and rock on, and samsung/apple, eat your heart out.
*imgur.com/7csfJ.png
My rating:
Build quality: 8/10
Features: 7/10
Hardware: 8/10
Final: 7.5/10
The entire review was written, edited and reviewed on a funbook under 1 hour with just 30% battery usage.
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