Reliance 3G Tab review and price
Reliance is finally in the tabletscene with a new tablet that comes bundled with its 3G services. Manufacturedby ZTE Corporation, the new Reliance Tab was launched in India just last monthand has managed to grab the attention of several people who wish to buy atablet that is pocket-friendly (literally). The Reliance Tab comes with thelatest Google Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and runs on an 800 MHz processor underthe hood.
The Reliance 3G Tab comes with aReliance GSM SIM card and 3G services activated along with exclusive offers ontariffs and plans. After the launch of the Reliance 3G Tab we got the chance touse the tablet and here is an account of our views:
Design and hardware
Reliance 3G Tab manufactured byZTE Corporation comes neatly packed in white with the tablet's images on thefront of the box. Inside the box rest the tablet, a data cable (microUSB),charging adaptor (also microUSB) and earphones. Thankfully, Reliance alsobundles a 4GB microSD card for free within the box. The tablet has a blackfront and bezel while the back-panel is silver coloured. At the back there isalso a 2 megapixel camera for clicking photos.
On the front, Reliance 3G Tab hasthree capacitive menu buttons at the bottom bezel and at the top right corneris a VGA camera capable of supporting video calls and chat. Along the sides arethe volume rocker buttons with power/sleep keys on the top. With the placementof the speaker grills on the shorter sides, it is pretty clear that the tabletis meant to be used primarily in landscape mode.
The Reliance 3G Tab features a 7inch TFT LCD capacitive display that supports multi-touch gestures.Surprisingly, the Tab's display supports WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixel),which is like a norm among modern day smartphones. There's a 3.5 mm audio portto connect the bundled earphones or any set of earphones with the tablet. Underthe chassis lies an 800 MHz processor that may seem a bit under powered for the7 inch tablet.
In terms of memory, the Reliance3G Tab comes with a 512 MB RAM and 512 MB of ROM, along with a memory card slotthat is capable of holding up to 32 GB. This hardware is pretty much basic butgood enough to run Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.
The hardware can support the 7inch display. However, the 480 x 800 pixel resolution does make the icons looka bit stretched in portrait mode. Reliance 3G Tab does have a Dolby Mobile chipthough it is usually used only for watching videos.What makes the Reliance 3G Tabreally stand out is the Reliance 3G network GSM SIM module that can also handlebasic telephony. You can make voice calls, send SMSes and, of course, use the3G network to browse the web.
Weighing a mere 389 grams, theReliance 3G Tab is quite handy to carry around and can even be slid into atrouser or coat pocket. That's what we mean when we say it's pocket-friendly.Without any sharp edges or rims, the tablet has a smooth finish and does nothave a glossy surface.
The form factor of the tabletmakes it more useful when used in landscape mode rather than in portrait mode.
Software and multimedia
Reliance 3G Tab comes preloadedwith Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, which runs smoothly on the 800 MHz processorthanks to the 512 MB RAM. However, there is no custom user interface onGingerbread besides the Reliance logo and jingle that appear when the phonestarts. However, select pre-loaded applications certainly make the device morerobust.
The tablet comes preloaded withits own File Manager that functions totally like a file explorer to copy andmove around files. Apart from that the Task Manager will help you keep a tab onbackground operations and even kill a few if necessary. The video player comeswith Dolby Mobile software settings that let you watch movies or TV shows withdifferent sound presets. However, changing the presents hardly made adifference to overall audio output.
Imaging can be bit of adisappointment due to the mere 2 megapixel snapper at the back without LEDflash or auto focus. It is possible to record videos though.
Listening to music is a goodexperience because of the Dolby Mobile chip but we've seen louder performancein inexpensive mobile phones. However, this device is not about loudness butabout balanced sound. Apart from the regular MP3 audio file format the tabletsupports AAC, AAC+, and Ogg PCM/WAV file formats as well. You can try playingFLAC files but you'll need to install WinAMP for Android or PowerAMP apps fromAndroid Market.
Even basic voice calls make useof the twin speakers for audio output and you can always use the bundledearphones with the accept/end call key. Also, the device doesn't have abuilt-in mic so you will have to hook your headset to talk and answer the call.The tablet supports a Bluetooth headset as well.
The default gallery view supportsimage files in BMP, PNG and JPEG formats, which are the most popular forimages. Radio buffs will have to plug in the headset with RDS to enjoy the FMRadio service on the tablet. Playing Android games is as fun as browsing theweb on the native web browser or on Opera Mobile.
Though the tablet runs Android2.3.4 Gingerbread update video chats aren't possible over Google Talk. Nor doesthe device support Skype.
Run time
The back panel holds a big 3400mAh battery pack that promises up to 9 hours of talk time. Music listeners canenjoy music endlessly, as long as the power hungry LCD display is turned off.One can watch about 5-7 episodes of TV shows each 45 minutes long on a singlecharge. During multimedia entertainment turning off WiFi and the 3G networkwill certainly give you that extra mile of battery life.The battery is good enough tosupport its 7 inch display. In comparison to smartphones with similarconfiguration the massive battery pack is certainly the icing on this tablet'scake.
Verdict
Reliance 3G Tab is a neataffordable smartphone. Currently Reliance is offering the 3G Tab with differenttariff plans which are heavily discounted packages that include the price ofthe Tab and annual 3G rental.
The price of the Reliance 3G Tabwithout a bundled plan is Rs 12,999. Unfortunately it is locked with Relianceso you won't be able to use any other SIM card with this tablet. To make up forthat Reliance offers three different discounted rental plans — Rs 4,500 for 1GB per month, Rs 5,500 for 2 GB per month and Rs 7,000 for 5 GB per month.
Now depending on your usage, youcan go for either of these plans and can watch movies, mobile TV,download/stream songs and of course browse the web. Reliance 3G services willwork flawlessly in Reliance 3G circles.
Considering the risingcompetition it is quite possible that six months from now the cost of 3Gservices might go down.
In terms of features andperformance there is nothing much to complain about in this device. It would begreat if ZTE and Reliance bring Android 3.2 Honeycomb update, which includessupport for 7 inch displays as well. The Reliance 3G Tab surpasses its closestcompetitor Beetel Magiq because it has a capacitive touchscreen and a largerbattery pack.Reliance 3G Tab could be a goodbuy for those who already own a basic handset and want a small pocket-friendlycompanion to work on, to watch movies, listen to music, browse the web, andsend out emails etc. With Reliance 3G network support one can also make voicecalls and send SMSes using the tablet. This is a decent convergence device andwe anticipate better 3G tariff plans, if not a drop in the price of thehardware itself.
Tablet Review: Reliance 3G TabSpecificationsNetwork Quad-band, 3G
Operating System Android
Dimensions 190mm x 110mm x 13mm and 389 Grams
Display 7-inch (480x800) LCD TFT
Input Method Touch, Digital Pen
Processor 800MHz ARMv6 CPU
Memory 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 32Gb expandable
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 20.1, HSPA (3G) 7.2Mbps
Multimedia H.264, H.263, MP3, MP4, Ogg PCM, WAV
Camera 2MP at back, VGA in frontGPS
Additional features
Battery 3400 mAh
Warranty 1Yr
Price Rs. 12,999
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