TabReview: Beetel Magiq and price
Beetel,the handset arm of Bharti group, launched their first tablet in the Indianmarket some time ago. The tablet has a 7 inch screen, boasts 1 GHz Qualcommprocessor and Android 2.2 operating system. With all that and a price of justRs 9,000, it has the potential of a blockbuster.
Thistablet is a 7 inch Android but it gives a feel of a larger tablet than other 7inchers - this is a good thing as it aids in holding the tablet. There is adocking port and a microSD slot at the bottom of the device. The volume rockeris on the left while on the right side lies the 3.5 mm audio jack, USB port anda proprietary charging port (a la old Nokia port).
Ithas two cameras of 2 MP both at the front and backside. There is a call pick upbutton and call cancel button with the track pad in between the two on theright side of the screen. On the left, there are four touch sensitive Androidkeys.
Theform factor is perfect and nothing much to complain, in fact it is only tabletwith a stand and that's a good thing given the fact that people watch a lot ofvideos on tablets.
Performanceand specification
Thedisplay of the tablet is a 7 inch WVGA (800x480) unit, which is not really topnotch but is good for this price range, and it produces appreciable colour andbrightness as well.
Whatis not so good is the touch part of the display. It uses a resistive touchpanel and is not the most responsive of touch screen technology. At times thescreen does not respond to commands with urgency and that takes away a lot offun from operating this tablet. There are cheaper capacitive displaytechnologies available which would have done wonders to the touch response ofthe tablet had that been included, for which people would not even mind to paya few more bucks.
Theprocessor of the tablet is a Qualcomm 1 GHz unit with 512 MB RAM, and thislends the tablet with fast response - the applications open without much delay,and games are fun to play. However, the resistive display plays the spoil sportbut once you get habitual your fingers will learn to press it just right to getthe desired response. So for the first time users of touch display, they willprobably not realise what they are missing, but for someone who has alreadyused a capacitive touch display, it will certainly be the biggest negativeaspect of the tablet.
Thetablet comes with 8 GB inbuilt memory, which will take care of requirements ofmost users. For those who want more, the capacity can be increased by 16 GBthrough a Micro SD card.
Thetablet comes with a single SIM slot and offers 3G connectivity as well as voicecalling facility, this lends the tablet true smartphone feature. However, thevoice calling can be used by using handsfree kit or putting the tablet on loudspeaker only as it is too big to be put to ears.
Apartfrom the resistive touchscreen, the next big drawback is the inclusion ofAndroid 2.2. Though, Android 2.3 version is available, there is no clearupgrade path mentioned to be sure of the next update. However, this issomething that most users can live with. Users, especially those who are moreproficient in Indian languages and no so much in English, will miss is the lackof Indian language support that 2.3 version brings to the tablet.Thereare two cameras of two megapixel units each - one at the back and one in thefront. They do a very ordinary job of clicking images, with acceptable imagesin well lit conditions, but fails when the lighting is slightly low.
Thefront facing camera can be used for video calling and for capturing stillimages in basic VGA resolution, but it can capture 2 megapixel images as wellwith change in settings. There are in-built speakers which do an average job ofplaying music and a mic for calls.
Thetablet includes A-GPS for navigations and location based services. WiFi andBluetooth are there for connectivity apart from 3G and USB cable.
Accessories
Inthe box, you will get a travel charger (which is the only way to charge thistablet), a USB cable, and an earphone. The earphone is of very average quality,but the 3.5 mm jack means that you can use your own ear phones in case youwant.
Verdict
Thetablet is the only one in the price range (at least from a known brand). Beingmade by Huawei (one of the largest Chinese equipment vendor), the quality isalso decent. Though Android 2.2 and resistive screen are compromises that havebeen made to keep the cost low, these are not big enough to reject this tablet.As anentry level tablet, it does its job well and with added benefit of being ableto make voice (mobile) calls, it definitely is worth recommending but with acaution. The 2200 mAH battery is also not sufficient considering it is atablet.
Ifyou have got Rs 4,000 more to spend, Reliance has a tablet which address thesetwo short comings (screen and Android version), but it is a SIM locked deviceand the processor is of lower strength.
Inthis price range (Rs 12,000), you also get MSI Enjoy 7, which has much betterspecifications (capacitive screen, 1.2 GHz processor, and latest Android 2.3.3version). The only thing lacking is 3G support but it does support 3G dongle(which is now available for just Rs 999).
So ifyou have got money, MSI is worth spending, or if you don't mind a SIM lockeddevice, Reliance 3G tab is worth considering. But if you are looking to buyyour first Android tablet and are not really a gamer, Beetel Magiq is justright for you.
TabReview: Beetel Magiq SpecificationsNetwork 3.5G Gsm
OperatingSystem Android
Dimensions
Display 7.0 Inch
InputMethod Resistive Touchscreen
Processor 1 Ghz
Memory 8 MB + 16GB expandable
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Multimedia Multi format audio video player
Camera 2+2 megapixel front andback
GPS Yes
Additionalfeatures
Battery 2200Mah
Warranty 1 Yr
Price Rs 9,000
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