After my previous experience with a sub-$200, sub-10? Android tablet, I was almost ready to give up on the idea of an inexpensive and usable mobile browser and ebook reader. My brief encounter with Velocity Micro’s Cruz Reader was marked by a grueling gesturing ordeal in which I was forced to embed my fingers into its 7? screen to get the very resistive interface to respond. It was truly a “digital” device.
Yixin’s Rockchip-powered line of Android gadget is not game changing technology, but it does fit my modest bill of requirements: robust WiFi, usable keyboard, reasonable browser performance, and access to a few essential apps, primarily email, document reader and Twitter, as well the rest of the Android Market.
The Yixin 7200’s multi-touch screen proved a far less strenuous and more rewarding experience than my former nemesis, the Cruz Reader. That alone was enough for me to take this MID (mobile internet device) seriously. Obviously, this is a not a Samsung Tab or one of the other pricier Android tablets on the market, but Yixin’s 7200 MID may be just enough Android for me and many others as well.
As lots of gadget pundits have commented on, Android 2.1 is not tablet ready. I concur. I’m having trouble getting Google Voice to install. And Google Documents, my main outlet for text entry and document management, is not supported in 4.1
No doubt I’ll find more glitches with Android as I begin to make fuller use of the 7200. On the plus side of the ledger, the WiFi receiver works. It’s been battle tested in a few Starbucks and my local library. No annoying dropouts or other hiccups. I am very thankful for this miracle.
And the app that I am most dependent on, email, was straightforward to configure, and I felt pretty much at home viewing and responding to messages. I also downloaded and installed a mobile version of TweetDeck. No issues to report—comfortable, like an old pair of jeans.
To get around my Google Document deficiency, I started to use the pre-loaded OfficeSuite Professional, MobiSystems’ universal document app (DOC, DOCX, PPT…). So far so good.
I suspect the Chinese ARM processor, Rockchip 2808, deserves credit for smooth scrolling and overall responsiveness of this Android MID.
I’ll be posting more on the Yixin in the coming days. Below a few pics of the 7200.
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Related articles
- Android Christmas Shopping Season Starts Now (technoverseblog.com)
- Yixin
- MobiSystems’ OfficeSuite Professional (mobisystems.com)
Great! Where can I found the manufacter page and some specs?
There’s more info on both the 7100 and 7200 on the Yixin website: http://www.szyiking.com/EnProductshow-266.html
By the way, the Technoverse Blog may be able to get a special discount for its readers. I’ll be posting about a special Yixin offer in the coming weeks.
–Editor