Samsung i5500 Corby Galaxy 5 Android Smartphone with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Touch Screen - No Warranty - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)Long time Linux user, first time Android user's perspective: I picked up one of these and bought my wife a Google Nexus S in January of 2011. The screen is roughly half the size on this one & there is a very noticeable difference while trying to run games or failing to run 480p+ video content, but it works just fine for me. Bought it as a Sansa Clip+ replacement, and I'm extremely happy with it. No comments on voice quality, 3G/EDGE or GSM connection quality - I have yet to test the device with a SIM card, and am using it solely as a personal media player. (I.e. I got tired of waiting for a market enabled iPod Touch competitor)
What it can do:
* Angry Birds - Some lagginess when a media player is cranking MP3s out in the background, but no major issues. Occasionally hangs up & has to be killed in lengthy sessions.
* Voice search - Requires installing the speech-to-text synthesizer, but impressive accuracy & works fine on this limited hardware.
* Froyo - The Latin America firmware seems to work. Not accessible through Samsung's provided Keis software, but available from third parties.
* Speaker - Respectable music playback & spoken word playback for its price range
* Camera - Take decent stills for its price range.
* Unplug/Plug-in pause/resume - Addictive feature, but likely common to many Android devices.
* Decent battery life - I've been charging it every two days or so, with regular use of the Wi-Fi in the evening and 3-4 hours of daily use as a media player with the screen turned off. Otherwise always kept in standby. (Again, this is SIM-free, no GSM radio usage.)
* Wi-Fi - WPA2 Wi-Fi support. Tethering seems to be an option in the Froyo firmware. Didn't check the stock.
* MicroSDHC - No issues & good solid seating for my 16gb MicroSDHC card. Located behind the snap-on/snap-off battery cover, but the battery does not have to be removed to get to it. A 1 or 2GB card was included with the phone.
* Video - Converting to a lower bitrate seems to be necessary for most of my videos, but no complaints. Small enough screen that there's nothing to be gained from sticking with higher resolutions.
What it does poorly:
* Wi-Fi disconnections - With both with stock firmware and the official Froyo build, my experience has shown the device to be prone to dropping the Wi-Fi connection when in use by certain apps, or more commonly when leaving.
* Volume levels - I frequently find myself wishing there was some sort of equalizer or system-level volume boosting functions I could use to compensate for low volume levels in certain audio tracks. Fine for normal music, but often inadequate with soft-spoken announcers in audio books and podcasts with heavy traffic noise. I will definitely have to buy amplified headphones prior to taking flying with this device.
* VPN connections - The Froyo VPN tool looks nice enough, but is extremely finnicky.
* FM Radio - Depends on a wired set of headphones for the FM antenna. A common problem, but slightly annoying.
* Apps-to-SD - This Froyo feature seems to be somewhat overrated. Frequent problems with apps that say they support the move, but then disappear from the application menu afterwards. Still, even after giving up, with some 30 apps installed, I have 30.8Mb of the 170Mb of internal flash available. Apparently this just isn't that big a deal.
What it won't do:
* Multitouch - Unfortunate, but made up for in large part by the numerous buttons & the D-pad.
* Flash (bulb) - It doesn't have one, not that many do in this price range.
* Flash (Adobe) - The processor seems to be incompatible with the current builds of Adobe Flash. Haven't personally tested it, but it's not all that likely to work. There may be other workarounds.
Notes for battery hoardin' folks:
* Uses MicroUSB chargers - Tested with BlackBerry charger & a solar charger without problems.
* 3.7v, 4.44wh, 1200mAh li-ion battery. M/N: AB474350BU
A few quick 5500-tested App recommendations: MortPlayer Audiobooks/Music, BeyondPod, Pulse, Aldiko, Comixology, Droid Comic Viewer, Angry Birds, and File Expert (That last gives integrated FTP & HTTP file management - I basically never use a USB connection for data transfers.)
Market glitches from use overseas, in Chile (not yet in the paid-app country white-list):
* I don't know whether this is because of the firmware or my physical location, but it was impossible to obtain numerous free apps and ANY paid apps out of the box or after updating to Froyo. Using the new web-based app market, I can see paid apps, but none will allow me to install and many apps that ARE available through the normal market refuse to install due to "carrier restrictions" on this unlocked, SIM-free phone.
* Free apps I was unable to install included: Amazon's Kindle & MP3 stores, Google Books, the voice-to-text synthesizer, and Google Listen. Free apps loaded on the phone that I was unable to update included Gmail, YouTube, and Google Search.
* The issues above can be wholly resolved using Market Enabler, but that requires rooting the phone. I would be very interested to hear if a VPN to the US or simply being present in the US or another country with paid-app access has these same issues.
[Aug 2011] A couple quick updates, six months in:
* Wifi disconnections - This proved to be largely an issue of signal strength. This device has a perfectly usable wireless range, but it's still not quite as good as some other devices in my appartment. A second router and setting the wifi sleep mode to "never" or "never when plugged in" was enough to resolve this issue.
[...]
* GSM use - Took the device home to the US on vacation and picked up a prepaid TMo SIM. Worked just fine, but only EDGE (at least using the i5500L Froyo ROM). That was enough to eliminate the need for the Market Enabler. Allows purchase of paid apps even after my return to Chile.
* Battery life update - Massive change in battery life when I was stateside. With heavy use of the browser & Google Maps and occasional use as a phone, I found myself needing to change batteries at mid day every day while on vacation. Fine for tooling about town, although it still drained much quicker than w/o a SIM, but constant Maps use while playing the tourist in NYC absolutely killed the battery life.

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Ematic eGlide 7-Inch Touch Screen Tablet with Android 2.1 - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)Added in edit, 4/11/'11: I stand by my original review. However, time marches on, along with operating systems.
** As of today, I would strongly recommend against ANY Android 2.1 product. **
I DO stand by original review, so if one is hell-bent and determined to get an Android 2.1 tablet, this is still a good one.
Added in edit, 3/23/'11: Please read the comments that follow this review. They add to the discussion. If you're sure a tablet with Android 2.1 will meet your needs, go for it. If you need something right away, consider it. However, spring is here. Summer is fast approaching. We have been promised a flood of tablets from many makers. One wonders what that will do to prices, especially for a unit that comes with Android 2.2 or later. That said, I've no regrets of getting this tablet considering when I got it. I couldn't wait for the deluge.
Added in edit, 2/15/'11: Definitely keeping it. It does just what I wanted of it--storage and retrieval of 800+ one page PDF documents in a directory structure of my choosing.
What works: Swype
What doesn't: Skype, Flash
-------------------------------------------
Original review:
For over three years, I've been on a quest. ([...]) I have 800+ 1 page PDF files that I've been looking for an easy way to access on something like an eBook reader, No eBook reader has come close. The primary reason is that none allow a reader to create a personalized directory structure, so everything gets effectively thrown into a single folder--not to mention that the earliest models were slow as molasses and buffered button pushes so that pushes made in frustration often carried you past your hoped for destination.
However, hope springs eternal and my spirits were/are buoyed by the flood of tablet computers entering the market. I thought about a netvertible because a tablet PC would let me read my PDFs on a flat screen and I could combine my PDF reader with my netbook. I even ordered a ASUS Eee PC T101MT-BU27-BK 10.1-Inch Convertible Tablet (Black) only to return it, unopened, when I realized that things were getting out of hand because I really didn't want to spend that much money, because of the weight, and because I'm still quite happy with my current netbook ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell 10.1-Inch Pearl Black Netbook - 6 Hour Battery Life.
Here's the deal with Android tablets: Your life will be much simpler if you get one with Android Market installed, like this one. Android Market is what gives you access to the reputed 100,000 apps available for smartphones. However, Google does not currently license Android Market to devices without some form of cell phone capability. (This unit satisfies the demand by providing for owners to purchase a dongle from their cell providers.) Go into Google or go on YouTube and you'll find work arounds that will allow you to install Android Market on many devices. I'm capable, but you know what? I buy technology so that *it* can support *me*, not so that *I* can support *it*. Without access to Android Market, you are either surfing the web on your own looking for "APK files" or using a corner-deli type of app store set up by the device manufacturer. This may change with future releases of Android, but it's not certain when this will happen, if indeed it does.
Thanks to the Android operating system, this device comes close to satisfying my needs. When I plug it into my PC, it appears as a USB drive, so I can create directory structures and transfer files (PDFs and mp3s in my case) to my heart's content. I'll often use it in dim lighting conditions, so the approx 10 hour battery life in exchange for a lit screen is a welcomed trade-off for me.
The only question was whether to get a 10" tablet or a 7" unit like this. 10" tablets with Android Market typically sell at twice the price of this unit and it's clear that prices will be plummeting as the year progresses and more units flood the marketplace. (You can even buy them in drug stores!)
Since this was an experiment of sorts (although, I knew it would work having experimented with putting the PSFs on my Smartphone!), I figured I'd be cheap an order a 7" unit from a seller who's good about returns and wouldn't be too upset if I did return the unit since I spend lots of money with them.
I thought the chances were great that I'd be returning the unit, but lo and behold, I'm kind of fond of it. Whatever else it is, it's a wireless computer--just the sort of thing to play with while watching tv or stuck waiting with WiFi available. I probably will get a 10" unit after the prices fall, but I figure I'll then have both a 7" and 10" unit for what a 10" unit would cost now.
Why 4 stars rather than 5? I'm not particularly fond of the responsiveness of the screen. I'll often go to swipe/scroll through a list of PDFs only to have pressed on something and have to cancel opening it and slog on. BUT...there is a work around! The device as a built-in mini trackball and there are no inadvertent presses as I scroll that way. It is a bit more inconvenient, but it's sure. It may be that my problem is simply one of calibrating the screen properly. We shall see.
In the meantime, it's a cute little machine!

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The Ematic eGlide MID is a product, specifically designed to revolutionize the digital lifestyle and bridges the gap between the Smartphone and the Desktop PC to provide always-on access to the web, customization through Android Apps, and multi-media content, all in a large-screen format. 1GHz Dual Core CPU (600MHz + 550MHz), Android 2.1 Operating System, Convenient Trackball, 7" TFT Touchscreen (800x480), Built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 4GB Flash Memory, DSP Graphics Accelerator with 3G Sensor, 256MB DDR2 RAM, SD/MMC Card Slot accepts up to 16GB, Supports TXT & PDF eBook formats, Supports MP3/WMA/FLAC/ AAC/WAV/MP4/AVI/FLV Media formats, Picture Viewer in JPG & BMP formats, HD Video Player supports up to 720p HD Video, HDMI Output, Built-in USB dongle input (supports 3G Dongle, sold seperately), Built-in rechargeable Lithium 3800mAh battery.

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eLocity A7 Touchscreen 7-Inch Android 2.2 Tablet (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, I'll apologize for writing a review after owning this tablet for only one night. I hate these kinds of reviews but I felt this needed at least one review from a real customer.
In my few hours with it last night, I downloaded and installed several apps on it from GetJar, including Facebook and Kindle. I also downloaded several apps from my PC onto a thumb drive and installed them onto the tablet from that, which was very cool. I visited several websites that had flash banners and they worked flawlessly. I was also able to play embedded videos on sites including youtube.com and my facebook news stream.
Pros:
- USB port - I plugged an 8GB flash drive in and installed apps from it.
- Micro SD slot - Haven't used it yet but plan to soon
- HDMI port - Haven't used this yet either but it's a great option
- Video looks great
- Very responsive when touching links or rotating display
- Browser is quick and displays flash
- Great price for the specs
Cons:
- Lack of good, working apps. For the A7, you get your apps from GetJar, instead of the Android marketplace. Some apps refused to install for me, like Angry Birds. Others installed but clearly weren't made to work on this size tablet. There isn't a netflix or skype app available (I was hoping to use the webcam with skype).
- Pinch-to-zoom doesn't work particularly well. Seemed to always go way too far in or out. You're better off just double-tapping.
- Scrolling - scrolling by sliding my finger seems to cause a lot of unintended clicks along the way. I think there's just a bit of a learning curve, being used to my ipod touch. It seemed to happen less as the night went on.
- The fixed buttons aren't backlit so at first it's difficult to use in the dark. You quickly figure out where they are and it's not that big a deal
- So far it's been hard to find any cases or accessories built for the A7
- I wasn't able to set up my yahoo mail in the default mail client. Instead, I installed the yahoo mail app, which is basically a shortcut to the mobile yahoo mail site, which works fine.
This purchase was for my wife, who wanted something like an iPad but at a size that fit in her purse. This is almost the exact same size as my 2nd generation Kindle (a little thicker). So far she's used it to quickly check and respond to things on Facebook, check emails and surf the web. Because of the speed and ease of use, it should supplant most of her laptop use, with the exception of sending long emails and working on speadsheets.
I trust there will be more and better apps for android tablets in the near future. It looks like there are A LOT of similar tablets hitting the market now. For me, this tablet looked like the best specs for the best price right now and I imagine it will be even more fun to use as new apps are made for it.

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eLocity 7-Inch Internet Tablet for Android 2.2, powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 with Capacitive Touch Screen, 1080p Viewing and 3-Axis Accelerometer for 3D Gaming
This revolutionary new Internet Tablet from eLocity combines the power of a lightning-quick PC with the functionality and mobility of a smartphone to create the ultimate technology companion. More powerful than any smartphone and faster than the iPad, this sleek unit is has the fastest mobile CPU available today – NVIDIA's Tegra 2, Dual ARM 9 CPU (1GHz clock speed) with 8 separate processors that can run independently or together for maximum performance. Built for the Android 2.2 operating system, this versatile device allows constant access to the web with built-in Wi-Fi and can be customized in virtually unlimited ways through thousands of Android apps available online. Power and speed are key features, but equally impressive are the bright, crisp 7-inch screen and the HDMI output that allows you to send HD media to a big screen TV in true 1080p high definition. And the 3-axis accelerometer will bring your games to life… arcade style. Enjoy your favorite movies, music, or 3D games on the go and never worry about power – with up to 5 hours of video or a hundred hours of music on a single charge of the 2-cell Lithium Polymer battery, this affordable tablet will probably outlast you!




The Freedom of Android
Although the eLocity A7 Internet Tablet comes ready for use with a selection of pre-installed applications for Android 2.2, it can be customized with third-party apps available online. Because it is an Open-Source platform, the number of applications designed for Android has skyrocketed. Almost 75,000 apps are currently available, ranging from Sip Phone to map and email utilities to apps that allow you to work with Microsoft Office files. Most of the apps are free to download and can be modified relatively easily. With Open-Source flexibility, you have the power to create your own applications or tailor existing apps to suit your own personal tastes. Now that's freedom!

High Resolution and 1080p Viewing With a high-resolution 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen and the fastest mobile processor ever – NVIDIA's Tegra 2, Dual Core 1Ghz CPU – eLocity's A7 Internet Tablet was made for multimedia. Watch HD films in the palm of your hand or output them in 1080p for a big screen experience with a quick and easy HDMI connection. The 4GB internal high speed flash memory can store up to 4 feature films, 40,000 photos, or 2,000 songs for countless hours of entertainment. For accessing unlimited media, the unit offers 2 different options for expanded memory. A micro SDHC slot supports memory cards up to 32GB and a USB 2.0 port supports flash memory devices up to 64GB, increasing your media storage to nearly a million photos, 48,000 songs or up to 96 movies at any given moment. Watch videos in the most popular formats, even in 1080p. Supported codecs include H.264, MPEG-4, DivX and Real Video with MOV, FLV, MP4, AVI, and MKV file formats. With such versatility, you may wonder if this is a media player or a computer server… with the HDMI output for true 1080p viewing, the eLocity A7 Internet Tablet is both.
For accessing unlimited media, the unit offers 2 different options for expanded memory. A micro SDHC slot supports memory cards up to 32GB and a USB 2.0 port supports flash memory devices up to 64GB. Watch videos in the most popular formats, even in 1080p. Supported codecs include H.264, MPEG-4 and Real Video with MOV, FLV, MP4, AVI, and MKV file formats. With such versatility, you may wonder if this is a media player or a computer server… with the HDMI output for true 1080p viewing, the eLocity A7 Internet Tablet is both.

3D Gameplay at Your Fingertips NVIDIA sets the gold standard for gaming, and that's what you get in this powerful package. The eLocity A7 Internet Tablet is a gamer's delight, packing processing speed that can easily power the most demanding 3D games available for the Android platform. Enhancing your experience is a 3-axis accelerometer that puts you so close to the action you feel it. And now there's no need to strain your eyes on tiny smartphone screens. For the first time, game play in 1080p true HD is possible with the HDMI output. Quick and easy access to the Amazon gamestore offers endless choices – you might never want to put the tablet down, and with a feather weight of only a single pound, you won't have to.

Apps Galore Whether you're a social networker or an on-the-go office worker, there's an Android app for you. The eLocity A7 Internet Tablet lets you stay connected and productive in the ways that matter most. For social networking, popular sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are as easy to reach on the Tablet as they are with a conventional computer. If productivity is the key factor for you, you'll like the Adobe PDF Reader app and the Documents To Go app that allows you to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. And let's not forget shopping… Android applications are available to take you almost any place you want to go, including apps for the Amazon store and a special app for buying Amazon MP3 downloads.

Surfing the Web All roads might lead to Rome, but how do you find the World Wide Web with a computer tablet? With eLocity's A7 unit, browsing is both easy and beautiful. The unit supports Flash, so you'll be able to view web content the way it's meant to be seen! Several browsers are available to send you on your way, and the high-resolution touch screen displays websites in crisp and vivid detail. The Android default browser is a powerful utility that loads pages faster than Safari, supports Flash unlike Safari, and does everything you need a browser to do. Excellent third party apps like Dolphin and Opera Mini offer alternative browsing options. If you're tired of scrolling and zooming on your mobile phone, it's time to see what this powerful 7-inch tablet can do!

An Endless Jukebox Storing thousands of songs is a great start, but we know that accessing what you want when you want it is important. That's why the eLocity A7 Internet Tablet allows you to create playlists for all occasions as desired. Want to mix and match formats in a single playlist? You can! A wide range of audio formats are supported, including MP3, WAV, APE, OGG, FLAC, AAC and non-protected WMA files. The unit comes with earbuds so you can enjoy your tunes in solo mode, but it also has built-in stereo speakers that allow you to share your music wherever and whenever you like.

A Wireless Wonder Constant connectivity with 802.11b/g wireless and Bluetooth offer maximum performance, and with the wireless status screen giving you information at a glance, it's easy to monitor and manage connection settings for VPN, Bluetooth and Mobile Networks. There's even an Airplane Mode that allows you to disable all wireless connections in a single place! The eLocity A7 Internet Tablet's unlocked card slot provides a breath of fresh air to most users who have been tied to specific networks with long contracts and expensive termination fees. Now you can flip from network to network, depending on which one suits your convenience. Download and upload speeds are dependent upon the network, location and traffic.

Touch Screen and Keyboard Control Capacitive touch responds to your slightest command. No need for a stylus here, just take advantage of a screen that actually responds like it's supposed to! Experience the next generation convergence of desktop efficiency, communications and multimedia entertainment. Designed for maximum performance and ergonomic effect, the Internet Tablet has a virtual keyboard that makes it easy to send email, surf the web and perform countless other everyday activities.

Full PC Functionality
Ever experienced the fact that size does matter? Compromising on performance and speed when going for small? Welcome to the new world of ANDROID – where small is beautiful and POWERFUL too! Hundreds of apps are available to meet your needs. Documents To Go allows you to view and edit Microsoft files. Productivity continues with Adobe Reader for PDF files. For social networking, MySpace Mobile and Facebook are just two of the apps available. How about shopping? It's easy with the Amazon.com app, and there's even an app for downloading music from Amazon.com. If you're a reader, you're in luck. eBooks are easy to read in a vertical format with the A7's high contrast display.

Photo Mania
Upload, organize and view hundreds or even thousands of your photos on the bright, crisp 7-inch screen. Create a slide show with photos and music and use the tablet as a digital photo frame or send high-resolution images to your big screen TV with the HDMI output. With an archive in hand, you'll never leave home without photos of your loved ones ever again. Pictures can be uploaded directly through the USB port, the micro SDHC slot or through the Wi-Fi internet connection via any file transfer utility. JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG image file formats are supported.


1.3 MP built in webcam

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