Like most people, whenever the big “A” came out with the iPad, I really started looking at tablet computers. But, I just couldn’t justify the price of the iPad, or of many of the other tablets on the market, especially with the relative newness of the technology, and the explosive growth. As it is, you no sooner get a tablet than another comes out and your “new” tablet it yesterday’s technology. So, I decided to look for an inexpensive alternative to use for a few years…thereby giving the market time to mature.
Obviously, there are dozens of tablets on the market, so it was not an easy task to find one that I felt might work. That is, until I saw the advertisement for the Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet. It really caught my eye! And, more importantly, after I got past the flashy ad, and started doing the research, it KEPT my attention.
First and foremost, it was the design that grabbed me…the sleek black case surrounding the crystal clear touch screen…I could even see myself holding it! Then, I actually started looking at the details:
- Crystal clear 4:3, 800×600 capacitive color touch screen display – it’s ultra responsive and great for video!
- The overall dimensions of 7.5″ long by 5.6″ wide fit comfortably into your hands, weighing about a pound, and with a thickness of just a little over 1/2 an inch, it doesn’t feel like you’re holding a brick.
- It even comes with it’s own little carrying pouch and stand, so I didn’t have to buy accessories right off the bat.
- Ok, so it sounded pretty good at this point in my research… it had the look and feel that I wanted, but did it have the features that I felt like I needed?
- 802.11n Wifi and full browser support – since I was going to use this for surfing the internet, this was probably one of the most important features to me. And, it works exactly as it should.
- Access to the official Android App store – so I could download apps easily. Some people had reported having trouble downloading, but mine worked right out of the box.
- The Kindle app is already loaded…as a Kindle owner, I liked that it was already there for me. Unlike a lot of people, I still use my Kindle to read more than I do my tablet. While the display is great for the apps, if I want to read outside, or in bright lights, I still prefer my Amazon Kindle. (Personally, I am absolutely certain that there is a necessity for both of these devices in my life, and if you have had the benefit of using both, I’m sure that you understand that, too!)
- Built-in Dictionary, Astro, OfficeSuite, Notepad, Calendar, Alarm Clock, and other useful apps – since I use mine for reading, checking email, and a certain amount of business, I actually found that I used a few of these features.
- The notepad, especially, is excellent for keeping track of things that I need to get done, things that I have done and need not to forget, etc.
- The calendar actually works better for me than using my Outlook calendar because this one is with me most of the time, and the screen is much bigger than the calendar screen on my smart phone
- Plays music and movies – while this wasn’t really all that important to me, it’s nice that it does it, and it does it well. And, it supports these formats:
- Video: MPEG-4 and H.264 formats
- Music: MP3, WMA, AAC, or WAV formats
- Pictures: JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP support
- It comes with 4GB internal storage, expandable via both USB and SD card slots. A 4 GB SD card is included with the device.
The only real “negatives” that I could find (and these don’t bother me in the least) were the lack of YouTube access, and the lack of flash capability. Other owners have successfully installed a third party browser called “Skyfire” and I understand that it does work around this, but I haven’t actually needed to do this yet, so I can’t say for sure that it works.
Now, in closing, let me make one thing perfectly clear, if you’re looking for an iPad clone…forget it. Go ahead an buy the iPad. But, if you’re looking for a dependable, functional, easy-to-use tablet computer, then the Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet is a great choice, and I would not hesitate to buy the Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet a second or even a third time.
As of this writing, the price on the Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet has dropped considerably at Amazon.com, so I would strongly recommend purchasing it there. You can get it shipped free, and if for some reason, you’re unhappy with your purchase, the no hassle return policy is the best in the business.
Check the current price on the Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet now!
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