China Android Invasion
China, despite its reputation for products that wear out so easily, was among the first to use Linux as a platform for its mobile phones. While the major brands had their own proprietary OS for their phones, Chinaphones were copying the interface off of the phones they manufacture for their clients. Most likely, the WiFi-enabled Chinaphones which looked like knockoffs of Nokia phones, Blackberry phones, even iPhones, were running customized Linux platforms. Thanks to that, budget-conscious consumers can buy phones that look almost like the original high-end brands, but would have paid for only a fraction of the price.
Today, Chinaphones, or, rather, Chinagadgets, have taken things one step further: They have actually copied the iPad, stuck the Android OS into these, and sold them to the market as APads, DPads, MID tablets, iRobots among other names. A great way to spread the Android love?
What is remarkable about these gadgets is that they are half the price of branded Android tablets, and a quarter the price of iPads. For those who only need a gadget to surf and read with, this isn't such a bad deal.
However, there are performance issues with every APad or DPad you buy. Remember that these are budget gadgets, and you can't expect them to be as snappy as an iPad or even a branded Android tablet. Also, the material they've been made with is usually substandard. And since these are China-branded and not made for US client companies, expect that they'll barely care to put these machines through Quality Control. In short, when you buy one of these at prices that range from Php 3,400 to Php 6,000, expect to get what you've paid for.
A better alternative would be the Cherry Mobile Superion tablet, the price of which has now been lowered to Php 13,999 from Php 19,990. And still a better option would be the iPad itself, since the iPad 1 has been selling for Php 19,000+ since the iPad 2 came out.
Though the Samsung Galaxy tab tried to pose a threat to the iPad, though some Galaxy Tab users have complained that they didn't like the gadget.
In the US, the Motorola Xoom was a crowd favorite. LG has also released a tablet of its own, and so had HTC. Acer also released its Iconia line, but was met with yawns, especially thanks to one of their gadgets, a dual-screen machine.
So far, if there's one Android tablet that we're looking forward to, it would be the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It's the Taiwanese giant's latest offering, and it's already making waves in the tech niche. If you recall, Asus was the first to break the ultraportable's prohibitive price by creating the eeePC, the granddaddy of all netbooks. Today, they add excitement to the Android field with this latest offering.
So would you, in the interest of cutting corners, go for a China Android Tablet? Or would you rather pay a premium for an Android Tablet from a trusted brand?
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