Augen 7" Android Tablet, $149 at K-Mart: iPad killer?

[Bremen]

K-mart, where I go for all my technology needs........

 

[col.bris]

Lol Bremen , that's the best we buy cheap clothing in k-mark in Australia And Xmas toys

 

[mossman]

This is certainly an interesting development, but it screams being an inferior product. The price point is too dramatically low and there's no other information available on the internet about this device. And then there's the K-mart thing. I can see 2.5-3 stars in the future of this device.

Having said that, I'm rooting for this thing. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad and I want the iPad to dominate. But a little market pressure over pricing is a good thing for everyone.

 

[pallentx]

An iPad killer would have to be able to get content, more content than Apple can give us. How could this be possible? Is it possible?

The whole notion of an iPad "killer", or an iPhone "killer" is nebulous. Does it just have to sell more? Does it have to actually take away sales from the iPad? Who cares about the sales of any device?

Like I've said many times, in the next few years we will be seeing many, many slate tablets, tablets with keyboards, android tablets, windows tablets, apple tablets, linux tablets, and who knows what else. Why does every similarly shaped device get judged by it being an "iPad killer" or not. The iPad may continue to have mass appeal, but many of these devices will be targeted at areas the iPad does not have appeal. Budget tablets like this are certainly not expecting to replace the iPad as the most popular tablet for sale. They are making something that people who would never buy an iPad would want. Good for them, I hope its a great success. There's lots of room for all kinds of products out there.

 

[IPad-Fan-64]

I much prefer the iPad I don't like the android at all, to me it looks cheap.

 

[vy68749p]

Got it, Tried it, Hated it

I was able to get the last one of these at a local K-mart today and I will be returning it tomorrow...

First off, it's a great sized device and I found it pretty easy to hold and to browse the web with. Other than that, I don't have much nice to say...

- The screen is resistive (obviously with this price point) but lagged a lot and was just pretty unresponsive. Calibrating it may have helped if it had the option...book said it was in the settings but it wasn't there.

- Half of the apps that came pre-installed didn't work correctly for one reason or another.

- The factory reset doesn't work (at least not on mine) so I'll be returning it with personal data still left on it. I tried removing the google accounts its syncing with and it won't delete it. It says I have to do the factory reset to remove them...good stuff...

- The U-Drive feature seems pretty cool if it worked. Its supposed to let you attach up to a 32GB usb drive/flash drive but I could never figure out how to access it. I may have given up early but 15 minutes was enough on that one feature.

- It says Android 2.1 but it looked just like the 1.6 interface that my previous Archos 5 Internet Tablet had. I don't know a ton about the Android OS but if it's not supposed to look the same, then there's something up with that.

- The Android Market Place did seem to work and I installed a couple of apps from there. Unfortunately, they didn't work either for whatever reason.


Long story short, if all you want to do is browse the web and maybe play a music file or video occassionally, it's great. If you want to use the other apps and have the benefits of the Android OS, this thing needs a lot of work...

Hope this info helps someone steer clear of this thing.

 

[iVan]

An iPad killer would have to be able to get content, more content than Apple can give us. How could this be possible? Is it possible?

No, an iPad killer would simply have to do what the iPad cannot. Simple printing, customizable home screens, network streaming of video and audio, wireless syncing, etc, etc, etc. This is not an iPad killer, its not trying to be. This will be popular though unless it sucks completely out of the gate, because it will be easily overclocked and hacked into something awesome.

You're close, but that's not my point. What made me buy the iPad IS WHAT IT DOES NOW. I'm not a gadgeteer or in love with what my computer does. I wanted magazines and books and Internet on the same pad and I wanted to purchase them from the same device.

This..Augen doesn't do more than the iPad other than piffle. Look at it the other way, what does the iPad do more than that gadget: it has access to content and it does it better than anything so far. THAT is what I wanted and I'm not alone. Sure the iPad is a nice device but the amplitude of what it does is mind boggling. I could spend all my waking hours using it. Why? Because of content...Fascinating content... Can the Augen get that much?

 

[iVan]

I'm starting to think that most people are more in love with the gadget and it's capacities than what it really does. Somewhat like a toy. The iPad is a culture distributor, that's where it's power lies.

 

[wuyanks]

OP Updated with user-created video review:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfha5r6law0&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - augen android 2.1 tablet[/ame]

thoughts?

 

[iVan]

A stylus?
That thing is dead for me...

 

[wuyanks]

really looks like Android 1.6. totally lame, it seems they just spoofed the build.prop. someone prove me wrong please

 

[Ripplinghurst]

I like it a lot. I can see this in my headrest for the passengers to enjoy. Better than those Coby DVD players with 8 bit games? Cheaper for sure.

 

[gentlefury]

Next time you think of posting an iPad killer, please don't.

 

[gentlefury]

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When you thought "inexpensive" and "tablet" don't belong in the same sentence, K-Mart is about to prove you wrong. The Augen GenTouch Android tablet is hitting K-Mart shelves this weekend, according to its latest circular, for the low price of $149. You will be getting a 7" 800x480 TFT LCD screen, 800Mhz CPU, 256MB RAM, 2GB storage, WiFi connectivity, SD/MMC slot (up to 16GB) and Android 2.1 with Market capability. The rest of the specs are unknown at this time, but for $149 I would expect the CPU to be an older ARM6 or ARM11. And if that wasn't enough, the Augen GenTouch comes with a leather carrying case and AC Adapter. The GenTouch may not be as spiffy as the German WeTab or the Dell Streak, but for the price, you certainly can't go wrong! We believe this to be the first readily-available-in-the-US Android 2.1 tablet, and are extremely excited to get our paws on one soon.

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Check out a video user review of the Auger GenTouch Tablet (cheers MrJn7)

YouTube - augen android 2.1 tablet
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Anyone planning on snagging a GenTouch this weekend? Let us know. Also head on over to our dedicated Augen GenTouch Forum

via Engadget
Source: AugenUS, K-Mart
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Ironically, inexpensive, and cheap crap do belong in the same sentence.

 

[Ripplinghurst]

Next time you think of posting an iPad killer, please don't.

Ironically, inexpensive, and cheap crap do belong in the same sentence.

I think you're both way way wrong (or are just terribly thin skinned), ignore them safely OP.