Related
Does anyone still use an OQO Model 2? If so, how would you rate the performance in comparison to say, a Galaxy Tab 10.1? By performance, I mean, browser performance, things like netflix, etc. I am very intrigued by the OQO and I am thinking about losing the tablets and going to a Model 02.
I have had an OQO 02 for a few years, and cannot fathom the thought of parting with it. These days I only use it as a "bedside" computer with 15" TV/Monitor, Full sized keyboard and mouse, using the OQO dock w/dvd r/cdr rw. I have in the past used it as my primary computer w/a triple monitor setup and a host of other "proof of concept" projects including using it as a mobile voip platform.
A few things to consider:
It would NOT be a good substitute for a tablet. Screen is too small. But can you put that tablet in your pocket?
The screen is not capacitive ie: "touch". It is proprietary Wacom - needs a Wacom pen to use for screen input.
If you decide to get one, only get the 1.5 ghz model, the 1.6 ghz model has, well, bad motherboards.
It has a noisy fan.
It has an underwhelming VIA CPU with only 1 meg RAM - I call it the "chugger" as in the "The little engine that could".
On the brighter side, Windows 7 works best with it and it should work even better with 8! I have only used Win8 Preview on it and it works fine - but I couldn't do an "upgrade" (loading previous drivers from existing Win7) because it says not enough memory, <1 meg. A full, fresh, install worked fine. I will wait for Win 8 RC0 to arrive before I commit.
The machine is very durable - I am hard on my equipment and the OQO has fared very well through my abuse.
Batteries are hard to find, although available with search - at the moment I am having two batteries recondtioned/fixed locally. They are available on ebay (used), also.
Finally, the OQO is a niche product. You have to want the very small form factor with full Windows OS (or Linux/Mac) to appreciate it.
See OQOTalk and OQOasis for the best information.
Hope this helps!
oqoman
Hi OQOman,
Thanks for replying! You have really given me a lot to think about. Of you wouldn't mind, could you tell me, is $300 a fair price for a model two with the specs you described? I have found several on eBay, but it seems most don't actually have the Wacom digitizer. I really want to try to load an older version of illustrator (maybe CS or cs3). Any thoughts?
Thanks
Kim
$300 seems to be a fair price. Be sure to get the pen. It's a $30 (when new) accessory.
I would look at Oqotalk and Oqoasis forums for the oqo 02 and accessories. Those two forums are the "Bible" for OQO. I wouldn't buy anything until I had read those boards.
Adobe should run on it. Remember it is only 1 meg RAM - but owners have used it.
All OQO 02 have the Wacom (inductive) screens.
OQOman
That Wacom pen, is it special to the oqo or can I buy another one that is Wacom but not specifically labeled for oqo?
All Wacom "penabled" pens work.
I've had both a 02, and 01+, and I have to say, I love them. If you do get one, I'd recommend doing a little modification, and throw an SSD in. The 02 requires a zif ssd, and the 01+ requires a 50pin IDE 5mm ssd, but as oqoman said, oqotalk and oqoasis seem to be the best places online to get infos. Oqoasis moreso, since oqotalk seems to have slowed down a bit.
Where are you having your batteries reconditioned?
oqoman said:
Batteries are hard to find, although available with search - at the moment I am having two batteries recondtioned/fixed locally. They are available on ebay (used), also.
oqoman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi just ran into your post and wondering where you're having your batteries reconditioned or fixed? Will a Batteries+ type of shop work on these? Appreciate any insight you can provide to steer me in the right direction. Thanks!
OQO-2 resurrection
Hi, a few months ago I 'inherited' an OQO-2 along with a CD/DVD 'dock' and power-supply. It came without any manuals. The battery was about to explode, so I removed it and soldered the leads in the empty battery-housing to allow the power-adapter to run the computer. It's been up and running for a few months with an Ubuntu LinUx installed by the previous owner. Unfortunately it seems that I cannot set the screen resolution properly(it only allows for 640x480) and so I am never able to see the lower- and right-third of my screen. This makes it hard to do much of anything!
I've connected an external monitor to the dock, but I cannot get the computer to switch to it. Is there a specific keystroke-sequence required to switch to the external?
I've also attempted to install Windows 7 via CD/DVD. When I power-on the computer it'll access the CD/DVD, but it always returns to loading Ubuntu without allowing me to install Windows. Do I need to set the CD/DVD to 'boot' or to 'first-boot' in BIOS? If so, how do I access BIOS?
Rick Baran
USN, ret.
Hi Surface Owners!
I am still debating which tablet to get and have recently included the Surface in the list. Of the current crop of tablets available, it's between the Nexus 10 and Surface RT. I'm not sure what will be announced at MWC, but i'll keep an eye out obviously.
I wanted to get your advice, as most of the people reading will own a surface. How do you find it now a few months on from release?
I will be selling my Macbook, so my new tablet is going to be my go to for the time being. I will be going travelling for several months, so this will be it's main use. I am wanting something that I can connect either my camera or SD card to so I can download photo's on to the device but also from the device to an external HDD. Obviously using it for entertainment will be a big thing, as well as to plan out parts of our journey and using the internet. I wouldn't mind if I could do some very minor photo editing also. Can anyone let me know what the photo app is like on the device, also if there are any decent photo apps on the marketplace.
So the surface looks like a winner in terms of the USB and SD card slots, making it easier to connect whilst travelling. But the Nexus wins on the screen and probably power. I used Android already on my phone so am used to it, but I quite like the interface on Windows 8 as it's something new. Android and IOS get a bit boring after a long time...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone owns both tablets it would be great to hear your thoughts also.
Cheers,
Mike
Surface RT is my current ultra-portable computer, and it works well for that so long as it's not all that I have for an extended time. I miss the stylus that my old tablet had (an advantage of the Surface Pro) but do not find that, for example, the kickstand of the RT makes it hard to use on my lap (the way some reviewers have claimed). I have the Touch Cover (and am in fact writing this on it); it works great and you can type quite quickly and with perfect touch-typing muscle memory after a short time of using it.
Prior to the Surface RT, my most portable computer was an old Core 2 Duo ULV (1.2GHz) HP tablet, with a stylus but no touchscreen, 12" screen with 1280x800 resolution, 5 hours battery life (when new), 4GB of RAM (came with 1GB, upgraded immediately), an 80gb 4200RPM 1.8" magnetic hard disk, and 3.5lb weight. I loved it. Still use it, actually; it runs Win8 quite well aside from not being able to use Metro snapping. However, in almost every way possible, the Surface Pro blows it away. For less than the cost of old HP tablet (which was about $1500 new), I can upgrade the C2D to a quad-core chip with over twice the speed per core, I can upgrade the digitizer and add multitouch, I can trade in the 12" screen for one with far higher DPI, I can massively improve the storage by going solid-state instead of rotational (and can get 128GB), and I can keep the 5 hour battery life. The things I would lose are the ability to upgrade the RAM (4GB is a bit low, IMO) and storage (not that I ever did upgrade the old 1.8" drive) and the replaceable battery (I'll live). Oh, and swapping full SD for MicroSD and 2 USB 2.0 ports for a single USB 3.0 port, which means I'll probably want to get a hub. Still, it's tempting, and I may well buy myself one even though right now I don't really need it.
I have a Surface RT and use it as my portable device when I don't want to lug around my ultrabook. For some context, I have an iPad and an ASUS Transformer TF-101 as well. Prior to the Surface RT, I used the Transformer for that. But the lack of things that were important to me made the RT the go-to device when it came out.
For me, things like the USB port, MicroSD card, and Microsoft Office were important. Even more important was the built-in support for Bitlocker, so my MicroSD card can be encrypted at all times and easily read by my other Windows 8 machines. And my other external USB hard drives that are also encrypted can be easily opened by the Surface RT. Native VPN client and RDP helps with work as well (I know there are ways to do this with the other tablets).
I have the apps that I need at this point. I'm not a big social media person, so I can't speak to the apps for those things. But there are enough apps of interest to me that keep me satisfied. Can't speak to the photo apps, however. I don't take photos with it, though I have taken video and those were good.
Overall, I'm very happy with the RT. I got it with the Touch Cover and I can actually type fairly well on it. (I've actually had questions from iPad owners asking about the keyboard, if it was available for their devices.)
I had considered waiting for the Surface Pro, but the extra size and weight, plus the shorter battery life (I get great battery life with the RT, BTW), were concerns for me. I could just as well take my ultrabook (had an Asus Zenbook, now a Sony VAIO T13), which is quite a bit faster than the Surface Pro.
For what it's worth.
You can browse the store from any web browser:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store
For your use cases:
> I am wanting something that I can connect either my camera or SD card to so I can download photo's on to the device but also from the device to an external HDD.
You will be able to do that so long as your camera doesn't need extra drivers to show up (as a USB store) or you use a USB reader for the removable media.
> Obviously using it for entertainment will be a big thing, as well as to plan out parts of our journey and using the internet.
Great web browser. Can play most video, Audio...
> I wouldn't mind if I could do some very minor photo editing also.
Check the store...
> Can anyone let me know what the photo app is like on the device, also if there are any decent photo apps on the marketplace.
The built in photo app is pretty basic.
I would expect you could get by with the surface rt - get the 64gb one, and get a 64gb card...
I took one on a week cruise (along with a netbook for backup) and was able to use just the surface for the whole trip, including dumping GoPro video and digital camera shots to the surface and then onto an external USB disk.
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.
Just a quick note, I meant gallery app, to look and browse / organise your photos, not the camera app to take photos. I laugh when I see people taking photos with there tablet ha ha. I like the way the ipad shows your photos by map, gallery and a journal function for example.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Mikeparakh said:
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.
Just a quick note, I meant gallery app, to look and browse / organise your photos, not the camera app to take photos. I laugh when I see people taking photos with there tablet ha ha. I like the way the ipad shows your photos by map, gallery and a journal function for example.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Photo album app that comes with the RT is very basic. You may want to check out apps in the store that have more functionality.
Mikeparakh said:
look and browse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep
/ organise your photos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.
Really basic. Grid of photos, or slideshow/swipe browse full screen. That's what you get.
What you are saying about getting bored with the other operating systems is exactly why I made Surface my choice. I've been playing with android for the last 7 years. And thanks to all the devs here at xda I was able to make all of my devices do exactly what I wanted.. But it was time for something totally different. I made the right decision. To be honest, at the beginning, learning the new ui was frustrating! :crying: Because I was having trouble finding things and when I did it didn't seem be consistent through the ui.... After about 3 days it all started to come together very well... you'll find that the system is actually set up quite well. I found everything I needed in the store. I'm very pleased with the purchase.
So any 2.5" hard drive will work with the Surface RT? Wow, I'm a bit surprised here. I thought there might not be enough power to power up a hard drive. Is the USB port capable of supporting a USB hub? My plan is to connect at least a 2-port USB hub, and transfer photos from my camera to the portable hard drive. If the Surface RT can do that, then I may not need to consider the Surface Pro even though it have USB 3.0.
---------- Post added at 01:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 AM ----------
Mikeparakh said:
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.
Just a quick note, I meant gallery app, to look and browse / organise your photos, not the camera app to take photos. I laugh when I see people taking photos with there tablet ha ha. I like the way the ipad shows your photos by map, gallery and a journal function for example.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you and that's what I love about the iOS photo app. Does anyone here know of a photo app for Windows RT that can show my photos base on its location data?
So, all in all, are people happy with the device? What are the major issues to be concerned with, if any?
No major issues.
For the same price in Canada, the Asus ME400 offers Windows 8 x86 so I went with that due to needing Java/Cisco for remote connectivity to work. I did not regret owning surface. There was nothing majorly wrong with it, I loved the full USB port (which the Asus does not have). Surface RT use s a proprietary charger vs the Asus which uses micro-usb charger. Surface charges faster.
If the app you want is not in the app store, or you need drivers for your devices, that could be a problem. Note that Surface RT does not offer a full size SD card slot, only a micro. You can't put your camera card directly into Surface unless you are using microsd.
Build quality is top notch, the kickstand is great, battery life is very good, and Windows RT is pretty slick.
USB hubs work, but unless you use a powered hub (and power it from the wall or another source), you're still going to be limited by the relatively meager power of the Surface RT's single USB port. It's enough for a 2.5" disk of at least 5400 RPM (haven't tried 7200 RPM yet) but funning (for example) a mouse and a hard drive off of it might be too much.
It's sounding pretty positive so far! I keep reading reviews though and none seem to be great! But I think most of the companies doing the reviews are stuck half way up Apple's ass.
I keeping an eye on a few auctions ending on Ebay tonight, to see if I can pick up a bargain, fingers crossed! If not, I will probably purchase one from John Lewis over the next two weeks.
I've read a few sites that think Microsoft will drop the price on the RT soon, do you think this will happen? All speculation I guess, no one really knows..
The other thing is, they don't seem to hold there value well. Where as the Nexus 10, you could almost make money on if you decided to sell due to it being hard to get.
Mikeparakh said:
It's sounding pretty positive so far! I keep reading reviews though and none seem to be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They expected an iPad with a windows logo. They got a Windows tablet instead. Coupled with the need to dogpile on the new UI, and as you said the large number of Apple Experts With Very Short Memories, and the review effect isn't shocking.
I have a Surface RT and I love it! I use it for nearly everything. I use remote desktop or team viewer for anything that requires x86 apps.
Its brilliant to use around the house! my wife has her Nexus 7 and has to switch between that and her laptop every so often while I just use the Surface.
When my laptop dies which wont be long (though it could be longer as I don't use it now) then I plan on getting a Surface Pro. The build quality of it (Surface RT) is outstanding. I had an issue with the touch cover, contacted Surface support and they were amazing, got a new touch cover no questions asked and in quick time, reported the issue at around 1400 and got the new one at around 1300 the following day! I cant recommend it enough. Everyone I show it is impressed with near enough everything it can do, the only downside is that not all the apps I used to use on Android are available, but Android is coming up to its 5th Birthday in October and that will be 1 year of Win RT.
25'879 are in the Windows Store as of writing and if, this is a big if, Microsoft can some how link the WP store and the WinRT store then it has massive potential.
I only wish that Microsoft really pushed hard on getting these into people hands. In the UK John Lewis is a very repeatable store but that is the only brick and mortar place you can get one. In nearly every store I go these day there is a gadget area selling iPads and Androids, come on Microsoft lets have you back at the top of the tech tree, where you were when you bailed out Apple!
So I've gone ahead an purchased. I managed to get a bargain! £425 for a brand new Surface RT 64GB with black touch cover! Hopefully will arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed. Really want a blue touch cover, so might sell the black and get a blue.
Anything I should know before I first switch on and setup?
After some more usage with the RT, I'm quite liking it. There's definitely lag, especially on games. "Rat On A Snowboard" even lags and there's nothing even going on with that! Something isn't right and a Tegra3 should be able to at least handle ROAS.
Otherwise, "Mobile.HD" works brilliantly so that's a major plus. I've got the UK Netflix showing on my Metro UI, and then I can access the US Netflix using the browser so very pleased with that. "Pow!" seems decent for comics. "Tome" for Goodreads.
But the games really are a letdown. Hardly any decent games and what ones are there run very poorly. I realise it's not an iPad and that'd be more suited for games etc but the Tegra3 works great on the Nexus 7 and it's just not working right in the RT. Whether that's due to the Nexus 7 using all of the Tegra3 cores and the RT not using them all, or whether it's poor coding, or a problem with RT itself, I haven't got a clue. But it's not as fluid as it could/should be.
Surface RT
Again in context I have laptop Dell Duo Flip screen. Nexus 7, Playbook 64gb ( I like gadgets). I was considering a Surface RT or Surface Pro.
But I ended up with a RM Slate 100 (EXOPC) 2gb Memory, 32gb mini pe ssd card (also spare slot for second ssd card or gps unit, 2 usb ports full size, HDMI out, SD Card slot (I added 32gb 45mb sec) 11.6 inch screen I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro. in all it cost me £180 pounds.
it was a gamble but the result is a very capable Surface Pro look alike. Any wireless keyboard will work when needed. Linked to my Nexus with a mouse and keyboard simulator it works great through plasma TV via HDMI. Skydrive adds another 48gb storage, dropbox for moving files around.
Added bonus Android for X86 works as well from SD Card .
Boot time 20 sec with Office 2010 loaded. Program start times ready to go Word 3 sec, Excel 1.8 sec, Outlook 4.5 sec, Paintshop Pro X5 31 sec.
Any one else put together a surface pro look alike.
How does a Surface compare.
I have the Asus VIVO Tab RT which uses same OS. I love it as an ultra portable tablet/laptop but one thing I really hate is the browser. I just hate IE10 on Windows 8/Windows RT and wish Chrome or Firefox would release a browser for RT.
I just received my Surface RT 64GB with a black touch cover. First impressions are fantastic! I love the look and feel of the device. Just from setting it up, i'm amazed at just how responsive the touch cover is! I think I'll get used to it very quickly. Doing the updates now so haven't played much, but very happy thus far! Still would like a blue touch cover though!
My review of the SINA-2
Introduction
About a year ago I became the proud owner of the first LC-Power tablet, the MIRA-1.
For its price it was okay, I was sort of happy but in the end, it was a bit slow for me and I sold it for a faster one the first chance I got.
Which brought me to the LC-Power SINA-1 that I bought in 12/2012 for ~ 200EUR (Germany)
I was happy and kept it, although it was not really perfect. The speed was what I needed, problems were WiFi Range and battery life.
I wrote a review for the tablet and posted it on this site.
Not too long ago I ended up testing another SINA-1 tablet. I came away from it with a distinct feeling that some of my troubles were not existent with the newer tablet.
I started some research and came upon some hints that indeed there are a few issues with the SINA-1 that will be repaired if you sent in your tablet (via. trader/distributer).
I am assuming that newer versions are manufactured or at least sold with the fixes in places and this is why I noticed less trouble with the newer SINA-1
So I contacted LC-Power. Unfortunately, they did not confirm nor deny any problems with the (earlier) SINA-1 tablets. All they said was if a tablet is broken and within its warrenty, it will get repaired or exchanged if your dealer sends it to them.
Long story short I began to think...
Do I really want to send in my almost-good-as-new (no scratches, well handeled, batteries not stressed much) tablet that may (my point of view) or may not (probably their point of view) have a defect which may or may not be fixed or get the whole device swapped out wich a much more used one.
No, and chances are, you wont too... especially when there is the SINA-2 available.
So I did some research and decided to just get a new tablet and then maybe send in the SINA-1.
So I became the proud owner of the new SINA-2
Specs / Comparison
The SINA-2 is the successor of the SINA-1. They are quite similar in hardware:
HARDWARE SINA-1 SINA-2
CPU ARM Cortex A9 DualCore 1,5GHz ARM Cortex A9 DualCore 1,6GHz
GPU Mali 400 QuadCore 250MHz Mali 400 QuadCore 250MHz
Display 10.1" IPS 1280x800 10.1" IPS 1280x800
Touch 5 Point Touchscreen 5 Point Touchscreen
RAM 1GB 1GB
Memory 16GB NAND Flash 16GB NAND Flash
CardReader MicroSD up to 32GB MicroSD up to 32GB
OS Android 4.1 Android 4.1
Networking 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4
Camera Front 0.3MP, Back 2MP Front 0.3MP, Back 2MP
Connectors: USB 2.0, HDMI (micro) USB 2.0 host only, HDMI (micro)
Battery: 5200mAh 6000mAh
Size: 10.8 x 258 x 176 mm 10.5 x 263 x 173 mm
Weight: 0.603kg 0.601kg
I got the SINA-2 for 170EUR (eBay Germany, 15th september 2013)
Please note, the SINA-1 is still being sold and costs about as much as the SINA-2
The product name for both (!) is LC10TAB-A9-DUAL
Packaging, accessoires:
The box is very similar to the SINA-1... White, a picture, some text...
Inside, the tablet is safely lying inside a plastic bag and fit snuggly to the 4 walls with a rubbery foam.
Under the tablet you will find the accessoires:
a small micro-usb host cable, a normal micro-usb cable, the power adapter, and a piece of paper some might dare call a manual
First impression:
Again, the tablet feels solid but is not too heavy. It is lying well in the hand, is not too heavy and not too slippery.
Some other owners have commented on the "huge" gaps between the different materials on the SINA-1
The SINA-2 does not improve in that regard. There are still noticeable gaps between the sides, the front and back.
If this matters or not is I believe a point of personal preference, I feel these little gaps give a certain grip at the edges, others may feel a certain lack of elegance and lacking of strict manufacturing tolerances...
There are however, no hard/sharp edges noticeable.
Compared to the SINA-1 the SINA-2 is a bit longer but not as high. On paper, it is thinner too. The corners are a little bit rounder too.
However, I doubt that the differences will be noticed without direct compairing them.
Display (visual):
The 1280x800 resolution suits the tablet well. Text from websites looks sharp, picures look vivid, videos are great too.
The viewing angle is what you would expect from an IPS panel.
The further you move from the center field of view to the sides and increase the viewing angle, the worse the picture will get.
However, I dont feel tablets are made to watch one small screen with a group of people... Occasional sharing with 2-3 people will work fine if you stick your heads together but this is not.
The brightness (350cd/m²) is good, in fact, in a very dark environment you may want to lower the brightness a bit.
Contrast is ok.
The glossy display, again, could be problematic in very bright environments.
The background lightning is adquate transform. There are again, slight bright spots (especially on the left side) at the edge of the screen.
Display (touch):
5-point-capacative touchscreen.
Reacts well, no extensive lag noticeable.
The display is, just like the SINA-1, not too bad.
Yes, there are many better displays out there...
But are they out there for a similar price or for more than double?
For the below 200EUR price range a 10" tablet with 1280x800 is just fine.
CPU / GPU Performance
I did not run any tablet/mobile/arm benchmarks, all this is based on pure subjective feelings...
The tablet performs well. The SINA-2 is a bit faster then its predecessor, but nothing really noticeable.
For most operations the DualCore 1.6GHz ARM CPU will do just fine (and so did the 1.5GHz).
Browsing the web, running JAVA or FlashPlayer works well. Just like the SINA-1, this tablet can take firefox+addons+hackers keyboard without freezes.
Full HD videos work well, even over HDMI (1920x1080) and jumping around the timeline.
I have not tested the GPU performance extensively. So far, every game/app I tried worked well
(not complete) list:
- Terraria
- Magicka
- Pokerstars
- TempleRun
- Ampelini
- Burger
Obviously, this tablet will not be as fast as your new PC or the QuadCore mobiles and tablets...
Buttons/Connectors:
Like the SINA-1, the SINA-2 has only two buttons, power on/off and volume up/down.
This time the buttons have been put on the top left (I feel the SINA-1 placement top right has been slightly better).
The buttons themselves feel just like they should. They dont wiggle and have a distinct pressure point.
The connectors are placed on the left side.
There is only one microUSB port, working as both, USB host so you can plug in USB devices (sticks, mobile phones, 3G dongles) as well as normal USB
so you can plug the tablet into your pc.
Again, the HDMI out is mini-HDMI. The adapter does not come with the tablet.
The headphone jack is nothing special (3.5mm)
The power-in is the same size as before with the SINA-1.
However, the power adapter (looks the same) is a different kind.
Where the SINA-1 took 5V 2.5A, the SINA-2 now takes 9.5V at 2A !
The change from 5V to 9.5V is a bit surprising and might not have been a smart idea. True enough, even the SINA-1 could not be charged over USB anymore, but many power banks have adapters to supply power to different plugs. However, they all supply 5V.
With the new 9.5V DC in, the tablet may charge its battery more quickly, however, you may have lost the ability to load the tablet up with your power banks...
The jack itself got a much needed improvement. Where the SINA-1 plug fell out with the slightest of pull, the SINA-2 plug fits really well and needs much more force to be pulled out.
The microSD TF card reader is on the left side too. Some attention needs to be payed when ejecting microSD cards, the spring can throw the cards quite a few feet
The speaker on the back is okay. Nothing extra ordinary, just like the SINA-1. Quality is okay and loudness is okay too. It could be better but it works...
Software:
Android 4.1 is preinstalled and works quite well.
No real crapware is preinstalled.
Google Play:
Google Play is installed and working fine. The device gets shown as "Rockchip SINA-2"
I have not run into any problems with the shop and/or apps so far.
Note: if you own both the SINA-1 and SINA-2, the shop may actually get confused and show only one of the devices.
Both will be able to access the play store and download apps but if you log in the shop via your PC, only one of both devices will be visible.
To make the other tablet visible you will have to re-sign up (reenter email/password) to the play store from the device...
Battery:
The rechargeable battery got a bit of a much needed beef up compared to the SINA-1 (5200mAh to 6000mAh)
I have only tested a bit so far.
Playing video from a NAS via WiFi the battery will last 5-6 hrs.
To reacharge the battery from 0 to 100% will take ~3 hrs
The SINA-1 would have run out of juice way before that after 3-4hrs.
Almost doubling the run time with only adding ~20% more capacity to the battery leads me to believe that there is another factor at work.
I suspect the SINA-1 WiFi taking much more power than the SINA-2 ...
Connectivety:
Wireless LAN b/g/n is working well. The range and signal strength has been vastly improved upon the SINA-1 (and is back to the level of the MIRA-1).
Do not expect 300+ MBit with the n
Bluetooth 4.0: what can I say again. Its there, its working...
Ethernet: Support for USB to Ethernet dongles. Untested
Mobile (3G) Internet: Support for USB 3G dongles. A list with working dongles is available from LC-Power support. (might post it later)
Tried with mine, works...
Support:
LC-Power is usually quick in answering normal support emails, but they will not exactly fall over each other trying to resolve any exotic issue that might come up. Maybe if you speak mandarin and mail them directly at tech and dev headquarters in probably china you might have some luck, but I doubt that the LC-Power people in Germany, USA or UK or ... had much to say about developing the device and customizing the android (except of course, maybe some translation)
Also, do not expect regular android updates or any long time support and new android versions.
(this has been copy and pasted from my SINA-1 review)
Modding:
There is no active modding community for the LC-Power devices.
I had hoped this will change over time but apparently, not much happened in the last year.
Maybe it still will happen if enough LC-Power tablets are sold and used...
Of course, you still can do it all yourself. But do not expect a huge community or custom ROMs
Note:
Apparently, there is no good source (download link) for the stock ROM...
So if you are going to start modding, tread lightly. Make a backup and so on...
Rooting:
The SINA-2 does not come pre-rooted.
UNTESTED:
I expect the SINA-2 can be rooted just like the SINA-1
I will test it and post the manual later...
Summary and Conclusion:
When I tested the SINA-1 I wrote that I liked it (a lot). Unfortunately, due to the short run time, bad WiFi range and cardreader trouble (probably my device only) the enthusiasm did not last too long...
However, it was still better than the MIRA-1 and well usable with a competetive price...
Now to the SINA-2
It is just like the SINA-1 only better.
They fixed the run time, the wifi range and my card reader is working...
The dimensions of the tablet got changed but they are almost not noticeable.
The connector and button placement got changed, to the better or worse should/can not be judged objectively...
So all in all, the SINA-2 is what the SINA-1 should and could have been.
Now, should you get it?
This is not as easy as it used to be... When the MIRA-1 and later the SINA-1 were released, the LC-Power devices were "fast" and "cheap"...
However, in the last year or so, many other similar tablets in a similar price range have been released and you have more choices...
Still, I'll attempt to give some hints:
- If you need your tablet to be 3G, you may want to look for something else. Sure, the 3G dongle works, but why not chose one with built in 3G
- If you dont have a tablet and want one for browsing websites, watching videos and playing games at home on your couch as well as occasional taking it with you, you absolutely could get the SINA-2
- If you have the SINA-1 and it works for you, you do not need the SINA-2
- If you have the SINA-1 and it does not work for for the mentioned reasons, you may consider getting the SINA-2 and selling the SINA-1...
- If you need a fast, high quality tablet, and or need it to do work, or if you have more cash than you can spend... you may want to go for the high-quality tablets (nexus 10, samsung, ipad (shudder!), ...)
- If you want, ney, need a big modding community you need to look for something else
I am very happy with it and will sell my SINA-1 ...
How to root the SINA-2
Disclaimer: no guarantee, you break it, not my fault bla bla...
First, it was not difficult. It was done by the "root with restore by bin4ry method"
step 1: enable usb-debugging and allow installing of "foreign apk's" (or whats it called in english)
step 2: get a usb driver for windows (7 x64 in my case)
step 2b: since you probably wont find a driver, modify the google drivers from the android development sdk. add the line to the google.ntx86 and ntamd64 block:
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_2207&PID_0010&MI_01
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
step 3: add the file adb_usb.ini at /users/[username]/.android directory with the following line:
0x2207
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(i had to do this in my user account and in the administrator account*)
step 4: connect the tablet with your pc, make sure all drivers were installed and usb debugging is on
step 5: google, find and download the zip archive with the batch file, scripts and tools needed
(root_with_restore_by_bin4ry_v17.zip did it for me)
step 6: extract the archive, best to some easily found directory like c:\rootit
step 7: start a command line (cmd.exe) (as administrator?)
note: the actual rooting only worked for me when i started the command line as administrator
step 8: start runme.bat from c:\rootit, ch
step 9: choose method 1, wait for it to finish
TESTED, WORKING
This is the document I got from LC-Power when asking for a supported dongles list for the SINA-1 and SINA-2 tablets:
The device(with Boxchips A13/A10) can support below 3G Dongles:
Dongle List:
WCDMA:
HuaWei-MU509,HuaWei-E153,HuaWei-E156G,HuaWei-E160E,HuaWei-K3520,HuaWei-
E170,HuaWei-E172
HuaWei-E173,HuaWei-E176G,HuaWei-E1782,HuaWei-E180,HuaWei-E220,HuaWei-E22
6,HuaWei-E261
HuaWei-E270,HuaWei-E353,HuaWei-E1552,HuaWei-E1786,ZTE-MF110,,ZTE-MF633,Z
TE-MF637u,
ZTE-MF170,ZTE-MF633BP+,ZTE-MF190,SRT-H800,WU-830,WU930
HuaWei-E1550，AL720(Australia 3G dongle),huawei E303,LW272,LW273
CDMA2000/EVDO:
HuaWei-EM660,HuaWei-MC509,HuaWei-EC122,HuaWei-EC150,HuaWei-EC156,HuaW
ei-EC1270,HuaWei-EC167
HuaWei-EC189,ZTE-MC2716,ZTE-AC2736,,ZTE-AC2746,ZTE-AC2766,ZTE-AC2766,ZT
E-AC560,ZTE-AC580
ZTE-AC581,,ZTE-AC590,ST804,ST809,E1916,WU830,SRT-E800,C820 ZTE-AC2726,
Huawei-EC169C,huawei EC179
TD-SCDMA:
HuaWei-ET127,HuaWei-ET128-2,ASB T920
Usage :
Just insert the available 3G Dongle,and it will automatically dial-up.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I'm thinking about buying a windows 8 tablet, but I'm having trouble deciding which one to get. There are a couple of options that I'm considering:
The Asus T100- The main reason I am considering this tablet is the included dock+keyboard and the fact that it has a full site USB port, which I would like for my FreedomPop USB dongle and my xbox controller wireless receiver. The screen is mediocre and the build quality is shoddy by several accounts. The processor is not the top of the line 3770, but the lower specced 3740.
The HP Omni 10: This is what I wish the Asus tablet was. This has a full HD 1920x1200 screen, compared to the t100s 1378x700 screen resolution. It also includes the best bay trail processor available, which is considerably faster than the t100. It also has a micro-hdmi port, which I would like for displaying movies in my college dorm tv. The only thing missing is that full size USB port. It has a micro USB port, but I don't know if a micro-USB to USB converter would be able to support things like the FreedomPop dongle, the xbox wireless adapter, and maybe an external hard drive. If it does support it, my problems are solved. If not, what are your suggestions? Do you know if those accessories can run under a micro-USB to USB adapter?
FroZebra said:
I'm thinking about buying a windows 8 tablet, but I'm having trouble deciding which one to get. There are a couple of options that I'm considering:
The Asus T100- The main reason I am considering this tablet is the included dock+keyboard and the fact that it has a full site USB port, which I would like for my FreedomPop USB dongle and my xbox controller wireless receiver. The screen is mediocre and the build quality is shoddy by several accounts. The processor is not the top of the line 3770, but the lower specced 3740.
The HP Omni 10: This is what I wish the Asus tablet was. This has a full HD 1920x1200 screen, compared to the t100s 1378x700 screen resolution. It also includes the best bay trail processor available, which is considerably faster than the t100. It also has a micro-hdmi port, which I would like for displaying movies in my college dorm tv. The only thing missing is that full size USB port. It has a micro USB port, but I don't know if a micro-USB to USB converter would be able to support things like the FreedomPop dongle, the xbox wireless adapter, and maybe an external hard drive. If it does support it, my problems are solved. If not, what are your suggestions? Do you know if those accessories can run under a micro-USB to USB adapter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you plan on using this tablet for?
Well, I have the Dell Lat10 with win8 pro. I got it back in the spring. It works fairly well, but I don't really use it often. I would suggest you make sure that no matter which you get, you might want to spring the extra for the full Windows 8, not RT. I know a bunch of people who got the RT and realized they couldn't do anything they wanted to do and were limited to the Windows Store for options.
GipsyDanger said:
What do you plan on using this tablet for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, I want to lug it around in my backpack around college for taking notes, recreational purposes in the dorm, like watching movies, plugging it into the big screen, some light gaming with the xbox controller. I would also appreciate the better screen and more powerful processor. And I figured out the USB otg cable does work on the omni, so the obvious choice is the omni. Now I just need a good tablet holder so I can type using an external keyboard.
And by the way, to that other dude, don't answer just to answer haha. None of these tablets have windows RT; they both have full windows 8, the omni is $50 more expensive than the t100 at $400., they both sport a micro SD card reader and a micro USB, the omni has a micro hdmi port, the t100 has a full size USB port. The t100 has a keyboard dock included in the cost, while the omni has a full HD 1920x1200 screen compared to the 1378x780 screen. The omni also has a decently faster processor than the t100. So the omni for me is the clear choice.
Anyway, about that tablet holder: I just need something that will be able to stand on a lecture hall flimsy desk. Any suggestions?
I would look into the Dell venue pro 11.
Replaceable battery
Stylus with ntrig
Accessories available
Matches hp omni specs closely
Taking class notes on a tablet is rough without a stylus and palm rejection. You might want an ultrabook or hp split. Anytime you want to draw, write a formula, or place a device on uneven or small area input gets hairy.
FroZebra said:
Basically, I want to lug it around in
my backpack around college for taking notes, recreational purposes in the dorm, like watching movies, plugging it into the big screen, some light gaming with the xbox controller. I would also appreciate the better screen and more powerful processor. And I figured out the USB otg cable does work on the omni, so the obvious choice is the omni. Now I just need a good tablet holder so I can type using an external keyboard.
And by the way, to that other dude, don't answer just to answer haha. None of these tablets have windows RT; they both have full windows 8, the omni is $50 more expensive than the t100 at $400., they both sport a micro SD card reader and a micro USB, the omni has a micro hdmi port, the t100 has a full size USB port. The t100 has a keyboard dock included in the cost, while the omni has a full HD 1920x1200 screen compared to the 1378x780 screen. The omni also has a decently faster processor than the t100. So the omni for me is the clear choice.
Anyway, about that tablet holder: I just need something that will be able to stand on a lecture hall flimsy desk. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FroZebra said:
Basically, I want to lug it around in my backpack around college for taking notes, recreational purposes in the dorm, like watching movies, plugging it into the big screen, some light gaming with the xbox controller. I would also appreciate the better screen and more powerful processor. And I figured out the USB otg cable does work on the omni, so the obvious choice is the omni. Now I just need a good tablet holder so I can type using an external keyboard.
And by the way, to that other dude, don't answer just to answer haha. None of these tablets have windows RT; they both have full windows 8, the omni is $50 more expensive than the t100 at $400., they both sport a micro SD card reader and a micro USB, the omni has a micro hdmi port, the t100 has a full size USB port. The t100 has a keyboard dock included in the cost, while the omni has a full HD 1920x1200 screen compared to the 1378x780 screen. The omni also has a decently faster processor than the t100. So the omni for me is the clear choice.
Anyway, about that tablet holder: I just need something that will be able to stand on a lecture hall flimsy desk. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The omni seems like a pretty good tablet. I'd say wait until Black Friday and Cyber Monday to see if there are any good deals on more high end tablets, maybe you can find a deal on a Surface Pro.
HP Omni 10 otg?
I would also like to know if the HP Omni 10 has OTG-usb support and 3G dongle support, via an otg cable.
I found in internet the specifications and says: MicroUSB2.0 typeAB connector (Support Host Mode Only)
Does anybody knows if this means it may supports OTG via otg cable?
The Omni 10 has much better screen because is Gorilla 3, anti-glare and anti-smudge. I would like it had a keyboard included, but I hope a usb-keyboard can be connected.
Another interesting win 8.1 tablet is the Lenovo miix 2: 8''. According to internet comments it seems it supports otg.
Can anyone confirm the hp omni 10 has microusb that support otg?
anddroidz said:
Can anyone confirm the hp omni 10 has microusb that support otg?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really late, but I can confirm It supports OTG
Hello, I've been on the market for something to replace my Nexus 4, which I use much like an Ipod touch, in the respect that I only use it on wifi and wont attach it to a cell service provider. I'd appreciate your input on what phone to get.
I'd like as many hardware features as possible, for a price range of 400 bucks maximum. The Essential phone, and Motorola Z2 play and Force are a few I had in mind. The Essential phone is missing a good camera, and I'm skeptical about Motorola after watching my dad try to navigate their horrible customer service. They killed his phone with an update and sold him a dud as a replacement, although some of the mods add functionality Id be interested in if you guys can recommend one they won't patch-kill.
I tend to use my device for a number of things, but virtually never as a phone. It just happens that nowadays most android devices that are small enough to carry in my pocket are garbage if they weren't designed with the functionality of a phone in mind. Past devices I've bought and liked are the Toshiba Thrive 10.1 and Nvidia shield portable, offering on board ports for HDMI and etc without adapters. I can live with using Type C adapters for a more pocketable device however. I like compatibility with other devices for data transfer or flying a drone, controlling LEGO Mindstorms, etc. I have not rooted devices for fear of ruining them, but if there is such a thing as "as close to being rooted without being rooted", I'd be interested.
Please note that I need these features:
*Android OS, preferably Oreo and better, pure android or better preferred
*USB OTG, type C plug, 3.1 for using an adapter to turn it into a workstation via HDMI, USB and ethernet ports added on.
*NFC for editing nfc tags
*Good camera for everyday pictures but also close up pictures of LEGO models in particular
*64 GB storage minimum, 128 and/or expansion preferred.
*1080P screen or better. I can live with or without whatever weird notch or bezel thing.
I can live without these but if they happen to be there then all the better:
*Headphone jack
*Fingerprint reader
*Water resistant/nanocoating
*Wireless charging
I've checked out XDA's recommended phones, but it seems their recommended phones cap off at the 250 dollar price range and without my preferred 128 on board storage or are missing NFC or something, unless I'm missing a separate "up to 400 bucks" article. They are all surely a vast improvement to my Nexus 4, but significantly under my budget while missing some things I'd prefer. I'm hoping I can just spend a bit more to hit more of my marks.
Thank you for your time and input!
Update/Bumping
Added more info on my preferences to original topic, I found out USB Type C 3.1 is what I need if I want to use an adapter to use a dock to give it Ethernet, HDMI out, keyboard and mouse support, etc.
Someone suggested the Nokia 7 Plus, a very good candidate though it has USB Type C 2.0, which supports data transfer OTG but not a work station dock. Still have to keep the 7+ in mind, has some good features despite this.