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Reliance 3G Tab: The tablet for masses [Gadgets Special] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEW DELHI: Whether it lasts or not, tablet craze is real. To realize it, you just need to see the number of tablets - especially those costing less than Rs 15,000 - that have been launched in India in the last few weeks. One of these - Reliance's Tab 3G - seems most versatile. It ticks almost all the right boxes as far as specifications go. But can it offer a compelling tablet experience on the budget? Let's find out. Light, feather light As it has been the norm with these budget tablets from Indian companies, Tab 3G too is a rebranded tablet manufactured by a Chinese vendor. To be specific, the world knows Tab 3G as ZTE V9C. Not that it is of any significance or makes any difference to the user experience. But we thought that you will like know it. Tab 3G has the classic 7-inch tablet design. It's a minimalist, gets-the-job-done shape and size. The back cover is all plastic with a faux aluminum look. The front is all capacitive screen with black bezel and three - Home, Options, and Back - touch-sensitive buttons. The tablet looks neat and even though a slightly sturdier build would have been better, the quality of construction is good for its price. Tab 3G is powered by a 800Mhz processor. There is 512 MB RAM and a 4GB SD card has been bundled with it. One thing that surprises us about Tablet 3G is its weight. It's very light, which is good. A simple design and 389 grams weight makes the tablet quite comfortable to use on the move. Better than the average Tab 3G ships with the latest version of Android, which is Gingerbread (2.3.4). This means it comes with all Android goodies like tethering, a huge number of apps and a user interface that has made Google's operating software such a big craze. We can't stress enough how important is a touchscreen in the tablet experience. On Tab 3G, fortunately, Reliance has got it almost right. The resolution of 480x800 is a tad low but otherwise the screen is good for its price. More importantly, it's a capacitive screen with decent touch response. It's not as buttery smooth as what is found on expensive tablets but works without much fuss. Somewhat better viewing angles - the colours look faded if screen not held at the right angle - would have made the touch screen on Tab 3G truly exceptional for it price. Despite 800Mhz processor, the performance doesn't suffer much. There is hint of lag in animations when you open apps or scroll through gallery, but it's not a deal breaker. Tab 3G can be used to make calls as well send messages. Though we don't see many people using this feature, the option is always there to pair a Bluetooth headset with the tablet and use it for calls. Performance of cameras is disappointing but then this is how it is with every other tablet currently. Tab 3G comes with a 3400 mAh battery. In real life, this translates to all-day computing when the used for accessing mails and Twitter feed etc, occasional web browsing and little bit of gaming. Worth the money Reliance Tab is not perfect. But then no tablet - not even iPad - is. What matters is how much it offers for its price. And Tab 3G offers a lot. Despite a modest price of Rs 12,999 Tab 3G manages to give users a compelling tablet experience. Yes, we would have liked to get a screen with better resolution (like 1024x600) and slightly better viewing angles. But what Tab 3G offers at its price is a pretty compelling deal for anyone looking to buy a tablet on the cheap. Pros: Low price, latest version of Android, light & portable Cons: Viewing angles on screen (c) 2011 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |