SUPERPAD

For those on a budget, the SuperPad tablet PC would seem to make for a decent choice among Android 2.1-powered devices. With WiFi connectivity and a quick 1 GHz microprocessor, the SuperPad might be listed among the tops overall, except for the couple of serious detriments holding back its overall performance and usability.

The SuperPad boasts a decent-quality camera for this price. The heavy 1.6-pound weight is a definite minus for those users often carrying a tablet. While this high weight necessarily means the SuperPad is constructed of something robust, the SuperPad feels a lot more solid and durable than nearly any other tablet in the $200 range. Two micro SD ports can add up to 32 GB of memory space, though no Bluetooth functionality is included in the SuperPad.

The drawbacks to the SuperPad are unfortunately very troublesome and will certainly steer many users away. Firstly, the all-important screen is resistive and has 1024 x 600 resolution, making video viewing a real loss on this device despite the good speed at which video is delivered.

And the real sticking point is in the battery life - running video material will kill the charge in about three hours, leading one to ask “Why the huge microprocessor then?” and really working against the high portability of the SuperPad. In short, the final verdict is simple: Users would be better off waiting for a “SuperPad 2.0,” as the current version of this tablet merely shows promise.