This review is from: Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC (Personal Computers)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What’s this?)
IMPORTANT UPDATE 11/30/2011: Please read B. Brinton’s Amazon review (can’t give the URL but it’s one of the two star reviews here) regarding inability to update to new operating system. I stand by my original review as to the quality of the tablet, but recommend that you check out Brinton’s review before actually buying.
Before I even start, I absolutely LOVE my Le Pan tablet. It’s a blast to use, has a lot of upside for the things I want to do with it, and has a definite “wow” factor with bystanders. Typical quotes are, “wow,” and “I want one” and “that is so cool!” This could be said about a lot of the better tablets (e.g., iPad) that have nice, high def, shiny screens showing video, but I appreciated the coveting looks (and I let people play with it extensively and had trouble getting it back a couple times).
I have never used a tablet (well, 10 minutes goofing with an iPad in the Apple Store a year ago) and have never used anything with the Android operating system.
A lot of my “cons” are probably pertinent to a lot of similar pieces of hardware, as well as shortcomings of the Android OS as it is currently implemented, rather than unique to the Le Pan.
I would NOT recommend this for someone looking for a turnkey, works perfectly out of the box solution. You will need either some experience, or a strong nerd compulsion (or a little of both). You’ll have to overcome quirks of the hardware and software.
First, the “bad.”
The power button sucks. After four days I STILL fumble with that sucker.
The fingerprints on the screen drive me nuts. I think it’s worse in a tablet with a large screen than on an Android or Iphone with smaller screens. I’m already carrying around a microfiber cleaning cloth. A definite hazard of this entire class of machine. You might want to invest in some wet-dry LCD screen wipes for when you want to get it in pristine condition before you show off in front of the boss (e.g., Audiovox Surface SURF402 Wet/Dry Screen Wipes). Think of it as detailing your tablet.
Saying the speakers are “tinny” might be generous and there is absolutely no recognizable bass component. I’m ready to get a bluetooth headphone for this immediately.
Can’t run Hulu to watch TV (yet) – the hardware is probably perfectly capable, but Hulu sees “Android mobile device” and just serves up an annoying message. However YouTube (included app) looks and works better than I have ever seen it.
It’s heavier than I thought, but not that bad. It’s about the same weight as an iPad. I found that holding it in one hand I would cramp up after a couple of minutes. It is light enough to cradle, and propping it up on an ample paunch while in bed was ok. Sitting down with tablet on lap, no problem.
Next, the “weird.”
The onboard camera only shoots pictures in a mirror mode (i.e., titles of books are reversed like in a mirror). In using Skype I found that for this version of Android, video calling is not supported. Otherwise, Skype works quite nicely on this platform.
In certain network environments (I’m on a University network half the time) you can easily purchase apps via the included Android Market, but downloading wouldn’t commence – probably some security feature of our network. Using my home wifi connection (DSL via AT&T) I had no problems downloading and installing Skype and some other navigation based stuff.
The included browser can’t handle Ebsco databases (if that means anything to you). The browser handles most websites well, and the large screen means you don’t need to access the specially configured mobile sites, which are still a lot cleaner. I ran this on our library catalog and most of our databases with no problem, but the Ebsco ones didn’t allow any search entry. Weird. (NOTE ADDED June 2, 2011: Just installed the Opera Mobile Web Browser ver. 11 from the Apps for Android store on Amazon and the Ebsco databases work just fine).
Finally, the “good.”
The screen is awesome (except in daylight where it is useless). Use this indoors, not at the beach.
The response time is lightning fast. Apps come up fast and operate fast. Scrolling, screen switching, etc. is ultra-smooth.
In the right network environment, getting, installing, and using apps is trivial.
The integration with web based Google apps is seamless. I didn’t even notice my calendar and contacts were downloaded and synchronized (and continue to be synchronized). A very cool thing I discovered this morning was that when I was out of wifi range (on my bus and train commute) I could still do my Gmail offline. The Gmail app downloads and caches your email so you can use it offline, including replying to messages. The next time you get a wifi connection, synchronization will send all pending…
This review is from: Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC (Personal Computers)
The Le Pan TC970 is an excellent Android tablet, I am honestly thrilled with it. It’s extremely responsive, never once did I have an issue with it slowing down no matter how many other things were going on. I’m thoroughly enjoying the TC970, and I think you will as well.
Aesthetically the TC970 is very pleasing and stylish looking, it’s also thin and lightweight. The build quality is excellent, it’s a solidly made tablet on par with those much more expensive.
I’ve had the pleasure of testing both the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and I have to say I like the Le Pan TC970 much better overall. The TC970 doesn’t have a Tegra in it but from what I’ve seen it doesn’t need it, it’s more than capable a handling anything you can throw at it in terms of apps, games or videos or anything else. I was truly surprised that the 1Ghz CPU could handle everything I threw at it.
The most surprising or actually amazing thing is the battery life, no joke here I got over eight hours use while doing a mixture of playing games and browsing the web. I even left I on just sitting and overnight and still had battery left to use it.
The TC970 isn’t without its problems though, but they’re small and not deal breakers. I don’t care for the Apple-like USB connection at all, I would have rather seen a standard micro-USB or even mini-USB connector. The screen is very glossy causing reflections in the correct light and after a few hours of use you’ll find the accumulated fingerprints very annoying.
The built-in memory is rather small, yes you can put a larger microSD card in it but I would also like to see more built-in memory.
The build quality is excellent, but the back is rather slippery honestly, I would have liked it to be more rubberized of textured for a better grip.
The other small issue the limited video support, it can’t play basic WMV or Divx files.
Yes it’s running Android 2.2, some people might think that’s old and ask why not Gingerbread or Honeycomb. I thought the same thing so I asked them and they told me to expect an update last quarter of 2011 with Ice Cream Sandwich, they told me they decided to skip Gingerbread and Honeycomb and wait until the next major Android release.
The camera shows things mirrored or backwards, a major update is supposed to be released any day now to fix it. I got no real explanation as to why the camera was that way in the first place though.
The pros and cons are listed below and it might look like a lot of cons but they’re small, and not exactly bad things really.
Lastly I should mention the price, it’s very low for a tablet of this caliber and quality. It’s nice to see something this nice at a low price.
Pros: +Amazing battery life +Very responsive touch screen +Does work in bright light +Fast and responsive overall +Low price compared to other tablets +Simple to use +Excellent design and construction +Aesthetically pleasing +Viewing from most any angle
Cons: -Proprietary connector -Screen attracts fingerprints -Glossy screen -Small built-in memory -Back is rather slippery -Can’t use in direct sunlight -Limited video formats -Camera is backwards
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Authors bio is coming up shortly. 
A review for those new to tablets AND Android,
IMPORTANT UPDATE 11/30/2011: Please read B. Brinton’s Amazon review (can’t give the URL but it’s one of the two star reviews here) regarding inability to update to new operating system. I stand by my original review as to the quality of the tablet, but recommend that you check out Brinton’s review before actually buying.
Before I even start, I absolutely LOVE my Le Pan tablet. It’s a blast to use, has a lot of upside for the things I want to do with it, and has a definite “wow” factor with bystanders. Typical quotes are, “wow,” and “I want one” and “that is so cool!” This could be said about a lot of the better tablets (e.g., iPad) that have nice, high def, shiny screens showing video, but I appreciated the coveting looks (and I let people play with it extensively and had trouble getting it back a couple times).
I have never used a tablet (well, 10 minutes goofing with an iPad in the Apple Store a year ago) and have never used anything with the Android operating system.
A lot of my “cons” are probably pertinent to a lot of similar pieces of hardware, as well as shortcomings of the Android OS as it is currently implemented, rather than unique to the Le Pan.
I would NOT recommend this for someone looking for a turnkey, works perfectly out of the box solution. You will need either some experience, or a strong nerd compulsion (or a little of both). You’ll have to overcome quirks of the hardware and software.
First, the “bad.”
The power button sucks. After four days I STILL fumble with that sucker.
The fingerprints on the screen drive me nuts. I think it’s worse in a tablet with a large screen than on an Android or Iphone with smaller screens. I’m already carrying around a microfiber cleaning cloth. A definite hazard of this entire class of machine. You might want to invest in some wet-dry LCD screen wipes for when you want to get it in pristine condition before you show off in front of the boss (e.g., Audiovox Surface SURF402 Wet/Dry Screen Wipes). Think of it as detailing your tablet.
Saying the speakers are “tinny” might be generous and there is absolutely no recognizable bass component. I’m ready to get a bluetooth headphone for this immediately.
Can’t run Hulu to watch TV (yet) – the hardware is probably perfectly capable, but Hulu sees “Android mobile device” and just serves up an annoying message. However YouTube (included app) looks and works better than I have ever seen it.
It’s heavier than I thought, but not that bad. It’s about the same weight as an iPad. I found that holding it in one hand I would cramp up after a couple of minutes. It is light enough to cradle, and propping it up on an ample paunch while in bed was ok. Sitting down with tablet on lap, no problem.
Next, the “weird.”
The onboard camera only shoots pictures in a mirror mode (i.e., titles of books are reversed like in a mirror). In using Skype I found that for this version of Android, video calling is not supported. Otherwise, Skype works quite nicely on this platform.
In certain network environments (I’m on a University network half the time) you can easily purchase apps via the included Android Market, but downloading wouldn’t commence – probably some security feature of our network. Using my home wifi connection (DSL via AT&T) I had no problems downloading and installing Skype and some other navigation based stuff.
The included browser can’t handle Ebsco databases (if that means anything to you). The browser handles most websites well, and the large screen means you don’t need to access the specially configured mobile sites, which are still a lot cleaner. I ran this on our library catalog and most of our databases with no problem, but the Ebsco ones didn’t allow any search entry. Weird. (NOTE ADDED June 2, 2011: Just installed the Opera Mobile Web Browser ver. 11 from the Apps for Android store on Amazon and the Ebsco databases work just fine).
Finally, the “good.”
The screen is awesome (except in daylight where it is useless). Use this indoors, not at the beach.
The response time is lightning fast. Apps come up fast and operate fast. Scrolling, screen switching, etc. is ultra-smooth.
In the right network environment, getting, installing, and using apps is trivial.
The integration with web based Google apps is seamless. I didn’t even notice my calendar and contacts were downloaded and synchronized (and continue to be synchronized). A very cool thing I discovered this morning was that when I was out of wifi range (on my bus and train commute) I could still do my Gmail offline. The Gmail app downloads and caches your email so you can use it offline, including replying to messages. The next time you get a wifi connection, synchronization will send all pending…
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|Amazing for such a low priced tablet!,
The Le Pan TC970 is an excellent Android tablet, I am honestly thrilled with it. It’s extremely responsive, never once did I have an issue with it slowing down no matter how many other things were going on. I’m thoroughly enjoying the TC970, and I think you will as well.
Aesthetically the TC970 is very pleasing and stylish looking, it’s also thin and lightweight. The build quality is excellent, it’s a solidly made tablet on par with those much more expensive.
I’ve had the pleasure of testing both the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and I have to say I like the Le Pan TC970 much better overall. The TC970 doesn’t have a Tegra in it but from what I’ve seen it doesn’t need it, it’s more than capable a handling anything you can throw at it in terms of apps, games or videos or anything else. I was truly surprised that the 1Ghz CPU could handle everything I threw at it.
The most surprising or actually amazing thing is the battery life, no joke here I got over eight hours use while doing a mixture of playing games and browsing the web. I even left I on just sitting and overnight and still had battery left to use it.
The TC970 isn’t without its problems though, but they’re small and not deal breakers. I don’t care for the Apple-like USB connection at all, I would have rather seen a standard micro-USB or even mini-USB connector. The screen is very glossy causing reflections in the correct light and after a few hours of use you’ll find the accumulated fingerprints very annoying.
The built-in memory is rather small, yes you can put a larger microSD card in it but I would also like to see more built-in memory.
The build quality is excellent, but the back is rather slippery honestly, I would have liked it to be more rubberized of textured for a better grip.
The other small issue the limited video support, it can’t play basic WMV or Divx files.
Yes it’s running Android 2.2, some people might think that’s old and ask why not Gingerbread or Honeycomb. I thought the same thing so I asked them and they told me to expect an update last quarter of 2011 with Ice Cream Sandwich, they told me they decided to skip Gingerbread and Honeycomb and wait until the next major Android release.
The camera shows things mirrored or backwards, a major update is supposed to be released any day now to fix it. I got no real explanation as to why the camera was that way in the first place though.
The pros and cons are listed below and it might look like a lot of cons but they’re small, and not exactly bad things really.
Lastly I should mention the price, it’s very low for a tablet of this caliber and quality. It’s nice to see something this nice at a low price.
Pros:
+Amazing battery life
+Very responsive touch screen
+Does work in bright light
+Fast and responsive overall
+Low price compared to other tablets
+Simple to use
+Excellent design and construction
+Aesthetically pleasing
+Viewing from most any angle
Cons:
-Proprietary connector
-Screen attracts fingerprints
-Glossy screen
-Small built-in memory
-Back is rather slippery
-Can’t use in direct sunlight
-Limited video formats
-Camera is backwards
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|