First announced in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, the IdeaTab A1000 is Lenovo's latest entry into the budget tablet market. While Lenovo has been known for sitting at the sidelines when it comes to the Android smartphone market in the United States, the company is becoming successful in other countries, and does have a presence when it comes to Android tablets in the U.S.
While the IdeaTab A1000 is priced in a range that keeps it relatively safe from comparisons to some of the most recent 7-inch tablets, it has other problems. As the saying goes, "you are your own worst enemy." The amount of internal storage this tablet offers is the Achilles heel of its otherwise solid and sturdy construction. This is where the confusion may set in.
As the specification page for this tablet indicates, it has 16GB of internal memory. This may seem like far too much to be considered the worst feature of a device, especially when other tablets have done fine with half that amount. This is a special situation, one that we haven't seen for a very long time.
HARD WARE
The 7-inch glossy LED screen has a resolution that comes in at an underwhelming 1024x600, causing the display to look pixelated. This makes small text blocky and sometimes hard to read, necessitating a pinch-to-zoom to improve clarity. Colors are a little dulled and give that washed-out feeling, making the screen lack any sort of "pop." The screen becomes dark once the viewing angle is increased away from the user, with a strange quirk when viewing from the left side -- an almost x-ray effect with darkness becoming inverted. While brightness is adjustable, there is no option for it to be automatic.
Inside is a 1.2 GHz MTK 8317 Dual-core Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and 16GB of total internal storage. This hardware serves the tablet well, allowing speedy navigation through home screens, menus, and apps with minimal stuttering or lag.
Connectivity is made possible with a Wi-Fi radio that supports b/g/n as well as Bluetooth 4.0. The IdeaTab A1000 does have a motor for vibration on touch, as well as a GPS sensor and accelerometer. Power is supplied by the 3500 mAh battery, which I've found to be good for about 7 hours of continuous light to moderate use.
Size and weight are both average, with the IdeaTab A1000 coming in at 0.77 lbs. and measuring 7.83 x 4.76 x 0.42 inches. The surrounding bezel is fairly even all around, with plenty of room to get a secure grip without worrying about accidental input on the screen.
There are two front facing "Dolby Digital Plus" speakers on the top and bottom of the tablet, which make for loud and properly directed audio. Speaker volume is capable of reaching and exceeding the level that most people will need while holding the tablet, while managing to keep a clear sound with minimal distortion. Placing the speakers on the front of the tablet eliminates the worry of sound being blocked by improper hand placement or any surface that the tablet may be resting on.The top edge of the tablet is home to the power button, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and micro-USB port. The tablet's single camera comes in at 0.3 MP, and is front facing -- located up on the top left corner of the device.
USB OTG (on the go) is fully supported via the micro-USB port, allowing the use of accessories like a computer mouse, keyboard, or gaming controller. USB drives can also be connected, allowing the tablet to copy files to and from the external storage, as well as play media -- without any extra apps or rooting.
There is a built-in equalizer in the Android settings for tweaking the sound that comes out of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Volume at different frequencies can be adjusted, as well as bass boost, 3D effect, and reverb. There are also 17 presets for those that like to choose music genre instead of manually tweaking their sound settings.
While the IdeaTab A1000 is priced in a range that keeps it relatively safe from comparisons to some of the most recent 7-inch tablets, it has other problems. As the saying goes, "you are your own worst enemy." The amount of internal storage this tablet offers is the Achilles heel of its otherwise solid and sturdy construction. This is where the confusion may set in.
As the specification page for this tablet indicates, it has 16GB of internal memory. This may seem like far too much to be considered the worst feature of a device, especially when other tablets have done fine with half that amount. This is a special situation, one that we haven't seen for a very long time.
HARD WARE
The 7-inch glossy LED screen has a resolution that comes in at an underwhelming 1024x600, causing the display to look pixelated. This makes small text blocky and sometimes hard to read, necessitating a pinch-to-zoom to improve clarity. Colors are a little dulled and give that washed-out feeling, making the screen lack any sort of "pop." The screen becomes dark once the viewing angle is increased away from the user, with a strange quirk when viewing from the left side -- an almost x-ray effect with darkness becoming inverted. While brightness is adjustable, there is no option for it to be automatic.
Inside is a 1.2 GHz MTK 8317 Dual-core Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and 16GB of total internal storage. This hardware serves the tablet well, allowing speedy navigation through home screens, menus, and apps with minimal stuttering or lag.
Connectivity is made possible with a Wi-Fi radio that supports b/g/n as well as Bluetooth 4.0. The IdeaTab A1000 does have a motor for vibration on touch, as well as a GPS sensor and accelerometer. Power is supplied by the 3500 mAh battery, which I've found to be good for about 7 hours of continuous light to moderate use.
Size and weight are both average, with the IdeaTab A1000 coming in at 0.77 lbs. and measuring 7.83 x 4.76 x 0.42 inches. The surrounding bezel is fairly even all around, with plenty of room to get a secure grip without worrying about accidental input on the screen.
There are two front facing "Dolby Digital Plus" speakers on the top and bottom of the tablet, which make for loud and properly directed audio. Speaker volume is capable of reaching and exceeding the level that most people will need while holding the tablet, while managing to keep a clear sound with minimal distortion. Placing the speakers on the front of the tablet eliminates the worry of sound being blocked by improper hand placement or any surface that the tablet may be resting on.The top edge of the tablet is home to the power button, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and micro-USB port. The tablet's single camera comes in at 0.3 MP, and is front facing -- located up on the top left corner of the device.
USB OTG (on the go) is fully supported via the micro-USB port, allowing the use of accessories like a computer mouse, keyboard, or gaming controller. USB drives can also be connected, allowing the tablet to copy files to and from the external storage, as well as play media -- without any extra apps or rooting.
There is a built-in equalizer in the Android settings for tweaking the sound that comes out of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Volume at different frequencies can be adjusted, as well as bass boost, 3D effect, and reverb. There are also 17 presets for those that like to choose music genre instead of manually tweaking their sound settings.
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