Tablets are hot these days, there?s no denying it. The market for keyboard-less computers is hyper competitive with numerous players in the arena. It is equally confusing for the consumer with too many devices proliferating the marketplace?each with various sizes, features, prices and applications. It is true that the term ?tablet? is synonymous with ?iPad?, but there are other slim rectangular devices too which have a strong top of mind recall. BlackBerry?s PlayBook is one such device, widely popular due to its sturdy build and fast processor which facilitates seamless multitasking. Amazon?s Kindle Fire HD is another slate with elegant looks, stunning HD display and a pretty long battery life.
The American PC maker Dell too has joined the crowd, by creating an affordable tablet in the form of Venue 7, priced at R13,155. This new lightweight Android tablet features a dual-core Intel Atom processor, a beautiful 17.7 cm (7-inch) HD touchscreen and dual cameras that help bring your apps come to life. Recently, the company sent across its 7-inch slate for a hands-on experience. Let us find out how it performs.
Out of the box, the Dell 7 comes across as a well-built device. It measures 7.6 x 4.65 x 0.38 inches in body dimensions and weighs 314 grams. When held in an upright position, the power button is located on the top-right edge, with the microphone pinhole and headphone jack to its left. The front of the tablet has a VGA camera and the back houses a 3-megapixel shooter. The microSD card slot can be found on the right edge, and the micro-USB port and volume rocker on the left.
The Venue 7 is surprisingly thin at less than 9.5 mm, so you can lay this lightweight tablet on your lap to enjoy your multimedia content on a stunning HD screen. Let me add here that in this price range, most tablet displays are 800 x 480 or 1024 x 600. For those new to display technology, bigger numbers mean smaller pixels and crisper images, which means less eye strain if you read for long periods. In the case of Venue 7, it is true that its 1280 x 800 display isn?t particularly high or impressive when compared to some of the high-end tablets mentioned above, but high definition video streamed from YouTube still looked clear and sharp.
Being the smaller brother of the Venue 8 tablet, it has the same solid, boxy shape, microSD card flap, and matte black cover. In terms of specifications, the Venue 7 comes loaded with the Android 4.2.2 operating system, therefore it is already a bit behind the curve in terms of software. There is an Intel Atom (up to 1.6 GHz dual-core) processor Z2580, which to the best of my knowledge is not as powerful as some competitors, but is surprisingly fast enough not to be annoying. Other features on the tablet include Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and wireless broadband capabilities. Its PocketCloud 2.0 gives you access to your content and applications from a PC, smartphone or tablet so you can update and share your files wherever you go.
Performance
There is no doubt that the Venue 7 is fast and easy to use. When it came to simple activities like checking e-mail and surfing the Web, the tablet
consistently performed swiftly and smooth; I rarely had an issue with crashing apps, sluggish behaviour, or buggy functionality. Text on the screen looked sharp and readable, even small text and the touch screen was responsive.
Wi-Fi speeds on the Venue 7 were decently fast for browsing and watching video. The single speaker, located on the corner of the bottom right edge, is surprisingly loud. The tablet houses a front-facing VGA camera, with 3-megapixel one of the back. Both cameras produced decent photos. However, there is no focal point option and options are limited to white balance and picture size. On the battery front, you?ll get about 10 hours on a full charge. You won?t be disappointed!
My takeaways: There are many competitively priced 7-inch tablets available, but the Venue 7 is cheap and well-built tablet, and a decent option for those looking for a nice slate experience.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 7-inch HD touch display
Processor: Intel Atom
processor Z2560
Operating system: Android Jelly Bean 4.2
Memory: 2 GB
Hard drive: 16 GB
Camera: 3 MP (back); 0.3 MP webcam (front)
Intel Integrated HD Graphics Weight: 314g
Estimated street price: R13,155
