(Continued
from Take It From My Barber)
One can
store 1,000 pages in 1 megabyte (MB). So, you can store 1,000,000 pages in 1
gigabyte (GB). Theoretically or even practically, you can store at least
32,000,000 pages in the device if you add a 32GB of microSD in the memory slot
that is included. The 4GB internal memory could be used for all the built-in
features, apps, and other uses.
This means that you can store the entire library both in elementary and
high school if you wanted.
Of
course, you probably prefer using the memory for other contents such as
videos/movies, photos, and music.
UbiSlate 7ci is 7.2 by 4.8 by .4 inches (HWD). It weighs 11.2 ounces and
is made of matte black plastic. At the back are helpful labels that show
where the headphone jack and the volume buttons are. A memory slot for a
microSD card is provided. A battery is sealed in, and there is a single
speaker.
The
800-by-480, 7-inch panel, will disappoint IPAD, Galaxy, Kindle, and Nook
users, as expected. Of course, you get what you pay for. For the price, it more
than serves the purpose.
In fact, it is quite good when you watch You Tube videos, and even movies
from Netflix. It has indeed a very effective media player. Its music player
handles MP3, OGG, AAC and WAV music. Its pre-loaded “2160 Super-HD Media Player
plays Xvid and DivX video files quite well. No problems hearing loudly all
Audio through the headphones.
The camera can also take great pictures and
videos!
Internet
connectivity for the Ubislate 7ci is only through WiFi. It connects to
the Internet via 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/h Wi-Fi. There are other more expensive
models that allow other connectivity such as 4G or 3G networks.
This means that if the government intends to subsidize the purchase,
assembly, or manufacturing of UbiSlate 7ci, it must also build a national
broadband network to connect all schools, government offices, and barangays.
This is one Disbursement on Infrastructure that needs acceleration.
Unfortunately,
there is no other wireless connectivity – no Bluetooth, GPS, or NFC. For the
poor, these fall under “luxury” or “options” momentarily.
The device was first made available in India at the subsidized price of
$25 for student use. Perhaps, the Philippines can license the technology and/or
subsidize the purchase also for use by students in all the barangays in the
Philippines.
Running
on Android 4.2.2, apps are available at Datawind’s app store, Google Play, and
Amazon’s App Store. Using the Facebook, LinkedIn and Gmail apps
brought no problems.
Battery life is an issue. You can use it for about 2 ½ hours straight. My
barber contends that kids should not really use it longer than that anyway.
People can adjust! I forgot to say that there are quite a number of games
available to tempt kids to play and use the device longer.
For the
experienced users of tablets, UbiSlate 7ci is slow. To those who have had no
experience and exposure, they would not know the difference. After all, it’s a
“little miracle” that could suddenly put them closer if not at par with those
who have “more in life”.
Aside from government participation, I suggest that warriors against
poverty like the Churches and other similar institutions, charitable
organizations, alumni associations in support of their Alma Mater, hometown
groups, and other non-profit associations should get involved. Purchasing and
distributing them in bulk could go a long way.
If no
other tablet is AVAILABLE and no other device can give you ACCESS to data,
info, intelligence, knowledge, and education that you can AFFORD, UbiSlate 7ci
is the device for you.
That’s AAA for you!
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