PocketBook SURFpad Review
Today I want to bring to your attention an overview of the PocketBook SURFpad multimedia device.
PocketBook position this model as a multimedia reader with the ability to watch videos and listen to music.
However, these are marketing issues, and in fact - we have before us a compact and rather convenient tablet. Not without flaws, but rather interesting, let's deal with its features in order.
The kit is quite ascetic. In the box is the device itself, placed in a special frame made of foam material, it prevents the tablet from hanging in the box, so you can be sure of its safety.
In addition, the box contains a charger with a USB port, a quick user guide and a cable for data transfer and charging the device.
There are no headphones, no cover. If no one uses the complete headphones, then the lack of a cover can be a problem for some buyers. Such a modest kit, apparently, is the result of an attempt to reduce the cost of the device.
The device is assembled very high quality, the main part of the case is a white glossy plastic (there is also a dark gray version on sale), the back cover is made of black plastic with a soft touch coating.
The location of the elements, the corrugation of the edges of the back cover, the recesses on the edges of the front panel - all this suggests that primarily the designers assumed that the device would be used horizontally. It is in this position that the tablet is most convenient to hold, it will not slip out, you can hold it with both your left and right hands. All this allows you to watch movies in transport without any problems.
The slot for a memory card, a headphone jack and for connecting to a computer are located on the right side of the tablet, the power button and volume rocker on the top, also on the right. On the front side, to the right of the screen, there is a camera eye, at the bottom of the front side, speaker holes are located on the sides of the screen. This also indicates the orientation of the device for use in a horizontal position, as a multimedia player or device for accessing the Internet.
The display in the PocketBook SURFpad is 7-inch with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is made using TFT technology and demonstrates an average level of brightness and natural color reproduction. Viewing angles are also not too wide. However, for an inexpensive device, the screen is acceptable, especially since with a minimum brightness level set in the settings, it is quite comfortable to read from it. Support for multi-touch in SURFpad is provided.
The tablet has a built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 module (b / g / n). There are no other wireless connections in the device. In other words, it’s unlikely that you can get online on the road, unless you use a smartphone with Wi-Fi Tethering.
The tablet runs on Android OS version 4.0.4. A number of programs are preinstalled in the original firmware, such as Obreey Store, Cool Reader, Office Suite Pro, Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, IM +, SPB TV, Gismeteo, and Learn English. Initially, there are no Google services in the firmware, the application is supposed to be installed from the Obreey Store.
However, there is a more recent version of the firmware that allows you to work with standard Android 4.0.4 and install programs from Google Play.
The device supports ten video formats - ASF, MKV, AVI, MP4, FLV, WEBM, 3GP, MOV, MPG, WMV, five audio formats - MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, MIDI, ten text formats: EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF and four graphic - JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF.
PocketBook SURFpad runs on the Boxchip A13 GHz processor (Cortex-A8 architecture). The tablet has 512 MB of RAM installed. In general, this is more than enough for such a device: the speed is quite acceptable, in addition, SURFpad can play video in Full HD 1080p format. To store data, 4 GB of memory is preinstalled in the device, it supports expansion using microSD cards up to 32 GB.
The device is preinstalled with a non-replaceable 3000 mAh battery.
According to the developers, this is enough for 7 hours of mixed use or 6.5 hours of continuous video viewing.
I must say right away that I did not have a need to use the device for 7 hours in a row, but for a couple of days in the “4 hours on the way to and from work” mode, the tablet withstood without problems.
+ Low cost of the device (about 3,500 rubles)
+ High-quality assembly, well-thought-out design
+ A large number of media codecs supported “out of the box”
+ Light weight of the device —
An ascetic kit
— Not the best screen
PS I can’t stand what is clear : Similar devices "from China" can also be bought without any problems, but on the side of PocketBook - a guarantee, service and user support.
PocketBook position this model as a multimedia reader with the ability to watch videos and listen to music.
However, these are marketing issues, and in fact - we have before us a compact and rather convenient tablet. Not without flaws, but rather interesting, let's deal with its features in order.
Kit, packaging
The kit is quite ascetic. In the box is the device itself, placed in a special frame made of foam material, it prevents the tablet from hanging in the box, so you can be sure of its safety.
In addition, the box contains a charger with a USB port, a quick user guide and a cable for data transfer and charging the device.
There are no headphones, no cover. If no one uses the complete headphones, then the lack of a cover can be a problem for some buyers. Such a modest kit, apparently, is the result of an attempt to reduce the cost of the device.
Assembly, design
The device is assembled very high quality, the main part of the case is a white glossy plastic (there is also a dark gray version on sale), the back cover is made of black plastic with a soft touch coating.
The location of the elements, the corrugation of the edges of the back cover, the recesses on the edges of the front panel - all this suggests that primarily the designers assumed that the device would be used horizontally. It is in this position that the tablet is most convenient to hold, it will not slip out, you can hold it with both your left and right hands. All this allows you to watch movies in transport without any problems.
The slot for a memory card, a headphone jack and for connecting to a computer are located on the right side of the tablet, the power button and volume rocker on the top, also on the right. On the front side, to the right of the screen, there is a camera eye, at the bottom of the front side, speaker holes are located on the sides of the screen. This also indicates the orientation of the device for use in a horizontal position, as a multimedia player or device for accessing the Internet.
Screen
The display in the PocketBook SURFpad is 7-inch with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is made using TFT technology and demonstrates an average level of brightness and natural color reproduction. Viewing angles are also not too wide. However, for an inexpensive device, the screen is acceptable, especially since with a minimum brightness level set in the settings, it is quite comfortable to read from it. Support for multi-touch in SURFpad is provided.
Communication
The tablet has a built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 module (b / g / n). There are no other wireless connections in the device. In other words, it’s unlikely that you can get online on the road, unless you use a smartphone with Wi-Fi Tethering.
System, programs
The tablet runs on Android OS version 4.0.4. A number of programs are preinstalled in the original firmware, such as Obreey Store, Cool Reader, Office Suite Pro, Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, IM +, SPB TV, Gismeteo, and Learn English. Initially, there are no Google services in the firmware, the application is supposed to be installed from the Obreey Store.
However, there is a more recent version of the firmware that allows you to work with standard Android 4.0.4 and install programs from Google Play.
The device supports ten video formats - ASF, MKV, AVI, MP4, FLV, WEBM, 3GP, MOV, MPG, WMV, five audio formats - MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, MIDI, ten text formats: EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF and four graphic - JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF.
CPU, memory.
PocketBook SURFpad runs on the Boxchip A13 GHz processor (Cortex-A8 architecture). The tablet has 512 MB of RAM installed. In general, this is more than enough for such a device: the speed is quite acceptable, in addition, SURFpad can play video in Full HD 1080p format. To store data, 4 GB of memory is preinstalled in the device, it supports expansion using microSD cards up to 32 GB.
Nutrition
The device is preinstalled with a non-replaceable 3000 mAh battery.
According to the developers, this is enough for 7 hours of mixed use or 6.5 hours of continuous video viewing.
I must say right away that I did not have a need to use the device for 7 hours in a row, but for a couple of days in the “4 hours on the way to and from work” mode, the tablet withstood without problems.
Total
+ Low cost of the device (about 3,500 rubles)
+ High-quality assembly, well-thought-out design
+ A large number of media codecs supported “out of the box”
+ Light weight of the device —
An ascetic kit
— Not the best screen
PS I can’t stand what is clear : Similar devices "from China" can also be bought without any problems, but on the side of PocketBook - a guarantee, service and user support.