I like 7-inch tablets. They're easier to carry around, the perfect size for a good keyboard layout and can do everything that a 10-inch tablet can. Successful 7-inchers have included the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Playbook, HTC Flyer and the Acer Iconia A100. So when Creative announced that its ZiiO tablets would include both 10-inch and 7-inch variants, I was curious to see what the budget 7-inch tablet could do.

Getting a feel

Relationships are all about compromise, but that's not what you expect from a gadget. Unfortunately, a lot of the time I felt like I was accomodating the ZiiO. It runs Android 2.2, but there's no access to the Android market. There's a front facing VGA camera for video chats, but no rear camera. There's a micro HDMI slot but can't playback videos in HD. It's got a 7-inch screen but it's resistive.

On the bright side, I did spend a long time testing this device, and I wasn't frustrated by the end of it, like I was with certain other budget droids.

First up, I liked the white finish on the ZiiO. It did feel a bit plasticky to hold, but the edges slope away from the screen, which give it a nice angular look. It features four touch sensitive Android buttons on the bottom of the bezel, as well as a micro USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack and 5 volt charging slot and micro SD card slot.

User interface

The ZiiO's user interface is pretty much like any other Android tablet. The home screens feature the standard notification bar, and dock at the bottom. Although the home screens are customisable with shortcuts and widgets, you can only have a maximum of three.

Creative has its own set of custom apps for functions, such as ZiiExplorer, ZiiMusic, ZiiVideo, ZiiPhoto and ZiiStore. The ZiiStore does feature a bunch of Android apps, including Angry Birds and a Kindle app, but the choice is minimal. ZiiExplorer is also pretty convenient, showing up a list of all the media on the tablet. It also lets you easily create, rename and rearrange folders, so you can organise all your stuff.

What I liked was the fact that unlike standard Android tabs, the ZiiO supports a wide range of media files, include .avi video files, so you don't have to download a third party video player to watch vids. I watched almost an entire season of the Office on the ZiiO, and although I didn't face any problems with stagger between frames, the 480x800 screen made the videos look a bit washed out. At least the ZiiO saves your video progress, so you can start where you left off the next time you use the tablet.

The screen was definitely more responsive than usual resistive touch screens, but it still wasn't anywhere up to par with what we've seen on Apple and Samsung's creations so far. The ZiiO ships with a slender stylus, but oddly there's no slot in the tablet itself for it, so every time I needed it, I had to fish around in my bag for a bit. Even though the stylus makes navigating the screen much easier, the four Android buttons on the bezel fail to respond to it, requiring more than a hard jab to work.

I had no issues with the browser, which allows multiple tabs and bookmarks. The screen doesn't support pinch to zoom, but you can double tap to zoom in. There's also the native Android email app to let you set up any email account.

Performance

The ZiiO runs on a ZiiLABS ZMS-08 chip, which means no 3G and slower Wi-Fi. Although the tablet features an auto-orientation, there's just the slightest hint of a lag there. I also found lags when I pressed the unlock button, opened or closed an app, or scrolled through documents and videos.

Battery life was quite decent, and I maxed out the ZiiO's juices with 5 hours of back to back video playback.

Our verdict

Despite a string of limitations, the ZiiO is a handy tablet to carry around, if you're looking for just the basic functions. It's also a much better option than most of the other budget Android tablets in the market. However, if you're looking for a tablet that's a performer, there are plenty of other options to choose from.

Love: Supports a variety of file formats, lightweight

Hate: No Android market, resistive screen

Rs 17,999

ketaki@thehindu.co.in

comment COMMENT NOW