Contractual obligation
When it comes to browsing, it's pretty impressive. Log in to a Flash-heavy site and the video plays smoothly. In fact, in tests the playback was flawless, even at full screen and over 3G. Loaded with movies files, playback was similarly robust, although sound from the built-in stereo speakers was adequate at best, which is no great surprise for a tablet. It's also easy to muffle the output with your hand when holding it. Headphones, anyone?
Widgets provide content overviews for different services
The camera is a more than respectable 5Mp, though there’s no flash and shutter lag isn’t entirely absent. Of course, a tablet remains one of the least manageable forms for a camera, so you’ll only be using it for snaps. There’s a micro SD card slot so you can expand on the built-in 8GB of memory – you’ll need to if you plan on downloading a lot of apps or music.
Not every tablet features a front-facing camera so Orange should be applauded for including one here. It's a 1.3Mp snapper, so more than enough for shooting video of yourself or, more importantly, video calls. Skype video calls only arrived on Android tablets late last year, so this camera makes the most of it.
Neat and tidy tablet tie-in
So why would you buy the Orange Tahiti? It’s good value if you don’t want a big initial outlay – a two-year contract at £25 a month gives you 2GB of data a month and an initial price of £69. Of course, over the two years, this does add up. And while a lot of tablet data usage is from wi-fi sources, the increased portability of the 7in Tahiti means you may have more use for data on-the-go with this machine.
Verdict
This is an accomplished and attractive tablet that is easy to carry and use for extended periods. It has a great screen and an adequate camera. Though it doesn’t yet have the latest Ice Cream Sandwich software, its hardware makes it capable of the upgrade. My only reservations are with the occasionally unintuitive Android methodology, rather than the tablet itself, as this is a neat piece of kit. ®
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Orange Tahiti 7in Android tablet
COMMENTS
I feel the same as K 4, that's a ridiculous outlay for a tablet of this size,even if it's spread over 2 years. Plus you'd have to get a larger memory card.
And why is the reviewer complaining about the lack of Orange apps. Having had a ZTE Blade and numerous SPV phones loaded down with Orange bloatware, it's a plus point to not have them.
Now..if this comes out on PAYG at a reasonable price I might be tempted.
Vanilla Android a bad thing?
"Those wouldn’t work on a tablet but I’d have liked some other Orange specials. "
I'd much rather have Vanilla Android than Orange "customisation" on anything, after all the Orange Crap I had on my San Francisco - it slowed it down something rotten.
ICS
"If you want Honeycomb, the edition designed with larger devices in mind, it’s hard to find many options (though more are imminent)"
I would hope they would have Ice Cream Sandwich on them, rather than Honeycomb if they haven't already been released.
And there seem to be a fair few out there with Honeycomb/ICS already.
