Usability, ZenUI, Camera Issues and Final Thoughts
Usability, ZenUI, Camera Issues
The ASUS MeMO Pad 7 benchmarks well and hits the high levels with battery life, but what does it all really matter (as one Patrick Moorhead might ask me)? It's true that all the benchmark wins in the world don't necessarily make a good product, but they sure do help. And in my two days with the MeMO Pad 7, the usability of the device is unquestionably positive. The easiest and most direct way to measure "user experience" is by simply moving around the device, opening up applications, moving between them and shutting them down. Does the system continue to scroll smoothly? Does the system respond to commands from active programs even if there is a lot of "stuff" open in the background?
The ASUS MeMO Pad 7 powered by the Intel Atom Z3745 does all of that quite well; better than any other x86 Android device I have used in the past and as good as any other tablet, period. The touch screen is snappy and responsive, scrolling through long, image-laden web sites without hiccups. Both Chrome and the default browser work great in this manner. It wasn't perfect though and loading up a site like TheVerge.com (with auto start videos of course) can make things feel sluggish. But it can do that on my laptop too!
ASUS does include an Android wrapper on the OS that I know many of you will already be rolling your eyes at. The ZenUI is actually quite good! It's neat, clean and doesn' appear to be a slowing factor on the operating system. It also includes some unique features like the "Do It Later" function. This allows you to "pass" on certain items immediately, email, web pages, calendar notifications, that are then placed in the Do It Later list for you to address on your schedule. Think of it as a really well integrated To Do list throughout the whole system.
And while I am big supported of the Google specific applications for Gmail, calendar and more, the ZenUI options are quite good and likely are deserving a shot. I have included a few screenshots of the ZenUI here just for flavor.
The only significant problem I had with the tablet was the rear camera. Though rated as a 5MP device, the image quality was pretty poor. My team chastised me for putting a lot of weight behind the camera of a tablet but I can't help but think that this was one of the corners cut in order to meet that magical $150 price tag. Take a look:
One of our messy, but productive testing areas at PC Perspective.
Take that information for what you will – if you don't plan on using the camera on your 7-inch tablet, then it likely won't change your view on the ASUS MeMO Pad 7.
Closing Thoughts
I definitely came away with a positive impression with the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 after my weekend with it. We are planning a more exhaustive story on it in the future; something along the lines of an "extended review" if you will. Gone is the Google Nexus 7 from the backpack and in drops the ASUS MeMO Pad 7. Where will it excel and where will it falter? We'll soon know for sure.
But for $150 MSRP it is really hard to find fault with anything in the configuration of this tablet. You get a 7-inch screen with a 1280×800 IPS panel. And while the Nexus 7 is definitely ahead with its 1920×1200 resolution in the same form factor, the MeMO Pad 7 seems more than adequate for web browsing and watching videos. The Intel Atom Z3745 based on the Bay Trail platform is also doing work and is able to output some impressive user experience and benchmark results. For $150 you are buying a machine that can handle pretty much any Android application you can throw at it with the ability to pursue the higher end of the Android gaming market, too.
There are some fears that with the x86 application infrastructure behind that of ARM, there will be application compatibility and slow down issues with binary translation, but I haven't seen any yet. If it pops up during my extended use though, you can be sure you'll find out about it.
The ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176C) is available for preorder on Amazon.com for $149!
Never buy a tablet based on
Never buy a tablet based on specs. Specs are absolutely meaningless .The true worth of a a product is in its use. The ASUS transformer 700 is a classic case in point. I purchased this tablet based on specs which seemed excellent for the price. But oh what a mistake that was! The thing is a brick and was very irritating to use, even with simple web browsing or using simple apps.
Right there with ya. I bout
Right there with ya. I bout the Asus Transformer Infinity based on specs as well and it’s a slow piece of crap.
It is even more sunless to
It is even more sunless to buy on spec when there will be a large number of devices, on the market with new hardware, real soon now! If you are expecting performance, long battery lifetimes or other important properties it makes no sense to buy until the next generation of hardware has demonstrated how well they stack up against each other.