A Review of the IPED/APAD

I have just obtained the 7 inch screen version of the IPED/IPAD which is basically a copy of Apple's much hyped IPAD. Although the screen is smaller than the IPAD, and it runs on Google's Android O/S, it is a lot cheaper than the IPAD. I bought mine for about £155 and someone has informed me that it can now be obtained from some suppliers for as little as £130. I bought mine from SG International in Bradford, through ebay, but another place worth looking is Chinagrabber who import a lot of Chinese products.

The IPED/IPAD comes with its own leads and battery charger and is easy to operate once you reset your Google location from China to wherever you happen to be. I have only had to look at the instructions a few times as the device is so straightforward to use. I had it connected to my broadband Wi-Fi within seconds and was soon up and running. Considering how long it took me to get my head round my Blackberry Bold 9000 (about 8 weeks, I reckon, at least) I was very impressed with its simplicity and accessibility.

I read recently that Android provide 57% of their apps free, Blackberry (which I also use) provide 26% of theirs free and Apple provide a much lower amount of free apps.

On the IPED/APAD there is an icon labelled 'Market'. By clicking on this you can search applications for sale and for free download and they are installed within seconds. The device tends to prefer using mobile rather than desktop versions which is appropriate for the smaller size screen. There is also an 8 inch screen version of the IPED available, so I have heard.

Having seen an Apple IPAD and being rather underwhelmed by what it does for the high price involved, I was more than impressed with my new purchase. On the downside, the battery seems to need a lot of recharging, I think I need to check the contacts and maybe try a different battery to see whether this is just the way the machine works or whether it is a faulty battery.

I haven't tried out the ebook possibilities fully yet, but I find it clear for reading newspaper, magazine and news articles.

Another useful function is that I can stream music through my downstairs hi-fi from the hard drive of my upstairs computer, plugging in a lead from the 3.5mm jack headphone socket to the phono input on my hi-fi. The actual speaker in the IPED/APAD is rather weak and quiet for my liking. The sound comes out through a very narrow slot on the back of the device.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially as it also has a built-in camera which is also missing on the IPAD. There is a lot of talk about Android catching up and maybe even overtaking Apple in the future, and from what I have seen so far, I am inclined to believe this is a distinct possibility.