Make merry memories with MediaPad

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

The Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite is an affordable seven-inch Android tablet, that puts it in a category as vast as the ocean. Surrounded by other affordable devices like the Nexus 7 tablet, the iPad mini and a range of cheaper slates, this newest model launched by the Chinese-run company can be the perfect holiday gift this season for both adults and children alike.

With its sleek design and easy pocket fit, the MediaPad offers a lifestyle technology luxury that's within reach of all consumers outside of the coveted tech circuit.

All of the front space is occupied by the screen. Most devices have got it right choosing to go with a thin and light design. Sadly, however, the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite is not as light as its counterparts or as its name implies weighing 0.82 pounds, with a thickness of 0.43 inches (11mm).

The makers of the MediaPad has chosen aluminium for the back cover and that was a good move granted that these devices go through a lot when they are in our care. The tablet comes with a unibody design that is only interrupted by two strips of white plastic on top and bottom.

The MediaPad 7 Lite sports a seven-inch 1024 x 600-pixel, capacitive IPS display which guarantees good viewing angles, accurate colours and overall quick response time (though it might be slow for those technocrats out there). For the average user, this type of pixel density means decent reading experience, but if you want to make out the smallest of fonts without zooming in, you might need a higher resolution display.

Despite its small size, the MediaPad is no novice when it comes to firepower. Its 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM makes it at least as powerful as a 10-inch tablets using the Tegra 2 chip. It allows for the use of a number of social media activities such as Foursquare, Skype, Twitter and many other applications. The touchscreen was generally responsive and there was not much lag when switching between landscape and portrait modes.

Equipped with a few standard apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Documents to Go, Angry Birds, the device allows for 3G connectivity which had no problems connecting it to a mobile broadband network.

Now on to one of the major drawbacks with the device. The MediaPad ships with two cameras - the front-facing 1.3-megapixel meant for video calls and the rear 5-megapixel is for shooting pictures. The image quality is nothing to write home about and
are simply so-so.

Skype call quality? Let's just say ... NEXT. Also,
there is no LED flash to help you brighten up a subject. In terms of
battery life, the MediaPad can last up to six hours of continuous use
but the device can get pretty hot, especially on the back after
prolonged usage.

Portability and firepower to rival
some of its other sibling devices are definitely the MediaPad's main
selling points. That, coupled with the selling price, makes it
attractive.

If you can look past these little issues,
then you will find that the Huawei MediaPad is a pretty interesting and
functional seven-inch tablet. It's a great holiday gift from
Digicel.

garfene.grandison@gleanerjm.com

• Spirited
  Gift

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A wide range
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• Other great tech gifts

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today

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Christmas

Samsung Galaxy S3: The
king of Android smartphones