The thought of a $100 tablet is enough to cause excitement for any tech enthusiast. However, is the Maylong Android tablet really worth its bargain price? Even at this price, the Maylong tablet was being touted as having rich features such as seven-inch LCD color screen and full Internet browsing capabilities along with digital and video players. The device even included a stylus, AC adapter and a network/USB dongle.
Maylong M-150
However, there are some doubts about the quality of this bargain tablet. Maylong, who builds personal navigation devices, had to make some concessions in order to bring the tablet below the $100 threshold. Specifically, the screen is a 800 x 480-pixel resistive touchscreen display (instead of a capacitive display like the iPad or Galaxy Tab), so you may need to use the stylus for input.
Sales saw a bump thanks to large retailer Walgreens who began offering the tablet late last year which was really interesting but maybe Walgreens felt that at that price, the tablet was a good fit for their customers.
The M-150 tablet has 256 MB of DDR RAM and Wi-Fi connectivity but not 3G. The stylus can be seen as an inconvenience since the device operates with a resistive type touch panel screen and there is no place to store it on the device.
If the primary use for the tablet is light browsing and/or a simple to use eBook reader, then the M-150 just may be worth its low price. But even with looks similar to an iPad, it does not have as many features as its famous cousin.
Maylong M-250
Still, the M-150 had recently been upgraded to the M-250 and was also available at the value $100 price at larger retailers like Wal-Mart. The M-250 can also be purchased directly from the manufacturers website.
As of now, the M-150 and M-250 are the only tablets available from Maylong but there are rumors of a new M-260. Even with the features, some reviewers say that the Maylong tablets are slow and not as sensitive to the touch whether by fingertip or by stylus.
Potential problems
Sometimes the Wi-Fi connection is iffy, which makes using the device quite frustrating. Also, there are limitations with the hardware, meaning it cannot be upgraded and the battery has a very limited capacity providing 2 hours of power.
Even though the Maylong android tablet has numerous of features, this device will not impress those looking for an overall quality tablet but as a very basic entry level tablet, this device may suit your needs. However, at $100, you might as well save your money for a little longer in order to get a more robust device.
