I managed to stumble upon the Huawei IDEOS S7 at Yappe IT Store in Serusop selling for B$399 (cash price) and when recording the video below I noticed that quite a few of them have already been bought. Check out the video giving an overview of the device
Specifications
- CPU: 750 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (source: UMPCportal as we forgot to check the processor but it seemed decent enough)
- GPU: Adreno 200
- 7″ 800×480 (WVGA) Capactive Multi-Touch Screen
- Android 2.2 with custom launcher
- Front and Rear facing 2 megapixel cameras that record in CIF (352×288)
- 8GB storage (7.51GB available but 116MB for apps)
- 3G Enabled (standard SIM) with dialer (can make calls and text)
- Can run Flash (installed from Market)
- Upto 720p HD playback of mp4 (h264, aac), wmv files
- Device seems rooted by default (Superuser was installed after factory reset)
- Connectivity options: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, microSD card slot, docking port, 3.5mm headset
- Other hardware details: Kickstand, Removable battery, Optical trackpad
Pros
- Budget price B$399: great budget device for a 7″ tablet and phone with calling ability
- Able to run Flash for a fuller web experience (put settings as ‘On-Demand’ for better performance)
- Android 2.2 thus you can do mobile tethering (share 3G via Wi-Fi)
- Rooted
- Cold boot / Restarts in about 1 minute
- Decent Performance: it did not seem sluggish or noticeable slow but there were times where it took multiple touches to get the device to respond (could be also due to the plastic film on the device screen)
Cons
- Only 116MB free for apps
- A few default apps are landscape oriented and don’t rotate if device is in portrait mode
- No Office software to read Word/Excel/Powerpoint files (doc/docx/xls/xlsx/ppt/pptx)
- Battery life may be bad (based on Telstra T-Touch Tab reviews it only has 3-4 hours of typical use: CNET Australia, PC World Australia, Sydney Morning Herald. The T-Touch Tab is a rebranded Huawei S7 but has slightly different hardware)
I doubt this will get any future upgrades because it is an older model and Huawei is releasing an S7 Slim and also the recently announced Media Pad. The main issue with the device will be the battery life: having a removable battery aids it but then you will have to buy another battery and external charger to keep it running. I was contemplating on the device and using it as a mobile hotspot with my b-mobile Zoom! SIM card and using it as a tablet for reading and on the go computing. However with the possible battery life issues, the best bet for my use case is still the Samsung Galaxy Tab which will cost about B$250 more but you get better hardware and a better overall experience. But having said that, I believe this is the cheapest 3G and Flash enabled Android tablet in Brunei. If you’re looking for a budget all-in-one phone and tablet device, and don’t mind the possible battery life issues, this is a good deal.