Following in a now familiar path of advertising similar features to the Apple iPad, but at a lower price, we find the Advent Vega 10in tablet PC breaks no new ground, only itself
With Apple dominating in the tablet PC market, some companies just can’t wait to jump in and claim some of the lucrative action. Even when their products are not ready for release.
Such is the case again with the Advent Vega. After the Apple iPad it’s the most talked about tablet in the UK today. Why the buzz? Simply price – at £250 this 10in Android tablet appears as a positive bargain next to Apple’s £429 iPad.
The Advent Vega takes the same basic form as the iPad, then cheapens it each direction in order to reduce the price tag.
Where the original has a glass multi-touch IPS screen rich in colour and viewable from any angle, the Advent Vega has a budget plastic TN screen with weak colour when used face on.
That’s at its best – when tilted by a view degrees as you naturally do when holding it, the screen can fade to black tones and become an unviewable mess.
Resolution is comparable to iPad, but at 1024x600 instead of 1024x768 pixels, we see it’s taking a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
Add in the Advent Vega’s 10.1in screen size specification, and you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen this before: this is a standard-issue netbook screen, with capacitive touch for fingertip control.
On paper this panel may seem larger than the iPad's; but the Advent Vega’s screen is actually a little smaller, at 281 sq cm, where iPad gives you 288 sq cm.
Flip the Advent Vega over and we find a plastic back, gently curved at the edges, and prone to picking up scratches when placed on the desk.
Advent Vega Features
There’s a flap on the right of the Advent Vega which hides some useful looking connectors. First is a microSD card slot, with Advent throwing in a 2GB card to give basic storage.
Next to that there’s an unusual full-size (Type A) USB 2.0 port. An included A-to-A USB lead in the box lets you plug the Advent Vega into a PC and access its flash storage, although we couldn’t get it to charge from USB.
The mains charger in the box is a 12V power supply, suggesting that the Advent Vega requires more power to charge than the 5V/0.5A available from USB 2.0.
If you plug the Advent Vega into a PC –Windows, Mac or Linux - you can drag-and-drop music, video and photos into the relevant folders to use them on the tablet.
There’s also a Windows-only program provided, Advent Transfer Companion, for the process.
The third option under the flap is HDMI. We tried connecting the Advent Vega to a monitor, and saw a mirrored version of what was on the tablet’s own screen. It looked to be at the same limited resolution too, with interface elements looking very pixellated.
Worse, the speed of the entire device slowed so much it effectively became unusable when connected via HDMI. A restart of the Advent Vega tablet did not help.
On the bottom edge of the Advent Vega is some form of Apple-like dock connection port, although no cable nor explanation is included with the tablet.
Using the Advent Vega
In contrast to most Google Android phones, the Advent Vega does not have the usual fixed Home and Back buttons on the front panel below the screen.
But Home and Back buttons are embedded within a modified version of the standard Android user interface (UI), and there’s a small and fiddly silvered-plastic Back button on the top right edge of the Advent Vega too.
Some operations feel quick, like first opening the web browser; others very slow and jerky, such as scrolling up and down the webpage itself.
Like ViewSonic’s ViewPad 7, the Advent Vega cannot be used properly in portrait mode, as the home screen UI doesn’t rotate when you hold the tablet upright.
As the Advent Vega is installed with Google’s Android 2.2 operating system, designed for mobile phones, it has the option for a plugin to give what’s optimistically called ‘Flash compatibility’. So websites that use Adobe Flash to advertise at you or entertain you with embedded videos will work with this device.
Or at least, that’s what we’re told to believe.
In fact, Adobe Flash on every mobile devices we've tried is, at best, very poor; at worse, useless.
This Android tablet is a closer fit to the 'useless' category. We found sites that use large amounts of Flash advertising, such as www.pcadvisor.co.uk, could take minutes to load, if at all.
Interestingly, the designers of this Advent Vega must have known that Flash would be a problem, as they kindly included a click-to-enable system like Flashblock or ClickToFlash, such that you must finger-click some individual Flash boxes in a webpage to load content.
This didn’t help make Flash video any more enjoyable when is was playing though. The BBC iPlayer video we tried was dreadful, with lipsync so far out that male and female dialogue was transposed with comedic effect.
We have just discovered that Advent will be removing Flash plugin from further models of the Advent Vega at Dixons Stores Group (DSG) shops such as PC World and Dixons. DSG is now admitting that it installed a version of Adobe Flash that ‘has not completed the required certification tests by Adobe’.
In a prepared statement, DSG continued: ‘We will be providing a seamless and free-of-charge download of the certified version as soon as it is available. This download will also be available as an update to users who have already obtained the Advent Vega which includes the uncertified Flash Player 10.1.’
There isn't an app for that
Also absent from the Advent Vega is the usual Google Android Market app. Without this in place, it becomes very hard to supplement the limited number of apps already installed.
The Advent Vega includes a forward-facing webcam. Unlike Apple's fully functional FaceTime app for video-chatting on the iPhone 4, there are currently no reliable counterparts in the Google Android app world for video calling.
NEXT PAGE: our expert verdict >>
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Comments
Apple are Oranges said: i got my Vega free from a relative who accidentlly soft-bricked it and then went and got an IPad2 I spent 30 minutes researching advent vega and honeycomb and another hour trying out Cyranogen Mod Vegacomb 81 9n VegaICS Alpha 2 before sticking with 9n w HoneyIce RC 31So now with a working Vega running a fairly stable ROM I showed said relative the nice USB-Host mode connected a USB optical mouse and showed how well this functionality works She was very impressed and returned her IPad and purchased two Vegas and had me do the same to them and she gave one as a gift to a friendI can recommend Apple to anyone who appricaites the simplicity desigin and finest communist production slavery can legally build
Matt Egan said: Apart from this one we received nothing from Apple for this review
FanBoySpotter said: Totally biased review from an obvious apple fan-boy lolI own both a Vega and an Ipad2 Apples and orangesHow many Ipads did you get for writing that reviewNo further comment needed
Nick Bailey said: Terrible and highly biased review google elsewhere to get a more accurate one its a nice tablet for browsing and the gaming potential is pretty good too as I have just been testing openGL and other libraries
Matt Egan said: Its possible the review is outdated but it is date stamped so I think we can relax on that score Still not convinced by the Vega though Hows its build quality stack up to that of current generation tablets
lewisc said: This review is outdated and totally wrong The Advent Vega has been shown to be an exceptional piece of kit with real longevity It has exceptional hardware for the price and the real genius of this tablet is that it cannot be bricked and some exceptional people have developed honeycomb 32 and a whole host of other operating systems which can be easily installed on this tablet and transform it into a truly cutting edge bargain bit of kit The Vega simply cannot be bricked It is a sensational piece of kit I thoroughly recommend the VegaThe PC Advisor review is so wrong it should be removed as it really undermines the credibility of this site
Raygun said: As opposed to the iPad or any apple product
Slayer201277 said: Sorry this post is total garbage Install Honeycomb 32 and you will be rocking and rolling way faster than on my PC Plus if you pick up a HP mini 16gb pendrive you can use the USB host mode to make that extended memory
Matt Egan said: Right here The Vega isnt a Google sanctioned Android device thats the point
Marklcrane said: I have not used this tablet but i have an android device and flash works very welli guess you are a very biased apple fanwhere can you get an unbiased review
Matt Egan said: PROVE THAT YOU WERENT DRUNK Kidding Clearly there is a very different review of the Vega to be written Are you up for doing it
Jeremy said: Matt by effectively calling me a drunken poster would be libel if my identity were known - that was what I was referring to By calling a review biased and professionally negligent is not libellous - a magazine that publishes a review and invites comments on its content cannot turn around and suggest that fair comment is libellous My commentswere notan attack on a personal level in any eventThank you for your apology As you said before to another poster youre entitled to your opinion With the apology your post seems a little less hypocritical I was happy to see a response from someone who I thought might have engaged in some reasoned and worthwhile for others as well as myself discussion But the content as I think we agree was not appropriateThe thing that is wrong with the review is that as you have pointed out admitted it failed to note that the Vegamay be a bargain for those happy to hack their way around Since well before the review was written quite user-friendly means of hacking and using Android market were available Yet the review made no concession for the fact that this cheap and cheerful product could actually do much of what it said it couldnt In my view that wasandcertainly now is misleading I was looking for comparisons with the iPad before I purchased my Vega - the comparison I have no problem with The presumption that I actually only want an iPad and therefore should only consider how close any other product comes to an iPad was in my opinion a flawed starting point for PC Advisors broad readership To use the car analogy I have never seen reviewers compare just two cars at very different price points catering to different needs and give a verdict that merely noted the ways in which the cheaper car failed to be similar enough to the expensive modelIn relation to those letters from Vega critics there are also plenty of people who are more than happy with their bargain Ive certainly read much more from happy campers than disgruntled consumers about the Vega - a rarity for most products - including in comments on this website So while I agree there are plenty of people for whom the Vega was and perhaps still is unsuitable I would never buy one for my mother for instance that was not the point of my comments and nor was that expressed in a balanced way in the review The review said and I too paraphrase that the Vega was nothing like the iPad and thats all bad
Matt Egan said: On reflection I could have been less defensive in my reply Much less Id take it down but well that would be even more defensive I was riled and I shouldnt have been and for that I apologiseTheres nothing wrong with the review if the Vega is right for you thats great It is what it is But it is poorly built and non-Google sanctioned And as such it will be a total waste of money for a lot of purchasers If youre comfortable hacking your way around the rough edges it may be a bargain for you But part of our job is to make sure people know exactly what they are getting for their hard-earned At launch the Vega was sold as - I paraphrase - like the iPad but half the price Or to use your analogy a Bentley Continental for the price of a Ford Fiesta I think its fair to make the comparison More than fair not to do so would be negligent And trust me our post bag since last Christmas backs this up lots of people got iPad-shaped devices under the tree last year and lots of them now have Vegas that are little more than expensive photo frames Incidentally patronising YesIll-advised certainly But libellous I think not and certainly no more libellous than biased and professionally negligent which is what particularly got my goat
Jeremy said: Id try to be offended Matt I really would Honestly But the most I can summon is pity Not just foryou but for PC Advisor as well Editor Really Dear oh dearFavoured phrases youre not the first Im hardly surprised by this having read many other responses to Andrews article Meanwhile retreating behind libellous insinuations and patronising remarks in the face of reasoned and widely held crticism darlingis certainlythe favoured refuge of well yourself Well doneYou and Andrew have been able to see that the Vega is a tablet PC I think theres debate about whether the iPad is a tablet PC though But youre on the right track Meanwhile I hope we can agree that a Ford Fiesta and a Bentley Continental are both motor vehiclesAs for better deal you clearly missedmy point Many Saturday night male revellers arriving home aloneat 5am on a Saturday deciding to conduct a bit of internet research could also miss the point by being a tad distracted Not sure what your excuse is My point is that the Vega is better for me My other point was that a balanced review by someone who realises the different strengths of different products might have produced something at least slightly relevantIn response to your only shred of justification shouldnt PC Advisor review a product rather than its advertising The Nissan 350Zs advertising campaign was focused almost exclusively on Porsche 911 comparisons Mistake Big time But it still received many positive reviews for being something like 20 cheaper and fitting a very different but by no means irrelevant market segment Sound familiar iPad2 claims to be magical Go on focus on that in your next reviewOn a Sunday morning while researching and updating the Vega for my wife - and having found extremely useful information from so many sources - I can safely say this review was close to worthless Hopefully it doesnt adversely affect those who have different needs than those offered by the iPadAn Matty if you really are a journalist try sticking to the subject matter next time and at least TRY to give advice we can trust with only a pinch of salt Its plain well have to leave the expert part of the advice to someone else
Matt Egan said: Hmm Few too many pints of Old Pec was it Biased Professionally negligent The favoured phrases of the Saturday-night poster Youre not the first Far be it from me to speak for Andrew but I think his point is that as a tablet PC - which I hope we can agree both iPad and Vega are - even at almost half price the Vega still isnt a better deal It is what it is a cheap and cheerful non-Google sanctioned tablet The build quality is poor and you have to hack it to get it to utilise the app store But it is cheap And sweetheart it was marketed as an iPad alternative I think it would have been professionally negligent not to compare the two
Jeremy said: Never respond to these but have to agree that the review is biased at best and professionally negligent at worst For someone who is supposed to provide a balanced and well-informed review in a neutral publication the least the reviewer could have done was some research It is not designed to go up against an iPad Just like a PC is not directly comparable against an iMac So why begin a review on the premise that everything must be compared with your own personal choice The Vegaoffers far more features than the iPad in many ways You can customise it easily whereas youre pretty much stuck with what you get out of the box with the iPadThe Vegacertainly offers far more value for money Unless of course you have no technical ability And thats pretty much the standard for Apple Apple produces products for people who have neither the time nor the willability to do a bit of the leg work themselvesFrankly at less than half the price of the equivalent Apple product for something that suits my needs and clearly suits the needs of many it is at least 3 stars ahead of an iPad for which I dont want the restrictive simplicity So Mr Harrison why not review it as a cheap powerfulAndroid device rather than state how its different from an apple Ahhhapples and oranges If only somereviewers paid attention to such basic yet highlyapple-icableidioms
Sksksk said: I bought the Advent Vega as it was basicallycheap at least 250 less than the hyped up Apple i-Pad When I bought it there were issues with the Android Market but after doing a simple download and hack it all now has full access to Android Market that makes it almost as good as any other tablet The only downside is that is has problems with Java and it dosnt have GPS and you need to have a web dongle to browse other than your home To be honest I think many editors of magazines are caught in the hype surrounding i-pads Who cares if the screen is whatever or it opens a app 1 nano second slower than the i-pad For everyday browsing and playing its fine For 17900 its ideal
Sksksk said: Thing is with Apple they just use hype to get their goods out I bought a Advent Vega and its excellent for surfing the web although it dosnt support Java for chat rooms etc Also there is NOTHING wrong with i-player mine works great Eb
Rich said: AgreedThats not a review Its a slagging from an obvious Apple supporter I cant understand how PC Advisor offer this as an informed piece of product journalism The reviewer is obviously very foolish amp makes no allowance for the difference in price I personally havent encountered the problems he has with my Vaga I would never spend money to lock my finances into the bank account of Steve Jobs Android is the way for me amp its easy to get apps for
VegaFan said: Stock Vega is pretty poor I agree but if youre happy to get your hands dirty and put a proper ROM on it not difficult at all then it becomes a serious proposition Instructions here httptinyurlcom48gyndn At 199 its a complete bargain