The last few weeks have seen a flood of low-cost Android tablet launches
in India. Known manufacturers like HCL and even the unknown ones, like
Zync, have jumped in to tap this lucrative market.
Micromax is one of
the vendors to join the mix with its decently priced Ice Cream Sandwich
sporting Funbook. Although Funbook sounds like a great deal on paper, is
it worth it? We will find out in this review.
Hardware
Like
other low-cost tablets available in the market, Micromax Funbook comes
with all plastic body with faux aluminium coated back. The tablet has
been put together well, but the hardware Android buttons seem
unecessary, considering the on-screen virtual buttons introduced in Ice
Cream Sandwich.
Among other hardware characteristics, Funbook
comes with a volume rocker and power button on the right side, while all
the ports including 3.5mm headset jack, TF card slot, HDMI, Mini-USB
and charging port are placed on the bottom. The Mini-USB port can be
used to plug-in the data card (available for free with the tablet) or
even the flash drives with the help of the bundled adapter. The tablet
is light and feels nice in hand and even the overall build quality is
decent.
Software/ Performance
Thanks to Google's decision
to make Android 4.0 open-source (unlike Honeycomb), the budget tablet
makers no longer have to install FroYo or Gingebread on their tablets.
So, Micromax Funbook comes with Android 4.0.3. The presence of ICS
itself improves one's perception of the tablet but in reality the
performance is sub-par. During our brief usage, the tablet hung
frequently and we saw several 'force closes'.
Funbook takes 3-5
seconds to wake up from sleep, which made us believe many a times that
the device had run out of charge, only for the screen to come up. While
Android 4.0 provides great user interface, the crippled hardware dampens
the whole user experience on Micromax Funbook. We even performed
factory reset to try the tablet from scratch but there was little-to-no
improvement in the lag or sluggishness that we had been facing.
If
you are one of the patient ones and don't care about the hiccups,
Funbook has a lot to offer - it gives a versatile multimedia playback
support and even the browsing experience is decent. Company has also
attempted to target students with the pre-loaded educational content,
which is certainly an added advantage.
Unlike many other budget
tablets, Micromax Funbook also comes with the Google Play store along
with company's own appstore, so you will not have any issues in getting
apps for your device. Company app store also offers multimedia content
along with the apps, part of which is free for users, but for others you
will have to pay. In terms of the pre-loaded apps, Funbook features
Aldiko, Documents to Go, Zenga Live TV, and Super HD Play.
Display/ Touch
Micromax
Funbook comes with a 7-inch capacitive display with 800x480p
resolution. The touch sensitivity is surprisingly nice on the tablet and
even supports multi-touch input. However pinch-to-zoom is laggy
at-times.
Display is a major disappointment; resolution is too low
for a tablet and even the colours and viewing angles are far from
decent.
Battery Life/ Camera
Micromax has included a 2800
mAh battery in Funbook, which gives around 5-6 hours of backup for a
moderate user. One can't expect more than that from a low-cost tablet.
On the camera front, there is no rear camera in the device, but company
has included a 0.3MP front camera. It can be used for video chats and
company has also pre-loaded Tango chat client on the device.
Verdict
The
ultimate question for a low-cost device - is it value for money or not?
Despite the fact that Micromax Funbook comes with plethora of features,
it is the user experience that mars the deal. For someone looking to buy
their first computing device on a tight budget, the Funbook might make
sense. But based on the time we spent with the device, anyone who's been
around the block may find dealing with Funbook a frustrating
experience.
Pros
- Low price
- Ice Cream Sandwich
Cons
- Poor user experience
- Sub-standard display
Price: Rs. 6,499
Ratings
Design: 3.5
Display: 2
Performance: 2.5
Software: 3
Battery Life: 3
Value for Money: 4
Camera: 1
Ecosystem: 3.5
Overall: 2.5