Dropad A8hd review

[synergy84]

I do not advise to flash the firmware 2.3.4 - it's RC, greatly increased power consumption, the work of USB OTG is not corrected, and you can not bring back the version 2.2
pandawill - can you help us to get 2.2 firmware?

It means that if there will be 2.2 firmware it will be inbossible for me to flash back to 2.2 from 2.3, and I have to wait when the developers make a new version, I have posted a letter to info@saayi.com about the bugs but there is no answer from them

[tomchism]

it looks like i'm going to send mine back, i'm looking at replacing it with either the ployer momo7 Model#:sku10438, or the cube u10gt Model#:sku20173, any thoughts or suggestions? both of these are supposed to come with android 2.3.

[synergy84]

Hello! Dear pandawill,

I have posted an E-mail days ago to your supplier of Dropad-A8HD, here it is:

Hello! I have flashed my Dropad-A8HD with 2.3 firmware, link to you resource http://www.saayi.com/sy/asp-bin/gb/?...ss=107&id=678:
Good:
- sound in earphones became much louder
- in 2.3 this problem with WI-FI shutting down when in WI-FI settings sleeping mode id off is solved.
Bad:
- not all the apps from Android market want to install, market says that my device is not supported. In 2.2 firmware everything was ok
- problem with lock/unlock (when the tablet is in sleeping mode and I press a power button to unlock it, it unlocks not after i press a button once, sometimes after two or three times, the same situation is when I,m trying to lock it manually). In 2.2 firmware everything was ok.
- built in youtube and GoogleTalk doesn't work, crash after startup and there is no opportunity to delete it and install other versions
Critical:
- the battery is getting low much quicker than in 2.2, very much quicker, 5-6 hours in standby without any games,video,music,bluetooth and WI-FI
- when device shuts down because the battery is empty and I put it to charge, system time shows not real time and the date resets to 01.01.2010, it strays when I turn it on, in 2.2 it was ok.

Please can you fix these problems in a new firmware.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___

Here is the answer from supplier:

Thanks for your attention and suggestion
The A8HD 2.3 firmware just update ,so still have some bugs can not solve it becasue maybe the PCB also have some problem .
We will amend the PCB from this new order ,I think the new PCB and the new firmware will cooperate wellnew

Best Regards
Vivian
info@dropad.com.cn
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________________________________________

If It's a PCB (printed circuit board) problem it means that Dropad-A8HD that I have bought at Pandawill has a factory defect, and as I understood a whole lot that you have received from a supplier has this problem. Can yo tell me please what have I do now with my tablet because of a wrong energy consumption.

[castillo14]

Hello, I am new at this forum, and I also bought a Dropad A8HD tablet (it came with android 2.3.4 rc4 installed)

Following the review of synergy84, I have been using it for three days and I can tell the following conclusions:

VERY GOOD-> screen is great, very good definition, brightness and color; screen responsive good too (I do not know when I am going the 5 touch points, but they works well); the tablet is fast, very fast (I can use any "authorized" app or game and it works fine).

GOOD->tablet materials are good and buttons work OK (although the buttons at the screen like the Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich versions would work better, as the control buttons do not have back lighting and you can not see them at dark places). Battery recharging time take about 2-3 hours.

NOT TO GOOD->Some Google apps do not work, like Contacts (I can not sync my contacts, this option do not appear when you activate a google ID), Gtalk (it close before to finish the app starting) and Google Market block some apps because it says that they are not compatible with the tablet (I jump this problem erasing the market update from settings->apps). I think this can be solved with a firmware update

BAD->Battery life. I think I can not use it more of two and a half hours (only browsing, whitout music or videos or games) I have read in this threat that the battery life was longer with the froyo version of the firmware, so I think it will be able to be solved (soon I hope).

I hope that the PCB problems in the Saayi answer will be related to something like Power Control Battery or something similar because if it means that the Printed Circuit Boards have a problem, I think that I have throught the money to the rubbish bin as the tablet works OK only if you have near a power plugin point.

[castillo14]

Thanks Synergy84 because you show us the answer from the supplier. This can help us to know why our android 2.3.4 units run only for two hours before the battery is empty.

[synergy84]

Thanks Synergy84 because you show us the answer from the supplier. This can help us to know why our android 2.3.4 units run only for two hours before the battery is empty.

You are welcome. I also hope that a new firmaware will appear soon, because the tablet is very good in general, but power consumption kills all the good things in it, because for example it is impossible to take it to the train and watch some film because the battery will go empty for 2 hours.

[synergy84]

About the speakers. After disassembling the device it could be seen that there are two of them present, and both are connected to the motherboard, but works only one, the right one? I think it is also a firmware problem.

[castillo14]

Hello Synergy84:

I have checked the speakers of my unit and both two works OK, so I think it is not a firmware issue as I have the 2.3.4 RC4 version of it.

On the other hand, about the battery life, I have to check it, but I think in my last recharge, the last 10 percent of battery life has been working OK about 1 hour (in my ideal life, 10 percent is 1 hour => 100 percent is 10 hours) . Now I am recharging my unit. I hope to have more news tomorrow.

[castillo14]

To Tomchis:

I like the cube u10gt a lot. If you choose this one, please, tell us and make a review.

Thanks.

[synergy84]

Hello Synergy84:

I have checked the speakers of my unit and both two works OK, so I think it is not a firmware issue as I have the 2.3.4 RC4 version of it.

On the other hand, about the battery life, I have to check it, but I think in my last recharge, the last 10 percent of battery life has been working OK about 1 hour (in my ideal life, 10 percent is 1 hour => 100 percent is 10 hours) . Now I am recharging my unit. I hope to have more news tomorrow.

Hmm, you are lucky , because at another forum about Dropad A8HD, guys say that also one speaker works. May be you have the one from the newer shipment with amended PCB.