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Mostly Everything

Say Hai! to the Haipad: 7″ Android tablet with ICS for only PHP 4,189 via Lazada

Here’s a find. The Haipad (yes we know it sounds like an iPad saying hello) is probably the most affordable bargain in Manila for a 7″ tablet. According to the folks at Lazada’s online store, the 8GB Haipad is one of their most popular products selling off the virtual shelves. I had to ask: what makes this device so affordable? Is it made of cheap plastic? Are the parts wonky? Read on for our review.

Reps from Lazada contacted me asking if I wanted to review the Haipad after picking it up from their office in Makati and playing with it for several days, here are my insights:

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Mostly Everything

16GB Google Nexus 7 Priced at PHP 17,999 (Villman)

OK two things here:

Villman is selling the new 16GB Google Nexus 7 at PHP 18,000 pesos. That’s twice the price in retail when you buy the device in the USA. Stocks are limited and that’s what you get when demand is high. It’s actually a bad deal if you think about it — you’re paying more than twice the price for this device if you peg the dollar at PHP 44 (total SRP should be around PHP 8,600.00) which is an amazing steal that destroys all other affordable tablets the local scene.

But then you also have to realize that Google is HALTING new orders for the new 16GB tablet, making only the 8GB model available for sale on the Play store.

The company has now halted further orders of the 16GB version of the tablet, costing £199, on its Google Play store in the US and UK. Orders made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s forever gone. It’s more like .. are you willing to pay almost twice the price of an affordable tablet or wait a bit longer?

I go for WAITING. And this is for the simple reason that the USD $200 SRP is a feature of the device and paying anything more than that mitigates the amazing price point. If you’re going to pay PHP 18,000 for this tablet, you might as well have gotten an iPad.

[info c/o John Nieves]

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Mostly Everything

ZTE Light Tab 2 V9A: 7″ Android tablet priced like a mid-range smartphone at PHP 15,490

There’s a reason why Android is relevant — it’s become the ‘new Symbian’ of this decade. It seems like everyone is adopting Google’s platform and ZTE is no stranger in the business. You might have heard of the very first SMART Netphone which was essentially a ZTE Blade unit launched during last year’s Mobile World Congress.

ZTE has cleverly priced the Light Tab 2 V9A at PHP 15,490, the cost of a ‘branded’ mid-range smartphone.

Here are the tech specs:

• Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
• 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon, Adreno 205
• 7.0 inches (~170 ppi pixel density), LCD capacitive touchscreen,
• 600 x 1024 pixels
• 4 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB microSD pre-installed, supports up to 32GB
• 3.0 MP Back Camera
• VGA Front Camera
• Video Calling: 12 fps
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900MHz
• HSDPA/UMTS 900/2100MHz or 850/1900MHz, HSDPA 14.4MBPS, HSUPA 7.2MBPS
• Built in Dolby Mobile Sound Technology
• 202 x 122 x 12.6 mm, 389 g, Touch-sensitive controls
• 7 hours Talk time
• 300h Standby
• Li-Ion 3400 mAh

If it’s one notable thing, the Light Tab 2 comes with a juiced up battery (because of the larger real estate) and should last longer than most smartphones.