Gentouch78: A weak, cheap iPad imitation
Can an iPad wannabe offer all the wonders of tablet computing at barely a third of the price of Apple Inc.’s hot gadget?
The $170 Gentouch78 from Augen Electronics Corp. has a 7-inch touch-screen with Wi-Fi for surfing the Web, watching YouTube videos and reading e-books.
Sold exclusively at Kmart, the Gentouch is obviously one of the most affordable tablet PCs. It’s also one of the first based on Google Inc.’s Android smart phone software.
Comparing it to the iPad is like Mike Tyson boxing a toddler, but at first glance the Gentouch seems like a decent option for bargain hunters looking for something that lets them do e-mail on the couch.
The number of tablets, especially ones running Google’s open-source system, is expected to skyrocket soon. At electronics conferences this year, PC and smart phone manufacturers have shown dozens of Android tablets.
Last month Dell released the Streak, a tablet-phone mutant with a 5-inch screen for $300 with a two-year AT&T; service contract. Samsung recently announced the Galaxy S Tab, sporting a 7-inch screen and a pair of cameras that can be used for video conferencing.
Even the Indian government says it’s working on a tablet, claiming it can sell one for $35. Some doubt that.
So Augen, the Hollywood, Fla., company with the monopoly on bargain-basement tablets for now, could find its Gentouch claiming spots under some Christmas trees. Cue kids saying: “Hey, this isn’t an iPad!”
The price is certainly attractive and will satisfy your money-saving urges.
But the battery lasts only a few hours during moderate use -- that’s less than a laptop or a phone.
Using the Gentouch requires patience. Switching between apps and performing basic functions such as swiping between home screens have noticeable delays.
The touch screen isn’t very responsive. I had to press down extra hard to type messages using the on-screen keyboard. Extended use can make my fingertips a bit sore, but all that tactile stress might condition me for playing the guitar.
How some things are laid out on the device is perplexing. Why is the power button hidden in an alcove on the side? Why are the navigation buttons -- for going back a page, to the home screen, searching or calling up software menus -- tiny and hidden on the back?
Nostalgia kicked in when I discovered the small stylus jutting from the back. If you’re still hanging on to your Palm Pilot, you’ll appreciate the option.
As an e-reader, the Gentouch is far behind the Kindle or iPad. It doesn’t recognize when it’s turned on its side, so you can use it only in a landscape position. And the included iReader application is very limited. The app can handle only PDFs and basic text files from a computer.
A good alternative would be to download Amazon.com’s Android app, but that’s not an option. Augen advertises in two places on the Gentouch’s package that it can “download hundreds of apps.” Not so. Augen says it’s still in discussions with Google. Meanwhile, other manufacturers say they’re working directly with Google on some aspects of tablet development.
There’s no camera or pinch-to-zoom feature with the Gentouch. But it comes with a leather case. Chic.
With so many gadgets that can access the Web and do basic multimedia functions rather cheaply, such as a netbook or iPod Touch, and with many more Android tablets on the way, there’s probably something out there that can satisfy your e-mail addiction better than the Gentouch.
mark.milian@latimes.com
