SYNAPSE CIRCUIT REVIEWS HUDL2

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
REVIEWS:

TESCO...
...HUDL2
PRICE: £129

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! Thank you so much for reading my articles! Here I am at crazy o’Clock writing up this last review for the hour!

Yes, it’s getting to that time again... Time for Christmas! If you are looking for an inexpensive tablet for you, child or children then read on!

#Tesco #Hudl2 #Android #AndroidTablet

GATHER ROUND...
Last year, UK super-mega-market chain put out a 7” tablet, the Hudl. It was okay, the design was a little, uhm, tacky. A tablet reconstructed out of recycled baby potties; that’s what the first incarnation reminded me of. It wasn’t going to challenge the Google Nexus 7 but at the very least it was a cheaper alternative which wasn’t too bad for the purpose of general entertainment. Being a Tesco product it gave consumers the confidence that it was a worthy family tablet.

Hudl2 came out a couple of weeks ago and I must say that the design is so much better...

DESIGN: FORM & FUNCTION
Hudl2 has undergone a wonderful transformation! It’s sleek, slim and rubberized to ensure that it can take some knocks that children will dish out! I actually like the 8 different colours available: Jazzy Blue, Zesty Orange, Slate Black, Rocket Red, Tropical Turquoise, Dreamy White, Perky Purple and Bubblegum Pink. Dare I say it that these colours should appeal to women of a non-technical background, children and men who are tired of these black devices like I am!

At the back are the two large mesh speakers and the main 5MP camera.

The overall effect is very pleasant to look at and it feels good in the hands. It’s quite light.

The screen is quite decent and the way it has been put together makes the 8.3” HD screen seem smaller considering the rather large bezels. The large bezels does go quite a way to prevent the screen being touched when held – especially by a child.

Summary: A very good improvement upon last year’s slate!

HARDWARE: POWER RATINGS
For £129 you do get some pretty powerful hardware: 8.3 inch 1920 x 1200, Intel Atom 1.83GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, stereo speakers with Dolby optimised audio, 5 MP main camera, 1.2 MP front-facing camera, 16GB storage and 32GB microSD card! I couldn’t get an exact fix on the battery other than it lasts up to 8 hours!

The hardware pushes things along quite nicely; the interface is pretty snappy but at times the Tesco user interface was a little sluggish. We’ll get to the software in a bit...

To sum this section up: The hardware is very, very good for the asking price; 1.83GHz of quad-core CPU is very satisfying. In addition the 16GB storage is great and should store enough apps and media from the 5MP camera. It’s a good move by Tesco to add expandability with a microSD card up to 32GB!

SOFTWARE:
ANDROID & DEFAULT APPS
It’s good to see that Tesco has KitKat 4.4.2 running on it. But as with most user interfaces on top it can slow the process down somewhat. There is occasionally some noticeable lag and that happens when switching between apps and some games. This can be solved by ensuring that you stop apps running in the background when going from intensive applications that uses a great deal of media such as video and graphics.

Another way to improve the lag is to install another launcher that could reduce the lag a great deal.

Tesco has placed its shop specific apps and widgets, as you’d expect, as a main feature. In addition as a parent, you can set-up different user profiles that are child friendly. The time on the tablet can be set and website can be prohibited too! Nice!



Summary: Hudl2 uses Android KitKat 4.4.2 and it may be possible that Tesco has factored in an upgrade to Android 5 Lollipop! Tesco’s user interface overlay isn’t bad but I feel that it attributes to the occasional lag which may be reduced by installing a launcher such as Nova (Prime) instead! If you are a regular Tesco shopper the specific apps and widgets should help to make your shop more economical.

USAGE: DAY TO DAY
Because of the inspired redesign I really enjoyed using the Hudl2. The one let down for me was the speakers which sounded very, very tinny! As you should know by now I dabble in music composition and I have been looking for a tablet with a decent sound in order to do so. I thought the Fonepad 7 LTE ME372CL was going to be satisfactory and it wasn’t. The same thought occurred to me with the Hudl2 looking at the “Dolby optimized” speakers that quite frankly look weaponized! The speakers sound like a wet fart coming out of them! Yes, you will be able to enjoy video from YouTube, BBC iPlayer, etc but the experience is little more than watching and listening on your smartphone – depending on what you’ve got! The Motorola Moto G second generation with its stereo front-facing speakers are quite loud and not as tinny as is the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 2! Tesco really ought to put more effort in the speakers for Hudl3! In fact, Tesco ought to consider a tablet aimed at adults as Hudl2 is proving to be quite a success! For a little more cash Tesco could up the hardware ante to include a stronger set of speakers (possibly at the front).



But these criticisms are not meant in a harsh way; the Hudl2 is a very usable everyday tablet!

CONCLUSION
At £129 the Hudl2 can be an additional tablet specifically for a child or children while you enjoy a more powerful beast such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S that boasts a superior screen, CPU, and everything!

I see the Hudl2 as a multifunctional tablet:-

It can be used as a children’s teaching aid.
In the kitchen it can be used to follow recipes.
For the older 11 to 16 year old it just might come in handy to do school homework.
Less demanding adults can use it as a portable entertainment device to access the Internet, YouTube, social networks, receive email, etc. Fling it in an over the shoulder bag and away you go!

SCORE
I give the Hudl2 a solid gold because the hardware is very good for the money and the build is solid! The 8.3 screen is quite nice for watching movies and working with productive apps such as Google Docs for example. You won't be disappointed!



SPEC:-
8.3 inch 1920 x 1200

Intel Atom 1.83 GHz quad-core processor

2 GB of RAM

Android Kitkat 4.4.2 operating system

Stereo speakers with Dolby optimised audio

5 MP main camera

1.2 MP front-facing camera

16 GB storage

32GB microSD card

8 hour battery life

Dual band Wi-Fi, micro-HDMI

8 colours: Jazzy Blue, Zesty Orange, Slate Black, Rocket Red, Tropical Turquoise, Dreamy White, Perky Purple and Bubblegum Pink.

Pre-loaded with Parental filter and controls

There you go!

 Things to think about!

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TESCO HUDL 7-INCH TABLET. SYNAPSE CIRCUIT FIRST IMPRESSION.

Everybody! Hudl round!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
TESCO HUDL 7-INCH TABLET!
PRICE, £119 (16 GB)
#Tesco #Hudl

Good late evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How was your day? I hope it was productive – exactly how you wanted it to be! And if your day is still unravelling there is still time!

When Apple laughs at Android it seems that the door of opportunity is opened! Enter UK supermarket chain, Tesco! These days it is a question of what doesn’t Tesco do? They have credit cards, branded foods, branded household electrical goods and now they have extended to a 7” tablet, the Hudl. Whether you appreciate the tablet name contributing to the further decline of the English language or not you just might appreciate that this supermarket tablet is made possible with Android!

CHECKOUT

From the spec below I can tell that Tesco have done their homework; what they’ve put together is pretty impressive for a first stab at the tablet market. Check it out...

...TESCO HUDL

Spec:-

Screen
7 inch (diagonal) IPS LCD
1440 x 900 HD resolution
242ppi
Scratch resistant, anti-smudge glass
10-point multi-touch screen

Colour options
Black, Purple, Red, Blue

Dimensions
Height:          128.8 mm      (5.07 inches)
Width:            192.8 mm      (7.59 inches)
Depth:           9.85 mm        (0.38 inches)
Weight:          370g   (0.81 pounds)

Storage
16GB internal storage (expandable via microSD to 48GB total)

Cameras
2MP front facing fixed focus
3MP rear facing auto focus

Audio
2 x 1w stereo speakers

Microphone
3.5mm headphone jack

Battery
Up to 9hrs of video playback (actual conditions may vary, dependent on video format and content, audio volume, screen brightness and processor load.)

Processor
1.5GHz A9 Quad-core processor

Wireless
Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 2.5GHz) 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS

Ports
Micro-USB
Micro-HDMI
Micro-SDHC
3.5mm jack

Sensors
Gyroscope
Accelerometer
Compass
In the box

Hudl tablet
DC charger, output power (5v=2A)
1m USB to Micro-USB cable
Quick start guide

Pretty good, no? The Hudl manages to present a challenge to the Google Nexus by adding microSD expansion to 48 GB thus making up for the non-full screen HD resolution. The £119 asking price is very, very competitive and Tesco may have the Hudl flying out of their stores UK wide!

Yes, considering that Tesco have its own mobile network I am surprised that there is not a 3G / LTE version of this tablet to take advantage of selling data plans. Odd!

DESIGN & FORM
Design-wise it looks like an Asus and Samsung hybrid in that it looks like a 7” version of the Nexus 10 tablet.  I think that the thick-ish bezel makes the tablet quite easy to handle and by the play on the word “huddle” it is aimed at the family – children in particular!

The build feels solid and built to last – unlike some cheap Android tablets. The Hudl has to be solid if it is for the whole family! There’s great scope for Tesco to cut deals with educational institutions as the Hudl is ideal for schools / students to embrace the use of technology further to enhance learning. And to think that once upon a time some 30-odd students would huddle around a very basic computer terminal. Jeez!

INCENTIVES
What I appreciate as a shopper is that Tesco has an application that informs and encourages the consumer to make use of its points system. That app is available on the Google Play Store should you wish to bypass this excellent tablet; the Hudl is inexpensive enough for shoppers to take with them to enhance their shopping experience. I can see Tesco promoting cookery via its YouTube channel thus pointing out that the ingredients can be bought in the store.

As someone who collects points on my reward card the Hudl appeals!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I do like the Hudl a great deal. I think it is cleverly priced. However, I am hesitant to rush out and buy straightaway because I am almost certain that Tesco will bring out a 3G / LTE version for use with their or any other network. Add another £20 for 3G / LTE and I could snap it up!

If 3G / LTE are not an issue for you then the Hudl could very well be for you.

IN CLOSING
The sales of Android tablets should rocket this Christmas! This is the beginning of the Android tablet being commonly widespread on the streets; the future has truly arrived! Considering the amount of time that Apple has had the iPad out it hasn’t become widespread and is a rarity on the streets today. Samsung, Asus, Acer and other manufacturers have done and continue to do their bit; Tesco have thrown in their hat and made it pretty easy – even in today’s financial climate – for the consumer to have a decent tablet. Will other strong supermarket chains follow suit?

Again, only Android can achieve the above.

I hope you enjoyed this review. Stay tuned for more reviews to come.

Watch this space!

Take good care!

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