TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Eskom ramps up load shedding as crisis deepens

      30 June 2022

      Alviva shares leap higher on R3-billion take-private offer

      30 June 2022

      Huawei, MTN to help build 5G-powered ‘smart mine’

      30 June 2022

      Clear the regulatory fog, ISPs urge Icasa

      30 June 2022

      Datatec to sell Analysys Mason for as much as R4.1-billion

      30 June 2022
    • World

      Bitcoin just had its worst quarter in a decade

      30 June 2022

      The NFT party is over

      30 June 2022

      Samsung beats TSMC to 3nm chip production

      30 June 2022

      Napster plots crypto comeback

      29 June 2022

      Pictures: Chinese spacecraft acquires images of entire planet of Mars

      29 June 2022
    • In-depth

      The great crypto crash: the fallout, and what happens next

      22 June 2022

      Goodbye, Internet Explorer – you really won’t be missed

      19 June 2022

      Oracle’s database dominance threatened by rise of cloud-first rivals

      13 June 2022

      Everything Apple announced at WWDC – in less than 500 words

      7 June 2022

      Sheryl Sandberg’s ad empire leaves a complicated legacy

      2 June 2022
    • Podcasts

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E06 – ‘Apple Silicon’

      15 June 2022

      The youth might just save us

      15 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E05 – ‘Nvidia: The Green Goblin’

      8 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E04 – ‘The story of Intel – part 2’

      1 June 2022
    • Opinion

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022

      How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

      8 April 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Gadgets & Reviews»Vodacom’s Smart Tab 3G cheapie reviewed

    Vodacom’s Smart Tab 3G cheapie reviewed

    Gadgets & Reviews By Regardt van der Berg16 October 2014
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    Vodacom-Smart-Tab-3G---938

    Vodacom’s new Smart Tab 3G is all about driving up the demand for data. Aimed at the mass market, the R999 entry-level tablet could help the mobile operator do just that.

    Before we start this review, bear in mind that this device is not meant for consumers who would normally use a high-end Samsung tablet or an Apple iPad. It’s aimed at a very different market.

    The 7-inch Smart Tab 3G is a solid enough tablet, constructed of an all-plastic body. Holding it for the first time, you’ll notice it feels light in the hand — weighing only 275g — and the matte-textured back cover will ensure it doesn’t easily slip out of your hand.

    Vodacom says the Smart Tab 3G was developed in South Africa. “We sketched out what we thought were the ideal specifications for South Africa, and using the purchasing power of Vodafone’s global device team we were able to have the device manufactured at a price point that works out at R2/day [on contract],” chief commercial officer Phil Patel says.

    Vodacom-Smart-Tab-3G-280Tablets are growing in popularity among consumers that don’t own or can’t afford a fully fledged computer. The Smart Tab 3G is clearly going after the non-PC user market.

    Vodacom hasn’t gone for the most basic hardware, squeezing in a zippy HSPA+ 3G aerial (the 900MHz and 2,1GHz bands are supported, with fallback to 2G bands) and Wi-Fi in the 802.11 b/g/n variants.

    It also runs the most recent but one version of Android — 4.4 KitKat.

    There’s a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and 0,3-megapixel camera on the front. This is certainly not a tablet designed for the photographer and the images it produces are average at best. Vodacom had to skimp big time somewhere, right?

    The Smart Tab 3G’s button layout follows the design of many of today’s most popular devices. The power button and volume rocker are neatly positioned on the right-hand side of the tablet, within thumb’s reach.

    A little more unconventional is the positioning of the the micro-USB socket, which sits at the top of the device.

    This is also where you will find the 3,5mm audio jack. On the left is the Sim slot and the microSD card adapter, which can accommodate capacities up to 32GB — important given it has only 4GB of storage space (2GB of that usable).

    There’s a dual-core 1,3GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, which means the tablet will struggle with apps that require a lot of system resources. However, that’s not unexpected given the price point.

    Indeed, it’s always difficult to criticise ultra-cheap devices like this one if they don’t perform like more expensive rivals. As long as they’re usable, that’s what matters, right? The very nature of their construction means that entry-level parts need to be used to keep costs down. The only place where this negatively impacts on the Smart Tab 3G is its display.

    Smart-Tab-3G---640

    The 7-inch screen features a resolution of 960×540 pixels for a pixel density of just 157ppi. The screen is bright enough, but it’s far from crisp, and this becomes quite evident when looking at small text.

    The screen is also very reflective and it has shallow viewing angles, meaning that it can be difficult to see detail in bright light or if it’s not angled exactly right.

    The battery’s also okay, and holds on for most of a day of average use. It’s non-removable and is rated at 2 840mAh.

    For the most part, the Vodacom Smart Tab 3G works well for its price and is more than sufficient to compose e-mail, browse the Web and even play some basic games from the Play store. It’s one of the better looking low-cost tablets.

    Vodacom also did not clutter the tablet with too much bloatware. There’s the usual array of the company’s apps. There’s an app that makes sending USSD codes a little easier — important given the target market.

    The Vodacom Smart Tab 3G is available for a cash price of R999 or it can be purchased on contract at R59/month on 24-month price plan that includes 500MB/month of data (plus 500MB of data between midnight and 5am for those who’d rather browse the Web than sleep).  — © 2014 NewsCentral Media

    Vodacom Vodacom Smart Tab 3G
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleSamsung claims 7,5Gbit/s 5G connection
    Next Article Why people fall for 419 scams

    Related Posts

    Long-serving Vodacom director David Brown passes away

    20 June 2022

    Remgro sees big 5G opportunity in Vumacam poles

    14 June 2022

    Telkom revenue growth slips into reverse gear

    14 June 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Think herding cats is tricky? Try herding a cloud

    29 June 2022

    How your business can help hybrid workers effectively

    28 June 2022

    Hands off our satellite spectrum!

    27 June 2022
    Opinion

    Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

    21 June 2022

    Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

    13 June 2022

    A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

    19 May 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.