Review: SkyTech Android 4.0 tablet

Consumers are now spoilt for choice when it comes to tablet PCs - whether in the high or low end of the market.

One offering on the latter end is the SkyTech Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet, which was released by MMM-Mukumbe Marketing and Media to the South African market in July.

This entry-level tablet offers a cheap alternative to those who need a tablet PC without having to dig too deep into their pockets. It can also be an ideal device for parents who want to offer their children tablet experience without risking their high-end devices.

The SkyTech tablet has a recommended retail price of R1 695, which I would say is reasonable, considering other gadgets in the same market, like the Netsurfer Touch, are going for around R1 900.

Upon its unveiling, Charles Mukembe Ngola, CEO of SkyTech Android, said: “We are very pleased to introduce SkyTech Android 4.0 to the nation. Our goal is to provide technology to everyone at a reasonable price.”

I must add that, for a very low-budget device, the SkyTech Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet simply does what you want it to do - it's a fully functional Android offering.

Armed with the Google operating system, the SkyTech Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet falls in the seven-inch category. With this OS, the gadget proved quite responsive and was able to multi-task without any hiccups. It is also equipped with a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor.

It also comes preloaded with a variety of apps, but more can be downloaded from the Google Android market.

Gamers will also find this tablet satisfactory, thanks to the larger screen and captive resolution. I played several stages of Angry Birds on the device and the experience was vastly different from when I play on my own Android device. Jewels Deluxe is also preloaded.

One particular app that I found useful is TweetCaster - a Twitter application that works as an alternative to the official Twitter application. I found this app rather more in-depth than most other Twitter applications out there.

TweetCaster enables a user to manage multiple accounts, something that is becoming more popular on social applications on Android.

There is also the Kingston Office app, which is used for opening, editing and creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations. I was particularly glad that the app is also compatible with Microsoft Office, and above all, it's free.

Regarding storage, the tablet has 4GB of internal memory that can be expanded to 16GB using an SD card.

Moreover, the SkyTech Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet also has a USB port, something that most tablet PCs don't have. However, fitting a memory stick into the USB port proved to be a challenge - I had to literally force it in.

The battery life for this gadget is about six hours when in constant use, which is also one of its selling points.

Turning to connectivity, the tablet uses WiFi or 3G to connect to the Net. Its wireless 802.11b/g/n capability enables fast Web browsing and downloads.

The device has a 2MP front-facing camera. I found this to be one of the biggest letdowns on this gadget because it lacks a rear camera to complement the front-facing one; thus, for photography fans, this tablet will be quite disappointing. However, the front-facing camera can be useful for Skype.

I really feel that the SkyTech Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet could have fared better in the fierce market if it included phone functionality, as with other tablets of the same size.