Good
6.9
out of 10
The good: Slimmer than a Netbook, but with an equivalent feature set minus a keyboard; affordable with Windows 7 Home Premium OS; optional 3G radio; bundled case doubles as a stand; two-year warranty.
The bad: Uninspired battery life and performance; last-generation Atom chipset.
The bottom line: Far being being sexy like the iPad or even the Archos 9 PC Tablet, the Vpad is instead a full-featured device for users who prefer functionality over form.
Though it is debatable that Apple's iPad started the trend, the timing is certainly uncanny. With a two-month lag between the announcement of the Cupertino company's latest baby to actual retail sales, smaller vendors have been pushing out slate tablets left, right and center. Capitalizing on the general discomfort with the iPad's lack of ports and Adobe Flash support, the new range of devices proclaim their compatibility for the latter standard, while essentially offering a full Netbook experience, minus the keyboard.
Singapore-based iiView is not one to miss trends. When the MacBook Air was hot, the company came up with the Atom-based iiView A2. Now that the world's attention has turned to the iPad, iiView has jumped on the bandwagon and the Vpad is the result. But slate tablets are not new. Samsung and Asus were two major brands which tried and failed with their Q1 Ultra Mobile PC and R2H, respectively. Will the Vpad be able to hold itself high in this upcoming market?
Design
As slate tablets go, the Vpad is not exactly a slim and light machine which can be easily held for hours. In fact, the Vpad takes up the same footprint as a standard 10-inch Netbook, though it's quite a bit slimmer. With a weight of almost 1kg, using this device as an e-reader or movie viewer for long periods will tax your forearms most uncomfortably. Fortunately, iiView has included a slipcase for the Vpad that comes with a foldable stand, though it also adds significant bulk to the machine.| Starting price | US$499 |
| Processor | 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 |
| Memory | 1GB |
| Hard drive | 160GB HDD |
| Chipset | Intel 945 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950GSE |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Dimensions (WD) | 226.3 x 166.9mm |
| Height | 24.7mm |
| Screen size (resolution) | 10.2 inches (1,024 x 600 pixels) |
| System weight (Weight with AC adapter) | 950g (1.1kg) |
| Category | Netbook/tablet |
The black, glossy plastic body and touchscreen pick up finger oils a little too readily. We suggest keeping the Vpad in the case or carrying a cleaning cloth in your kit bag. Design-wise, it does not break any new ground with the majority of the ports located on the flanks. The indicator lights, which reflect HDD access, Wi-Fi and battery charge status and power switch are found at the top of the unit. The stylus slot is positioned at the bottom. The pen is a little too light for our taste, but it extends to an acceptable length and the diameter is more comfortable to grip than the toothpick-like stylus commonly found on PDA smartphones.
Unlike the iPad, the battery is removable and a SIM card slot is located in the power bay. However, there are no user-accessible panels, so you cannot increase RAM or storage capacity with third-party components. Unlike the Archos 9 PC Tablet, there are no dedicated buttons on the Vpad, so you'll have to depend on onscreen menus and the virtual keyboard for data entry and navigation.
Features
Priced at US$499 for the entry-level model, it goes toe-to-toe with the basic iPad model for value, but cost significantly less than the S$999 (US$729.00) Archos 9 PC Tablet. The Vpad is actually a full-featured computer with a generous three USB ports, VGA-out and memory card reader (SD, MMC, Memory Stick).| iiView Vpad | Average for category (Netbook) | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA-out |
| Audio | Headphone/microphone jacks | Headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | Three USB 2.0, 3-in-1 card reader | Two USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | None | None |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Optical drive | None | None |
| Other features | N.A. | N.A. |
There are four different configurations. Adding 3G to the entry-level 160GB model with 1GB memory will set you back US$599. Alternatively, for the same price you can get a unit with 320GB HDD and 2GB RAM without mobile broadband connectivity. The top-of-the-line US$699 model sports 320GB, 2GB RAM and a 3G radio.
The 10.2-inch screen is nice and bright, though its glossy surface makes it a little hard to read outdoors. Moreover, the 1,024 x 600-resolution display harks back to the first-generation Atom Netbooks, as most current machines are moving on to HD-ready 1,366 x 768-pixel panels. The Vpad uses resistive technology for the touchscreen, so it's sadly not multitouch-enabled.
It's not just the display which feels last-generation. The 1.6GHZ N270 Atom processor with the integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics core is already a few years old. Running Windows 7 on the Vpad is far from lightning-fast, though it's certainly snappier than the more expensive Archos device.
| Model/Specifications | Archos 9 PC Tablet | iiView Vpad | Apple iPad |
| Price | S$999 (US$729.00) | US$499 | US$499 |
| Processor | 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 | 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 | 1GHz Apple A4 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 500 (integrated) | Intel GMA 950 (integrated) | PowerVR SGX (integrated) |
| Display | 8.9 inch (1,024 x 600) | 10.2 inch (1,024 x 600) | 9.7 inch (1,024 x 768) |
| Ports | One USB | Three USB 2.0, 3-in-1 card reader | None |
| Optical drive | N.A. | N.A. | N.A. |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Starter | Windows 7 Home Premium | Mac OS X (mobile) |
| Dimension (weight) | 256.5 x 134.6 x 17mm (820g) | 226.3 x 166.9 x 24.7mm (950g) | 242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4mm (680g) |
To be fair, the iPad and iiView machine are not really comparable. The former is based on a mobile phone/PMP OS which is stripped down for a faster user experience, while the Vpad goes for more functionality and Windows compatibility. The Archos 9 Tablet PC is a closer match and much sexier than the iiView tablet, though it's costlier with an underpowered chipset.
Performance And Battery Life
Running on Intel's last-generation Atom N270 1.6GHz processor with Intel GMA 950 video chipset, don't expect to play high-definition videos or perform computing-intensive tasks. The Windows Experience Index reported a score of 2.2, the limiting factor being the processor. On MobileMark 2007 benchmark, the Vpad managed to eke out 53 on the productivity test, which means you are better off sticking with emails, Web surfing and work/spreadsheet processing on this slate tablet.Battery life was equally lackluster. While its uptime of 2 hours 19 minutes on MobileMark 2007 productivity benchmark and 1 hour 38 minutes during movie playback is superior to previous slate tablet efforts like the Samsung Q1, the Vpad still falls far below even the Archos 9 PC Tablet (though granted the latter has a smaller display and solid-state drive).
Service And Support
The iiView Vpad comes with a generous two-year return-to-depot warranty. On its company Web site, there is a live chat feature which connects you to technical assistance, while the Remote Support application can be downloaded to allow the helpdesk to troubleshoot your machine without having to travel to the service center. There is a company email and phone number available for general enquiries.Source: Cnet Asia
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