Not Just Another Tablet:
When it comes to Android tablets it seems that just about everyone offers one. Features tend to blur together and you get lost in the confusion. So which one is a good model, and what do you buy? Stick to name brands only or venture out into the lesser known brands? I have played with a number of tablets and am surprised by the lack of quality of the bigger name brands. Many of these are manufactured with a high ratio of plastic to metal, with poor build quality and few features that stand out. I personally judge a lot on the look and feel of a tablet as it is first and foremost a handheld device. If it doesn’t feel or look right the rest of the experience doesn’t matter because you won’t want to pick it up. The device by its nature is designed to be used and held often. Lets take for example the Toshiba Thrive. It is overly thick and large for a tablet and its built primarily of plastic with a rubber coating. Personal choice here comes into play and mine is for metal. It feels much more solid, looks better, and resists scratches better. On first impressions the Le Pan II gets high marks. Le Pan who you say? Pay attention to this brand as if they continue the trend this will be a company to watch.
While at CES I met with several reps from the Matsunichi company, the makers of the Le Pan series. I got to play with several of their tablets including the first Le Pan, the new Le Pan II, and their as yet unreleased Explorer series. I was immediately impressed with the build quality, look and feel of the device, and especially the performance. The Le Pan II TC979 has a feel that is comfortable and I was impressed with the responsiveness of the interface and the quality of graphics. Nvidia has done a great job filling the internet with just how great and superior their product is, but if you actually play with a non Tegra enabled tablet you may be surprised by its power.
Which SKU is this tablet and hdeolr? You should put the sku the description.Thanks for the reviews, man you are rocking all these reviews out! Keep up the great work.
I gave the LePan 1 to my husband as a gift Christmas 2011 and we all run to his tablet first. It is amazing. Never had any problem and believe me we had no problems. I would highly recommend this over any tablet, even Ipad. My friends have different Ipads, especially Ipad 3 and she complains all the time about overheating. One paticular feature I really love: email. I set up all emails and with just a click, I mean only one click I can swicth to different emails and check within a tenth of a second. It is really quick. We are constantly checking emails and websites quickly for business and we love it. I suggest you purchase one and if you have any doubts, just return. Believe me you wont ever return it. I am getting 2 this Christmas, which I am hoping that LaPan3 is released by then. Gotta go, check some emails. Have a great Holiday that are coming up. Blessing to all !!
Im sorry that it was not clear. What I said was Q2 or Q3 of 2012. I will have the Le Pan Rep clarify the date again and post here.
Thank you for clarifying the scheduled release date. I guess I’ll go ahead and get the LP II.Thank you for your review.
Was wondering if LP III release date has been solidified yet.
I’m hoping to get a tablet by the end of May for a trip. Do you think timing is too tight to wait for III since demand on introduction will be great?
Has anyone been successful in upgrading II to 4.0?
Lastly, availability of II also seems to be limited. Any suggestions on where to purchase?
Thanks for your guidance.
On your video you mentioned the scheduled release date for the Le Pan III, unfortunately is was a little confusing, it sounds as if you say “two-two-two-three of twenty twelve.” Can you clarify the date and if that date is still on? This way I’ll know whether to get the Le Pan II or hang on for the Le Pan III to be released. Thanks!
For reading technical PDF’s the Asus transformer would be my choice due to the 16:9 aspect ration and the elongated screen size. For reading documents you dont really need graphics or CPU power only a readable screen. For that matter the kindle, nook, or other e-reader would work just fine and probably provide better battery life.
I am looking for a tablet for: email, web browsing, showing pictures, and some basic games–sudoku, angry birds, etc. What would you suggest? Price is not the only factor, but it seems that under $250 should work.
Hi, If I were looking for a tablet primarily for reading a large number of technical PDFs all the time, would the Le Pan III be a better choice over Asus transformer?
We will share your comments with the makers of the Le Pan series and see what they have to say.
I have owned both the Le Pan I and II and can confirm they are both great tablets except:
The broken promise from Le Pan that the Le Pan I would be upgraded to a newer version of Android ( They claim it is not possible even though an independent group of developers are managing it)
The lack of a cable for the HDMI. (Not much point selling it as HDMI out and then making it impossible to connect to anything through lack of a cable)
The false claim that Le Pan II has not been updated to ICS yet because Google have not released the source code (To put it in the language of politics this seems to be an untruth)
Unfortunately it looks like Le Pan is moving so fast on their release schedule they are forgetting about their existing customers.