#and while i fixed some router issues that were confusing and annoying

[mademoisellesarcasme]

today i was able to get a good grade in internet setup, something that is normal to want and possible to achieve

[distractedhistotech]

I just had the most bizarre and frustrating day.

It started out pretty good.  I went to Wal-Mart to buy a new videogame with a gift card I got for Christmas.  Then I got home and couldn’t find the Xbox controller.

I looked all over the gaming area, which is where I left it.  I looked in some outlandish places.  My parents helped me look for it.  We looked for over an hour.

Eventually, we gave up and I decided to go to Gamestop and buy a used controller.  I’m a bit annoyed, but I figure if we do find my original controller I can return the new one and consider the difference a rental fee of sorts.

I get home, turn on the Xbox, figure out how to sync the controller, and pop the disc in.  This is where things start to get confusing.  The game isn’t showing up on the menu, and the Xbox is saying I need to connect online.  I guess it needs to IP address changed since we had to get a new router recently.

The only problem is that the cursor on the screen won’t move.  After pressing on the controller buttons for several moments I just disconnect and reconnect it.  That seems to work, and I continue on.  Except the controller stops working over and over again, no matter what I do.  Despite this, I manage to start up the download for the game.

At this point, I figure that something’s wrong with the controller, but since it works fine as long as I don’t leave it idling for longer than a few seconds, I figure I can at least try out my game, except the Xbox doesn’t seem to be noticing the disc.  After a bit, I try slipping another disc in.  The Xbox reads it no problem.

Then once again, the controller craps out.  I throw up my hands and decide to go back to Gamestop and ask to trade it for a different one.  As I’m heading out, it occurs to me that they might be able to tell me what’s up with my game.  Figuring that with the way my day has been going something’s wrong with the game, I decide to bring the disc with me.

This was possibly the smartest thing I have done all day.

I get to Gamestop and get a different controller no problem.  While I’m being checked out, I mention the disc issue and ask if he might know how to fix it.  He mentions some discs are harder to reading and that you might need to clean the lens.  This worries me as I’m terrible with machines and would probably destroy the console trying to clean it.  I ask if maybe it could be the disc instead and show it to him.

He gets an odd look on his face as he opens the case open.  He pops the disc out and looks on the other side.

Then he tells me the disc is fake.

What.

Keep in mind this isn’t a used game.  I bought it from Wal-Mart brand new.  It was in a case that an employee had to unlock.  It was sealed in plastic and taped shut.  How the fuck would someone switch the discs without anyone noticing the packaging had been tampered with?

The nice man proceeds to explain the art isn’t shiny enough and that the disc is actually a DVD.  Then he shows it to his coworker who agrees it is fake.  They seem a bit mystified too.

I thank them and walk over to the Wal-Mart I bought the game from.

Did I mention that the Wal-Mart and Gamestop were in the same shopping center?  This is the third time I’ve made this trip today, and I’ve already decided that there isn’t going to be a fourth time.

I go straight to customer service, give the lady the game and the receipt, and tell her it’s a fake game.  I then tell her the series of events that led up to me finding out it was fake roughly five minutes ago.

I don’t think she believed me.  I don’t blame her.  It was a pretty bizarre series of events.  I was starting to feel like I was in a sitcom.

With my money refunded to the gift card I head straight for the gaming section to buy another copy of the same game.  Yes, this is where I bought the fake disc.  Make of that what you will.

I wait for an employee to open the locked cabinet.  I pay for it using the gift card.  Then I open it then an there.  I’m not sure what the workers thought of that, but I wanted to make sure I got the real deal this time.

I did, and let me just say the artwork on the two discs were completely different.  I don’t think whoever left the fake disc there had ever seen a real disc.

I headed home.  I took my anti-anxiety medicine.  I synced up the controller.  I put in the disk, which the Xbox was able to read this time.  I waited for the downloads, and I finally played the game.  The controller worked perfectly.

It should not be that frustrating to have a bit of fun.  Also, whoever made that fake disc: Screw you.  I wasted so much time trying to fix a nonexistent problem because of you.

I still reeling over all the crazy stuff that happened today?  Was it bad luck?  I mean I got two faulty products in one day.  On the other hand, one of those faulty products allowed me to find out the other one was fake much sooner than if I was on my own, so I guess that was sort of good luck?

I’m just glad today is over.  I have such a headache.  Ugh

[wheaterz]

Testing Maintenance: Epilogue

Things in Aperture had turned absolutely sideways... Again. On top of the facility still recovering from decades of decay and then being taken over by a rogue personality sphere, the damage continued to pile up from the shenanigans of a Maintenance Core and the Olympian test subject that had blown through Aperture like a storm. It had been about a week since Virgil returned to the facility, having had some initial trouble with running his vehicle but he had the files necessary for driving and had been paying close attention to Mel when she'd been in charge of the car, so he had straightened his skills out fairly quickly. Other than that, he had no trouble returning to Aperture and finding his way back underground.

Where does one go after seeing the outside world for the first time in their long, immortal life? In his case, he went straight back to his repair wing. Aperture's chambers would be malfunctioning after the Mainframe had gone haywire. He had a small part of the facility he was dedicated to where he would go in, repair whatever the issue was, and then go back to the workshop to see if there were any robots in need of fixing. Basically, all the same stuff. Only this time he had set himself up with a project to fix his own core body. He planned to return to it at some point, if he could manage to on his own. He was adamant about the core being functional and not damaged like he'd left it. It had taken Virgil a while to get used to working on fixing his own shell, but nothing could compare to having to take it apart in order to get at his Wifi router. The memory of it still gave him chills, and the assist droid briefly shivered. Best not to think about it anymore.

“Virgil?”

“Yeah?” The Maintenance Core hadn't looked up from where he was poking around at the inside of his core hull with a screwdriver, but he knew the voice to be Glitchy's. “What can I do for you today, Glitch? Did you spontaneously combust again?”

“No, nothing like that.” Glitchy rode in on the workshop rail, seeing that Virgil was busy with something and grew uncertain of his presence. “Is this a bad time? I can come back.”

“Nope! Not bad at all, I can take a break.” Virgil hadn't meant to be rude by not looking up at Glitchy, but realizing he was coming off as uninterested he made eye contact. He searched the other core over, looking for whatever it was he came in for but not finding anything out of the ordinary. “What's up?”

“Nothing's really up. I was just wondering if you needed any help. You seem very busy, lately.”

Virgil stared. The offer had never been established before, and now that he had one he didn't know what to do with it. It was a very basic system. Broken core comes in. Fixed core goes out. There was never anything in between, except maybe saving a human from the mechanical claws of death.

“Oh! Uh...yeah, sure. I could use a hand... In a manner of speaking. I was just about to go down by the core line, actually.” He motioned for Glitchy to slide in closer, raising a small black box up to him that was the size of a grape. “This is our voice byte processor. Mine is broken. It got knocked around in a bad fall. If you can find me one of these undamaged I can change it so that it picks up on my speech pattern. It would be a huge help.”

“I'll see what I can do. Won't be long.” Glitchy nodded at Virgil before turning around and sliding back out of the room.

“Thank you!” Virgil almost missed calling after him, staring at the hatch in the wall where Glitchy disappeared and letting the moment sink in. It had been strange, but a nice gesture. Virgil had been using a weighted storage cube as a chair, considering he had none in there to speak of from when he was still just a ball. The android pushed it across the floor so he could get up from his work bench. He stared at the empty hull of his old body and sighed. There was a part of him that wondered what the point was. Maybe it would just be better to stay in the assist droid. It certainly had its perks. He didn't need to string along a management rail, but useless quirks like strumming his fingers on the table while he was thinking had become very distracting. It was a toss up. He'd decide when he was done fixing his core self.

Now that Glitchy had gone, silence returned to the repair wing. Virgil lifted the cube and moved it over to the computer just behind him on the opposite wall to the work bench. Mel's boots sat on the floor against the computer and pasted to the bottom left corner of the monitor with scotch tape was the last pink sticky note he'd kept that she had given him. He hadn't trusted the adhesive on the back to stick for long, so he'd found something else to keep it there.

'There's you.'

Virgil rested his cheek in a hand and propped his elbow onto the desk. Yeah, there had been him. There had been her. He thought about the night their car broke down and how bright the stars had been. Even if he didn't want to leave Aperture, maybe he would take a quick trip up to see the sky again. Just to see how it is. Just to see if it was still there. Maybe it would rain again and he could catch another glimpse at that lightning and thunder business.

He had come over to the computer monitor for something, but once he had been distracted with his own daydreaming he absolutely forgot what it had been. The Maintenance Core was annoyed with himself for his own negligence and he tapped a finger on the dash as he stared at the screen and tried to remember what it was. There's that pesky quirk again.

“Oh, right. Solar power installation. That's important.” He put his fingers to the keys and was about to bring up the instructions he needed when he noticed there was an icon faintly flashing at him. He'd always been aware of this app, its icon the shape of a little paper envelope, but had only ever needed to use it once. Now it was telling him that it had received a single item in its inbox. He eyed the icon warily, slowly moving his mouse to click on it and pull the message up.

“What the...A-are you kidding me?! Ahahahaha!”

His laugh was hysterical. Logistics lay out before him, and nothing seemed to match. He had gotten a vague, out of context message from an outside source that had absolutely nothing to do with Aperture. Through the confusion and just the sheer improbability of it all, Virgil was not an unhappy core in that moment. Just a dozen words on the screen and the robot was absolutely brimming with excitement. He could hardly contain himself. His fingers tapped over the letters of his keyboard and replied to the message. He didn't know how she'd managed to do it, but this was incredible!

>The moon landing happened in 1969. I missed it by seventeen years!

-That is correct! Thanks for reminding me!

>Hi, Virgil! ✿

-Hello, Mel! :)

[droneseco]

10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4

Our verdict of the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4: With a low price and low spec, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 promises much but ultimately fails to undercut the Amazon HD 10. Poor responsiveness from the touch screen and disappoint performance mean that you probably wouldn't buy it for a child, either.510

Looking for a new tablet, but don’t have a huge budget? You might be inclined to buy an affordable Amazon Fire tablet, but did you know that alternatives are available?

The Vankyo MatrixPad Z4, a 10-inch tablet that you can buy for under $100. But is it worth it, or are you better off spending just a bit more?

What’s in the Box?

Packaged in a bulky box, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 ships with a USB cable, mains adapter, user guide, and quick-start leaflet.

The tablet is secured in place by a pair of foam inserts; beneath this, you’ll find the adapter and cable. With so little in the box, however, it’s clear that Vankyo has not thought through the packaging. It looks great, sure, but a 10-inch tablet doesn’t need a box as big as this. Perhaps bundling a keyboard, dock, or case might justify the size, but without them, it seems wasteful.

Given the minimal packaging of its immediate competitors, this is disappointing. For some perspective here, you can buy a new laptop in a box just twice the size.

Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Device Specification

With a 10.1-inch 1280×800 IPS display, the MatrixPad Z4 weighs just 1.08 pounds, measuring 9.84 x 6.73 x 0.35 inches. With a thick bezel and cheap plastic chassis, its appearance is in stark contrast other tablets you may have seen recently.

It’s easy to hold, with the micro-USB port, microSD slot, volume rocker, and power button grouped along the top edge in landscape. A single Lithium-ion battery delivers up to eight hours of battery, although it can be run from the mains. You should get a couple of days of standby time from a full charge.

A 64-bit 1.5Ghz quad-core CPU runs with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 128GB. There’s also a MALI-G31 GPU. With 802.11b/g/n wireless networking and Bluetooth LE, you’ve got the connectivity you need for networking and peripherals.

The rear camera, meanwhile, has 8MP resolution, compared to the front 2MP cam for video calling.

What Can You Do With It?

The system spec of the MatrixPad Z4 means that you should be able to enjoy most tablet-style activities: video streaming, gaming, social networking, reading, even productivity tasks.

Well, that’s the theory. Sadly, it doesn’t work out too well for video streaming. We tested the MatrixPad Z4 with Amazon Prime Video, and an episode of The Thin Blue Line. This 1990s UK comedy starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is available only in standard definition. Unfortunately, while streaming to the MatrixPad Z4 within a few feet of the router delivered good video, the audio was out of sync. This was repeated on other Amazon Prime Video content, with the same result.

Additionally, the audio quality of the tablet’s speakers is substandard. Headphones are recommended!

It’s worth adding that testing for similar issues with YouTube resulted in videos that were correctly synced. However, given the prominence of Amazon Prime Video, poor quality playback is a disappointment.

Android Pie Without the Bloat

Running Android 9.0 “Pie”, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 comes without any bloatware whatsoever. A rarity in the Android tablet market, this is a stock Android experience, the operating system presented as Google intended.

Importantly, this is an approved device, which means that it also includes Google Play. Some cheaper tablet manufacturers have struggled to meet Google’s requirements for including the app store. That’s not the case with the MatrixPad Z4, giving you access to the entire library of Android apps (where compatible).

So, while you’ll inevitably install many pointless apps on the tablet, the MatrixPad Z4 certainly doesn’t come with any preinstalled.

Using the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

Setting up the tablet under Android 9.0 Pie is straightforward if a little slow to respond. The reason?

Well, it’s the touchscreen display, which despite being visually adequate, feels cheap. Rather than a glass display like other tablets (including similarly priced Amazon Fire tablets and Huawei MediaPads), it’s plastic.

At least, that’s how it feels. My first tablet, back in 2010, was a budget Advent Vega running Android 2.2. Perfectly useable, but it was let down by a cheap, “plastic-y” display. Almost 10 years later, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect key components in low-cost devices to be better.

This has several shortcomings, not least from feeling “dirty” to use compared to the Gorilla Glass of other devices. Displays of this type are also easier to scratch, necessitating the rapid deployment of a screen protector.

It isn’t just the display that feels cheap to use though; it’s regularly unresponsive to gestures.

There is also a feeling that the plastic chassis isn’t particularly hardwearing, along with some curious design choices. For example, while the tablet uses micro-USB rather than the increasingly common USB-C. Meanwhile, the microSD slot curiously has no cover to protect you from card loss, or from dust and grit entering the tablet.

Connecting to Wi-Fi should be straightforward, but during the initial setup it wasn’t possible to enter the passkey. While resolved later on, when the tablet wakes it defaults to connecting to a networked printer rather than the router. Nothing that can’t be fixed with a few taps, but another frustration to add to the list.

Stock Android (With an Annoying User Interface)

While Vankyo heralds its adoption of stock Android, without any bloat, it has nevertheless included two annoying customizations.

The first is the addition of three additional buttons to the usual trio of Back/Home/Recents. Vankyo has added volume up, volume down, and screenshot buttons. It looks a mess, is confusing if you’re used to using Android… and the volume control responds to adjustment poorly. The same is true of the hardware volume rocker, I should note.

With many feedback options for button presses, it’s somewhat remarkable that Vankyo chose an error noise for launching apps. This is the second annoyance, another thing that leaves you thinking “they needed more time with this.”

The lighter, cheaper feel isn’t something I personally enjoy. It might make the MatrixPad Z4 more suitable for a child–but for business or other intensive use, it’s unsuitable. There is some concern over the chassis, too, which seems to radiate quite a bit of heat even when the tab isn’t doing much. This suggests poor thermal dispersion, along with inadequate hardware.

Benchmarking the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

To get an idea of the performance you can expect from the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4, we used Antutu Benchmark. Available free from Google Play, Antutu is a respected name in desktop and mobile benchmarking.

As you can see from the results, the tablet performs poorly. Whether standard use or support for HTML5, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 functions like a machine from several years ago. Indeed, it is placed lower than the Google Nexus 5 phone from 2013.

By any standards, this is poor performance in 2019.

How Does the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Compare to the Amazon Fire HD 10?

Competing directly with the 10-inch Amazon Fire HD 10 seems an ambitious move from Vankyo. Most of its products are budget projectors or display devices and they seem to be well-received. The MatrixPad Z4, however, just can’t match its intended rival.

A better display, processor, battery, and general software and hardware support are available from Amazon. The Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 is an adequate tablet, but if you’re looking for a cheap alternative to the Amazon Fire HD 10 to fulfill the same tasks, you’ll be disappointed.

You’ll get better media playback performance from the Amazon Fire HD 10, better app support, and overall better experience.

Is the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Suitable for Kids?

The delicate display and budget chassis mean you’ll need a screen protector and case before unleashing a child on this tablet.

Given the intended use, you might prefer a budget tablet to a more expensive alternative. However, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 feels like it might break at almost any moment. Tablets for children, especially pre-school, at least need to be hardy. They should also be responsive, something which this slate simply isn’t.

This makes it far less suitable for children than you might like. It could do the job in the car if secured on a headrest, perhaps, but for the rough-and-tumble of a child’s standard activity… you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Usable, Affordable Tablet With a Budget Feel

There is so much about Vankyo’s MatrixPad Z4 that harks to the past. Its unusual touch display, the surprising customization of the Android UI buttons, the out-of-sync video playback. Games play slower than they should; volume control is laggy, whether using hardware or software buttons. And the speakers are awful.

Tablets should be enjoyable to use; in many ways, you should forget that there is hardware doing the work. It should be effortless, and seamless. The Vankyo’s MatrixPad Z4 doesn’t manage this. At best, it’s frustrating to use.

Need a 10.1-inch tablet to browse the web, read, and do some social networking and online shopping? You could do worse than the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4. But for gaming, media streaming, and hardcore mobile productivity, spend an extra $50 and get an Amazon tablet instead.

Enter the Competition!

Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

Read the full article: 10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4

10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4 published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[grassroutes]

10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4

Our verdict of the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4: With a low price and low spec, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 promises much but ultimately fails to undercut the Amazon HD 10. Poor responsiveness from the touch screen and disappoint performance mean that you probably wouldn't buy it for a child, either.510

Looking for a new tablet, but don’t have a huge budget? You might be inclined to buy an affordable Amazon Fire tablet, but did you know that alternatives are available?

The Vankyo MatrixPad Z4, a 10-inch tablet that you can buy for under $100. But is it worth it, or are you better off spending just a bit more?

What’s in the Box?

Packaged in a bulky box, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 ships with a USB cable, mains adapter, user guide, and quick-start leaflet.

The tablet is secured in place by a pair of foam inserts; beneath this, you’ll find the adapter and cable. With so little in the box, however, it’s clear that Vankyo has not thought through the packaging. It looks great, sure, but a 10-inch tablet doesn’t need a box as big as this. Perhaps bundling a keyboard, dock, or case might justify the size, but without them, it seems wasteful.

Given the minimal packaging of its immediate competitors, this is disappointing. For some perspective here, you can buy a new laptop in a box just twice the size.

Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Device Specification

With a 10.1-inch 1280×800 IPS display, the MatrixPad Z4 weighs just 1.08 pounds, measuring 9.84 x 6.73 x 0.35 inches. With a thick bezel and cheap plastic chassis, its appearance is in stark contrast other tablets you may have seen recently.

It’s easy to hold, with the micro-USB port, microSD slot, volume rocker, and power button grouped along the top edge in landscape. A single Lithium-ion battery delivers up to eight hours of battery, although it can be run from the mains. You should get a couple of days of standby time from a full charge.

A 64-bit 1.5Ghz quad-core CPU runs with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 128GB. There’s also a MALI-G31 GPU. With 802.11b/g/n wireless networking and Bluetooth LE, you’ve got the connectivity you need for networking and peripherals.

The rear camera, meanwhile, has 8MP resolution, compared to the front 2MP cam for video calling.

What Can You Do With It?

The system spec of the MatrixPad Z4 means that you should be able to enjoy most tablet-style activities: video streaming, gaming, social networking, reading, even productivity tasks.

Well, that’s the theory. Sadly, it doesn’t work out too well for video streaming. We tested the MatrixPad Z4 with Amazon Prime Video, and an episode of The Thin Blue Line. This 1990s UK comedy starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is available only in standard definition. Unfortunately, while streaming to the MatrixPad Z4 within a few feet of the router delivered good video, the audio was out of sync. This was repeated on other Amazon Prime Video content, with the same result.

Additionally, the audio quality of the tablet’s speakers is substandard. Headphones are recommended!

It’s worth adding that testing for similar issues with YouTube resulted in videos that were correctly synced. However, given the prominence of Amazon Prime Video, poor quality playback is a disappointment.

Android Pie Without the Bloat

Running Android 9.0 “Pie”, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 comes without any bloatware whatsoever. A rarity in the Android tablet market, this is a stock Android experience, the operating system presented as Google intended.

Importantly, this is an approved device, which means that it also includes Google Play. Some cheaper tablet manufacturers have struggled to meet Google’s requirements for including the app store. That’s not the case with the MatrixPad Z4, giving you access to the entire library of Android apps (where compatible).

So, while you’ll inevitably install many pointless apps on the tablet, the MatrixPad Z4 certainly doesn’t come with any preinstalled.

Using the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

Setting up the tablet under Android 9.0 Pie is straightforward if a little slow to respond. The reason?

Well, it’s the touchscreen display, which despite being visually adequate, feels cheap. Rather than a glass display like other tablets (including similarly priced Amazon Fire tablets and Huawei MediaPads), it’s plastic.

At least, that’s how it feels. My first tablet, back in 2010, was a budget Advent Vega running Android 2.2. Perfectly useable, but it was let down by a cheap, “plastic-y” display. Almost 10 years later, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect key components in low-cost devices to be better.

This has several shortcomings, not least from feeling “dirty” to use compared to the Gorilla Glass of other devices. Displays of this type are also easier to scratch, necessitating the rapid deployment of a screen protector.

It isn’t just the display that feels cheap to use though; it’s regularly unresponsive to gestures.

There is also a feeling that the plastic chassis isn’t particularly hardwearing, along with some curious design choices. For example, while the tablet uses micro-USB rather than the increasingly common USB-C. Meanwhile, the microSD slot curiously has no cover to protect you from card loss, or from dust and grit entering the tablet.

Connecting to Wi-Fi should be straightforward, but during the initial setup it wasn’t possible to enter the passkey. While resolved later on, when the tablet wakes it defaults to connecting to a networked printer rather than the router. Nothing that can’t be fixed with a few taps, but another frustration to add to the list.

Stock Android (With an Annoying User Interface)

While Vankyo heralds its adoption of stock Android, without any bloat, it has nevertheless included two annoying customizations.

The first is the addition of three additional buttons to the usual trio of Back/Home/Recents. Vankyo has added volume up, volume down, and screenshot buttons. It looks a mess, is confusing if you’re used to using Android… and the volume control responds to adjustment poorly. The same is true of the hardware volume rocker, I should note.

With many feedback options for button presses, it’s somewhat remarkable that Vankyo chose an error noise for launching apps. This is the second annoyance, another thing that leaves you thinking “they needed more time with this.”

The lighter, cheaper feel isn’t something I personally enjoy. It might make the MatrixPad Z4 more suitable for a child–but for business or other intensive use, it’s unsuitable. There is some concern over the chassis, too, which seems to radiate quite a bit of heat even when the tab isn’t doing much. This suggests poor thermal dispersion, along with inadequate hardware.

Benchmarking the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

To get an idea of the performance you can expect from the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4, we used Antutu Benchmark. Available free from Google Play, Antutu is a respected name in desktop and mobile benchmarking.

As you can see from the results, the tablet performs poorly. Whether standard use or support for HTML5, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 functions like a machine from several years ago. Indeed, it is placed lower than the Google Nexus 5 phone from 2013.

By any standards, this is poor performance in 2019.

How Does the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Compare to the Amazon Fire HD 10?

Competing directly with the 10-inch Amazon Fire HD 10 seems an ambitious move from Vankyo. Most of its products are budget projectors or display devices and they seem to be well-received. The MatrixPad Z4, however, just can’t match its intended rival.

A better display, processor, battery, and general software and hardware support are available from Amazon. The Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 is an adequate tablet, but if you’re looking for a cheap alternative to the Amazon Fire HD 10 to fulfill the same tasks, you’ll be disappointed.

You’ll get better media playback performance from the Amazon Fire HD 10, better app support, and overall better experience.

Is the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 Suitable for Kids?

The delicate display and budget chassis mean you’ll need a screen protector and case before unleashing a child on this tablet.

Given the intended use, you might prefer a budget tablet to a more expensive alternative. However, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 feels like it might break at almost any moment. Tablets for children, especially pre-school, at least need to be hardy. They should also be responsive, something which this slate simply isn’t.

This makes it far less suitable for children than you might like. It could do the job in the car if secured on a headrest, perhaps, but for the rough-and-tumble of a child’s standard activity… you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Usable, Affordable Tablet With a Budget Feel

There is so much about Vankyo’s MatrixPad Z4 that harks to the past. Its unusual touch display, the surprising customization of the Android UI buttons, the out-of-sync video playback. Games play slower than they should; volume control is laggy, whether using hardware or software buttons. And the speakers are awful.

Tablets should be enjoyable to use; in many ways, you should forget that there is hardware doing the work. It should be effortless, and seamless. The Vankyo’s MatrixPad Z4 doesn’t manage this. At best, it’s frustrating to use.

Need a 10.1-inch tablet to browse the web, read, and do some social networking and online shopping? You could do worse than the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4. But for gaming, media streaming, and hardcore mobile productivity, spend an extra $50 and get an Amazon tablet instead.

Enter the Competition!

Vankyo MatrixPad Z4

Read the full article: 10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4

10.1″ Android Tablet for Less Than $100?! Meet The Vankyo Matrixpad Z4 posted first on grassroutespage.blogspot.com