Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC - Official New Excellent Gadgets, Tools & Accesories

Before I even start, I absolutely LOVE my Le Pan tablet. It’s a blast to use, has a lot of upside for the things I want to do with it, and has a definite “wow” factor with bystanders. Typical quotes are, “wow,” and “I want one” and “that is so cool!” This could be said about a lot of the better tablets (e.g., iPad) that have nice, high def, shiny screens showing video, but I appreciated the coveting looks (and I let people play with it extensively and had trouble getting it back a couple times).

I have never used a tablet (well, 10 minutes goofing with an iPad in the Apple Store a year ago) and have never used anything with the Android operating system.

A lot of my “cons” are probably pertinent to a lot of similar pieces of hardware, as well as shortcomings of the Android OS as it is currently implemented, rather than unique to the Le Pan.

I would NOT recommend this for someone looking for a turnkey, works perfectly out of the box solution. You will need either some experience, or a strong nerd compulsion (or a little of both). You’ll have to overcome quirks of the hardware and software.

First, the “bad.”

The power button sucks. After four days I STILL fumble with that sucker.

The fingerprints on the screen drive me nuts. I think it’s worse in a tablet with a large screen than on an Android or Iphone with smaller screens. I’m already carrying around a microfiber cleaning cloth. A definite hazard of this entire class of machine. You might want to invest in some wet-dry LCD screen wipes for when you want to get it in pristine condition before you show off in front of the boss (e.g., Audiovox Surface SURF402 Wet/Dry Screen Wipes). Think of it as detailing your tablet.

Saying the speakers are “tinny” might be generous and there is absolutely no recognizable bass component. I’m ready to get a bluetooth headphone for this immediately.

Can’t run Hulu to watch TV (yet) – the hardware is probably perfectly capable, but Hulu sees “Android mobile device” and just serves up an annoying message. However YouTube (included app) looks and works better than I have ever seen it.

It’s heavier than I thought, but not that bad. It’s about the same weight as an iPad. I found that holding it in one hand I would cramp up after a couple of minutes. It is light enough to cradle, and propping it up on an ample paunch while in bed was ok. Sitting down with tablet on lap, no problem.

Next, the “weird.”

The onboard camera only shoots pictures in a mirror mode (i.e., titles of books are reversed like in a mirror). In using Skype I found that for this version of Android, video calling is not supported. Otherwise, Skype works quite nicely on this platform.

In certain network environments (I’m on a University network half the time) you can easily purchase apps via the included Android Market, but downloading wouldn’t commence – probably some security feature of our network. Using my home wifi connection (DSL via AT&T) I had no problems downloading and installing Skype and some other navigation based stuff.

The included browser can’t handle Ebsco databases (if that means anything to you). The browser handles most websites well, and the large screen means you don’t need to access the specially configured mobile sites, which are still a lot cleaner. I ran this on our library catalog and most of our databases with no problem, but the Ebsco ones didn’t allow any search entry. Weird. (NOTE ADDED June 2, 2011: Just installed the Opera Mobile Web Browser ver. 11 from the Apps for Android store on Amazon and the Ebsco databases work just fine).

Finally, the “good.”

The screen is awesome (except in daylight where it is useless). Use this indoors, not at the beach.

The response time is lightning fast. Apps come up fast and operate fast. Scrolling, screen switching, etc. is ultra-smooth.

In the right network environment, getting, installing, and using apps is trivial.

The integration with web based Google apps is seamless. I didn’t even notice my calendar and contacts were downloaded and synchronized (and continue to be synchronized). A very cool thing I discovered this morning was that when I was out of wifi range (on my bus and train commute) I could still do my Gmail offline. The Gmail app downloads and caches your email so you can use it offline, including replying to messages. The next time you get a wifi connection, synchronization will send all pending messages, and download new ones – this was all done while sitting in my backback.

The GPS is useful, but not yet a substitute for a good stand-alone unit (I’m a TomTom user). But the connection to Google…

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xoxo “woodfairy” (AL USA) –

  

My opinion is based upon daily heavy use of this tablet pc. When I say heavy use, I mean many different users of all ages & experience for many hours at a time. And in all types of environments. This tablet has been stepped on, dropped, rained on, and even jumped on by the family pet. It has been operated at high & low temperatures.

Now my initial reaction, not ever having much experience with a full touchscreen tablet pc (only my phone) was amazing. The thing that amazed me the most, (and still does) is the ability to have the whole world in the palm of your hands or fingertips with GoogleEarth. It was the best app I downloaded. Even my aged relatives who have been technilogically impaired or scared of computers took right to this thing and didn’t want to give it back. There was no need for dexterity with a mouse since their fingers controlled the action.

As for battery life, I realized with more use the battery seemed to drain more and more quickly after the first 2 weeks. But now at 6 weeks the battery seems to have found some new life and is holding up better than when first used. Although I must say I do not like the heat generated by the charger. It gets too warm for my tatse so I continually have to keep a check on the plug while charging.

Also, I realized as an added bonus that my Motorola Karma pc cord fit perfectly in the charger base and allowed me to charge my phone with no issues.

As stated by another user there was a ghost light up in the upper top left corner of my screen upon initial use. This light has spread somewhat and a new ghost light has showed up in the opposite corner after 4 weeks of use. It has to be quality control issue when the screen was sealed since I also have 2 tiny black specks sealed into my screen from the factory. Maybe they made these things too fast or for whatever reason, it’s internal operating system makes up for the blemishes.

It opens, streams, and downloads movies, webpages etc FASTER than my Sony Vaio PC. I have never experienced such instant speed while surfing the net. I noticed I was continually losing wi-fi connection but determined it not related to the tablet since all tests from other wi-fi sources in the house lost connection at the same time.

Applications install & unistall instantly with no effort or trouble. I love how you open your fingers to make pages, words, or photos larger or squeeze them together to make smaller. And that you can have more than one home screen. Even though it’s not actually a phone you can make calls via google talk and even video calls which we tested. Awesome!

I found a case Lucky Brand Ipad Silicone & Flip book Style that fit this perfectly. The silicone case has a notch I cut out for the charger port and it made my day!

I agree the power button is too small and very annoying and hard to operate. But now that I have this, I wouldn’t trade it for nothing! I don’t think I have been interested in the desktop or laptop since this arrived. Actually I never thought about using anything else to connect once I used this thing. It’s brilliantly designed, inexpensive compared to other tablets, user friendly, loveable, and so much fun!

Maybe if it was an official ipad the kids wouldn’t have been allowed to carry it around so much or it wouldn’t have been left in the middle of the floor. But then it would have been put high on a hog, and always been taboo for our family. This thing becasue of it’s price was treated differently and in so doing allowed us to realize it full potential and worth! So when it was stepped on we cringed, but didn’t get hysterical. When it was left in the rain we gasped but didn’t lose our breath. When it was dropped on the concrete time stood still but we didn’t seem to notice. And when the dog jumped on it and tried to dig a hole in the screen we just laughed and patted him on the head! Honestly, it has held up well and suffered no visible damage. So when the kids come in from their mud fight and want to use the tablet to take a pic of themselves I’ll be sure to wash it off along with children afterwards!

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Brad Willis (San Diego, CA United States) –

  

I was a bit skeptical about this tablet. After all, I’d never heard of the name Le Pan and it sounds like a cheap knock-off. But I have to tell you that it’s a terrific tablet.

This tablet probably has the most vivid display I’ve seen on any computer, including my far more expensive Fujitsu models. The screen can be viewed from nearly any angle and is simply excellent. Videos played on YouTube looked great and with no studder and some of the sample photos bordered on amazing. The live desktop is nice and there are some cool options offered and a lot of customization available in nearly every area.

It incorporates Android 2.2, which I’ve never used, but it’s pretty easy to figure out. In fact, there are minimal instructions that come with the unit, but it’s pretty intuitive.

It was simple to connect the tablet to my WiFi. The operating system is fast and snappy, moving between applications without lag. Many functions can be operated via voice command. GPS is very cool and includes photographic maps. The Le Pan TC970 synced quickly and easily with my e-mail and Google contacts. I downloaded Skype and was able to make high-quality phone calls without hassle.

This tablet has a front camera that isn’t fantastic but seems decent enough. Sound quality is also good enough for a unit of this size and the battery life seems excellent. Downloading applications from the Android Market or Amazon was fast and easy and there are countless free applications. Most games without issue on the thing.

The unit is small and compact. I think that many cases which fit an iPad2 could potentially fit this unit, as the sizes are similar. The Case Logic case I am currently using is a near perfect fit, although it does require minor modification. I used a hobby knife (similar to an exacto knife, but more precise) and cut a bit of the case’s vinyl material away from the Le Pan’s controls. I also cut out a small rectangle around the camera lens. I recommend drawing the outline of where you want to cut in pen before you do so, so you get it right the first time. I did not cut out material around the charging port, as I just leave part of the flap open when charging, but I suppose you could do that if you wanted to. If you’d like to take a look at this case, just search Amazon for Case Logic IFOL-202 iPAD2 Folio (Black)

This tablet incorporates multi-touch and it’s simple to use and completely accurate.

Concerns? Well, I had difficulty reaching customer support (855-537-2672). I called the phone number provided and it said, “For Polaroid press 1, for everything else press 2″. I did that and the line rang and rang maybe 20 before finally telling me that the extension was not available. Plainly, there needs to be improved support for a $350 tech product. Also, the company’s website, which is lepantab and you know the rest of the address, seems to be pretty simplistic without a lot of info. I’d like to see that improved. Finally, I’m not sure if the battery is user replaceable. I’d ask the company, but so far I’m having difficulty reaching them. I’ll update this info once I have an answer. Finally, the included documentation is lacking, in my view. It’s essentially nothing but a 2 sided quick start guide the size of a postcard. While it’s pretty easy figuring out how to use this tablet, some form of an owner’s manual would be helpful.

But all-in-all, I really like this tablet. I’m not sure what an iPad can do that this can’t, but I’m guessing not much. I highly recommend this tablet and I suspect it’s one of the best Android tablets on the market.

Additional information: After I wrote this review, I tried out GPS. To do this, I spoke to the tablet, verbally telling the it to navigate to my office address (to do this “navigate to” is the command). It worked well, although the highly detailed, Google photo overlay only worked for a few miles before it reverted to a simple map image. Still, it did get me to the office. I then tried to route myself back home via GPS. Because I didn’t have a wifi connection, I was unable to do that. So you can load a route via wifi and it will get you to where you are going, but you must also have wifi to begin a new route. However, you don’t have to have a connection once the route is loaded, if that makes sense.

I have a Bluetooth speakerphone which broadcasts to FM stereo. I was able to stream music and the GPS computer spoken commands through my FM stereo via the tablet’s Bluetooth function as well as routed through my Bluetooth speakerphone.

I also called Le Pan customer service this morning and received a call back this afternoon. She said that the battery is not user replaceable, although that is common with units of this type. I also asked about the custom case with stand that is made for this unit, but she didn’t…

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