using csl droidpad for 3days now.

bought rm1.7k incl 16gb sd.

quick review; 600mhz qualcomm msm7227 cpu includes Adreno GPU but barely enuf to drive the 800x480 capacitive touchscreen.

returned a 450+ish score on quadrant eventho running on android 2.2 (for comparison, a samsung galaxy 5 with a similar chipset gave about the same score running a lower res screen on android 2.1)

still, acceptable if just wanna use it for browsing, emails etc. the 7" screen is great but not so good outdoors. live wallpaper runs great.

as a phone, it works well with a bt headset. but poor battery life can be an issue (but that could just be me and the kids using it heavily for gaming, video etc. on our long drive to Kamunting). suffice to say, it needs to be recharged every day. sometimes, twice a day!

on the 1st day, when i was using it primarily as a phone, it was showing 81% charge by 12noon after i unhooked the phone from 1st overnight(6hr) charging at 6am.

today marks a week for me using this device as my primary handphone. i can safely say, my fears about the battery life is somewhat innacurate. i've been able to go thru an entire day without recharging.

need for speed runs great on the device for those skeptical about it's gpu. i wish i know how to youtube it.

my take;
1) its going to take some strong personal preference to carry this thing around, but the convenience of a larger screen to check emails and calendar is awesome.

2) it also doubles as in car gps, entertainment for the kids (rockplayer pretty much takes any format video) and gaming device. angry birds beta is the current fav, but need for speed shift is the best gaming app showcase.

3) android market is available but limited to free apps (like every other android device in M'sia), that's the main reason this device needs to get rooted a.s.a.p. there are alternatives like SlideMe tho)

4) call quality via bluetooth is great, but the built-in speakers are not so good.

I tried fringe for video calls but it says the device is not supported. i think it may be a software imposed hardware restriction as I remember reading somewhere that minimum required for video calls on fringe/skype is 800mhz+ cpu.

I'll try search for the source info, but as of now, remains uncorroborated.

800x480 is the same screen resolution as Galaxy S, which is touted as a flagship device. Apps for this screen size should become popular.

The question is can the Droidpad run these apps when those flagship devices have 1ghz snapdragon/hummingbird whilst this only has a 600mhz Qualcomm SOC.

After using it as my main phone for ~3weeks, here's my main concern about this particular unit I own.

It will randomly shutdown when I'm not using it. This is a concern in case of emergency when someone wants to reach me.

Note, my unit may have been damaged (dropped by my son while playing with it), so the random shutdown I suspect could be loose battery connection.

No biggie really, coz it just needs to be rebooted.

I just want to check if anyone else have the same thing happening to their brand new units.

I guess I might have to send it in for repairs/warranty.

Otherwise, it's a great device for checking the office email.

Tested and confirmed, rooting method works. ME now works and Paid Apps is available.

Payment by CC is available although not sure if my localbank CC works. There is no "Malaysia" option in the Payment List. SOLVED; http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1211665

This post has been edited by Morpheus2be: Oct 12 2010, 11:11 PM

any generic app2sd works i think. I've tried 2. They both work the same. Not all apps can move.

That RM1k diff. is for the 1ghz hummingbird....On contract,Galaxy Tab is closer to the Mi700 at RM1.7k. No matter what, this thing will need a sim card. Choice of either on contract or not is yours

I'm using Celcom Broadband prepaid RM48 on my Mi700.

tajm is a widget. you need to add it on your homescreen. longpress on any clear screen area and follow onscreen prompts to add widgets to your homescreen.

Syncs with my office MS Exchange just ok, outlook email and calendar. No idea about assassins creed game. What app you using to open the pdf? Adobe android app or 3rd party?

shark7, for home launcher, try Launcher Pro = can make something almost HTC Sense like. ADW = Samsung Touchwiz like. Don't really spend time on the homescreen layout. Technically, you can make it look like anything you want.

Battery issue for my unit = it's loose I think, and the back cover is coming loose too. At the slightest drop, the unit will go blank. Need to depress power button to reboot.

Sometimes after a full charge, the unit will suddenly power down and battery indicator show 1%. Then, I need to press down on the back cover and reboot the device.

Sigh...I got no time to send it back for warranty yet. I've grown dependent on it for my emails, calendar and tracking expenses. Its great, but I also own an iPad 3G which my kid plays with. That thing has suffered more than a few drops and still going strong. My Droidpad seems flimsy in comparison.

This post has been edited by Morpheus2be: Oct 24 2010, 09:02 PM

I don't understand how Digi Internet Broadband can be such a pain. I bought Celcom RM48/mth broadband plan without modem. I just dropped the 3g SIMcard in and it works without any settings at all. I didn't have to do anything.

Anyway, I cannot tahan the loose battery problem, so I pried open the back cover (yep...scary!). Turns out, there is a small 4wire battery connector about an inch away from the charging port. The battery is huge taking up maybe 1/4 of the device size. The connector is loosely kept in place by a double sided-tape pressed against the back cover. What I did is to insert a sheet of paper in between the connector and back cover. Voila! No more loose battery issue and the back cover is a snug fit now.

(wish I'd taken pics of the insides) malas nak pry it open again, but it is easy to do.


WTB Silicon Case for the Mi700 in case anyone has found any.

This post has been edited by Morpheus2be: Oct 25 2010, 07:30 PM

I'm getting full market access on my rooted Mi700. Market Enabler works as advertised.

Full access means you get to see the paid apps of any android market in a country where Google has made paid apps available. I like to use T-Mobile US. Pay for apps via Google Checkout

Bought Reckless Racing by Polarbit. Awesome graphic but the Mi700 is struggling to run it. I think already up to the limit of the graphical power of this device.

The back plate can be pried open using a flat shaped screwdriver or knife. It takes a bit of pressure but it will crack open. Be careful around the sim card/microsd hatch cover. Otherwise, its quite easy. The battery connector is quite flimsy.

Anyhow, I no longer have issues with the battery. My unit has been running >100hours without needing a reset. Rock stable so far.

2 info I wanna set straight;

1) CSL is a joint M'sian-Singapore company.
2) the Spice Mi700, the Viewsonic Viewpad and the Camangi 600 are all manufactured at the same Foxconn factory and it's not in M'sia. CSL just rebadges the same tablet and market it here as the Mi700.

At least, that's how I read it. my source is the internet, so the usual caveats apply.

For the gamers amongst us; I thought u guys should know, Dungeon Defenders: First Wave is playable on the Mi700 Its an unreal engine powered tower defense game. Although min req is 800mhz processor and OpenGL ES 2.0. Happy gaming!

flashed custom rom on my unit, now running up to 864mhz reckless racing smooth now! downside, temps go up to 40C. so definitely can't run full speed all the time.