BSNL just days back launched three affordable tablets including entry level Penta IS701R, Penta Tpad_ws704c and the Penta Tpad WS802C. The tablets are being manufactured by Noida based Pantel Technologies, and are being marketed by public sector teleco BSNL.
The Mobile Indian has already reviewed the entry level tablet Penta IS701R, about which you can read here. We also got our hands on the most expensive tablet among the three – the Penta Tpad WS802C. Right from the start, the tablet looks promising and here is what we learnt from the few hours of our interaction with this tablet.
Look and feel
In pure milky white colour, the tablet does look decent. The body of the tablet is made of plastic and thus does not inspire much confidence, but we must say that it contributes to the tablet’s lightness. However, when you see its front you will have the feeling that the 8 inch tablet seems to have an unnecessary 1 inch around the display which serves no purpose.
The tablet also seems slippery in the hand. But BSNL and Pantel have provided a number of buttons at convenient positions in the Penta Tpad WS802C. All the ports – 3.5 mm jack, USB port, HDMI, reset button, and charging port – are at the lower part of the tablet along with the SD card slot. The volume rocker and on/off buttons are on the right lower side while on the left hand side there lies the SIM slot.
There are two mics at the top on the back panel. You will find the front camera along with four capacitive buttons at the lower part of the display.
Specifications and performance
Penta Tpad WS802C indeed has an impressive specification sheet.
It has an 8 inch capacitive screen producing images at 800 x 600 pixel resolution. The display produces fine images and supports two finger pinch to zoom. The tablet has a 1.2 GHz Processor with 512 MB DDR II RAM, which ensures smoother function. The tablet comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system, which is currently the most advanced version in the market as Android 4.0 has not been fully rolled out. There was no lag whatsoever in the short time we used the device.
For connectivity, Penta Tpad WS802C has everything in its arsenal. It comes equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth, an HDMI slot and USB port. A big let down is the absence of a rear camera, though there is a 0.3 Megapixel front camera for video chats.
Though the tablet does not have many preinstalled apps, you can download as many as you want from the Android Market.
We also found some problems with the Android keypad, which seems to have some bug – we can presume though that the issue is with the particular tablet we are using.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, the tablet looks promising and attractive, especially considering its specifications and price of Rs 13,500. Besides, BSNL is also offering 5 GB of free data for 60 days, after which consumers can recharge the same plan for Rs 750.
Undoubtedly, it has a faster processor and a bright display. However, how the battery performs under intense work pressure is yet to be seen though it was satisfactory during our short interaction with the device. Penta Tpad WS802C comes with SIM functionality, which enables users to go for 3G/2G in the absence of WiFi; but lack of calling function may bug many as the functionality is present in competitor products.