Disgo 9104


Before the Google Nexus 10 came along, the Disgo 9104 was the
first budget large-screen Android tablet actually worth a look


“Many will write off the Disgo as a  no-name brand, but  the 9104 is worth a second look”


● Price £179 ● comPany DiSGo ● WeBSiTe mydisgo.com


Many will write off the Disgo as a no-name brand, but the 9104 is worth a second look. It's the first budget Ice Cream Sandwich tablet to emulate the  iPad's 9.7in screen, but this 1024x768 capacitive IPS screen has a 4:3 ratio. The screen itself is an impressive panel in such a cheap tablet: relatively bright,  with good contrast and wide viewing angles. It isn't on a par with the iPad 2's screen, and the resolution is yesterday's, but don't forget that low price. Build quality is significantly better than that of Disgo's 8104 (a tablet the company is likely to want to forget), and rivals Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, the Galaxy has a plastic back, whereas the Disgo has an aluminium panel. 

                            The 9104 is reasonably light at 630g and feels thin, despite measuring 10.4mm. All the buttons and ports are consigned to the right edge: power and volume controls sit above the power socket, mini-USB and mini-HDMI connectors. There's also a 3.5mm headphone output and a microSD slot for boosting the 16GB of internal storage. A rear-facing 2Mp camera is twinned with a front-facing VGA version for video chat. It seems the corners have instead been cut on the inside. The Disgo’s 1.2GHz single-core processor is paired with 1GB of RAM but, even with Android 4.0 installed, the 9104 isn't as slick as we'd like. Disgo has personalised Ice Cream Sandwich so it feels more welcoming to new users; as this is likely to be a first tablet, that's a good thing. Shortcuts to the browser, email, camera and settings apps are on the desktop. 

                              There's no access to the Google Play store, though, and no Google apps are installed by default. Browsing the web is one of the 9104's strengths. There's enough resolution to view the desktop versions of websites, and Flash is supported. Battery life isn't fantastic, with the 7,000mAh slab lasting just under five hours in our video-looping test. It's better than most budget laptops, though, and fine  as long as you carry the power supply with you. Wireless 802.11n is supported, but there’s no GPS receiver or Bluetooth.  This is worth noting if case you planned to use the 9104 as a satnav.

Specitations

9.7in (1024x768) capacitive multitouch  IPS screen; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor; 1GB RAM; 16GB storage; 802.11bgn;  2Mp, 0.3Mp cameras;  mini-USB; mini-HDMI; 243x190x10.4mm; 630g

             

             
                        Goclever Tab R974


It’s cheap, but is it cheerful? The GoClever Tab R974 is proof that –  in the tablet market, at least – you generally get what you pay for


“Given the low price, the GoClever’s specification isn’t bad”


● Price £179 ● comPany GocLeVer ● WeBSiTe goclever.com



The Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Barnes & Noble Nook HD are all proof that decent budget tablets do exist. But these tablets are all loss-leaders, designed  to encourage content sales or boost Android platform popularity; the GoClever is not. Unlike the Fire and Nook, though, it does offer access to Google Play. Mainly plastic in construction, the rear panel has a faux metallic silver finish that gives a fleeting impression of quality. It's by no means a thin device, but the edges taper off and make it feel thinner than it is. The screen bezel is also larger than those of premium tablets, but our main concern with the GoClever's build is the amount of flex in its plastic sides, and the loose plastic construction of the volume switch and on/off button. 

                              The GoClever has some great connectivity options, including micro USB, mini HDMI and a microSD slot. The latter lets you boost the 16GB storage with a further 32GB. There are front- and back-facing 2Mp cameras; both capture video. A single 1W speaker is found on the rear, situated exactly where you'd typically place your hand, so any movie watching or music listening will likely make use of the 3.5mm headphone jack. The GoClever boasts a 9.7in, TFT capacitative touchscreen LCD. Its 1024x768 resolution makes it far from the crispest screen we've seen, but we found it zippy and responsive, with decent viewing angles. Given the low price, the specification isn't bad. 

                             The CPU is a RockChip RK3066 dual-core Cortex A9 chip running at 1.6GHz, and it's backed with a healthy 1GB of DDR3 memory. There's also 802.11n wireless, an accelerometer and a 6,800mAh lithium-polymer battery. Subjectively, the GoClever Tab R974 feels like a responsive and snappy device, and this is born out by our performance benchmarks. In GeekBench the GoClever recorded 1,178 points, and we saw 1,267ms in the SunSpider JavaScript test, placing it not too far behind tablets costing a lot more. The GoClever Tab R974 runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. This is no longer the very latest Android OS, but it's as near as dammit.

Specifications

9.7in (1024x768) capacitive multitouch screen; Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean; 1.6GHz RockChip RK3066 processor; 1GB RAM; 16GB storage; 802.11b/g/n; 2x 2Mp  cameras; mini HDMI 1.4;  micro USB 2.0; 6,800mAh lithium-polymer battery

               
                   Barnes & noble nook HD


The Nook HD is a cheap 7in tablet with a stunning HD screen. We take a closer look to find out how it stacks up against its rivals, including the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7

 “The Nook HD loads apps and web pages quickly, rarely leaves you waiting, and the interface never feels jerky”


Barnes & Noble is an established chain of bookstores in the US. Its 7in Nook HD weighs about the same as an iPad mini, and is comfortable to hold in one  hand. It’s available in white or grey, and with 8- or 16GB of storage. A microSD card slot lets you boost this capacity. The Nook HD is has its sights set on the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and Barnes & Noble is quick to point out that you won’t get bombarded by adverts on the lock screen and that there’s a mains charger in the box.  It’s also thinner and lighter than the Fire HD, but it's the screen that's the star of the show. This IPS display has 1440x900 pixels, giving it a pixel density of 243ppi – almost as high as the Retina iPad. 

                   In fact, it’s hard to tell the difference in terms of clarity, and the colours and contrast of the Nook HD’s screen are excellent, as are viewing angles. One annoyance is the proprietary dock connector, which means you'll have to carry the charger around with you. An HDMI adaptor cable is said to be in the works, but we prefer Amazon's industry-standard micro USB and HDMI ports. It's also a shame there's no camera for Skype, but this is a device purely for content consumption, and Barnes & Noble makes no bones about that.

                             Like the Fire HD, the Nook HD runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s so heavily customised that it’s unrecognisable as Android, save for a few clues such as the volume slider. Press the power button on the left side and you immediately find a feature we’ve been waiting a long time for on a tablet: user profiles.

                                          You can create up to six profiles, and you drag an avatar on to the padlock to load that profile. Naturally, you can assign passwords so your kids (or your other half) can’t access your stuff. You can choose which apps and features are available to each person. Backgrounds can also be personalised for each user, and things like bookmarks and notes are user-specific, even though several family members could be reading the same content. 

                             You can even have separate email accounts – there's support for Microsoft Exchange, too, which means you can access work email if your firm uses Exchange. The main menu is similar to Amazon’s, with a carousel of recently used apps, books and magazines, but not web pages. Below this is space for a few shortcuts to apps, books, videos and magazines.

 Content

 The book selection is vast, although there are holes – no Gruffalo for kids, nor any Jamie Oliver cookbooks, for example. Things are less impressive when it comes to magazines and newspapers, with few UK titles on offer. At the time of writing the film store had yet to launch. When it comes to apps, your only option is the Nook store,  which has a limited selection of popular titles, but they are at least  curated. There's Angry Birds Star Wars and Words With Friends, but  no BBC iPlayer or Lovefilm. There is Netflix, which is a consolation  if you have a subscription to that service. A Flash app has been added to the Nook store, which you'll have to install  to watch Flash videos or use Flash-based websites. The system is locked down so tightly it makes the Kindle Fire HD look like  an open platform.

                            You can't install any app that's not in the Nook store, so it  isn't possible to side-load the Amazon Appstore or Google Play. Music fans are out of luck as there's no music store, but the built-in Music Player will play your MP3s, while the Gallery app can show your photos. Books and magazines from the Nook store look amazing, with high-resolution images that look lifelike on the HD screen. Page turns in magazines are slick 3D affairs, while in books, you simply swipe to instantly slide to the next page. With kids' books, you can double-tap  to enlarge the text panel on each page to  make it more readable, and it's possible to record your voice so they can listen  to someone read aloud the book.

  
Performance

 The dual-core 1.3GHz processor is a slightly slower version than the one used  in Archos' 101 XS, but the Nook HD is still a powerhouse. It completed the SunSpider JavaScript test in 1,248ms and web browsing is a speedy affair. The Nook HD managed 1,199 in Geekbench 2, which is a reasonable result and higher than that of the Kindle Fire HD (which scored 1,124), but lower than the Nexus 7 (1,452). In our graphics benchmark, GLBenchmark 2.5.1, the Nook HD produced 14fps. Not a bad result but, again, slightly behind the competition. 

                              Subjectively, the Nook HD is fast. It loads apps and web pages quickly, rarely leaves you waiting and the interface never feels jerky. Plus, in casual games such  as Angry Birds Star Wars, the framerate is very smooth. The high screen brightness immediately puts the Nook HD at a disadvantage compared to dimmer tablets, and it lasted 5 hours and 25 minutes with maximum brightness in our video-looping test. If you drop the brightness to a more sensible level you could get an extra couple of hours.

Specifications

 7in (1440x900) capacitive multitouch IPS screen; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; 1.3GHz TI Omap 4470 dual-core processor; 1GB RAM; 8GB storage; microSDXC; 802.11b/g/n;Bluetooth 3.0; HDMI via optional adaptor; proprietary sync/charge port;  accelerometer; lithium-ion  battery; 127x194x11mm; 315g