Memup SlidePad 101

NB: the SlidePad 101 is very similar to the 8-inch Memup model, the SlidePad 800. You can find a more complete analysis of the 'Interface & Navigation' and 'Multimedia' sections on that page.

Final round for Memup after the SlidePad 800 (8-inch) with its 4:3 aspect ratio and the SlidePad 700 (7-inch), almost pocket-sized. The company is back with a 10-inch Android 2.2 Froyo touchscreen tablet: the SlidePad 101.
 

The SlidePad 101 has an identical core to the SlidePad 800. The only difference is its 10.1-inch capacitive screen (2 point multipoint only) instead of the resistive screen on the 800, making for faster, more precise typing.
 

The SlidePad 101 has a Samsung ARM Cortex A8 S5PV210 processor, still clocked at 1 GHz and with 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB storage. TN technology is used for the panel, as with the rest of the SlidePad range. All the usual connectors are there: mini HDMI out, mini USB port, 3.5mm headphones out, microSD slot to extend storage capacity up to a maximum of 32 GB.

The SlidePad 101 has been launched at a little over £200.

Design & Handling

The 10.1-inch format makes this an imposing slab. We're worlds away from the slimline Archos 101 IT, which nevertheless has the same sized screen, but is just 3 mm thick and weighs 200 grammes less than the Memup. The SlidePad 101 is however very well finished, with high quality plastics used. The speakers are placed on the back.


In this format, the tablet's 670 grammes do make themselves felt, more than on the first iPad 3G for example, which is however 60 grammes heavier. The sides are noticeable but not as wide as on some of the high end competition, such as the Samsung or Motorola tablets.

Unfortunately, like the two smaller SlidePads, the touch-sensitive buttons on the 101 are too sensitive. In landscape mode, the mode you'll use most with this type of format, the buttons on the extreme right and left fall naturally under the user's thumb. Depending on how you're holding it these are the Google search and 'B' for browser buttons.

Screen

This screen is far from breaking any records. With an average contrast ratio of 551: 1, the SlidePad 101 nevertheless does better than the Archos 101 IT. The use of TN technology and the resulting narrow viewing angles reduces immersion in video mode somewhat.
When it comes to colour accuracy, though the red is among the best we've seen on a tablet, the overall result is rather surreal with an average DeltaE (colour accuracy measure, closer to 0 is better) of 10.2. It's no surprise to see a strong tendency towards blue. As with the other two SlidePad tablets, an average ghosting of 32 ms means there will be a noticeable trail with fast movements.

Interface & Navigation

NB: You can find our complete notes on the tablet's Android 2.2 Froyo interface on the SlidePad 800 page.
 

 

The only difference between this 10.1-inch model and the 8-inch version is that navigation is a good deal more comfortable, fluid and natural with a capacitive touchscreen. There's no need to think about pressing hard on the screen here. It's rapid and precise
Once again, it's disappointing not to see Android Market included here. This means you have to install any Android applications you manage to find (.APK files) on the Internet. At least Archos has AppsLib.

Multimedia

NB: See our test of the SlidePad 800, for a more detailed analysis of the media player and the numerous formats accepted.

Internet browsing is improved with the capacitive touchscreen, which gives more fluid scrolling and a more precise zoom.

The higher resolution screen (1024 x 600 pixels) also benefits playback in both portrait and landscape.
 

Battery life

As with the SlidePad 700 and 800, the SlidePad 101 battery only rarely gives more than five hours usage. To get beyond this, video mode without wi-fi will allow you to extend the life of your Memup.
 

In mixed usage, you'll get 4H40 on average. Charging the tablet up isn't as rapid as it could be (only from the power socket, not USB, just like the other SlidePads) and a certain amount of battery power is used even in standby mode. It'll give you 48 hours of inactivity before expiring. To give you a comparison, some higher end models last several days more and even weeks in standby.