BSNL pantel IS701R review

S

After 24 hours of getting the device in hand, i will sum it up for you. Cost of the product was 3385/- including shipping

For specs:
T-Pad IS701R | Lowest cost tablet in market today Entry "consumption"device

Initially, an HDMI output was part of the specification but was not included.

Verdict:

1. Cheapest in India - but you get what u paid for
2. Decent build quality and decent screen resolution. Solitary front Camera is ok
3. Despite old ARM11 processor, there is not much of a lag and some multitasking is possible like playing music and browsing. You can play angry birds. Kindle, Aldiko, Adobe PDF, Winamp, Tuneinradio ran flawlessly. Browsing was fast with Dolphin Mini browser. Yahoo messenger worked fine. I could not make video calls with Skype (?) and even voice calls required the headset since the caller's voice was inaudible through built in speakers although the inbuilt mic did its job. Youtube android app did NOT work - got error 400 cannot connect
4. Battery life (Update: turning off wifi from setting's menu and reducing screen brightness to 40% gave me around 3 hours of video playback): average
5. Resistive touch is frustrating especially swipe function. G-sensor is often buggy. Typing was fine
6. The most disappointing aspect of the tablet is the dearth of good connectivity options. On connecting tablet to PC it only gets charged but device is not recognized by PC so you cannot transfer your PC files directly to tablet's internal memory (through mass storage mode) or the micro sd card! What i understand is that you will have to use a microsd adapter / card reader or download files off the net which IMO defeats the entire purpose of a tablet considering that most cheap mobile phone nowadays have this elementary feature
7. All in all - poor touch and poor connectivity drastically reduce the tablet's utility. It might be better than the original Aakash but the forthcoming upgraded Aakash 2 / Ubsilate 7+ promises a full sized USB port and 2G SIM slot apart from the new Cortex A8 processor
8. Update: i am comfortably using a 4 gb transcend pen drive with the tablet through a mini USB-OTG adapter which i bought from ebay for Rs 150/-.
9. Sound: built in speakers are sufficient for listening to some music or lectures. However, they sound just ok while playing high quality videos

Would love to know if i missed / overlooked any aspect of the device especially with regard to connectivity in mass storage mode.
Youtube android app is not working with this tablet.

I

Hi Saurav,

Nice review. I have few questions.

1. First of all how did you get it? I have booked it on first day. Still got no communication from pantel.

2. About USB port - in specifications it claims to have a full sized USB port. does it ? I guess to connect usb 2g dongle there. Also pen drive for data transfer.

Thanks for review.

S

iSLaND said:
Hi Saurav,

Nice review. I have few questions.

1. First of all how did you get it? I have booked it on first day. Still got no communication from pantel.

2. About USB port - in specifications it claims to have a full sized USB port. does it ? I guess to connect usb 2g dongle there. Also pen drive for data transfer.

Thanks for review.

I booked it online. Then on 23rd march, i got email message that my penta tpad delivery was ready and i had to make payment via challan to any Punjab Nat Bank branch. Got it after 72 hrs of making payment. Bank charge Rs 25 extra and shipping cost rs 105 extra

There is a mini USB port only. If i connect it to PC/Laptop it is not recognized at all and neither is the inserted micro sd. I have written to support :-(

One word about battery backup. With wifi off, i got total backup of 4.5 hrs with infrequent use, no video and no games. On heavy use (wifi, video, games), i should get around 2.5 hrs only.

D

Hai Saurav, I too have recieved an email stating that my penta tpad delivery is ready and before purchasing this tablet i want to clear some of my doubts regarding this tablet so please clear my doubts. 1. How does this tablet work with resistive screen especially while playing games like angry birds and but the rope [ Note that i use a mobile with resistive screen and working with resistive screen is ok with me.] 2. And does it get heated up very soon after an usage of an hour or two. 3. And about G-Sensor can i smoothly play motion sensing games like adrenaline and racing moto. 4. Can i connect a transcend usb to its usb slot. 5. And what are the methods through which i can connect for internet apart from wifi [ like connecting a mobile through its usb cable ] 6. Can it be upgraded to the latest android versions like 3.0 7. And how is the video and audio experience with speakers and while playing hd videos. Finally conclude by suggesting me wheather to in for this tablet or to wait for aakash 2 which comes with a capacitive touch screen and sim slot. and also send of a video showing this penta tablet.

S

* I have inserted transcend micro sd card class 4 8 gb card and it works flawlessly
* This is my first tablet - so while i perceived some heating up, it was IMO quite mild and nothing alarming
* Video playback with mobo video player was satisfactory - built in speakers are okay for playing music but playback with earphones is much better. If you turn wifi off from settings, 3 hours of video playback is possible (to extract more juice from battery, turn wifi off completely and reduce brightness of the display)
* I found the G Sensor irritating and turned it off. I have no clue whether motion gaming is possible. I am not into mobile gaming and this tablet with its meager specifications is apparently not geared for quality gaming.
* If you have BSNL in your state, then buy the Rs 3500/- version which has inbuilt BSNL sim with some data plan. Base model without BSNL offer does not mention any SIM slot. I don't know how to connect dongle to micro USB port so could not test it either. So far the support has not responded either

Issues which i currently face:

* How to establish connection between PC/laptop/pen drive and tablet through the microusb port?
* Wifi is working only with SSID on. If you don't broadcast your network's SSID, tablet will fail to identify the network connection...why does this happen?
* Why does android youtubeapp fail to connect / is dysfunctional with my tab?

A

hi,

what all you got with the tablet. charger, and normal usb to mini/micro usb cable? they are advertising that we can plug a data card. may be they could have given something like otg adapter to usb like below.

eBay: otg

got my 701r tab yesterday
costed me rs 3450 in all (3250+25+175)
i fully agree with saurav's review
but i would say that this tab is worth what you r paying for and it is much better than ubislate 7+
my friend has got 7+ and poor thing is very slow and if you multitask then god help you
as per the issue with youtube network error 400 i m facing the same problem
i checked on net and got a solution ie to install flash player 11 from g market
download it on your pc transfer it to sd card root then use built in app manager to install it and then reboot device.
not tried yet but gonna try now.
i will update on this issue soon

V

Hi Saurabh,
I received the IS701R Tpad yesterday only and confused in many things. I need your favour for clarifications of below points:-
1) Can we call any person like Mobile
2) I wish to get it activated but unable to know where and how to insert SIM
3) Can we unlock BSNL lock and insert any other SIM?
4) Which plan of BSNL will be best suited for this set?

A

vikash_kumar_mehra@yahoo. said:
Hi Saurabh,
I received the IS701R Tpad yesterday only and confused in many things. I need your favour for clarifications of below points:-
1) Can we call any person like Mobile
2) I wish to get it activated but unable to know where and how to insert SIM
3) Can we unlock BSNL lock and insert any other SIM?
4) Which plan of BSNL will be best suited for this set?

1. this model doesnt have sim slot, read FAQs on pantel site properly.
2. same as above.
3. same as above.
4. Now in pantel site they mention supported datacards, lot of evdo,wcdma datacards listed. go to bsnl office with the device models in hand. pick a usb modem and take the plan for that. if usb models of others players listed or unlocked modems can be used with other players.

S

vikash_kumar_mehra@yahoo. said:
Hi Saurabh,
I received the IS701R Tpad yesterday only and confused in many things. I need your favour for clarifications of below points:-
1) Can we call any person like Mobile
2) I wish to get it activated but unable to know where and how to insert SIM
3) Can we unlock BSNL lock and insert any other SIM?
4) Which plan of BSNL will be best suited for this set?

T-Pad IS701R With BSNL | Wide-Screen viewing World-best features for professionals

There is a list of dongles which are supposed to work with this tablet. I have not tried any dongle yet. Call their support and see if they can clarify on these issues

atal said:
hi,

what all you got with the tablet. charger, and normal usb to mini/micro usb cable? they are advertising that we can plug a data card. may be they could have given something like otg adapter to usb like below.

eBay: otg

They have provided a normal mini USB to USB cable (the ac adapter requires this cable to be plugged into it). But otg adapter was not provided

jd91 said:
got my 701r tab yesterday
costed me rs 3450 in all (3250+25+175)
i fully agree with saurav's review
but i would say that this tab is worth what you r paying for and it is much better than ubislate 7+
my friend has got 7+ and poor thing is very slow and if you multitask then god help you
as per the issue with youtube network error 400 i m facing the same problem
i checked on net and got a solution ie to install flash player 11 from g market
download it on your pc transfer it to sd card root then use built in app manager to install it and then reboot device.
not tried yet but gonna try now.
i will update on this issue soon

thanks for the update.

Can you check if any OTG adapter works with the tablet?

A

Mini USB 5 Pin Male to Normal USB Female Adapter OTG Cable for CAR Tablet Mobile | eBay

I think we need this type of connector to play with accessories.

PS: i have booked the tablet from sbicardmegamall 3days back but its not yet shipped. waiting for my tablet then i will do all the hacking.

S

atal said:
Mini USB 5 Pin Male to Normal USB Female Adapter OTG Cable for CAR Tablet Mobile | eBay

I think we need this type of connector to play with accessories.

PS: i have booked the tablet from sbicardmegamall 3days back but its not yet shipped. waiting for my tablet then i will do all the hacking.

Just got an email reply from pantel support

"Thank you for contacting Pantel Technologies this is inform you that TPAD not be connected to the PC directly you have to use card reader
for transfer files. we are sorry for the inconvenience."

---> If you have a spare OTG cable, do give it a try since there is now nothing to lose....

R

Hello,

I have recived the Penta-Tablet

But facing following problems:
1. How to connect pen drive/Flash drive
2. How to insert sim for internet through dongle

please suggest

P

hi i am pratik pancholi?
i got mail from pantel that my t-pad is ready and i paid for it in PNB via challan.
i just want to know that 'do i get any confirmation mail regarding payment and date of delivery of penta t-pad?'

and what are the things which they give with pantel?? does it contain any booklet of how to use table?

P

Saurav2007 said:
Just got an email reply from pantel support

"Thank you for contacting Pantel Technologies this is inform you that TPAD not be connected to the PC directly you have to use card reader
for transfer files. we are sorry for the inconvenience."

---> If you have a spare OTG cable, do give it a try since there is now nothing to lose....

hi i am pratik pancholi?
i got mail from pantel that my t-pad is ready and i paid for it in PNB via challan.
i just want to know that 'do i get any confirmation mail regarding payment and date of delivery of penta t-pad?'

and what are the things which they give with pantel?? does it contain any booklet of how to use table?

S

prtk_pancholi said:
hi i am pratik pancholi?
i got mail from pantel that my t-pad is ready and i paid for it in PNB via challan.
i just want to know that 'do i get any confirmation mail regarding payment and date of delivery of penta t-pad?'

and what are the things which they give with pantel?? does it contain any booklet of how to use table?

I did not receive any email confirmation regarding payment. My TPAD was delivered after 3 working days post payment

You will get a charger (usb cable which only charges the tablet) and a AC adapter which requires the usb cable to be attached with it. There was a single page sheet of instructions

P

thanks buddy that means a lot..
and just last question do i get handsfree(earphone)??

S

prtk_pancholi said:
thanks buddy that means a lot..
and just last question do i get handsfree(earphone)??

no. But u can use any standard 3.5 earphones

P

can i upgrade android 4.0 in this tab?

S

It does support a pen drive after all

Thanks to gogi for this splendid review.

*www.gogi.in/bsnl-penta-is701r-unboxing-review-video.html

V

hi all,

i read your experiences, these really helped me. i thing i want to ask, you all have posted that you got ur tab just 3 days later after making payment ,when i called them up , the customer care people said that it will take 12 days to deliver your tab. i m from bang. . can anyone pls explain why so...

P

to the last post:

i am pratik and i just want to know that if company is telling you that it takes 12 days please dont belive them for my and my friends experince company is taking atleast 20 days and if you are than you'll get your tablet before 20 days. i had booked tablet before 2 months i got tablet after 32 days and it has a fault so i retun it to the service center and after almost 20 days i still dont have it and you know what there is service center list on pantel site but company executives dont have the no.s of service centers even they communicate with each other via mail.

for your saftey, when you got your tablet via courier service open your tablet box infront of that courier boy b'coz i had fault in tablet abd i my friend had broken screen of tablet when he got his tablet. so please read my advice carefully and if you have not paid for it yet dont go to pay for this tablet many options are available.

P

There is lot of complaints regarding pantel technologies and I have also submitted complaint in consumer court

The best is to avoid all these kind of cheap stuff , pay a little more get something better

first congrats to all the guys who have got the gadget....though as the reviews goes I have come up to a conclusion that the low budget tablets are not worth of it.....

I think many new budget tablets are launched in the market from Micromax , Karbonn ,iBall ,iBerry ,etc... theirs reviews are comparatively better than Aakash & Pantel sort of stuffs.

So as from my point of view I would advice to kindly invest few bucks more and grab a good one...

Though those have purchased it don't regret it and use it to the fullest ;-)

K

can anyone tell me how this data plan is provided in T-Pad IS701R ?
They are providing a dongle or a something else for providing data plan facility?

M

Hiiii Friends!

I got my tablet a week ago n 1st exp ws nt good. The OS crashed on d very 1st day n I hv 2 create a recovery disk on SD card n reinstalled it.
Package downloaded from -
*docs.google.com/open?id=0B1ecPgcLz140VXg3RDdJY2QyR0k

But aftr tht it working very fyn n m happy wid it (as compared 2 its cost its awsome). :lol:

And for my friends who r nt able 2 Play YOUTUBE Videos. Try logging in using your google account in youtube. Its working fym for me....yipeeee :lol:

E

Hello Saurav,

1.Can u Please tell me How to activate the Penta T pad (On which no. i have to recharge for activation).

2.My tab show error during Playing Video, like HDMI Connected and then Only sound came no picture showing.

3.Which Video player better suitable for this tab.

S

Hello All,

I also bought the same tablet. I have a query, Since USB is not recognizing and I am not able to connect from tablet to PC. Since Saurav is mentioned to buy a card reader,will it fix my problem? so that I may copy all my files/folders from PC to tablet. Please let me know.

Thanks in Advance

Sateesh

S

Hello Saurav & All,

I also bought the same tablet. I have a query, Since USB is not recognizing and I am not able to connect from tablet to PC. Since Saurav is mentioned to buy a card reader,will it fix my problem? so that I may copy all my files/folders from PC to tablet. Please let me know.

Thanks in Advance

Sateesh

H

Hello Saurav,

i too bought a new IS701 tablet. but my problem is tablet is not identifying my internet dongle Idea3G (Model suggested by Pantel in their website). furthure i dont know the process to connect data card to tablet and steps to follow.

Friends Please help me...

S

some updates

1. Wifi stopped working... :-x

. And i feel too lazy to reinstall the OS - there is no reason for wifi to stop working

2. There are tons of options now, cap. screens with great touch support, full USB support, better battery, brighter screens, more RAM, faster processor, separate graphics processor. I miss all those features now

3. Did not try 3G connectivity.

A

hhkumars said:
Hello Saurav,

i too bought a new IS701 tablet. but my problem is tablet is not identifying my internet dongle Idea3G (Model suggested by Pantel in their website). furthure i dont know the process to connect data card to tablet and steps to follow.

Friends Please help me...

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Even I have same question:
On Pantel site they have listed names of dongles
■HUAWEI E169G works with Reliance GSM, BSNL, Idea, Airtel
■HUAWEI E173 Reliance GSM, BSNL, Idea, Airtel

Can we use 3G SIM's in these dongles and do they work fine of we can able to put 3G SIM in IS701 tab?

M

hi friends i got my IS701R pantel tablet at 04/05/12. It's was worked nice till end of may . . -But last 3week pantel hang off and not switching on.,while i am trying to on it seems to display only white colour screen and all other function stop . . . Already i send ya mail to pantel support centre but there was no reply yet . . Please inform any service centre near to my address
74/75 kazimar streat
3rd lane
MADURAI -625001
TAMIL NADU..
Reply as soon as possible

K

halloo sourav and others ;

Can u tell me

1. how to activate the WiFi in this tab . . ?? I am turning on the Wifi ; but still it's not detecting any kind of WiFi signal in spite of standing in a complete WiFi zone . . ? / :O . . please let me know . . and besides that

2. Can you suggest me ;or give me the download link of any pdf reader that will work it this tab . . so that I will download it and will install it there . . I have already tried 3 or 4 pdf readers ; but they are giving "Force stop" type of errors and henece are not capable of working . . .

T

hi guys...

i recieved T-pad a month ago... from the begining exp was not at all good... even after paying the amount i received tab in 30 days. wen i enquired regarding same they said there were some problems in TABs as wat they received reviews from there customers so my order was put on hold to provide me rectified tab.

well i believe the did not rectify any problems in tht. from the very first day faced problem in charging it . now it has stopped completely can not charge it. now its just a piece of junk with which i can break nebody's head :-x

. in between this, i also faced problem in startin(booting) it, the screen blinks and den while booting ANDROID symbol comes and then home screen appears for 2-3 secs and it automatically again starts rebooting. after around 20-30 times of attempt it some how started but then cud not be charged hence. reponse time very low. with WIFI battery works for not more than an hour, for 2G or 3G sim one need to buy another Rs 1500 dongle ,front camera doesnot work with skype. good applications like compass games winamp etc does not work.

total waste of money... i dont even have service center in my city . now wen i contacted customer care the told " no way to repair as no service centre in ur city , if u want to replace it with IS 703C they'll give me special price of 6000 ( which on there site is of 7500) .i.e i have to pay another 2500 ..." and wen i checked other sites i found that it was actoully sold by other online shopping sites in 6000 only... wat i actually realised is to better let go this tab and not to invest another 2500 in such untrustworthy company.

they r cheaters.. my suggestions dont go for it.. it may look fine to u for 1-2 months after tht u urself will beat ur own head with sam tab.

wait... arrange more money and go for some standard company product. dont go for such Made in India product it is actually total waste of money.

C

Hi Saurav,

I am not able to open any pdf file in PENTA TPAD IS701R. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY.Should we download adobe acrobat and install in the TPAD?