A1CS X220 TABLET 10.2" ANDROID 2.2, WIFI, MIFI, HDMI, 1080P, GPS WITH CAM

I did some serious research into the Tablet market before deciding to buy the A1CS X220 Android Tablet some ten days ago. It seemed to offer everything I wanted - book reader, internet, email, MP3 player, photo and video viewer, and at a price I was prepared to pay. And it has proved to do all these things and more - I really am pleased and impressed with this product. It is well built, comes with GPS aerial, and transformer with an 8 foot cable, making it easy to use well away from a power point. It is comfortable to hold, light enough to use in bed or in a chair,and I have also used it on a train. The battery lasts for at least three hours before it needs recharging and you can use it with the mains connected as well, although I prefer not too as the mains input cable could get in the way, get pulled and thus damaged. The tablet has three inputs, two USB and one Micro SD card which can take up to 32 Gig capacity.

Never having experience an Android device before, it took me a few days and a lot of fun to get used to the system. Android 2.2 is designed for both Tablets and Telephones and this could cause problems though in practice it has not done so. There is a huge variety of Apps available that cover just about everything you might ever need and some you wonder 'why?'. It comes with a good range of useful apps already loaded including QuickOffice, Google Maps and a GPS program, email and Gmail apps, Amazon Kindle, Skype, and a browser, and a range of apps that make the system work effectively. There is a wide range of free apps available through the already installed Google 'Market'. The Manual is small, but almost perfectly formed, and it does contain most of the information you will need at the beginning, although you may need to try things a few times until you get it right. You can also download a Google Android 2.2 Manual from the Internet which is a bit more comprehensive.

I also purchased the 'leather'case with keyboard. This is an excellent addition to the kit and although I have not used the almost full sized keyboard in the lid of the case much yet, I can see that under certain circumstances away from home that it will be most useful. I discovered that the Shift key on the keyboard did not produce capital letters, and an email to A1CS via Amazon was answered the following morning, a micro SD card with a 'fix' on it arrived the next day and all is now working fine. I must say that A1CS is VERY good to deal with, they reply promptly to emails and are most helpful and appreciative of any complimentary comments.

So far this has proved to be an excellent and most enjoyable product - why pay more?

Postscript January 2012

I have now been using my Tablet almost every day since June of last year and am still extremely pleased with this purchase. It does what it is supposed to do and at a really good price. There is a slight disappointment in that the camera in the Tablet does not seem to work with Skype, although Skype works with sound only perfectly well. But that is my only small grumble!

I used the screen protector provided by A1CS and find that it reduces the touch sensitivity of the screen very slightly, although I quickly got used to it. It does protect the screen from damage and scratches, however. New Screen Protectors can be obtained from A1CS. I also keep a sheet of plastic foam between the screen and the keyboard when not in use - it prevents the keyboard from marking the screen protector. Some other points about the Tablet are covered in my answers below.

My BIG grumble is not with A1CS at all but with Google. I and many others have found it impossible to purchase Apps from Android Market, despite the fact that I have registered with Google. The same Apps will download onto an Android Telephone, but not onto an Android Tablet despite the fact that Android 2.2 is designed for both phones and tablets. The range of free Apps is good, but there are one or two I would like to purchase as well. Come on, 'Goggle', get this sorted out!

Something must be really good for me to break my silence, and here it is.Forget all the hype you keep hearing about this tablet and that tablet,just buy this and enjoy,in the knowledge that it will do almost everything for a third of the price.After you have added this to your basket don`t forget to add the case which has a built in keyboard and stand,it`s the perfect way to protect your tablet.Research is what i do when buying an item,value for money etc and that`s exactly what this tablet gives you without scrimping on quality and features.It looks good,it feels good and performs extremely well.Easy to use and setup the internet,two minutes at the most,two micro sd slots,two standard USB ports and an ethernet port for network or a wired internet connection.The quality of the screen is excellent too and very responsive,there`s also a camera and microphone incorporated.The tablet has a 44 page manual which for the novice to the expert is easy to follow.Although i have said that it is packed with features,which it is,the one thing that stood out for me is the E-Book Reader only because i have alot of books and i was thinking of buying an E-Book Reader,but i`m not now.I loaded 35 of my books onto it for a start and i love it,i`ve just saved myself about hundred pounds as well by not buying an E-Book Reader.Now that`s what i call value for money.

The brought the tablet from A1CS on the Monday and it was delivered on the Wednesday morning. The tablet came with a free slip case and screen protector which was a nice surprise as these were not mentioned.

First of all this is not an I Pad, but at the third of the price, more connection options and software support it gives the I Pad real competition.

The tablet itself is easy to use with external controls mounted on the top of the tablet and the interface connections down the right hand side.

The 2x MicroSD sockets and the 2 x USB sockets means there is great scope for expansion and swapping of files between a PC and the tablet.

The screen is resistive compared to the capacitive of the I Pad meaning you need to touch it slightly harder to operate but after a few minutes of operation you soon forget this.

The only issue I have with the tablet is that it doesn't work with my o2 3G dongle; this isn't too much of an issue for me because I plan to use it mainly connected to the net via wifi but people buying this for use outside of the home and away from wifi hotspots should be aware of this.

I great buy at a good price.