Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC

 

 

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*WARNING*

Fairly long review ahead. With lots of technical gibberish.

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The Le Pan TC970 hasn't got many reviews here on Amazon.ca, and the only reason for that I think, is the fact that people are too busy enjoying it to come over and write a review. So I will, and I will provide a bit of background as well.

I've been working in computers (personal and industrial), for over 20 years. I jumped on the Android bandwagon only last year, when I got my HTC Desire, and I fell in love with it at first sight: Highly customizable in appearance, a lot of potential hardware-wise. The only difference is that back then, I paid over US$500 for my phone.

And I bought the Le Pan TC970 for less than CA$300 with shipping included. Go figure.

First, I'll address some of the issues that you will encounter on other reviews (and that didn't really help me much in deciding whether to buy this or not, to be honest).

*) Finger Smudges: Yes, they are annoying, and the screen gets pretty full of them rather easily. However, they don't affect visibility as they do on other (and smaller) devices. Thanks to the brilliance and clarity of the display, the fingerprints on the screen are only really bothersome when you turn the tablet off. If you don't care about that, cleaning it once a day with the provided pad should be enough.

*) Awesome display: Absolutely. Clarity and definition. For a tablet within its pricepoint (and many far beyond it), there is nothing that beats the display on the Le Pan. It's simply fantastic.

*) Dead pixels/ghost spots: I can only speak about mine, but I have 2 dead pixels, and to be quite honest, I don't really care. You might, but I don't. I don't use it for video editing or something of the sort, so maybe that's why I don't care. I don't have any ghost spots on mine, though.

Now, the nerdy stuff:

*) The processor is a Cortex A8 with a clock speed of 1GHz. It's really, really responsive. I've used it so far for video calling (I'll get to that later), and Netflix (also will get to that later), which are the most excruciating tasks that I'll be putting the tablet through, and it didn't even flinch, even with other stuff (like the Market and MercuryMSN), running in the background. Another good thing about the Cortex Processor is that it is not only powerful, but compatible with a LOT of important software.

*) Something (else) that's not said on the description, which I think is awesome, is that besides the 2GB MicroSD card included, the internal storage of the tablet is also 2GB (or thereabouts), so you have 4GB ready to use out of the box. Big plus for me, as with my HTC Desire, I'm constantly running out of space because the on-board storage is not even 1GB.

*) The tablet runs a pretty basic version of Android 2.2 (FroYo). This means you'll run into some annoyances if you want to do stuff like videocalls, because this device has a front facing camera, and supposedly, FroYo doesn't support it. Well, I'm able to use it, no problem. However, it's only after 2 full days of tinkering, looking for a CUSTOM version of Skype that would make it work.

Also, and following this same line, Netflix for Froyo here in Canada, with streaming, is not officially supported (as are many other applications, most of which have very good substitutes available in the market anyway). However, if you are a bit nerdy and have the patience for it, you can find the APK for Netflix that will allow you to watch movies on this (and many others) device.

I've had to contact Le Pan Customer Service already, because I wanted to do a Hard Reset on it after figuring out everything, so that I could only have the working versions installed. (you might not need to do this, it's up to you).

They replied in less than 12 hours, and not only did they provide full instructions on how to do a hard reset, but they also provided me with a link to download an updated build of the Operating System to upgrade my firmware.

As it stands right now, I'm running build 4431, still in FroYo, with Videocall capabilities (with front-facing camera) in Skype, and Netflix streaming like a dream.

It has been said that Le Pan will wait until the next major release of Android (set to drop sometime in the last quarter of this year), by the name of Ice Cream Sandwich, for a complete upgrade on the Le Pan TC970. We'll have to wait and see.

Final Notes:

*) For a medium user, this tablet is MORE than powerful, it's well built, looks beautiful, it has plenty of storage, and it's affordable. However, you might need to be a bit nerdy to get stuff like videocalling and Netflix streaming to work, with lots of patience and (very careful) tinkering.

*) For nerdy users, this is even better. If you know your way around APKs, and don't mind spending a couple of days setting it up, you'll have a tremendously powerful device that looks, feels and works better than many of its rivals in higher price ranges, at less than CA$300.

I love mine, and I'm really, really glad I bought it. I'll continue to use my desktop computer for major computing, but for surfing, emailing, and general entertainment, my Le Pan is my Go-To device, even with my HTC Desire still in my pocket.

Sorry the review is long, but it needed to be done, I think!

Cheers!

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Update: 18/12/2011

Still loving this tablet. Battery life is eternal, ADW makes it look fantastic. Still super responsive. The most major change since I first wrote the review is that Netflix is now natively supported, which is good, because I was a bit tired of looking for updated APKs. If you read about compatibility issues with the official Netflix app, as I did, don't pay much attention to them. The Le Pan runs Netflix like a dream on the app you get from the market.

The Skype situation is the one that most people will be worried about, and sadly, there still isn't (and I don't really know if there ever will be), an Android-market provided app that supports the camera on this tablet. However, my modded APK works fine still, so I can't complain.

I've also spoken to Le Pan technical support again, and they've told me that even though they thinking about a more solid Froyo build, they will not be upgrading to Gingerbread, Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich.

Actually, Le Pan is already hinting (very heavily), that they are working on a new tablet that will run Honeycomb on a Tegra platform.

I've just finished spending 6 hours with this machine. Sorry for the quick review but I think first impressions are important. I bought it on the strength of many others' good reviews in various places.

I've never used android before but I am familiar with Mac OS,Ios, and Nokia Ovi. I am very familiar with linux operating systems.

The Le Pan is attractive. It is not well built and it is flimsy. The bezel "gives" here and there when handling the unit. The charger/usb connection seems poor and I'm not sure how it will stand up to long term plugging and unplugging.

Many others complain about the small recessed power button. It is awkward but not a show stopper.

The display is spectacular. Very bright and crisp with no flaws whatsoever. Utube videos play and show better on the Le Pan than they do on my higher end laptop. AngryBirds is fullscreen and great fun. I cannot fault the multimedia performance.

The camera is good. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of photos and video. Most of these 'cell phone' type cameras take terrible pictures and videos.

It was nice of them to put the camera on the front considering I've yet to get any kind of video chat working. Skype works but not video. From what I'm reading online Google Voice and Video is not available and probably will not be for android 2.2. Fring video does not work. I'm not happy about this as video calls are important to me.

The speakers are tinny but what can one expect for such a small machine? The microphone works well.

The battery life is impressive. I went a good six hours on whatever charge it had outofthebox.

It does run several apps well. There does not seem to be a shortage of horsepower.

I do not find Android intimidating at all. It is fairly easy to navigate and "market" for apps is big plus for these tablets. Lots of neat stuff available much like Apple ios.

Wifi works perfectly with good connectivity. It had no problem hooking up to my wpa wireless.

Right now I'm on the fence about keeping it. I am in love with the display. I'm not sure it is worth the $270.

You know how it is ... "you get what you pay for".

* Update ... a few days later.

This unit is still going strong. My wife has really taken to it. The superb display and strong battery is what makes this tablet stand out. At the current price of $229 I would highly recommend this tablet. 4 stars at this price point.

* Update ... 10 days later.

I decided to buy the new Toshiba Thrive so we could both have a tablet. Toshiba has the jump on everyone else due to its customer replaceable battery. I have heard it can cost in the neighbourhood of $150 to $200 to send a unit out for a battery change.
The Le Pan has a better display with its aspect ratio! The navigation menu is better. I suspect it has a better battery too.
Sure the Thrive has better connectivity options, two great cameras, and a good build quality. Still no skype video.
So far, I do not see Android 3.1 being leaps and bounds better than 2.2.

Is the Thrive worth twice the price of the Le Pan? I don't think so.
I'm upping my recommendation to 4 stars for the Le Pan. It loses one star for its build quality.
If you have been debating this purchase I say "jump all over this" at $230. You will not be disappointed.

Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase. I only gave it three stars because after researching it for some time, I was under the distinct impression that the operating system would be upgraded. LePan support staff say: " This OS is not upgradable to anything beyond 2.2. Le Pan plans to release a new tablet with a new OS that will come out early next year." Also, do not waste your time downloading the Skype App from the Market. That version will not work. The tablet has been working well for the five weeks that I have been using it and I would highly recommend it if you are on a budget. I see that it is now selling for about $165. That is a real bargain. You won't be disappointed unless you want to use your tablet as a camera and a phone. It is excellent for browsing and e-mail.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Le Pan TC 970
Hi,
The reason for me giving a lower number of rating is due to problems I faced while having this product. Read more

Published 1 day ago by SYED

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Value
I received the LePan tablet as a gift and it really is a great little unit. The screen is brilliant, battery life is incredible and there are no complaints about the speed. Read more

Published 3 days ago by Brian

5.0 out of 5 stars Soo Awsome!!!!
I purchased this and then recommended it to my friends. Now we all have these to use. I use it more then my Ipad 2. The battery is insanely good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read more

Published 4 days ago by Milan

3.0 out of 5 stars wish I'd held out for version 2
Although I'm about 80% satisfied with this product and I got it
at a super low price on Christmas day,it has many many problems. Read more

Published 4 days ago by GrizzlyMan

1.0 out of 5 stars You wish you will NEVER need customer service from Le Pan
Unfortunately my tablet broke on day two and is malfunctioning. It's been 2 months, numerous opened requests for help at their, and at least one call a day to their 1855 number,... Read more

Published 6 days ago by Montrealer

4.0 out of 5 stars Great little tablet, kid's love it!
Bought one of these for our kid's, it turned out to be excellent, so we bought another one for both of them. Now no more fighting over our iPad, or Acer A500 tablet. Read more

Published 7 days ago by masterMega

1.0 out of 5 stars really dissapointed and feel misled.....
first off i don't know if all the reviews on here are fakes. but my experience is not in line with many of the others on here. Read more

Published 8 days ago by tuffstuff

5.0 out of 5 stars Best choice!
I bought this tablet to read my textbooks (in pdf) rather than having to drag my laptop everywhere to read them. This has to be one of the best purchases I have ever made. Read more

Published 10 days ago by Nicole

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to have
This tablet is an excellent beginner tablet. It does everything we want it to do, and the price point was excellent. Very fast shipping, and excellent customer service. Read more

Published 13 days ago by Thomas Bass

4.0 out of 5 stars Le Pan TC970
Great tablet, for a great price. Big Android fan (use the Sony Xperia) so very easy and familiar. So far no issues, was able to Skype no problem, except for a single freeze,... Read more

Published 15 days ago by Kelly

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