Last week, a Harare company called William Over called us over to have a feel of the WeTab tablet, a device they just got exclusive reseller partnership for in the southern Africa region. The tablet is made by a German company called 4tiitoo. It was covered on international tech blogs like Engadget and arstechnica starting mid last year and got quite some positive reviews.
The hardware of the WeTab looks and feels quite solid. So solid it actually feels a bit too heavy for everyday tablet handling. In terms of accessory friendliness the tablet spots 2 full size USB ports, an SD card slot, a headphone jack and a front facing 1.3megapixel camera. Connectivity-wise the WePad comes in 2 versions, a 16GB one that has WiFi and a 32GB one with Wi-Fi plus 3G (and GPS). Both versions come with 1GB RAM. Display size is 29.4 centimeters and the screen is multi-touch.
Inside, the WeTab has a Linux based MeeGo mobile operating system customized by 4tiitoo into what they call the WeTab OS. It comes with open source office productivity suite OpenOffice.org. What we founds quite impressive is that even though it’s based on Linux, the tablet’s customized user interface hides the underlying operating system so well it has a new era device feel that’s so removed from traditional computing. You won’t even realise (and you don’t need to) there’s a Linux core unless you’re a techie trying some geek stuff out. To the regular user, it’s just a great looking intuitive interface.
Besides the programs it comes with, you can easily add on more through an inbuilt app store. The app store has most of the open source free apps you love and considering credit cards are an issue these parts of the world, the free factor does mean a lot.
We got to play with the device, trying out a couple of things and the experience is quite pleasing. It’s easy to like the WeTab.
Everything does feel great except the weight. We felt the thing was too heavy to handle for lengthy amounts of time without the support of something else like a desk or lap. It weighs 1kgs. In comparison the Apple iPad 2 is about 0.6kgs, the Motorola `Xoom some 0.7kgs and the Samsung Galaxy Tab only 0.4kgs. Gemma Parvin, the Distribution Manager over at William Over, says once you get used to it the weight ceases to be an issue.
There’s the price factor too. This will probably be the deal breaker for a lot of people. The WiFi-only version will retail at US $970 and the 3G one at US $1,200 (that’s excluding VAT). Parvin says the price might be a bit less depending on distribution logistics and retail markup. It’s not that other tablets on the market are priced lower. No. The prices are about the average tablet price in Zimbabwe.
Basically price-wise the WeTab doesn’t change the game. And that’s the problem. See, not many consumers locally will part with that kind of money for an additional computing device. At this price the tablets are not about to replace the one device that makes them look so unattractive; the netbook. Locally, netbooks are retailing at less than half the price.
Price issues aside, this is a great tablet we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. It’s one of the few devices we’ve used that lets you do the regular computing stuff without having to deal with the traditional techie installations and complicated configurations. We can confidently say that the average person, even with no prior computer experience and without being taught how, will understand how to effectively use the WeTab in under 15 minutes. We think this is important for a lot of people; using a computer doesn’t need to be a complicated exercise.
Parvin says William Over is planning an official local launch of the WeTab soon, and to have the tablets distributed to retailers soon after launch. In the meantime, you can sample the devices at their offices in Workington. We’d provide a link to their website but Parvin says that it’s still in the works. Here’s a link to the 4tiitoo website: http://wetab.mobi/en/
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24 comments
The Price is the issue here.
guyz this device is hot had a feel of it @ ZITF really cool
Buying a better smart phone and a laptop is better, you are good to go.
free open source software is realy nice. very smart looking!
@Kabweza:disqus , you forgot to tell us the battery life which is very critical! On the other hand, this WeTab shows a lot of greed and lack of understanding of the local markets.
Seriously, such a heavy brick and half for $900+ 🙁 . Tablets and the lots are not game changers. NO. They add just convenience. So what convenience does this brick and half bring which can make a average Zimbo earning less than $200 pay such eye watering amount?
l said its greed because this is the same amount it can be bought in EU if not cheaper! Are these people saying Zimbo are earning same like people in Europe, its a total scam, a rip off!
Looking at the tech side of it, they are flogging a dead horse. Meego, even if its customised, is no match to any tablet OS out there. lt was a joint venture between Nokia and lntel. Nokia have developed a cold feet and a no longer actively developing it. Meego was used on Nokia N900, the hardware is perfect, but the OS (meego) is the down side, swap that with Backtrack and you can realise what a dangerous weapon N900 can become.
For less than $200, you can get an exact copy or clone of iPad (which by the way is manufactured in China) with Android 2.0 or even three. So why pay more?
People should not take advantage of the position Zimbabwe, mari yavari kuchaja munhu unototenga mombe mbiri dzekurimisa ukatowana chikafu mumba.
@Macd battery is about 3 to 4 hours active use depending on type of applications running.
? scam is normally used to mean some sort of fraud scheme. surely you don’t mean that, right?
I don’t think you’l get quality tablet hardware at that amount hey.
Unfortunately where l resides scam or rip-off are words which are used interchangeably, so Yes, l mean what l wrote. Have you ever tested other tablets to compare this WeTab with for you to give it such a high ranking?
Check-out the Asus Ee Tablet/netbook and tell me if this WeTab brings quality and value for money as you are trying to claim!
I’m sorry, but the “iPad clones” which I had the misfortune of trying
out are an absolute disgrace and do their absolute best to bring
Android’s name into disrepute. Processors are as slow as hell: you know
you’re in trouble when you are asked to force-close the launcher
process. I love android as much as the next guy – but these cheap Chinese tablets will make you want to gouge your eyes out in frustration.
Unfortunately the market-dynamics in Zim are skewed, and in my view, tablets remain a luxury item (be honest, what do you ‘need’ it for?) so no complaints about pricing from here.
l agree that the clones are not as good as the originals, but l would rather have a clone than having my pocket robbed in daylight. And agree that tablets are not a replacement of you computer, just a luxury
I agree with you Macd the tablet is overpriced in Zimbabwe… the price in Harare is twice what we pay for the same item in Europe… if he is buying the items wholesale I do not see why they should charge people double… scam is a word that comes to mind… or rip off …
Also remember the duty on these items is very low…
I also had the privilege of an early look at the wetab and was very impressed with the screen quality and genuine multitasking ability of this tablet, there is no “app swap” multitasking such as that on android and iOS this was particularly noticeable with chat programs like skype. I pull my hair out on my iPad as you are constantly switching too and fro. The usb ports are a pleasure too as you can add media quickly and easily without having to sync to a computer, so its more independent that the platforms i mentioned above.
Sounds PR to me
Real Competition to the IPAD considering the devices that it comes with, the two USB Ports, the SD card slot wc the ipad does not have…altho it his heavy…
No this thing is miles behind competing with iPad. The only competition Apple is facing is from Android tablets which at the moment is Asus Ee Pc Transformer.
Who ever is selling this device here is really greedy! $900+ is a freaking joke for the Zim market. If I really want tablet I can take a trip down south stay at Holiday Inn Garden buy an Android tablet and come back. The cost of travel+lodging+device will be a lot cheaper than the price of this WeTab tablet.
guys price here is the major issue considering they have a dealer ship with the company they should be cheap.check this price from amazon *http://www.amazon.de/WeTab-Zoll-Tablet-PC-Bluetooth-Wi-Fi/dp/ *
its only $333 euro for a 32gb with 3g model which is equivilant to $466 usd
Great link! Pure greed and daylight robbery is all l can say, they can stick there Wetab where sun never shines.
What are the specs? I would love to run Ubuntu on it.
Hi Gari – It will run Ubuntu, no problem, Ubuntu will however wipe out the WeTabOS even if you partition the drive – the developers are working on this glitch.
@saki is it not possible change the boot order of the WebTab? You can make a bootable Ubuntu on a pen drive (usb, memory cards etc) then set it to boot from it ie if its flexible enough
The glitch I’m talking about applies to Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook remix. The user that installed it tried to dual boot it and it wiped out the WeTab OS. I asked him if he had tried Ubuntu 11.04 – he has not tried to dual boot this yet as he has decided that the WeTab OS is good enough for him.
So in answer to your question if you have a WeTab and would like to try it using bootable Ubuntu on a pen drive then I see no reason why you should not try, dual booting is a risk any linux user would be willing to take.
There is an advanced user program called >ROOT_ available from the WeTab Market (All open Source) which allows you to make changes to the WeTab OS which if you are an advanced user I would suggest you download should you choose to invest in one of these Tablets.
The glitch I’m talking about applies to Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook remix. The user that installed it tried to dual boot it and it wiped out the WeTab OS. I asked him if he had tried Ubuntu 11.04 – he has not tried to dual boot this yet as he has decided that the WeTab OS is good enough for him.
So in answer to your question if you have a WeTab and would like to try it using bootable Ubuntu on a pen drive then I see no reason why you should not try, dual booting is a risk any linux user would be willing to take.
There is an advanced user program called >ROOT_ available from the WeTab Market (All open Source) which allows you to make changes to the WeTab OS which if you are an advanced user I would suggest you download should you choose to invest in one of these Tablets.
http://www.phonehouse.nl/tablet/wetab/wetab3g32gbtablet/bestel/
we need cheap ipad version or look alike
http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/x220+gps/s16.html
http://www.dhgate.com/3pcs-9-7-inch-freescale-a8-1ghz-capacitive/p-ff8080812d3be7cb012d6f1d2c362dff.html