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Cape Town - Value for money is not something that one usually associates with high tech devices like tablets, but the new Mecer offering is a distinct possibility as a viable player.
The Mecer M785 doesn't have a sexy name, but that doesn't stop the device from offering good value as a tablet computer.
"What's that, a Mecer tablet?" you say. Indeed, Mecer appears to be diversifying from grey and black boxes to tablets and the move seems perfectly on cue.
The M785 has a 20cm display which works better than the 17cm units that were the industry standard.
In addition, the display offers just enough more viewing real estate to make the tablet useful, but not bulky.
Power pyramid
So what's under the skin? You get a 1.2GHz quad core processor and 1GB of RAM. You won't notice that difference in chat and browsing applications, but the Mecer shows its stuff when running some demanding programs like games.
Despite being at the bottom end of the power pyramid when compared to some of the top devices from Samsung and Sony, there was hardly any noticeable lag on the Mecer.
It handled most of what was thrown at it with high graphics games running smoothly and in synch. This, even with a few apps in the background was quite impressive for a tablet fighting in the budget sector.
The Mecer M785 comes with a free cover and cleaning cloth. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)
The device runs Google Android 4.2 (Jellybean) and one can appreciate how clean the operating system is with no bloatware and corporate apps present.
In fact, one could be forgiven for missing the name as the only software name on the device is Google.
There are few hardware buttons on the body - power and a volume rocker switch - and the usual "Home" and "Back" are discreet software buttons on the bottom of the display, regardless of the rotation.
Onboard, you only get 8GB of storage, but you can expand that though the micro-SD card slot.
Bonus
The device has two cameras, but it's only a 2 megapixel main and VGA selfie camera. This is more than adequate given that it remains impractical to take pictures with a tablet, though it doesn't appear to stop tourists cruising Cape Town in the Red Bus.
Another nice feature though an anomaly is the inclusion of 3G - most cheaper tablets forgo 3G in favour of Wi-Fi - but the M785 offers both (though... please don't make calls on the tablet).
As a final bonus, you get a neat soft leather cover in the box so you can protect the tablet, as well as doubling as a stand. However, when you flip the flap around, it does muffle the stereo speakers on the back of the device.
The Mecer M785 offers functionality and style at a price that makes it a great compromise device. Mecer is on to a good thing with tablets.
The Mecer M785 has a recommended retail price of R2 199.
Check out our News24 Live video review of the Mecer M785
- Follow Duncan on Twitter
The Mecer M785 doesn't have a sexy name, but that doesn't stop the device from offering good value as a tablet computer.
"What's that, a Mecer tablet?" you say. Indeed, Mecer appears to be diversifying from grey and black boxes to tablets and the move seems perfectly on cue.
The M785 has a 20cm display which works better than the 17cm units that were the industry standard.
In addition, the display offers just enough more viewing real estate to make the tablet useful, but not bulky.
Power pyramid
So what's under the skin? You get a 1.2GHz quad core processor and 1GB of RAM. You won't notice that difference in chat and browsing applications, but the Mecer shows its stuff when running some demanding programs like games.
Despite being at the bottom end of the power pyramid when compared to some of the top devices from Samsung and Sony, there was hardly any noticeable lag on the Mecer.
It handled most of what was thrown at it with high graphics games running smoothly and in synch. This, even with a few apps in the background was quite impressive for a tablet fighting in the budget sector.
The Mecer M785 comes with a free cover and cleaning cloth. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)
The device runs Google Android 4.2 (Jellybean) and one can appreciate how clean the operating system is with no bloatware and corporate apps present.
In fact, one could be forgiven for missing the name as the only software name on the device is Google.
There are few hardware buttons on the body - power and a volume rocker switch - and the usual "Home" and "Back" are discreet software buttons on the bottom of the display, regardless of the rotation.
Onboard, you only get 8GB of storage, but you can expand that though the micro-SD card slot.
Bonus
The device has two cameras, but it's only a 2 megapixel main and VGA selfie camera. This is more than adequate given that it remains impractical to take pictures with a tablet, though it doesn't appear to stop tourists cruising Cape Town in the Red Bus.
Another nice feature though an anomaly is the inclusion of 3G - most cheaper tablets forgo 3G in favour of Wi-Fi - but the M785 offers both (though... please don't make calls on the tablet).
As a final bonus, you get a neat soft leather cover in the box so you can protect the tablet, as well as doubling as a stand. However, when you flip the flap around, it does muffle the stereo speakers on the back of the device.
The Mecer M785 offers functionality and style at a price that makes it a great compromise device. Mecer is on to a good thing with tablets.
The Mecer M785 has a recommended retail price of R2 199.
Check out our News24 Live video review of the Mecer M785
- Follow Duncan on Twitter
