If you’re not sure that you need a tablet, $200 is a lot to spend just to find out. But Ematic has reduced the risk with the Genesis Prime, a 7-inch Android tablet computer that lists for $80.
You get quite a lot at that price â€" with an emphasis on “at that price.â€
Keeping costs down means stripping out all of the frills. The tablet does come loaded with a recent version of the Android operating system, Jellybean 4.1 (only Jellybean 4.2 is newer). That means access to all of the Google services, like Gmail, Google Play, Google Now, Chrome, Maps and YouTube, as well as the most recent versions of third-party apps.
The tablet’s hardware is good but entry level by current standards. For instance, the 1.1 GHz processor in the Genesis would have been top of the line a couple of years ago, but in watching streaming videos over Wi-Fi, it lagged a little.
The tablet is also Wi-Fi only, so if there is no hot spot, there is no Web access. The device has limited memory, with only four gigabytes on board. But there is a slot that can take a 32 GB micro SD memory card (that will add at least $20 to the price). Ematic also includes five GB of cloud storage with the tablet.
The tablet has only one physical button, the on/off switch. The rest of the controls are on the screen. That has to save a few dollars, right?
The screen itself is reasonably sharp, but very small type, like that on the apps page, breaks up a bit. And the screen has a subtle blue tint, which you probably won’t notice watching movies but which is apparent on print pages with white backgrounds.
The only camera is a front-facing VGA, so this is not the first choice for photo buffs. And the speaker is particularly anemic, although when using headphones the sound quality was good.
Battery life isn’t stellar, with the manufacturer estimating a 4.5-hour play time.
It would be easy to write off this tablet based on the specifications, but don’t forget the one spec that really sets it apartâ€" the $80 price.
