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The Zenithink zt-180 thread

  • 01-01-2011 10:03am
    #1
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Seems a few of us either already have or are considering buying one of these so I thought I'd start a thread to keep discussion in one place. For people just joining in, there's a lot of information in this thread.

    I only have mine two days but I have to say I'm loving it so far. I bought it mostly as a portable media player and it seems to do that very well.

    From what I can see;

    Pros:
    Cheap as chips. I got mine for 130 euro delivered from pandawill.com.
    Large screen with a decent resolution.
    Plays back high bitrate 720p video smoothly.
    Runs eclair (android 2.1) and looks like there's a froyo (android 2.2) in the works.
    Decent processor. Plays angry birds surprisingly well.

    Cons:
    Resistive touchscreen. It's....OK.....a bit clunky if you're used to a capacitive screen. Mostly it's grand for what I'm using it for.
    Build quality. It's no iPad.
    Battery life. 4-6 hours seems to be the norm (up to 4 with wifi on, up to 6 without). It is possible to do a battery mod. I may do this myself.

    useful links:
    Slatedroid zt-180 forum. This is a good spot for all things 180 related.
    xda developers thread. Mammoth. Has some good info in it though.
    ZT-180 FAQ. Some very useful stuff in there.
    txPower fix. Do this.


«1

Comments

  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    So what apps are people using / finding good on their zt-180?

    I stuck on launcher pro straight away and altered the number of rows / columns to better fit the larger screen.

    Switched to opera mini for browsing. Finding this very good so far (it displays m.boards.ie properly which opera mobile does not).

    The first few levels of angry birds seem to play well.

    quicksshd is very useful for transferring files to / from the sd card over wifi.

    mvideoplayer is working really well for me for video playback, but only on the newer firmware (1204). It had trouble playing back avi files on the default firmware that the tablet came with (1030).

    If anyone needs the universalandroot apk for rooting drop me a PM and I'll send it on. I couldn't get it on the market (no surprise there I suppose :)).

    Anyone recommend a decent ebook reader?


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,128 ✭✭✭✭TheDoc


    I have a gneuine question for users.

    If I'm not mistaken I had some hands on time with this pad from a seller in Dundalk and it ran of two phone batteries stuck together.

    Now I used to work with airsoft guns for about 2 years and have been with the sport for about 3 or so, and have a long standing history with building my own machines.

    Has nobody but me being turned off by two very unsafe batteries celotaped together?

    I dont want to turn this into a bashing of the tablet, I've made my feelings elsewhere o nthe thread above.

    But I'm looking at buying into a tablet for android and when I looked at this, I nearly felt like calling the cops the battery packs looked so dodgy and potentially dangerous.

    You do know if they overheat or take a faulty charge ( two phone batteries together, it will 100% guaranteed at some point) there is every possability that they will melt through your pad.

    And looking at the batteries specs of the one I saw, it actually combusts. So while being charged, literally an explosion and fire can occur.

    I'm not scaremongeirng, thats a simple fact from the battery packs I saw in the Zenithink pad I saw in my hands, and tbh I saw that before it was even turned on and lost interest straight away.

    Wondering are any users worried, or are people actually informed of how these things work : /


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    You can't see the battery pack without taking the device fully apart ( which I did yesterday and had no safety concerns ). You sure it was a zt-180 you had your hands on?


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Ok...I reread your post and had to jump on the laptop (was using the phone)....
    TheDoc wrote: »
    it ran of two phone batteries stuck together.
    TheDoc wrote: »
    Has nobody but me being turned off by two very unsafe batteries celotaped together?


    Can you be a bit more specific than that? Most multi-celled (i.e. more than one battery) devices where the battery is internal (and not supposed to ever be seen) will have the two cells wrapped in plastic like this:

    300009.jpg

    The zt-180 battery pack (again, which you can't see without taking the device fully apart) looks somewhat similar to that. That's perfectly normal.
    TheDoc wrote: »
    when I looked at this, I nearly felt like calling the cops the battery packs looked so dodgy and potentially dangerous.

    This is what leads me to believe you were looking at something else tbh.

    TheDoc wrote: »
    And looking at the batteries specs of the one I saw, it actually combusts. So while being charged, literally an explosion and fire can occur.

    All lithium polymer batteries (which all or nearly all tablets use) are very dangerous if not charged properly. They're a much more unstable technology than older batteries and require careful load balancing when charging multi-celled batteries. The zt-180 battery has that safety circuit built into it for sure.

    TheDoc wrote: »
    Wondering are any users worried, or are people actually informed of how these things work : /

    I've done a bit of reading on lipo batteries (largely because I was thinking of doing the battery mod that some others have done on their zt-180). I genuinely think you had some other tablet in your hand. While it's no iPad in terms of build quality, it's certainly not a dangerous piece of kit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,128 ✭✭✭✭TheDoc


    Thats cool

    Yeah the one I had in my hand looked similar to the pictures I'm seeing and the seller said he was the only retailer of the product in Ireland.

    He was decent enough bloke and wasnt forcing a sale. He had a device open for inspection and it definitly wasnt the battery you have linked, it was literally two lipos put together.

    Ive witnessed two lipo explosions in my time and they are not safe at all

    These tablets are just chinese knock offs, so I guess there is some " mehhhh"factor about them

    Anyway I'm going to leave the thread for genuine discussion to continue :)


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  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 9,923 ✭✭✭mik_da_man


    Well I'm only getting started with mine and I like it.
    I bought it with a case/keyboard combo that is quite handy if you are typing much:

    http://www.pandawill.com/keyboardstyluscase-for-7-tablet-gpad-g10-g11-nupad-apad-smart-q7-mid1black_p38465.html

    As for the screen, it is a bit slower as it's resistive. But I was expecting that anyway.
    It's lighter than I thought it would be!
    One thing I do miss is the standard 4 android buttons.
    The market works fine, downloaded kindle, launcherpro and Angry birds so far.

    Have to update the firmware and do a bit more messing.

    I think it will be more or less a toy for me to see what android can do.

    Would be neat to get the 3G working via a dongle, I ordered a 3 one for €9
    So when that comes it will be my next project :D

    but for the price I think it's well worth it


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Yeah, forgot to mention that about the buttons. You'd miss the standard buttons alright. That's the cost of having it try to rob the iPad look I suppose.

    Not too concerned about the 3g dongle myself. I'll just use my phone as an access point if the need arises. I'm assuming that's doable (I know it was with the iPhone). I haven't checked.

    Anyone know where you can buy a 2nd charger? I presume it doesn't charge over USB?

    edit: mik: I'd highly recommend that upgrade. It's straightforward to go to 1204. You'll just need to do the USB one (or at least the TF one didn't work for me, but should for future updates).

    Install the USB drivers by following the video in the FAQ. After that just go into flash mode (power on with the round button held down), launch the burntool.exe in the rar file and hit go. Make sure it's plugged in too.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 12,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭Zascar


    Khanie is there a guide to installing the 1204 update?
    Edit: found this: http://www.ibeau.net/tech/zenithink-zt-180-1204-firmware/

    These instructions are awful though, very confusing


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,622 ✭✭✭Kevin!


    Is it the Zenithink you own? as that case looks useful but it's for a 7'' tablet?
    mik_da_man wrote: »
    Well I'm only getting started with mine and I like it.
    I bought it with a case/keyboard combo that is quite handy if you are typing much:

    http://www.pandawill.com/keyboardstyluscase-for-7-tablet-gpad-g10-g11-nupad-apad-smart-q7-mid1black_p38465.html

    As for the screen, it is a bit slower as it's resistive. But I was expecting that anyway.
    It's lighter than I thought it would be!
    One thing I do miss is the standard 4 android buttons.
    The market works fine, downloaded kindle, launcherpro and Angry birds so far.

    Have to update the firmware and do a bit more messing.

    I think it will be more or less a toy for me to see what android can do.

    Would be neat to get the 3G working via a dongle, I ordered a 3 one for €9
    So when that comes it will be my next project :D

    but for the price I think it's well worth it


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  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 9,923 ✭✭✭mik_da_man


    Zascar wrote: »
    Khanie is there a guide to installing the 1204 update?
    Edit: found this: http://www.ibeau.net/tech/zenithink-zt-180-1204-firmware/

    These instructions are awful though, very confusing

    Here ya go:



    Or



  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 9,923 ✭✭✭mik_da_man


    Just when looking at this I spotted that it must be a 32 bit system :mad:
    All mine are 64 bit....


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Well....I've had this a few weeks now. Time for a bit of an update.

    Stuff that's good:
    So far I'm loving it. I still can't quite believe that it was as cheap as it was. I updated to the 1204 rom more or less immediately and it's stable.
    Mostly I'm using it for watching movies and TV shows on the train and it's basically perfect for this. Initially thought the battery was totally naff, but it takes a few charge / discharge cycles before it comes into its own. I'd say 4 hours watching high def videos with wifi off is about what I'm currently looking at and I'm happy with that (it's guaranteed two days of train use for me before recharging).

    Stuff I'm not so fond of:
    I don't think you can leave it in standby, it needs to be powered off if you're not going to be using it for prolonged periods (I may be wrong here, but it seemed initially that this was the case / that battery was draining....after the charge / discharges this may not be the case).
    Boot time is pretty long. Around a minute. This (for me at least) removes it as a "ah sure I'll just check my email" type device. I'll use my phone instead.
    The resistive screen is ok, but not nearly as responsive as a capacitive screen. I can more than live with this though. It just hasn't been a problem for me yet.
    I'm a little self-conscious with it on the train. I suppose that will pass.

    Overall though, I think this was a flippin' steal. Money well spent.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 12,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭Zascar


    Agreed with the above. Unfortunately I have barely used mine. An impulse purchase I think. If anyone wants to buy it please pm me! :)


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    New rom out today. Details are still thin on the ground but it looks like it supports network shares which is flippin' great news for me. I can just watch movies over wifi while in the house now. Total win.

    http://www.slatedroid.com/zt-180/new-beta-rom-0113/


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,564 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hellrazer


    How you finding it after a week or so Khannie??

    Im looking at the Creative Ziio or Archos 70 but I still likethe open nature of these Zt180`s.

    Creatives one is locked down at the minute and the same with the Archos.

    Zascar--Im interested in the zt180.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    We have FROYO!!


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    I just upgraded to the 2.2 rom today. God damn it's a nice upgrade. Everything's very smooth. With launcher pro installed the whole experience feels a BUNCH nicer. Very impressed so far.


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Hellrazer wrote: »
    How you finding it after a week or so Khannie??

    Sorry dude...just spotted this now. I'm absolutely loving it. The battery's not lasting as long as it should. I think it just needs calibration though. Mostly I'm just using it for watching videos on the train and it's great for that. I discovered a problem with some .avi files that meant they needed an unpacked bitstream. I think this problem is common to all portable devices though. Unpacking the bitstream on your entire collection is a straightforward task though.

    I have to say, the smoothness upgrade when moving to 2.2 means I may end up using it more for other stuff now too. It's a much more responsive tablet.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    New release of Froyo available - 20110324. Referred to as 0324
    Pig to download but looks much smoother with a darker theme.
    Flash is beginning to work too, though it seems to take a while to load for me anyway probably because there's no hardware acceleration yet.

    I've tried a lot of firmwares on this ZT-180, including a nice Eclair one meant for the Elonex E1000 (Same machine, different sticker on the box).
    This is the most responsive so far on first impression anyway.
    Battery life looking good too.

    Some alternative download locations being posted on Slatedroid now. Hopefully faster than the one I used.


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  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    This is the first tablet PC I'm seriously considering buying. I see them for sale for all sorts of ridiculous prices on eBay (between 80 and 300(!) euros) and wonder if there's any difference between the models or if the older ones can be upgraded?

    Also, does anyone have the full list of alternative names the device is sold under?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    There are several different models.
    For a start there are 7" and 10" versions.
    The very earliest 10" models had 576 pixel wide screens instead of 600,
    so they require a different kernel (Always provided though, and not a big deal.)

    They all seem to have the same 1GHz processor as the one I have,
    but the latest ones have 512M of RAM instead of the 256 in mine.
    They are not memory upgradeable without a soldering iron and surface mount technology skills.
    They're easy enough to open however, and it does appear possible to swap out the wifi card inside as it's just a USB dongle wired directly in.

    It's a great tablet for the price, but for now at least, there is little support for flash,
    and the biggest gripe for me is power management. If you don't turn it OFF, the battery
    continues to drain, so you need to start it up every time you want to use it which takes a noticeable amount of time. I have mine plugged in all the time, so I can just grab it when I need it - I then have about 4 or 5 hours before it wants fed again.
    That can't be good for the battery longterm though!

    This page has a full list of the versions
    http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wiki:ZT-180_FAQ


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Sorely tempted... Swore I had no interest in a tablet, but...


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    :-)
    I was thinking I'd gotten as much out of it as I was going to, and was about to sell it
    to get a tablet with better power management.
    This new firmware has changed my mind for now at least.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Out of interest, how much would you have sold it for? There are a lot of chancers trying to sell it second hand for €150+


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    If I change my mind, I'll post it on Adverts.
    I'd have asked for slightly less than that, but not by a huge amount.
    I'd be more likely to see what it might attract by way of a swap.

    I wouldn't really say someone looking for 150 for one of these was a chancer though.
    It's a 10 inch tablet after all!


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    niallb wrote: »
    If I change my mind, I'll post it on Adverts.
    I'd have asked for slightly less than that, but not by a huge amount.
    I'd be more likely to see what it might attract by way of a swap.

    I wouldn't really say someone looking for 150 for one of these was a chancer though.
    It's a 10 inch tablet after all!

    Are they not 130 odd new from China?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,707 ✭✭✭niallb


    Are they not 130 odd new from China?

    Delivery/VAT/Import Duty ; take your pick, take your chances with the company you're buying from.

    That's probably the best price available anywhere, and prices vary a lot. Like an eBay purchase though, it's not the whole story. There's a UK importer as well, Elonex which take care of most of the worries, and do quality control on them - some people have got ones here with minor problems, but nothing you couldn't fix if you don't mind opening the unit.

    I bought mine from someone who'd bought it in from China (Zascar), and was happy to pay the price he'd paid just so as not to have to go through the worrying whether it'd show up at all!


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Yeah, that's a very good point.

    What's the sound like off them? It would be dead handy to bring into the kitchen for a bit of background music if the speakers are any way decent.

    Does it multitask, e.g. play music while I look up recipes?

    Is it OK for reading e-books on?


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  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,939 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Oh, and one more thing...
    columbo1.jpg

    I read a couple of reviews which said it has a GPS module but I think this is a lie?


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