Zenithink  ZT-180 ePad is a fabulous Android tablet for the price of Rs. 10,500. ePad is a fully featured tablet PC which runs Android 2.1 operating system and has specs which are comparable with Apple iPad.

ePad is a 10.2-inch tablet and is running a ARM 1 gigahertz processor – the fastest we have seen on tablets. ePad has 256 MB RAM and 2GB hard drive capacity. The hard drive capacity is little low to my liking but it has USB drive and can be easily expanded. The memory is expandable up to 32 GB. Battery life is up to 6 hours and epad provides a 24 hour standby time.

Caveat : The price is from this ebay seller, who is selling it for Rs. 10,500 and you have till Nov 19 to order. We neither approve of this seller nor approve that this tablet is real. You might have to take a risk to order this one. To build credibility, the seller has posted many pictures. We have ordered the tablet and will post a video review later when we get it. There is cash on delivery option which can be used with an extra fee of Rs. 200. You might want to use this option. The retail price of ePad is supposed to be $250 in the retail market which when translated to INR, comes around 11K. Same as the price quoted above.

Connectivity

ePad has 3G support(through an external modem)  as well as Wi-Fi. There is an Ethernet port which can be used for a wired connection. There is no mention of bluetooth in the spec list and there is no in-built 3G.

There is no SIM card slot. You cannot make voice calls and probably have to wait for VOIP calls. An external USB modem like Tata Photon+ can be connected though you have to get the settings right to make it work. There is no GPS. Needless to say, there are no front and rear cameras, just like iPad.

The operating system can be flashed to upgrade to a windows CE edition, but we know you wouldn’t want to do that. ePad can fit in the category of a in-between device. If laptop is too heavy for your browsing/reading and mobile is too small a screen then ePad is the choice. Lack of 3G and no SIM card for voice calls make it a limited mobile device.

For a price of 10K, ePad is a decent buy. It depends on what you want to use it for. If you are an extremely mobile person who wants 3G then ePad is not for you. If you are looking for reading and browsing experience in the Wi-Fi zone, then the 10 inch screen ePad is a good fit.

Take a look at the Shanzai video of comparing ePad with iPad :  

If this tablet is true, then what would happen to all the expensive tablets in the market? Samsung Galaxy Tab which is yet to justify its exorbitant 38K price tag and many more branded tablets which are coming to the markets? As per Shanzai estimates, 1 million of ePad kind of tablets are already shipped. This is before the iPads and Galaxy Tabs are done with their honey moon. When they plan to get serious, may be the market will be swept away with these Shanzai tablets.

Not to be left out by this deluge, Indian manufacturers should tie up with the Shanzai manufacturers, to get a piece of the pie. They should try to replicate what they have done with mobiles. Micromax, Spice and Videocon are better positioned to take part in this. With rates that cheap, this segment is bound to blow up. Why not be a part of it?

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