Enso whips up two smartphones and three new slates, but we wouldn't order any of 'em
By Darren Murph 
posted July 31st 2010 8:26AM
posted July 31st 2010 8:26AM
- zenPad 2 ($219; shipping now): Here you have a 5-inch, Android 1.5-based MID with an 800 x 480 resolution resistive touchscreen, a bundled stylus, inbuilt 3G, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, microSD slot (8GB included), 128MB of RAM, 256MB NAND Flash, a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 Xscale CPU, integrated accelerometer, onboard GPS, micro-USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack and a battery good for 4.5 hours of use. We're told that an Android 2.1 update is "imminent," but we believe that about as much as we believe BP's promise to "make it right."
- zenPad 3 ($249; pre-order): This here tablet boasts the exact same specifications as the zenPad 2 (right down to the battery life and resolution), but it rocks a 7-inch design that'll aid those who can't squint hard enough to see fonts on the 5-inch sibling.
- zenPad 4 ($199; shipping now): We hate to state the obvious, but this is quite obviously an iPad KIRF -- right down to the Home button. You'll find a 10.2-inch resistive touchpanel with a 1,024 x 600 resolution (one that Enso swears up and down "has a fast response and works very well"), along with Android 2.1, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of storage, a microSD slot (8GB included), a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, built-in accelerometer and a 2,400mAh battery that's good for 5 to 7 hours of life.
- zenPhone ($349; shipping now): So... it looks like a Nexus One KIRF, it's called a zenPhone, yet it says it's a MID. Oh, and it's not this ZenPhone. Whatever the case, it's got a 4.3-inch resistive touchscreen (800 x 480), 3G HSDPA radio, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, 256MB of NAND Flash, a microSD slot (8GB included), a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a 2,600mAh battery, onboard GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and -- wait for it -- Maemo 5 running the show. Yeah, seriously.
- zenDroid ($319; pre-order): In the market for a Droid KIRF, are you? You've come to the right place, with this one offering a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480), 3G HSDPA, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, an FM radio tuner, Android 2.1 ("upgradable to 2.2," we're told), a microSD slot (8GB bundled in), 512MB of NAND Flash, a 624MHz Marvell PXA935 processor, 5 megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a 1,500mAh battery, onboard GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro-USB connector.
This company is BS, never order from them
looks kind of like the back of an hd2
the resistance touch surfaces, makes them all unusable for me personally...
@simraniscool
Resistive Touch = Epic Fail
Engadget might not order them but they seem decent.
Pathetic. Even worse are people that are claiming they would buy this just because they read the spec. :rolleyes: It seems everytime there's a KIRF post, people would jump in saying they'll buy them, and yet we have yet seen any reviews or even real-life pics. Boatload of bullcrap.
@pika2000
LOL I hear ya dude. Imagine the sales these kirfy stuff generates if ppl here seriously do as they say i.e. buy 3 or 4 of them bec they are cheap. There is a cost for quality and if you want everything including the kitchen sink, it definitely will not cost $150 bucks. For that price point, something have got to give and corners cut.
Why would anyone want to buy this over the Archos 7 android tablet? Do you hate Apple so much you have no problem handing money over for a product that could easily be vaporware? Or even better, you just like expressing hate for Apple so much, you lose all reason. Yea, that's probably it.
@CDice
Cool story bro
It looks like a HD2
Awesome KIRFs I'd buy one just to say I did
I like the zenpad 4 but I still think the notion ink adam will be better. It comes out in November I think.
If someone buys the zenPad 4 ... and reviews it? Thatd be awesome. Cause then I might buy one knowing its not vaporware.
With all the problems I got while ordering a zenPad, which wasn't supposed to be a pre-order, but wasn't "available" for a couple of months... I will never deal with Enso ever again.
$199 isn't bad for the ZenPad. Engadget is so friggan hard on this stuff. It's 1/3 the price of an iPad, give it a break. Specs looks just as good, if only it had a capacitive touchscreen...
@maattp
"If only" that is the thing. It doesn't. Now in saying all this, good luck to all of you who get one, and how it works out.
At least it looks pretty sexy
ZenDroid looks like a great concept for a kirf. A combo of Droid, Evo, and hd2 all in one.
He's a chunky mutha!
That third pic looked like an iPad on Android. I wouldn't invest in any of these O_o
For the love of god, Google shouldn't license Android versions that are older than the last two revisions. 1.5?! Are you kidding me?
Looks like they just got a bunch of Chinese OEM products...
you know, you could order this zenpad right from the china OEM Zenithink http://www.zenithink.com/en/product.asp
in the beginning I was really hoping that this enso company would make some really interesting devices but as it turns out it's nothing else than a HK-based reselling company that sells nearly everything the Shenzhen KIRFers can copy
unbelievably lame stuff
5" is only acceptable if it has absolutely minimal bezel and a 1280x720 resolution. And even in that case I'd rather have 4.5" at most. It's not that 5" is not pocketable or holdable, but it just looks too big to put against your face.
@Yankee "but it just looks too big to put against your face"
Thats what she said.
it all looks lame to me!
Just bought the ZenPad 4, will post if it is any good (needed a disposable Android for testing some apps we are building and for that price nothing lost). If trash, I'll give it to my 10 year old as a (broken?) toy to keep her amused in the back seat :-)
@MFPrice From what I can tell it's pretty decent for the price...runs some kind of either licensed or knocked off Cortex A8 at 1Ghz and has all kinds of ports and video support. Too bad there's no Froyo port out. And of course the screen isn't nearly as awesome looking as the iPad's. But small issues for the money.
It appears to be a straight up rebrand of the ZT-180 tablet.
Interesting devices, I hope the company can overcome all these terrible problems that seem to have traumatized Engadged kids for life.
The zenPhone caught my attention because of running Maemo. That's great news to me. I would love to know if that means the device can have its system replaces as easily as in the Nokia tablets. It's a pity that obtaining this kind of information seems to be as hard as obtaining this kind of device... But the openness would mean ability to install MeeGo in the near future, not to say other Linuces or even stuff like QNX some day.
The puzzling about the thing being either a phone or a MID reminds me a lot of the feeling many people have about the Nokia internet tablets, by the way. I would say the MID title is better (if not "NIT") because it's so large: the 4.3'' screen is a little larger than the N810. But it's a phone because it make calls (it makes, right?). Maybe they should just call it "a 4.3'' gadget with an ARM running Linux" a GWAPRL!
Anyway, it seems to have a better processor than the N810, and maybe even the N900. And it has no keyboard, right? If that is true, it's what some N8x0 fans were asking for when the N900 was released, and were disappointed. This could be a nice option for those (including me) if the price is good, and if the device is really as good to play as the NITs. R$350 is very close to the N900 current R$370, so it would be very nice to see a Maemo-oriented review of this device, and not just something written by someone that thinks this is something weird and would prefer to use either an Android phone, or the iPhone.
Some folks at TMO pointed out that this is not Maemo 5, but actually Maemo 4! http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=771483
They fixed a couple of things in the zenPhone page. It runs Maemo 4 in fact, and its size is slightly larger than the N800. It's probably like an N800 with a better processor, battery, cameras and GPS.
Hey Darren, Meamo5 > Android. :)
resistive touchscreen? android 1.5? probably as crapass screen resolution?
get me outta here NOW. I ain't plunking my hard-earned money on this thing.
It doesn't look like any maemo to me. Just by looking top right corner you see a different battery meter, the 3G with the X over it, and a minimize button that you don't see in maemo. Also, the top right corner has a start where it should be a grid. Looks more like a windows CE skin than maemo.
zenPad 4 = Zenithink ZT-180. There's a preview of it compared to the iPad here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMfeMCuUNw
As impressive as the specs are, it sure looks like the tablet needs Froyo just from looking at the scrolling. Video performance looks good though.
If ZenPad 4 can use the ACV (Android Comic Viewer) for CBR files, resistive be damned the 199 price tag is worth it.
No wifi N is a deal breaker for the ZenPad 4. I think I can wait a little longer for a better Android tablet.
@cdf74dc9
No wifi n? A deal breaker for a $300 KIRF tablet? Wifi n wont make any tangible difference to your browsing speed anyway.
http://enso-now.com/
lol they already know they are on Engadget.
Zendroid is $299
http://enso-now.com/zendroid
Dont go near these guys. I ordered a ZenPad in late March and have seen nothing. I have emailed countless times and have been ignored most of the time - just as I give up I get an email to keep me on the hook a while longer. The latest is that they have sent out all orders - EXCEPT THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT ORDERED THE 3G dongle (I suspect that would be quite a few as it was only a few bucks extra) . Instead of sending out a unit and apologising about the problem with the 3G dongle - they unilaterally decide to send nothing but instead offer a rebate against a newer unit. I have tried on several occasions since to email them at various email addresses and take up the offer and no response. Has ANYONE actually received ANYTHING from these guys?
Offcourse Engadget wouldn't order these, as they can buy an iPad or iPhone with the money Apple is giving them in a dark alley.
If someone acutally buys the zendroid i think we'd all actually be interested in an review. Very tempting
Wow they totally called out engadget on their site. Why not send you kids some toys to play with and make some friends?
http://enso-now.com/
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