As the name suggests, Lava Twinpad wants to be a twin computer – a device that can easily juggle between being a laptop and a tablet. (Source: Karthekayan Iyer) A device that doubles up as a laptop, and a tablet won't go unnoticed; it is something we all like and want these days. This particular form factor has become so popular that both Google and Apple introduced their own tablets with keyboard attachments. While the form factor is really cool, it is also a risky one. If something goes wrong, the user will end up disliking both the tablet and laptop.
Microsoft's Windows 10 isn't new and the biggest change it has brought so far is the addition of smartphone manufacturers to its OEM list. The most prominent names being Micromax, Lava and iBall. Yes, if your smartphone is from any of these guys, then there is no reason to shy away from using their laptop or tablet.
Lava Twinpad
As the name suggests, Lava Twinpad wants to be a twin computer – a device that can easily juggle between being a laptop and a tablet. Lava is definitely not the first to embrace this concept. Micromax beat it to market with Laptab, but Lava's efforts are at delivering an even nicer device.
So does this one tick all the right boxes to be the ultimate budget convertible? I am not convinced and here is why.
Lava is definitely not the first to embrace this concept. Micromax beat it to market with Laptab, but Lava's efforts are at delivering an even nicer device. (Source: Karthekayan Iyer) Specs: Windows 10 Home 64-bit | 1.83 GHz Intel Atom Z3735F | 2GB DDR3 RAM | 32GB Flash | 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) LCD | micro HDMI | micro USB | USB x1 | 7400mAh battery | 1.20 kg
Price: Rs 15,999
What is good?
The moment you unbox this one, the device's shiny metal-like finish catches your attention. Micromax failed to create a tablet convertible that looked premium, Lava has got that part right. The tablet's back has a silver metallic finish, and a black border surrounds the display up front. The design element, in fact carries over to the keyboard dock too. The design is better than what I expected.
Lava Twinpad's display is seriously worth the praise. It has excellent colour reproduction, and is warm enough to be comfortable for most eyes. The viewing angles are decent, but those extremely large borders surrounding the display could have been trimmed a bit.
The moment you unbox this one, the device's shiny metal-like finish catches your attention. (Source: Karthekayan Iyer) Another thing that I really liked is the mechanism with which the tablet latches on to the keyboard. The magnetic latching system is really quick, and after spending more than two weeks with the device, I am sure that this won't stop working anytime soon. This system is in for a really long run.
Before talking about its negatives, I would like to highlight that Lava Twinpad's battery and stylus do a very good job too. Lava Twinpad comes with a generous 7,400mAh battery, which is good enough to last few days on a single charge. Considering the limited abilities, one might end up easily stretching it for a full week.
Another thing that I really liked is the mechanism with which the tablet latches on to the keyboard. Lava also sent out a stylus that is sold separately with the device. I found the stylus to be highly responsive. It is might not be in the league of Surface Pen or Samsung's S Pen, but does a decent job. It is good for annotations, and one can even sketch with it to some extent. While the Stylus has very limited functionality out of the box, it is good enough for taking notes in OneNote or sketching out something urgently on SketchBook.
What is not good?
My first big problem is the keyboard that Lava has chosen for this device. I am typing this review on Lava Twinpad's keyboard dock and trust me, I won't ever go back to this keyboard. In fact, my 2009 laptop has a far better keyboard than this. The keyboard dock is extremely poor and it is certainly not going to help your typing speed.
My first big problem is the keyboard that Lava has chosen for this device. While the battery lasts for days, it takes several hours to charge. Lava Twinpad can be charged via a proprietary charging slot or microUSB and it just keeps charging for hours. The process is so long that I never bothered to charge it to its full capacity, and estimate the real time. The microUSB charging is slower than the proprietary slot, and Lava should have opted for fast charging.
The software is another pain-point here and am not sure whom to blame – Microsoft or Lava? But both have got work to do. During all my time reviewing the notebooks, I make sure to see how effectively the tablet mode works on a convertible device. In case of the Lava Twinpad, the success rate is just too bad. It hardly understands that you have undocked the tablet and even if you force it to, the result is somewhat slow in terms of realisation.
The software is another pain-point here and am not sure whom to blame – Microsoft or Lava? But both have got work to do. Also during my testing days, the camera didn't work even once. Yes, I missed out on too many Skype calls.
Should you buy?
It is a no brainer that this device fails to deliver basic performance. Had it been running Android, I would have considered it as a potent tablet but with Windows 10, it's a screwed up device.
At Rs 15,990, you would be wise to buy a large screen Android smartphone that will deliver a lot for the price. I am hopeful that Lava will improve this device further and focus more on user experience where Micromax Canvas Laptab II definitely catapults ahead.
© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd
Source: Lava Twinpad #ExpressReview: A failed attempt to bring both worlds together
No comments:
Post a Comment