Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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Velocity Micro Cruz Android Tablet with 7" Capacitive Touchscreen
$69.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: Refurbished

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

This certainly is much better than the Sony Dash that I paid $20 more to buy!

The infamous velocity micro cruz...I think it was on 1saleaday for $59 a few days ago. Oops, that was the 102
http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/bc818f3e-ab7f-4287-a2d3-b3dab7e52fdc/velocity-google-android-tablet-e-reader-with-7-color-touch-screen-wifi-accel#6

Nothing in the write up....


are these the 101's or 103's?

Not much out there, but some reviews on Amazon. 3 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Velocity-T301-7-Inch-Android-Tablet/product-reviews/B004CFF6ZI/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Access to the Cruz Market™

...shut up and take my money

I would not buy an android device with only 256M of ram at any price.

It does have fairly low ratings on Amazon, but this review has some valid opinions.

"If you want an Android tablet running the latest version, able to play all the latest apps and flash video, don't buy this tablet. If you want an Android tablet you can root or upgrade, don't bother, you will not be happy. If you want it to be an Ipad, forget about it.

However, if you want a $250 color e-reader that has a stable OS, long battery life, and a seven inch 800x600 touchscreen you will be pleased. You will be more pleased with the capability to surf the internet, check e-mail and load simple apps. The Cruz comes preloaded with the Kindle reader and most other e-readers can be downloaded from freewarelovers.com. The screen size, the rubber back, touch screen, wifi, and all day battery life make this an excellent e-reader that compares well with the Nook color. The new version of the Android Kindle app (which can be downloaded from freewarelovers.com) also allows you to download magazines in color.

As an e-reader with expanded capabilities the Cruz is a great product and I am very pleased with it. Out of the box, the software is very stable, the battery is 75% charged and the Kindle app is ready to go. As a cutting edge Galaxy or Ipad competitor, the Cruz falls short, but it is much cheaper than those devices. I describe the Cruz to my friends as a Kindle version of the Nook Color. A "Kindle Color" is the best way to describe it.

I have loaded my Cruz with the following apps, all obtained from freewarelovers.com or the web, and they all work well: Kindle, Overdrive Media Console (for library e-books), Kobo Reader, Aldiko Reader, Wapedia, Newspapers, Reuters, Iheartradio, Skyfire browser and Dolphin browser."

MIPS processor means standard android apps won't work. Thus, the Cruz market.

Here is a very nice product review of the T301...24 minutes long so bring some popcorn!

If you want and E-reader that plays a few games (and I mean a few) and looks at pics, this is OK at best. If you are watching movies or expect a real android market, save your money. I had this until I bought my xoom off of woot. It is super-slow and modding it only makes it worse.

Refurbished

danpalm wrote:The infamous velocity micro cruz...I think it was on 1saleaday for $59 a few days ago

I'm pretty sure that was the T201.

ThunderThighs wrote:Per the Product line at the top: Velocity Micro T301 Cruz Tablet


Pls watch the model numbers when you're linking reviews and other sites. I'm deleting some posts already that are the wrong model.

I missed that small line..

I know this device - it was $300 last fall, if memory serves. It's actually not a bad device for the current $75 Woot! price.

But...it's biggest issue, unfortunately, is the MIPS processor. This is the reason why I never bought one and would still be a bit hesitant to buy one now. Most Android devices are ARM-based which means all the tens thousands of apps out there will NOT work with this device. So, you might have some apps that were ported to a MIPS CPU but I don't know how many really exist.

Perhaps there's an ARM emulator of some kind, but not sure if that's something you even want to deal with on a tablet. So just be wary that your app options might be limited -=- probably whatever the Cruz Market offers.

kimberda wrote:It is super-slow and modding it only makes it worse.

I hate to admit it, but this made me chuckle.

Only 256mb of RAM? Ewww.....no thanks.

Capacitive touch screen means no using with gloves. in case it's winter or something

This looks like like something I bought on here in May of this year. Are they the same thing? Will this play movies on NetFlix? How is the touchscreen? Can a person play online games with this?
Velocity Micro Cruz 7” Android Tablet

chaoticbear wrote:[quoting a review] "However, if you want a $250 color e-reader...."

Time marches on. Today $250 = Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, $200 = Amazon Kindle Fire.

What drive me crazy is the placement of the power button. They got smarter with the later models by making them smaller and not as depression happy

4:3, 800x600...ideal for viewing...movies

Aren't most movies 16x9? 4:3 is like my crt from the 80's.

ivanivanovich wrote:Time marches on. Today $250 = Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, $200 = Amazon Kindle Fire.

An HTC G1 from 2008 running Android 1.6 Cupcake is more capable than this thing, and the G1 only has 192MB RAM!!

Very hard to find a site that admits to the processor speed, but I found one that said it is just over 500 mHz... too slow for satisfying operation of many apps. Anyone for a relaxing game of LAZY BIRDS?

This looks like the quick starter guide:

http://s3.velocitymicro.com/vmcruz/T301/manual/TabletGuide_T301_4-25-11.pdf

and FAQ's:

http://cruzsupport.velocitymicro.com/link/portal/5462/5758/ArticleFolder/339/Tablet-T300-Series

and froogle

KyserSoze wrote:Aren't most movies 16x9? 4:3 is like my crt from the 80's.

Throw Angry Birds on it...give it to your kids. At least this will let them stop taking your tablet or cell phone.

Does it play angry birds?

Aha. I have this T301. Ask me anything. This goes on sale fairly often at Radio Shack for $149 (where I got it earlier this year), otherwise $199 normal price there.

First tip: the case/cover sold for the "Pandigital Novel" tablet fits this exactly and I have that case.

(I have to go to bed soon) I'm satisfied with it and it's a steal at this price if you want a tablet at a price this low. Battery life is superb at 8 to 10 hours, no kidding. As it comes it will not access the Android Market but you have the Amazon AppStore. And the Kindle app works well.

angerbender wrote:MIPS processor means standard android apps won't work. Thus, the Cruz market.

Not true. Any thing written with the normal Android SDK will work. That is almost all apps. Only the few things written with the NDK won't work. Bigger issue is only 256MB RAM...

Bill

calpencil wrote:Throw Angry Birds on it...give it to your kids. At least this will let them stop taking your tablet or cell phone.

will this one play angry birds? I have a co-worker who asked just today about a cheap tablet for her daughter so she stops taking her nook to play games... I know AB is one of the game she mentioned she played so I don't want to steer her towards one that it won't work (or to let her know to not get this one since she checks this site too).

Thought I'd check just b/c of the posts mentioning that the one spec would make it difficult for some(most?) apps...

I bought one of these for my wife as an ereader. It's fairly heavy for its size and extremely slow. Also, the wifi connection would drop every few seconds, even sitting right next to the router. Returned it and got her a Nook color, she couldn't be happier. I wouldn't recommend this Cruz at any price.

gvencelov wrote:will this one play angry birds? I have a co-worker who asked just today about a cheap tablet for her daughter so she stops taking her nook to play games... I know AB is one of the game she mentioned she played so I don't want to steer her towards one that it won't work (or to let her know to not get this one since she checks this site too).

Thought I'd check just b/c of the posts mentioning that the one spec would make it difficult for some(most?) apps...

It will not play Angry Birds.

calpencil wrote:Throw Angry Birds on it...give it to your kids. At least this will let them stop taking your tablet or cell phone.

My kids have iPhones and iPads & I have the entourage pocket eDGe (bought from Woot, of course!).

So would this be better than the pocket eDGe?

bigbill25 wrote:Not true. Any thing written with the normal Android SDK will work. That is almost all apps. Only the few things written with the NDK won't work. Bigger issue is only 256MB RAM...

Bill

thats not true. alot of sdk don't work on these tablets

I have the previous model with identical specs, but with a resistive touchscreen and think it's a good starter tablet. Will it play Angry Birds? Not very smoothly, but you can watch videos just fine.

PROS
- Performs well enough for most tasks
- Nice sleek lacquer look
- Display is pretty good
- Can be hacked to run faster
- A great value
- Has accelerometer (or at least an orientation detector)
- Comes with neoprene case
- Comes with an easel which allows it to be a digital photo frame or techie alarm clock
- Comfortable to hold, back is coated with a velvety rubber
- Good battery life, but my apps don't exactly strain the CPU
- Good support community
- Uses regular SD cards, not microSD

CONS
- Very low end CPU, fine for eReading, board games, wordprocessing, websurfing, etc but don't expect to play too many action games
- No camera
- Accelerometer is very slow to react, making it useless for most games. Fine for websurfing and eReading though
- No physical buttons for most Android functions, i.e. Home. Menu, Back, etc. The buttons are virtual which don't always pop up instantaneously
- Sound is weak
- I don't know if it's been fixed but the resistive version had connectivity problems where signal would be dropped even though your router is only a few feet away. Some sites teach you how to add an internal antenna.
- No access to Google's Android Marketplace so you'll either have to sideload (download apps to your PC and then transfer to Cruz) or use another site like Amazon's Marketplace, which gives away a free app daily. The ptoblem with sideloading is that you won't receive automatic updates.

All in all, it makes a great stocking stuffer -- especially for tweens and older non-techie users. I got one for my parents so that they can exercise their minds to prevent dementia.

Do you think this would be ok for a 3 & 11 year old? We were planning on getting them each their own ipod touches or tablet and this us a great price!
Can it play angry birds...and other games? Also YouTube?

I've never actually owned one so I would go by the owners who are chiming in here about app compatibility. So far it sounds like my previous comments on the MIPS CPU limitation might not be correct.

By as others mentioned, the 256MB RAM is definitely a concern. But other than that the price sounds right - I'm guessing you could easily use this as an ebook reader / music player / web browsing. Not sure if Flash would work, though.

I've had this for about 6 months and have had to reinstall all my apps after freeze-ups a half dozen times.
Forget Angry Birds... or anything requiring Flash or ARM procs. You'll be using Amazon Market instead if the Google Market. Also, the straight plug on the adapter does not allow its use in the stand as intended. And no nifty ROMS yet (if ever.)
Nonetheless, it's sturdily built and the battery lasts really long.
Word on the street is that Radio Shack will be selling these on Black Friday for $50!