Advent Vega Android tablet device tempts buyers

For those looking for an ‘entry level’ tablet experience with a lower budget level required than for an Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Advent Vega could well be worth a look.

The device is a 10.1-inch Android tablet which runs a robust Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, with a capacitive display, featuring a high quality 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. It is slim and good looking, is wi-fi and Bluetooth enabled and retails from around £249 in the UK.

The device features no forward facing buttons but does have a webcam built in to the front facing panel. Controls feature around the edge of the Advent Vega, including the screen lock, power on/off button, back button, volume control and ports for the docking connector, headphones, mic, USB, memory card, HDMI and DC connection.

Within the on-screen buttons the user has the usual navigational capacity of home, menu and back in the toolbar, but when in full screen mode use of the main external back button is required.

Although the device is not considered a competitor to the iPad or Galaxy Tab, it is inevitable that comparisons will be made and the Vega stands up well on most mainstream activities. Web access and social media interaction are virtually flawless, photos are displayed and browsed with precision, whilst video viewing cannot be faulted.

One advantage that the Vega has over the iPad is that it’s Flash enabled, but there is an issue here which has to be resolved. To summarise the problem – and the forthcoming solution – this is what Advent say about the issue: “Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 installed on the tablet has not completed the required certification tests by Adobe.  The certification process is currently underway and we estimate this will be complete in the early part of 2011. We will be providing a seamless and free-of-charge download of the certified version as soon as it is available.”

Speaker performance is relatively good, but viewing angles are not as flexible as with some other devices and availability of more apps should be improved over time with greater accessibility to the Android Market.