/vnd/media/agency_attachments/bGjnvN2ncYDdhj74yP9p.png)
Launching a tablet is a new fad in India these days with every tom, dick, and harry popping up a new device every now and then. It seems the manufacturers are in a race and the billion plus population in the country is too good a market to absorb any product that is pushed into this land. With China and Taiwan ever ready to manufacture an electronics device based on any design you provide, and Google making its open software Android too open for everyone to incorporate, even the 'just-born' companies around the world, without any deliberation or market survey, do not think twice before joining the bandwagon and launch a mobile device in the country. The recent past has seen a slew of tablets being launched in the country by various companies but they have failed to make a mark and slowly and gradually, they disappear from the market.
In August this year, the Californian firm Swipe Telecom launched 3 tablets in the Indian market and the company claimed to have launched India's first 3D tablet with the launch of its Swipe 3D Life, priced at just `5,999.
But before jumping to any conclusion or making a decision to buy, let's check what the package offers to us.
Hardware
The tablet has a good build quality and decent looks with its rounded edges and glossy shell but it seems that the high-gloss won't last long and will tend to tarnish very soon. You cannot prove it but you are sure you are not wrong. There are 3 buttons on the front-home, back, and menu-but the home button displays a 'four square' print that usually denotes the app drawer. But here, the home button does not do that. We failed to understand why is it there. Building element wise, the tablet uses a Boxchip A13 processor with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz and it comes with 512 MB of RAM. It has a 7-inch 5-finger multi-touch TFT screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Internal storage was provided at 4 GB that can be expanded up to 32 GB-a very common feature in all mobile devices these days. The tablet uses the latest android OS, the 4.0.3 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich).
The device supports Wi-Fi and 3G. The device also has a rear facing 2 MP camera. A 3,400 mAh battery powers the device.
Software
When put to use, the device would disappoint you in more ways than one. The user interface is a standard ICS based UI and slows down many a times during use. Also, the way the apps behave and the swiping around of apps happen, it does not give the confidence of housing a 1.2 GHz processor.
The company's unique selling point, its 3D feature, is just a gimmick. The 3D portion is simply anaglyph photos and videos and can be achieved on any tablet. This does not give the 3D viewing experience as that of high end smartphones or TVs. The product bundles a pair of free red and cyan glasses for viewing anaglyph 3D images and movies on the screen. The glasses have a good build quality and don't feel cheap. Apart from the glasses, the product package also specifies free pre-installed 3D apps such as 3D games and 3D entertainment. What we found inside are a few low quality anaglyph movie clips and a few anaglyph photos. Overall, the Swipe 3D tab is a poor performer on its specs but again one needs to understand what else you can expect at a price point of `6000, when you don't get a decent mobile phone at that price. The company is also smart enough to play the price card to sell few of its stock to its Indian customers. But the company needs to understand this practice would not take the firm very far in long run.