In this post we round up some of the latest Bq Aquaris M10
Ubuntu Edition tablet reviews from well known technology sites and
online publications.
Let us give you fair warning: not all of these reviews
that follow happy-happy, joy-joy. If you’re the sort of person
easily riled by folks being less than complimentary about
something Linux related, I suggest you close this tab now!
But for the rest of you, it’s fine to look outside the narrow slip of
positivity promoted by Bq themselves to glean the whole story, the full
picture, and an assortment of other clichéd expressions.
If you’re currently debating whether to buy this device it is wise to
take on board the practicalities of using it. Who cares if it might one
day clean your kitchen, iron your clothes and feed the cat if it barely
manages to look lively right now.
On that note, if there’s a review from a prominent site that we’ve
missed do let us know about it in the comments and we’ll add it in.
“Fragile, Cheap Build Quality”
We’ll kick off the round-up with a knock-out. DigitalTrends pull zero punches in its
M10 hands-on.
There are blows to the build quality — “fragile, cheap build quality”
— and right hooks to the “shoddy performance” and “poorly optimised
operating system”.
Ouch!
It makes for a less than easy read, and is, by clear marginm the most
negative overview in this round-up. But it’s still a valid appraisal.
‘Using Convergence felt like asking for an Xbox One for Christmas, and ending up with socks’
Marketing for the tablet, both from Bq and Canonical, has put a lot
of focus on the ‘convergence’ capabilities. Canonical claim it’s
“everything you need from a PC, in a tablet”, that it “[has] all the
power of a PC”, and so on.
But does it?
According to Digital Trends the answer is a flat ‘no’. Even a core
aspect of convergence (using an external monitor) has its limitations,
it seems:
“Using
Convergence felt like asking for an Xbox One for Christmas, and ending
up with socks. The first thing we noticed is the tablet’s inability to
output beyond its native resolution when connected to an external
monitor – a rather serious oversight.”
The subtle suggestion that you can expect to use all the apps you use on a PC is also incorrect.
It’s true that you
can try to install additional x11
apps by switching to developer mode and getting jiggy at the command
line, but this is arcane and techy, and there’s no guarantee that legacy
apps will run.
There are also working limitations involved for legacy apps, even
those that come pre-installed on the device, including no multi-window
support, no on-screen keyboard, no copy/paste, small fonts, etc.
DigitalTrends touch on this aspect too, saying:
“If you’re purchasing the
Aquaris M10 under the impression that you’ll have unfettered access to
the complete Ubuntu desktop experience, don’t even bother.”
It’s not all bad news. The amount of ports gets a pass:
“Perhaps the best part of the Aquaris M10’s design is its generous incorporation of ports…”
As does the battery life:
“…battery life is one area that doesn’t appear to take much of a hit from the Ubuntu operating system.”
‘I’d wholeheartedly urge developers to buy it’
TrustedReviews is positive about the tablet in
its review.
In fact, the entire piece reads like a love-letter to it, praising the
build quality, performance, and the ability to do everything form photo
editing to writing blog post all on the one device.
Their verdict is a little more restrained, however:
“…while I wouldn’t recommend
it as a purchase for regular consumers, I’d wholeheartedly urge open
source developers and avid tinkerers to buy it.”
‘It’s a Work In Progress’
ZDNet’s terry Ralph-Knight is far more receptive to the device’s shortcomings.
Admittedly it helps that his ‘review’ reads more like a walk though
of the tablet’s key specifications, but he does get stuck into trying
out ‘convergence’, remarking:
“[It] still seems like a work in
progress, and doesn’t always respond as expected — either due to bugs in
the software, or to inconsistencies in the user interface. As a result,
interest in this tablet is likely to be restricted to Ubuntu fans and
determined early adopters.”
Terry is otherwise an optimist. He thinks most of the tablet’s
current flaws ‘should be solved in the coming months’ — and he’s right
to say that.
Ubuntu OTA 11 ships in early June and it brings a barrel of bug fixes to the M10 in particular.
The Gear Fit 2 definitely fits the bill and it has been popping up in various leaks and renders
lately. Now, a fresh batch of info on the wearable finally reveals its
hardware specs and even offers a new glimpse at its design and
packaging.
Another cool new addition to the Gear Fit 2 over its predecessor is
GPS and GLONASS support. Satellite positioning should complement the
gyroscope, barometer, accelerometer and heart rate sensor nicely in a
fitness-centered companion scenario. As for the physical aspects of the
device, all renders seem to paint a pretty identical picture, showcasing
an even slicker curved design for the wrist. And thanks to IP68
certification, you won't have to take the Gear Fit 2 off even during the
toughest outdoor experiences, as it should be able to withstand up to
1.5 meters of water for half an hour.
The 
According to a new report from digital analytics firm Similar Web
- which analyzed Android data from a total of 187 countries - WhatsApp
is the most popular app in the world, claiming 109 countries, or 55.6%
of those surveyed.
Chinese Vivo has officially announced two new smartphones under the V
series aimed at the Indian market. The new devices named Vivo V1 and
Vivo V1 Max. The V1 comes with decent camera and runs Google’s Android
Lollipop operating system. However the company did not provide any
details about the V1 Max smartphone.
