Kupa X11 Lux Tablet Review

The Kupa X11 Lux is one of the few Windows 7 tablets to surface in recent months as most PC manufacturers sit and wait for Windows 8. Priced at $1,069, the X11 Lux is Kupa's most premium model, supporting both pen and touch input and combining an Intel Oak Trail processor with 128GB of solid-state storage. This business-friendly tablet also features a fingerprint scanner and TPM for security. Is that enough to justify the price?

Design

Weighing 2.2 pounds and measuring 10.7 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches, the Kupa X11 is thicker than the Samsung Series 7 Slate (0.5 inches) and is 0.4 pounds heavier despite having a smaller screen. The Samsung made up for its bulk and size by offering a larger display and laptop-grade components; the Kupa X11 is thicker and heavier, and offers neither.

In addition to being hefty, the design is also uncomfortable. The dark gray plastic and squared edges may have a certain industrial-style charm, but it doesn't have the luxurious feel of brushed-aluminum or the comfortable curves of the Samsung.

Wide bezels are further widened by extending the chassis below the display. This extension is tapered for greater comfort, but it mostly just adds bulk to an already chunky design. On back of the tablet you'll find a large teardrop-shape vent, but you won't need to worry about fan noise as there is no fan.

Display

The Kupa X11 Lux's screen isn't very bright. It registered 178 lux on our light meter, less than half that of the Samsung Series 7 Slate (398 lux). Ambient light sensing adjusts the screen brightness automatically, but the screen always seemed relatively dim.

The 10.1-inch display has 1366 x 768 resolution, which matches the display of the larger Samsung Series 7 Slate and is a common resolution among tablets of this size. Watching the rowing race from "The Social Network," colors looked natural with rich saturated tones. In the film's many low-lit scenes, however, details were often lost in shadow and dark colors muddied.

We also weren't thrilled with the glass surface. At times, glare and reflections made it difficult to clearly see the display. The viewing angles offered on the X11 are also rather narrow. Even at a slight tilt, the colors would begin to invert, creating a negative effect.

Audio

Despite two relatively large speakers at the bottom of the tablet, audio was barely passable. While we could make out movie dialogue with the volume turned up fully, Trent Reznor's superb soundtrack was often barely noticeable, and sounded like background noise. Listening to "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" from Weezer's Blue Album, the speakers provided tinny sound with almost no bass. The speaker placement may also be a problem; if you rest the tablet against a pillow or your stomach, the sound is muffled almost completely.

Touch Input

The Kupa X11's capacitive touch screen allows two touch points at a time, allowing simple gesture control such as zooming and rotating images, but little else. The capacitive screen was fairly responsive, executing gestures with only a little lag. Kupa tries to compensate for Windows 7 touch-unfriendliness with oversize icons on the desktop, but selecting small menu items or files from a list was an exercise in frustration. We accidentally selected the files above or below the ones intended, even after calibrating the digitizer.

Kupa does offer a stylus to use with the X11 in order to alleviate the fat finger effect, but like the Samsung Series 7 Slate, there is no built-in storage or tethering for the pen. Both finger and stylus inputs are enhanced by the fact that the capacitive touch screen offers pressure-sensitive input.

Screen rotation is automatic, but slow -- taking as much as two seconds -- and often inaccurate. Turning the tablet 90 degrees was often sufficient to confuse the X11 Lux, with the auto-rotate function flipping 90 degrees in the wrong direction. Holding the tablet at anything but an upright angle also seemed to confuse the slate, causing random rotations, or failing to register rotation at all.

Pen Input

The X11 Lux comes with a digital pen that comes in handy for everything from filling out forms and taking notes to drawing. The pen is pressure sensitive, so in an included app like ArtRage 2.6 you'll be able to create thinner or thicker lines based on how hard you press down. When writing in Windows Journal, the inking was smooth and responsive, and the X11 Lux exhibited good palm rejection. It's just a shame that you can't dock the pen in the slate itself.

Keyboard

Click to EnlargeThe keyboard used is the standard Windows on-screen keyboard, which is serviceable, but not fantastic. The buttons respond slowly when typing, and it's really best suited to entering Web addresses and short messages rather than typing longer documents. The Swype keyboard on the Samsung Series 7 Slate is much more intuitive.

User Interface and Apps

With an Atom processor, the Kupa X11 is limited to running the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. Where many tablets add a custom interface over Windows to improve the touch experience, Kupa has instead tweaked Windows itself, with oversize icons on the desktop and widened scroll bars. However, these enhancements pale in comparison to the Series 7 Slate's Touch Launcher, which makes it much easier to run apps using nothing but your finger.

Unlike tablets running iOS or Android, the Kupa X11 Lux has no app store. Instead, the tablet accesses software used by any standard Windows PC, along with Web apps and desktop widgets.

Ports

Along the right-hand edge of the Kupa X11 Lux you will find two USB 2.0 ports, a mini-HDMI port, a headset jack combining headphones and mic, and a power input. A SIM card slot opens up the possibility of 3G mobile broadband (and voice calling), and Kupa has unlocked the device so that it will work with any compatible SIM card. On the bottom of the tablet are two switches, one to toggle the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth 2.1, and the other to toggle mobile broadband. An integrated fingerprint reader and TPM chip add easy-to-use security.

Webcam

The Kupa X11 Tablet features a rear-facing 3MP camera for shooting still photos and video, and a front-facing 2-MP camera for video chat. Though it has lower resolution, the front-facing camera produced much clearer images, with bright colors but noticeably grainy pictures and video. The rear-facing camera had significant problems, producing shadowy images in all but a brightly lit room. These images were especially grainy.

All the more frustrating, the Web Cam app included on the tablet caused the X11 to freeze up in two instances. In one case, we were not only unable to take a picture, but had to restart the tablet completely.

Performance

The Kupa X11 tablet uses a 1.7-GHz Intel Atom Z690 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. Comparing the Oak Trail-powered Kupa X11 to the Sandy Bridge-equipped Samsung Series 7 Slate, with its 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5 2467M, is like comparing a netbook to a desktop replacement laptop. The Kupa X11's Geekbench results confirm this delta with a score of 819, well below the average score for netbooks; and a PCMark 07 score of 892 is equally low. Not surprisingly, the Series 7 Slate blows past the Kupa X11 in every performance test, scoring 2,053 in Geekbench, for instance.

The X11 Lux is equipped with a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD), which allowed it to complete the LAPTOP File Transfer test in 1 minute 55 seconds, copying nearly 5GB of mixed-media files at a rate of 44.2 MBps. That showing is better than your typical hard drive but well behind the 67.8 MBps of the Samsung Series 7 Slate. That same drive makes for speedy wake times, but it still has a boot time of 1:23, about a minute longer than the Series 7 Slate. Kupa has taken a cue from Intel's Ultrabooks, and encourages hibernating the tablet instead of fully shutting down, touting speedy resume times and up to 30 days of standby time on a single charge.

The Kupa X11 fell even further behind on our OpenOffice Spreadsheet test, where it crawled through at 31 minutes 56 seconds. The Samsung Series 7 Slate, on the other hand, completed the test in 12:45, which still lags behind the ultraportable laptop category average by 4:18. Bottom line: you wouldn't want to use the X11 Lux for anything other than basic productivity chores.

Graphics

With an Intel Atom processor and integrated Intel GMA 600 graphics, we weren't expecting much in the way of graphics performance, but we were still disappointed. The Kupa X11 was unable to even run 3DMark 06. The Samsung Series 7 Slate, on the other hand, not only ran the test, but scored 1,642 points.

The Kupa X11 is sufficient for rendering Web pages and video, but not much more than that. Gaming is also out of the question. Compare this to the integrated graphics capabilities of the Samsung's Core i5 processor, and it's little wonder that the Series 7 Slate was able to run "World of Warcraft," albeit at an unplayable 13 frames per second.

Battery Life

The Kupa X11 has a leg up on the Samsung and other Windows tablets in one key area, battery life. The X11 lasted 7 hours 32 minutes in the Hp Laptop Batteries Test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi), outlasting the Series 7 Slate (5:49) by 1:43, and the average tablet by about half an hour.

Software & Warranty

The Kupa X11 comes with several programs pre-installed, but you won't find much in the way of trialware, because Kupa has instead chosen a combination of full programs, like Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft OneNote, and freeware, like Daum PotPlayer, a media player hailing from Korea. Instead of a 30-day trial of security software, Kupa provides Microsoft Security Essentials. The one sample you'll find on the Kupa X11 is a trial version of ArtRage 2, a paint program included to show off the screen's pressure-sensitive touch input. It works best with the included pen.

Kupa backs the X11 Lux Tablet with a one-year warranty covering parts and labor.

Configurations

There are three configurations of the Kupa X11 available, distinguished by the SSD size and availability of 3G mobile broadband. The base model, the X11 Classic, sells for $799 and boasts a 64GB SSD but is Wi-Fi only. The Kupa X11 Pro ($899.00) adds a SIM card slot for 3G, while the $1,069 Kupa X11 Lux (the model reviewed here) offers 3G and a larger 128GB SSD.

Kupa America has informed us that all three models of the Kupa X11 tablet will be available with Windows 8 this fall. When we tested the Kupa X11 Lux with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, we saw minor improvements in performance and boot time, but it remains to be seen how the tablet will perform with the final build.

Verdict

Kupa is hardly a household name, but the X11 Lux tablet has some things going for it, including long Replacement HP ProBook 4710s Laptop Battery life and fairly accurate pen input. However, the bulky design and relatively dim screen give us pause. For just $30 more, we prefer the Samsung Series 7 Slate. It offers a faster Core i5 processor, a smaller but faster 64GB SSD and a larger, brighter display in a lighter package, not to mention a more touch-friendly interface. But if you want longer endurance and a quieter design, the X11 Lux is worth a look.

T-Mobile HTC Mytouch 4G Slide Battery Life More Than Doubled by Mugen Power

Mugen Power today announces a new extended battery HLI-PG59100XL for T-Mobile HTC Mytouch 4G Slide. New battery for HTC Mytouch 4G Slide extends standard battery life more than twice, and comes with a well designed new extended battery door.

HLI-PG59100XL has 3600mAh capacity. Conservatively speaking, it doubles HTC Mytouch 4G standard battery life time, compared to its orignal battery with 1520mAH capacity. It is designed to provide longer battery life with higher quality for its consumers. It extends the battery to 237% of its standard battery life. Besides, HLI-PG59100XL is exceptionally reliable, as all batteries provided by Mugen Power, and it has undergone vigorous QA procedures. Furthermore, HLI-PG59100XL is also CE approved. Batteries provided by Mugen Power are known to have lowest return rate in the industry.

"We all know that HTC devices are not the best friends of one battery. Customers who enjoy the functionality of HTC phones battery are always concerned about battery life. Even with moderate use for checking emails, or making a few phone calls during the day, it is rarely possible to use the phones without recharge for a whole day. Not to mention for heavy users, who need to do conference calls, use applications frequently, or synchronize their phones with other devices. Now with our extended battery, customers do not have to worry about their phones would be out of battery in the middle of the day. They can enjoy the using experience as much as they can. Moderate users only need to charge their phones on average every 4 days according to our customers. To provide the best experience for customers, we worked hard on this model. This solution provides customers more than twice of battery life to stay connected without recharges for at least 2-3 days" says Alice Yang, marketing manager at eTrade Asia Ltd.

Pricing and Availability

T-Mobile HTC Mytouch 4G Slide extended battery HLI-PG59100XL is now available for $98.95 from Mugen Power Batteries with Free Shipping worldwide at battery-store.co.uk
Find Mugen Power Batteries on USA store.: buy-laptop-battery.org
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About Mugen Power Batteries

Mugen Power is the worldwide leading brand of high performance batteries for portable electronic devices. Mugen Power means Performance and Quality and delivers a full spectrum of high quality products for PDAs, smartphones, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3 players, portable DVD players, notebooks, UMPCs and Personal Media Devices.

Mugen Power batteries have better performance (higher capacity) and reliability (longevity & safety) than other brands. The superior performance improves run time, often doubling that provided by the original brand replacement. The superior quality results in longer battery life and better protection of the powered device.

All Mugen Power batteries also undergo vigorous QA procedure, resulting in Mugen Power achieving the lowest return rate in the market. All Mugen Power batteries are CE and RoHS Certified.

NOTE FOR EDITORS: Mugen Power 3600mAh Extended Battery for T-Mobile HTC Mytouch 4G Slide is available on request to editors of computer magazines and bloggers who will to write a review of the battery.

Could Americans Learn to Love Dual-SIM Phones?

NEW ORLEANS—With many big phone makers off the floor of CTIA, the little guys have come out to play at this year's show. You probably haven't heard of them: Eyo, Unnecto, and Plum Mobile are a few of the prominent names. They all have two things in common, and both of those things are SIM cards.
Dual-SIM phones are extremely popular in Latin America, where several of the smaller handset manufacturers at CTIA are currently selling phones. The South American markets are mostly prepaid and GSM, with a welter of different offers and few subsidies. With carriers offering better rates for calling their own customers than competitors', plenty of South Americans have two subscriptions: one for calling friends on each of two different carriers, or one for work and one for home, for instance.
U.S. carriers have generally barred dual-SIM phones (or their CDMA equivalent, dual-NAM) for competitive reasons: they don't want people to have subscriptions on two different carriers. People who want to have two lines on the same carrier are collateral damage here.
But Unnecto and Plum, at least, are going to try to get this foreign concept into Americans' hands. They're the two most viable of the unknown phone makers at this show, in large part because they have U.S.-based, English-speaking marketing staff.
Unnecto, a brand-new company, is based in New York. They're picking and choosing Asian phones, which they rebrand. They have a close relationship with Mediatek, a Taiwanese maker of inexpensive processors.
Several of Unnecto's phones are texting phones that look like smartphones, most notably like a BlackBerry 8800 or a Nokia E71. The company's flagship is the Quattro, a relatively nondescript budget Android 2.3 phone with a 4-inch, 800-by-480 screen, 5-megapixel camera and a single-core 650-MHz Mediatek processor. And of course, it supports two SIMs. It'll sell for under $200 without a contract, Unnecto spokeswoman Sarah Mogin said.
Plum Mobile has an even broader range, with many brightly colored feature phones and some more powerful smartphones. Plum is based in Miami and has been selling phones in Latin America for years, CEO Sam Hussain said.

The Plum Might looks a lot like a Samsung Galaxy Note, with a giant 5-inch screen, 5-megapixel camera and a 2800mAh battery. It's running Android 2.3 on a 650-MHz Mediatek processor. I found the phone felt really slow when I was using it. The Plum Capacity, meanwhile, is a more traditionally sized black slab smartphone, with a 3.5-inch, 320-by-480 screen, and 3.2-megapixel camera. It also uses the 650-MHz Mediatek processor.
Both Unnecto and Plum are looking primarily to third-party retailers like big-box stores, drugstores, Dollar General, and online retailers to sell their unlocked phones.
Why Dual-SIM Probably Won't Work Here
Plum's and Unnecto's handsets could appeal in a lot of countries, including much of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. But they probably won't sell here.
The U.S. mobile market is dominated by large minute buckets or unlimited plans, and carriers generally have incompatible bands and technologies. The first point makes it less appealing to have a dual-SIM phone; the second means there are few SIMs you can combine in one device.
Plum's and Unnecto's phones are GSM-only, and generally only have AT&T's 3G bands. So they don't work at all with Verizon, Sprint, MetroPCS, Cricket, U.S. Cellular, Boost, Virgin, or many other CDMA carriers. Folks with SIMs from T-Mobile and Simple Mobile, meanwhile, would be stuck on 2G. That's fine for 2G-only voice and texting phones like the Unnecto Pro, but it's a bummer with a smartphone.
That leaves AT&T and companies which use its network, like Straight Talk and H2O Mobile. Yeah, sure, that's a couple of options, but it's much less appealing than in countries where you could plug any available operator into your HTC BTR6300B mobile phone batteries.
The phones also just feel cheap. I'm less bothered by the companies' small, brightly colored voice phones, which would make dandy backup, emergency or tween phones. But with MetroPCS, Virgin, and others offering no-contract, brand-name smartphones from companies like LG and ZTE for $99, it's hard to suggest that consumers take a flyer on a new name without a clear advantage. We'll see if these new manufacturers make a dent in the market.
For more from CTIA, check out the photoblog below.

source from blog: Could Americans Learn to Love Dual-SIM Phones?