Cherrypad America Review (Part2)

The Good... The Android market that is available along with Android 2.1 is fully functional. I had purchased a game on my phone that was available as a free download on the tablet. It's good to see they moved towards one purchase for all devices. The aluminum back is fairly sturdy and gives the device a better feel than I expected.

The Bad... The resistive touch screen takes some getting used to, having been using to capacitive for my first touch experience. At times scrolling can get absurd, forcing me to exit or go back to lists as it opens things seemingly at random. With time and experience, resistive is perfectly acceptable all things considered. Lack of multi-touch also makes this screen feel sluggish and frustrating at times. I tend to disable almost all sound on computing devices due to a personal hatred, so the fact that the speakers are of a lower quality means little to me.

The Ugly... You get what you pay for. This isn't meant as a negative statement towards the manufacturer. They've spent countless hours designing a device that is both functional and affordable. It's not the first Android tablet on the market, but it's likely the cheapest we'll see, unless a larger manufacturer begins to realize the potential niche that does exist. It's my belief that many reviewers are not taking into account the fact that this device runs you $188 plus shipping and taxes. For a tablet.

The Overall Experience... Why buy a cheap Android tablet? Coupled with a sufficiently-sized MicroSD card, this device can be used to watch mp4 converted video files and the battery holds up great, considering there's no 3G technology constantly draining it's power. While it's no replacement for a laptop, it's considerably smaller and more compact for travel purposes so that along with access to the Android Market make it a good purchase. One could also tether it to a phone or laptop with internet if WiFi is not an option for you. I have to also say that my experience overall with Cherrypal is a positive one. They are moving away from their growing pains, so I'm confident others will share in the good experiences I have had with them.

Cherrypad America Review (Part1)

This part of my review will entail my end-to-end experience with finding the cheapest Android tablet I could find and prove to both myself and critics that this was in fact a real tablet and how powerful a Google search can be. If you are after the technical aspects of the device and my initial impressions, you can jump to Part2 when it comes available.

On Oct 13, 2010 I Googled "$99 android tablet". Sometimes you need to search for insane things to see if they exist. This led me to the closest result I could find at that time. A $99 laptop was not what I was looking for, but at that price I had to check it out. In doing so, I learned it was a dated article made by a Green company who was convinced the world needed affordable technology. I whole heartedly agree and learned they made a new tablet as well.

There are accounts of them being a scam, but I can only relate my dealings with their tablet which was brand new as of Oct 7, 2010. I felt $188 was a small price to pay to squash my curiousity of whether I could get Android 2.1 and on a tablet for that matter. When I placed my order on Oct 13, the online retailer Zecosi was handling the payment transaction. My total cost for this device was $213.07 (shipping, taxes & US to CA included). I instantly received a Zecosi confirmation email and one week later a second indicating that my order had been shipped. It contained a tracking number and link to the USPS website. Cherrypal had indicated that the average time to deliver their products internationally was two weeks.

On Oct 26, I received an email from a Zecosi rep, which had been sent to all Cherrypal customers. They had been receiving the queries regarding shipment of their orders, but unfortunately it was not made clear during the order process that they do not handle shipping. They are closer to a shopping cart store or as they call themselves an online marketplace. Sellers offer products on the Zecosi website who offers the payment methods and handles the transaction. The seller ships the order and informs Zecosi who, in turn, emails the customer their tracking information. Receiving the email helped me immensely as I had concerns over my tracking number not working at the USPS website.

I had tried contacting USPS directly a few times, but they kept giving me the usual "that order must be new, it's not in our system" script. I have experience with multi-vendors and supply chains. It should not take weeks for a tracking number to move from an internal system to a publicly searchable one. I replied to Zecosi and thanked them for explaining how the process worked as I was new to this type of online ordering. I expressed my concerns over the tracking number and they immediately reached out to Cherrypal on my behalf. I was impressed that it only took the Zecosi rep three days (Oct 29) to reply and action my email. I can't imagine how many other replies they may have had to personally handle.

Within one hour of hearing back from Zecosi, I had a new email from Cherrypal with apologies as the tracking website link was different than initially provided. I can only speculate that their process was adjusted to include a different shipper to help keep up with the demand or to resolve a problem. The new link worked along with my original tracking number and I could see at that time my order was in the hands of China Post in Shenzhen as of Oct 20. A few more Google searches later, I learned that orders coming out of China generally could be held up for 1-3 weeks and the tracking site I was given generally never indicated whether an order leaves their borders. It is more of an authenticity indicator, I presume.

Nov 2 @ 11am EST, my tablet was delivered to my door, but sadly my roommates weren't home and I sleep during the day. This happens every time and is generally unavoidable as getting orders delivered at 7pm EST isn't something the world is willing to do outside of food. Later that day I went to the local post office to pick up my order without issue.

I can only hope that my account of this process is as informative and helpful as possible to help both Cherrypal and Zecosi to continue to deliver their services. Cherrypal may have experienced growing pains in the past, but if that was the case, they certainly have worked hard to improve and provide great customer service.

As of today, the Cherrypal website has a note stating all orders were shipped up to Oct 29, 2010 and as of Oct 30, 2010, shipping would be handled by UPS. Hopefully this helps lend further credibility to their offerings.

Disclaimer: I don't work at any of the companies mentioned herein and was not paid to write these observations.

Seventeen Hours p2

The paramedics arrive within minutes. One tests my pelvis by shifting her body weight up on top of me. Pain level check: 4. They tell me I probably bruised my tail-bone and I need an x-ray. I'm rushed off to the closest city hospital. They're full. I'm left on a gurney just inside the entrance to the ER while I wait. The hall was a cold and lonely place for hours.

A nurse decides to make it her mission to find me a bed but they are all occupied still. There's one bed reserved for life threatening injuries so they move me there. My mind begins to race. Life threatened? I feel threatened, but my life doesn't. Pain level check: 4. They're finally ready for me to have an x-ray. I get moved into the hall outside the x-ray room. They tell me that I'm up next. An hour passes. A few people needed x-rays more than me so I continue to be my patient self.

Two more hours pass by. The same nurse that moved me to the x-ray hall recognizes me. "Ready to go back to your room, yet? No? They haven't seen to you?!" Five minutes later I went through the most excrutiatingly painful experience. Not only do they need me to climb onto a flat metal bed, they require me to lay perfectly flat on my back and remain motionless. I try my best, but at this point, the pain is making me convulse. Perhaps someone notices because it's time for another pain level check: 8. I'm unable to climb off the bed without aid.

One can only assume they're used to people answering their pain level questions without thinking. I compare my current level of pain to all the pains I've ever felt or possibly could feel. I haven't experienced severe burns, lacerations or gunshot wounds in my lifetime so I can only speculate that these would be more painful than what I was currently feeling.

The doctor arrives in my room to tell me that I have a compression fracture of my L3 vertebra. Watching entirely too much House, I have a fairly good idea of what the options are. "So how bad is it?" I'm told that I'll be bedridden for a few months and more follow-ups were needed. They also tell me that since I have no medical insurance, they'll be giving me the "affordable drugs". Three more ambulance rides and a suppository later, I defeat the side-effect from the oxycodone, which was extreme constipation & dehydration.

Seventeen hours in hospital. Four ambulance rides. One broken back. Zero pain killers during my visit.

A few months later, while browsing the web lying-down on my make-shift sofa-desk, I spot this article. Our group had suffered headaches off and on for several months before and after my fall. Guess who's building is full of carbon monoxide detectors now?

Seventeen Hours

It was just another rainy November evening in Canada's capital. A handful of friends have gathered to mock and entertain one another while playing video games. An opportunity to score a ride home presents itself, so I quickly collect my coat and head for the door. I feel a sudden urgency to find somewhere to sit. I've had headrushes all my life. I consider them punishment for being so tall. I'm half way out the door when it happens. It sounds like a screen door was slammed next door.

Have you ever watched the rain fall from a worm's-eye view? It's mesmerizing. Under other circumstances I'd spend more time enjoying the view, but I have a ride to catch. "Dude, are you okay", is all I can hear over the rain. I realize that I am on the ground, folded up like a rusty old lawn chair. Rather then focusing on what happened, I brilliantly decide that standing is more important! My ride tries to help me to my feet but I get as far as kneeling. "I need to sit down again."

The ordeal still has not sunk in. I crawl a few meters back inside to get out of the rain. Lying flat on my back I feel fine. I'm just tired. "I'll be fine in the morning."

I'm awoken by the desire to answer nature's call yet I'm unable to. All attempts at moving lead to the same fruitless sofa I somehow managed to crawl to during the night. Feeling clever I spot scissors and an empty two-liter plastic bottle within arms reach. I make short work of one end, and chuckle as I awkwardly use my makeshift loo. "I'm so sorry! It was the bottle or your sofa!! PS, can you call me an ambulance?"