Zenithink C71 | In Depth Look

Posted on: March 9, 2012

Posted in: Featured, IN DEPTH LOOK, Video

Comment on This Video

Share This Video

Embed This Video

Zenithink C71 | In Depth Look

So what is it? It’s a tablet called the C71 built by ZeniThink, sold under various names.

ZeniThink appears to be competing in the cheap Android space, and some of their models have some real design flair to them.

Zenithink were one of the first Android tablet makers in China, and were responsible for the original Android ePad almost 2 years ago.

The C71 is their cheapest unit, and it also happens to be the unit the highly anticipated KDE Spark Tablet will be built around.

Direct Download:

HD Download | Mobile Download | MP3 Download | Ogg Download | YouTube

RSS Feeds:

HD Feed | Mobile Feed | MP3 Feed | Ogg Feed | iTunes HD Feed

Support the Show:

Show Notes

Pros:

Price. $150 shipped.
802.11n
Very current Android
Ships Rooted!
Screen is bright
5-Point Capacitive Touchscreen
HDIMI Out
VERY easy to re-flash. Just hold down Power and Volume Down at boot.

Cons:

There is no GPS, which is not uncommon for a 7 inch without 3G, but I would have liked it.
There is no bluetooth, which would have been nice.
No 3G
Vertical viewing angle is limited.
4GB of Storage, makes it tight for apps. Gonna need a TF Memory Card
Speaker on the Back, so audio is always away from you.

Build Quality

You can’t complain much at $150. But it feels very sturdy, but a bit cheap. Some dirt under the screen (very noticeable in one spot) and light bleed from the LEDs.

Battery:

3000mAh
Music: About 8 hours
Video: About 3-4 hours
Standby: About two days

A Different Tactic:

Unlike Apple, Motorola, Samsung, and many others. ZeniThink is going for the direct sale, and white label approach. Mine was labeled and sold as the UPAD

The Real Competition:

Spark Tablet:

Sparking a Fire | The Linux Action Show!
aseigo: Spark answers
aseigo: next steps

More:

Zenithink
Download ICS from Zenthink
Zenithink

No tips yet.
Be the first to tip!

Like this episode? Tip with bitcoin!

18XeYSqypzbkxSo8vdm5UgmZznWTU3Eesj

If you enjoyed this episode, found value or information from it, please consider contributing using Bitcoin. Each episode gets its own unique Bitcoin address so by tipping you're not only making our continued efforts possible but telling us what you liked.

Powered by Bitcoin Tips
  • TheDaftRick

    I don’t know if this site is legitimate or not, but they have it for $103 + $19 shipping.  If anyone knows if this site is safe or not, please let me know. 
    http://www.lowbuying.com/zenithink-c71-zt280-android-40-7-inch-amlogic-cortex-a9-capacity-screen-tablet-pc-hdmi-camera-p-168.html

  • Anonymous

    Theres a better device the Ainol Elf or Ainol Aurora(better screen).

    I got an elf off AliExpress D com for $119  It’s better specs than the C71.

  • Anonymous

    I agree Chris in that same with Ainol there is no GPS,3G, nor bluetooth.  If my Aionol Elf has those three and phone ability it would be the ultimate.

    The Ainol Elf is near same as C71 but has more memory + bigger screen res, faster CPU, for same price.  It has the same GFX chip, so there’s a chance the Ainol Elf will be able to installs Plasma Active.

    http://ainol.com/plugin.php?identifier=ainol&module=product

  • Anonymous

    http://www.slatedroid.com/forum/279-ainol-novo-7-elf/

    …for those that have Ainol devices. Flash latest updates, etc..

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jean-Marciniak/1646510640 Jean Marciniak

    My view is if your going to spend money on a tablet you might as well get a good one.  Don’t spend ur money on a cheap tablet like The Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, because in the end thats exactly what your getting.  Same with computers…. do you buy a computer thats cheap and has a celeron processor or do you spend a few hundred more and get a i7?  I have The iPad 1 and love it… The battery on it is AMAZING.  Only charge it twice a month and use it everyday.  Im planning on getting The New iPad … Want a Retina Display so bad lol ;)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jean-Marciniak/1646510640 Jean Marciniak

    BTW Chris… Love a Indepth Look.  Cant wait for the other shows to come back J@N, The Legend of The Stoned Owl, Beer is Tasty, and more.  One thing I always wish you guys do is make a show about The Latest in Tech, where you discuss smartphones, tablets, OS updates, and Apps.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jean-Marciniak/1646510640 Jean Marciniak

    The Dual Booting sounds cool on this tablet though… but that dark spot would drive me nuts lol.  Can you have them send you a replacement?  Also can you shut off that blue led light?

  • Batis Sprin

    seems like this is a good entry level tablet for kids to play angry birds or for enthusiasts that want to play with android and install whatever, try apps, trash it and reboot it constantly, a cheap solution to the problem of having a “scratch” tablet.

    give it to your kids to they get used to android and using a tablet, once they are ready get them an ipad/other tablet to your liking and be confident that they will know how to use the OS, and take care of the hardware

    Chris makes a good point at the end, for $150 you can stay relatively current in the new tablet world, lol. Also he is right that this is geared towards geeks, so for about the 1% of the population that knows what they are doing (maybe less than 1%) this is great. This won’t compete with iPad and other high end tablets in terms of specs, but makes a good spare tablet. 

    If for nothing more than this, ideal to keep in the toilet. 

  • Batis Sprin

    True, there are also other high end Android tablets. I can definitely see this hitting it with certain group of people, and also Android has its followers that want a tablet to play with. This one is perfect for it.

  • Granstine

    Does the Ainol have the open boot loader?

  • Anonymous

     Not as standard but some have put on ClockWorkMod.  The hackers have only really started on this device as it only come out this Jan.

  • SB

    would like to know that as well :) been looking at this thing for days wondering whether i should buy it, and then chris comes along and does a show about it :)

  • Seegar Mason

    Chris, you’ll have to come back and do a show once you’ve got a linux distro installed on that thing. I’d like to see Ubuntu running on it.

  • http://twitter.com/becket1 Bob K.

    But at least with the Kindle Fire, I won’t have a piece of dirt under my display.  Pretty bad quality control if you ask me. According to Macbreak Weekly the iPad 3 leaves the competition in the dust. They sold “millions the first day”.  Android tablet developers better start becoming equally as innovative or else.  Remember what Apple did to Creative Lab’s Zen players, with their iPods. Creative left the US market. I wonder what other technology Apple stole from the competition and reaped the benefits. 

  • K-Bob

    the number of ipads means nothing to me since I don’t buy them. It my matter to investors but it could also mean other developers will start doing better.

  • JB-rocks

    I don’t have a tablet other than the nook I got for a gift two years ago so this looks very interesting and its nice the boot loader is unlocked!

  • K-Bob

    Also, how easy is it for me to install something other than ios on the ipad?

  • http://twitter.com/jeffrotull Jeff LaLone

    I’m glad you got your hands on the hardware!

    I registered to preorder the KDE Spark, and, well, I had every intention of getting it regardless. It’s still good to hear that the hardware is pretty decent. I can’t wait to get one and play with open webOS on it!

  • http://twitter.com/jeffrotull Jeff LaLone

    I just bought a laptop, and I bought the cheapest Lenovo Thinkpad I could. I even waited a couple days for Newegg to get the 320GB models back in stock so I didn’t have to spend extra money for one with a 500GB hard drive. Except for the handful of times that I’ve ripped movies, I haven’t missed the added power a Core i7 would have over my entry-level Core i3.

    My point is: you have (and are largely satisfied with) an original iPad. You’ve seen (and are impressed by) the new iPad, making it your obvious upgrade choice. And that’s fine! But it simply is not compelling to me.

    This tablet has a combined feature set that makes it very compelling to me. It doesn’t have to be the one for you, but that makes my interest no less legitimate.

  • Asad

    They probably stole some, but I mean, Android was a total rip off of iOs when it first came out. There’s no denying it. Just like there is no denying that the notification center in iOs is exactly like the one Android has had for years now. They all do it. Is it right? No. But it isn’t just one company doing it.

  • Asad

    Forget about the iPad, we are not their market.

  • Asad

    They have to because they can’t just get by on being cheaper, they need to uphardware and software.

  • Elredentol

    me voy a comprar una tablet 
    Zenithink C71 me la recomiendan??
    Mi coreo elredentol@hotmail.com

  • Michael Conner

    I bought one of the upgraded (1 gb ram) models after watching this review, got it for $119 shipped on ebay. I am astounded at how good a tablet this is. I know the guys at opentablet are working on getting plasma active going on it, but ICS is pretty darn stable. Shame about the power light though, think a piece of electrical tape is going over that asap… thanks for the review. Between that and the interview with aaron siego, I was pretty stoked about zenithink.

  • Chadhsnow

    I have seen this for $129 with 8GB of ram.  I would NOT get a kindle fire.  

  • Cool_dude421

    i bought this device from fapobee.com, but before buying with them i had to watch a review for it..they explained it quite well and then only got my money..here it is

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8d5mUf9-xU

  • San Tupai

    thanks for the link…this helped me a lot since i only want to buy it from a u.s. customer service company! can’t wait to get it from them in mail!!

  • gerard calvin

    i bought mine from http://fapobee.com/7-capacitive-c71.html and they were able to assist me with any questions even after the purchase..i love it so far for reading and multimedia stuff

  • Frank Samberg

    i wouldn’t trust it. i would invest in companies like fapobee.com that have live u.s. support and PAYPAL checkout just so you have a safe investment you know what i mean?