by Jonathan Kevin Castillo
We love slimmer, sleeker devices that makes us look cool. But some kids nowadays would rather play with a tablet and try to break it, instead of trying to break the latest edition of Optimus Prime or Barbie. But many of us can agree that tablets do have the educational tools for our kids, and the main problem is them accidentally dropping it on the floor, dipping it on water, or for some otherworldly reason, set it on fire.
Recently, we’ve had our hands on a rugged tablet from Skyworth, the T07R. The first thing anyone will notice, is that this doesn’t look like any of other tablets out in the wild. It’s coated completely with thick rubber, making it significantly thicker, and still remain lightweight. And from what we’ve seen and toyed with, this tablet is geared for a younger audience.
When we look at the Skyworth T07R, we think and feel it’s something fresh. We think of the upcoming summer, the vacation trips, and swimming here and there.
It is a 7-inch Android tablet that runs with Jelly Bean and features a humble specs sheet, by having a dual core 1.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory – expandable up to 32GB – 2- and 5MP cameras, front and rear respectively. Using it as a gaming tablet isn’t exactly ideal with its specs sheet, but it is more than enough to install apps that could entertain kids.
The 1280×800 IPS screen is bright and display decent graphics and colors. Its responsiveness is better than some devices. On the sides, behind the rubber covers are where the microUSB, microSD slot, and a SIM card slot for 3G use.
On a continuous use, the tablet lasted up to four hours with gaming and movie watching. It’s not much, but we felt this was more than enough, especially for children. We figured kids will be playing with this most while they’re out with their parents, in the hospital, office, or elsewhere where they will have to wait for a few hours.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the design is completely rubberized, making this device shockproof. We’ve tried throwing it on the wall, watched it go down, and tumble around for a while – which would normally horrify anyone if it was their own tablet. But the device managed to hold on its own. It’s also more than that, it’s waterproof and fireproof. Of course there is a limit on how much it can take, but from how we’ve played with it, we remain confident that it will survive long enough until kids have their urge to break things out of their system.
It comes with a strap in the back, which can fit on the headrests of a driver’s or passenger’s seats, for kids to watch with while they’re at the back in long drives. The strap is pretty useful for adults to fortify their grip over the device.