Advent Vega

“It would be kind to explain away the Advent Vega as an over-enthusiastic attempt to get a knock-down price iPad into the hands of the masses in time for Christmas. But this poor copy of Apple’s tablet appears more as another embarrassment to the Dixons Stores Group and its house-brand Advent. Like the Toshiba Folio 100 tablet that DSG is alleged to have removed from sale after so many customer complaints, the Advent Vega is not especially fit for purpose. The key issues are that it cannot download new apps from the Android Market, its screen is nearly unviewable at most off-axis angles, and the promised Adobe Flash support is so flakey it had to be removed from future stocks of the device. There may one day appear tablet PCs cheaper than the Apple iPad that deserve attention. Until then, the Advent Vega joins the pile of cheap cash-in products that we’d recommend avoiding.”

“You can get the Tegra Note 7 16GB model for £169.99 and that is great value for money. The Nexus 7 2 is more expensive at £199 and its main advantages over the Note 7 is the vastly superior screen quality. The same can be said about the Kindle Fire HDX 7, although you will have to be locked into that Amazon ecosystem. For a first attempt at making a tablet, the Note 7 is an impressive starting point for Nvidia. If it can ramp up the screen resolution and some of the build quality, the Nexus 7 could have a small tablet fight on its hands.”

“The Advent Vega is an interested piece of kit. It will probably appeal to those who either know a lot about Android, or nothing at all. The former group will take it and change it, the latter group will accept it as a simple browser and media player. The middle group, however, will probably never be happy with the limited range of functions available on the Vega as it is.We’re impressed with the screen – it is vibrant and responsive to the touch - even if the viewing angles are a little tight. We found it to be great for watching (compatible) movies, with just enough sound gusto to cope with watching TV without having to use headphones. We also enjoyed the freedom of browsing the internet with Flash video support, meaning video sites could be enjoyed from the stock browser.But overall the Advent Vega is an odd device. It lacks the full-on Google sweetness of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and it doesn’t seem to have a skill it is really pushing, other than Flash video. We’re left with a device that offers great potential as a powerful toy for those who want to mod it, but should otherwise be approached with some degree of caution.”

“This is a fairly accomplished touchscreen internet device with additional features including checking your emails and, er, telling the time. As such, it's a decent effort at a very attractive price. But anyone looking for a fully fledged Android tablet should look elsewhere or risk disappointment.”