Eken M003 - 8-inch Android tablet - $150 Cdn.

My original post about the Eken M003 listed the price as $230 US. While I still think its not the sexiest-looking tablet on the market I find myself a little more tempted, especially now that I can get one for $150 Cdn at merimobiles.com.

I also stated that the tablet runs Android 1.5. Apparently it runs 1.6 (Donut). Given the wide variety of phones and tablets out there running 1.6 there should be a few years of open source software support for this platform--even if there is no access to google market.

If your are looking for a semi-mobile internet device (SMID?) with a big screen this is the cheapest solution. I'm not crazy about using this as an e-reader; mostly because of the poor battery life, but also because of its unwieldy size and form-factor.

My biggest concern is that the battery life is pretty poor: Standby Time: 5 hours, Working Time: 3 hours.

P.S. The Eken M001 is now down to $115 Cdn (from $125 in April)

Eken M003 - 8-inch Android tablet - $230

For some reason the most popular blog post so far has been my note about the Eken M001 Android WIFI Tablet. It though its profile was close to what I was looking for in my next e-book reader. Unfortunately the battery life was a real problem. The price ($125 Cdn.), however, made it really tempting.


The Eken M003, the follow-up to the M001, solves one problem: at $236 US it is no longer tempting. It still has Android, but runs version 1.5 (Cupcake). This is not a good sign. I'm not sure if the bigger 8-inch touchscreen is a plus if I want to be able to read without having to hold it with two hands.

Its also butt-ugly.

If you are brave you can get one at ChinaGrabber.com. Let me know how it works out.


Android MID shocker! Eken M003 gets 8-inch display, $230 price tag (video) -- Engadget: