How does the CTL 2goPad SL10 compare to the Apple iPad and other tablet PCs?
On paper the CTL 2goPad SL10 stands out with an impressive spec. It has a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen, front facing camera, and a Windows 7 operating system to name just a few elements of this spec. However what holds this slate back is its Atom N450 processor and its software, and ultimately that’s what will stop this tablet from being a credible alternative to the iPad.
CTL SL10 Tablet Design
We have an edge-to-edge glass screen with bezel and back/edges coated in a rubbery plastic. This means the tablet is comfortable and looks fairly high-end (ignoring the wacky “2go Pad” logo on the front) but weighing in at 2.6lbs, it still feels cumbersome – almost a whole pound heavier than an iPad. It’s also pretty chunky at approximately 3/4-inch thick.
The CTL 2goPad comes with a synthetic leather protective case, this also doubles up as a kickstand too.
What is the CTL 2goPad screen like?
10.1-inch (measured diagonally) multitouch capacitive screen which is very glossy and reflective so not ideal for reading outside. It is however very responsive to finger swipes and light taps and packs an accelerometer, which rotates the orientation at a decent pace. The display gives you 1024 by 600 pixel resolution which is a little low but does allows for some fairly ok viewing angles so even if there’s a few of you looking at the screen to watch a video, you should get a good picture looking in from the side.
What are the rest of the CTL 2go SL10 Tablet features?
- 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor with 2GB of RAM – a somewhat underpowered processor for running this system that drains the battery quickly.
- 250GB hard drive – lots of storage space here for saving files to the device
- 1.3 megapixel front-facing VGA camera – you can use this to take photos (don’t expect them to be too crisp at this resolution) but mostly for video calls with an application such as Skype – you’d need a WiFi network of course to do this.
- 2 USB ports – allows for numerous things such as the ability to add peripherals – plugging in a printer, a mouse or an attachment to directly add photos from a camera’s memory card. Equally you can use USB sticks as an external storage source that has files (such as music) without taking up space on the tablet PCs internal memory. The more USB ports the better as just the one USB port is a bit limiting – e.g. you couldn’t attach a printer if you were already had your USB stick or external keyboard taking up the slot
- Wi-Fi – for hooking up the tablet to the internet using your home WiFi network or a WiFi hotspot when you’re out-and-about
- Bluetooth – used for wireless syncing with other devices such as a mouse, keyboard or printer.
- Ethernet socket – useful for attaching a wired broadband network to the device.
- SD card reader – digital cameras typically use an SD card so if you have the SD card slot then you can take the SD card directly from your camera, slot it in to the tablet PC and directly upload your photos for viewing.
- Headphone/Microphone jack
- 2-channel stereo speakers
- Mini VGA output – adapter included – an analogue connection capable of hooking up to your TV to output on the big screen.
- Battery life – pretty terrible here, just over 2 ½ to 3 hours of continuous video playback, web surfing or music playback is the most you’ll get out of this device. This pretty much kills the device’s mobility as you’ll either need to charge it up via an external power source or carry another charged battery around with you – not an ideal situation. In comparison the iPad delivers around 10 hours plus of battery life.
- Quick touch buttons – gets you to settings covering brightness and volume controls (there’s also a ambient light sensor that should adjust the screen brightness to the environment you’re using it in)
What’s the user interface like on the CTL 2goPad?
CTL ships the 2goPad with their QuickBits interface, which is a menu with large shortcut buttons appropriate to a slate device. It is a decent animated software layer but can be a little sluggish bringing up these shortcuts.
Outside of QuickBits you have standard Windows 7 so access to the limitless Windows apps you can get online just as you’d have on a desktop. The advantage of Windows on a tablet is the versatility to manipulate it just as you would with your desktop and it gives you the compatibility with your desktop applications. Here there is an advantage over the iPad as you get native support for the Flash Video Player allowing you to get the “full” web so all those Flash videos embedded in websites or apps like the BBC iPlayer. Windows also gives you multitasking capability so you can run more than one application at a time (not possible on the iPad), allowing you to check your email whilst still still listening to music on Spotify for example.
As an overview of what this means, web browsing via any installed desktop browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox is a good experience and websites are quick to load. Pinch-to-zoom functionality is supported if you need to get in close to text or images quickly. The 2goPad is fine with standard video but struggled with high-definition video at 720p that the iPad can handle with ease.
However just as Windows 7 isn’t a tablet touch-screen optimised piece of software, any 3rd party applications aren’t either so navigation becomes tricky. This is where tablets like the iPad and Android devices come to life as iOS for the iPad and Android operating systems are much suited to a tablet device. The on-screen keyboard is fine but just not as easy to type on as the iPad’s equivalent. It can also be a bit clunky to bring up the keyboard. You really need a Bluetooth keyboard if you’re going to produce any major documents with the 2goPad
To the right of the screen are touch sensitive buttons for navigation with up-and-down arrows and an OK button to select. These allow navigation around Windows 7 where some of the menus get fiddly for finger control. Although it’s nice to have these, it highlights that you’re running a desktop operating system with a touch interface that isn’t optimised for tablets. So you have to ask yourself, do you really want to buy a tablet pre-loaded with an operating system that’s not really designed around it?
What is the CTL2goPad SL10 price?
Price for the 2goPad is $549 and available direct from CTL here.
CTL 2goPad SL10 Overview – Great spec let down by key elements
No-one has cracked the Windows tablet market yet and although the CTL tablet is a much better attempt, there’s still a lot of issues you’ll need to live with. That said it has USB ports, multitasking, access to all your Windows apps, a front facing camera and lots or storage space for files so if that’s what’s important to you then this could be an option. Ultimately it’s let down by poor battery life, an underpowered processor and the fact that Windows 7 is simply not designed around this format of device.
