ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176CX-A1-WH)

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It’s been a few months since I mentioned we were playing around with the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176CX-A1-WH), and let me tell you… a lot has happened since that day in March. You know, like almost having a 4 month old!

Who’s counting, though?

I honest to goodness thought the Asus MeMO Pad 7 would become my thing. All 7 inches of it. It was built for my hand (That’s what she said.) and I really needed to get some work done on Maverick’s schedule. I kept it on my nightstand. It joined me in the rocker. It kept me company during my bedrest. My new tablet made sense.

Until Michael replaced my phone.

Once he replaced my phone, it was game over for my precious tablet. It was at that moment that I realized how convenient it was to do everything on the one device that was, and still is, forever in my pocket. You see, he replaced my dainty phone with more of a tablet phone, making navigating the interwebz easier. (FYI: I’m not a fan of my new phone. I definitely prefer a small phone coupled with a tablet.)

I don’t want you to take that as a negative, mmmkay? As an everyday user, it got the job done. It only became (little) Michael’s YouTube tablet when remembering to shower began trumping remembering to charge an additional device.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed the lock screen because I was able to see my calendar without unlocking the tablet. (See picture above.)
I never got the hang of the power button. It was extremely awkward because this was my first device with a button like that. (See picture below.)
The size was perfect for my hands. I might have disliked the button position but it was put there for a reason. I’m almost positive the Asus MeMO Pad 7 was designed for one hand.
Do I even mention the 2MP rear and .3 MP front camera? We all know value tablets are not known for quality images.
The battery life, which is quoted at 9 hours, was comparable to the other Intel Tablets in my life.

Talk Nerdy to Me Says: ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176CX-A1-WH)

It seems that most people are more focused on the next smartphone for that go to gadget and the tablet is often overlooked. I enjoy a phone that is not too big and allows me that one handed operation, but yet it can be too small for time when I have two hands. Along comes the ASUS MeMO Pad 7, finally something other than a phone you can be excited for. It is the perfect size for reading and using, without being too big. The people at ASUS thought of some of these details and gave the device a curvature that makes it comfortable to use both one handed and two handed.

It is not just the physical appearance that makes this tablet special. The MeMO Pad 7 is powered by an quad core version of Intel’s Atom processor rated at 1.33GHz. An Atom quad core, who would have guessed? When the Atom’s first came out many years ago, I loathed any time I had to use them in the Net-books that they found their way in to. Now Intel has found an excellent application for this technology. It provides awesome processing power to handle running Android plus giving you great battery life.

Multitasking on this device is good, but I did find that after awhile of going back and forth, there was some lag between applications. The MeMO Pad comes with 1GB of DDR3 memory, and I think it could could benefit from 2 GB. The 2 Megapixel rear camera was average for taking pictures, but the latest smartphones provide a much better quality picture. Video playback was flawless, and the Intel HD graphics combine with the IPS screen really give you a nice picture.

ASUS has put there own spin on the version of Android 4.4 it is running, without adding too many gimmicks to the operating system. This is always a plus to me, I prefer when manufacturers add function to Android without having a large and complex “Skin” over the operating system. As of right now there is no option to upgrade to Android 5.0 lollipop.

The biggest complaint I have with the device is the location of the charging port. I have seen this before with phone manufacturers placing it on the top of the device. This has to be the most inconvenient area to place it. It makes the operation of the tablet very difficult if it is plugged in. You need to hold it a certain position to avoid placing pressure on the port itself. Overall this is a great device, the list price is $149.99, but you can find it slightly cheaper through certain retailers, and that makes this a fantastic value.