Gadgets: MT Electronics 8" Android 2.2 Internet Tablet

Internet tablets are spilling out of China in droves, all hoping to jump on board the iPad's surfboard of success. I've tested about ten different tablets in the past two months. All of them have suffered from the same problems; build quality worse than an MFI kitchen cabinet, touchscreens less sensitive than a Middle Eastern dictator and battery life shorter than a vertically challenged elf.

Part of the problem is that a lot of Chinese factories are using the same electronics template and simply slapping on a different brand name. The MT Electronics 8" Android 2.2 Internet Tablet is one of these rebadged units, but a good one.

Its big selling point is the price: 199; a darn sight more affordable than the cheapest 400-plus iPad. In place of the iPad's sleek aluminium body is a rubberised shell. The 8in 800x600 pixel screen is resistive rather than capacitive – meaning instead of gliding, you are doing a lot more prodding. A highly effective pop-out stylus is included.

It's the only tablet I've tested that could beat the iPad in my website drag race; it loaded up in three seconds.

Other feathers in the tablet's cap are a built-in 2 megapixel webcam, HDMI video output, a built-in G sensor and Micro SD memory expansion slot. A tempting alternative for those not prepared to re-mortgage for an iPad.

"It's the only tablet I've tested that beat the iPad in my website drag race"

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 26 February, 2011