Announcement

**elektrik** · 05-19-2013, 17:36

Originally posted by CaptED View Post

Hi to all Readers....

Polaroid has released a "Dual Core" 1.5GHz... Model is PMID720...

I picked one up at BigLots 05/18/2013 for $99.99....

As I could not find any info on the forum .. I will post the spec's from the Box...

Polaroid PMID720
Dual-Core Processor
Front Camera
7" Tablet
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
1.5 GHz Cortex A9
Ram= 1GB/DDR3
Screen Resolution= 800x480 (16x9)
4 GB Internal Memory...
Can accept up to 32 GB Micro SD
Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
Li-ion Polymer
Only one Speaker
HDMI Out

My First Day Impression.....

I have not installed Google Play and have not removed any installed apps..
Reason is I may take it back ... Got 30 days...

NON of the Offical Polaroid Widgets worked ... I do not use them but they
did not work ....

I have installed several apps (backups from a ICS unit)

First Charge on Battery lasted only 2.5 hours...
I will test later today as this will be my Second Full Charge...

NO Stalling (ie) where app's freeze and you have to click WAIT....

I am comparing it to PMID1000D with ICS... Which has alot of the stalling....

Viewing movies with MX Video... The screen has a very specific position to View
Clearly.... Tilting of screen quickly makes the screen appear Darker...

Plays Audio FLAC's really great ... Must use earbud's (as only one speaker on unit)

I do not use Netflix.. so have not tested ....

I did install:

FlashPlayer... and use " My Internet-Secret and Fast" Browser...
works great on HTML5 and Flash Websites...
ES File Manager which has a File Downloader & Video Player
MX Video Player .... Works great on MP4's and FLV's
FTPCafe .... Simple and easy FTP...

Will add later...
Ed

Oh....MY.....GOSH...I want one!!!!

**CaptED** · 05-20-2013, 12:32

Second Full Charge

Originally posted by elektrik View Post

Oh....MY.....GOSH...I want one!!!!

Hi to All...

Before you run out to buy one...

Battery results after second full charge....
I watched a Youtube Video 1hr and 57 minutes...
Full Bright and Wifi On...

Battery was 100% and after watching was 30%....
Recharge time was 2.5 hours ... which yielded 85%
I left it on the charger another hour and checked again and it was 100%..

Now I know it takes several full charges to yield best user time...
---------------------------------------------------------------
Now to the "Down Side"
as mentioned in first post about the Angle of View... Not Bad if you are the only
one watching it... but two people trying to view the Tablet was Really Bad...
Admittedly a 7 inch tablet is a single person device ...

Over the next few days, I will use it and report my results...
I am looking for Battery Life, Stalling of apps... things like that...

I will look for a game to install to test the play-ability... ???

I am holding off on installing Google Play .... (ie) want to fully test device before
I do install it ....

Ed

**avgary** · 05-20-2013, 17:02

Sounds like they are using a similar motherboard/chip as they will be using on the "better" M7 device, which was supposedly to come out "this spring" according to CES reports from January.

M7 details are a little sketchy but here they are from polaroid's site:

Employing the super-fast Android™ 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and 1280x800 HD displays, the M-Series tablets provide users clear, sharp views from almost any angle and fast multitasking, gaming and high-resolution playback. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, both tablets offer expandable storage.

404 page

http://polaroid.com/m-series-tablet

404 page

Here is their pdf about the new 7 & 10 models - no actual chip ID:

404 page

http://polaroid.com/download/M7_M10_Tablet_Brochure.pdf

404 page

**CaptED** · 05-20-2013, 19:00

Originally posted by avgary View Post

Sounds like they are using a similar motherboard/chip as they will be using on the "better" M7 device, which was supposedly to come out "this spring" according to CES reports from January.
M7 details are a little sketchy but here they are from polaroid's site:

Employing the super-fast Android™ 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and 1280x800 HD displays, the M-Series tablets provide users clear, sharp views from almost any angle and fast multitasking, gaming and high-resolution playback. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, both tablets offer expandable storage.

Thank You "Avgary"

I see several things I already like....
CPU 1.6 GHz A9 Dual Core
1280x800 HD (View almost any angle)
Bluetooth

Price $ 129.00 (I paid $99.99) sounds to me it is going back to BigLots...

Any one got any ideas where I can buy one??... I just checked Amazon NOT There...

Again Thanks
Ed

**avgary** · 05-20-2013, 23:29

Originally posted by CaptED View Post

Thank You "Avgary"

I see several things I already like....
CPU 1.6 GHz A9 Dual Core
1280x800 HD (View almost any angle)
Bluetooth

Price $ 129.00 (I paid $99.99) sounds to me it is going back to BigLots...

Any one got any ideas where I can buy one??... I just checked Amazon NOT There...

Again Thanks
Ed

I don't think these are out yet. Perhaps there are issues with supply or pricing or who knows. These models were first shown at CES in January 2013 and I think at a more recent CES show but nothing else.

If you try to do a search on the polaroid website, nothing comes up for "M series" so it is kind of hard to see when/if this model will actually see the light of day.

I just checked polaroid's twitter feed and someone asked about the M7 in early May. The response was that it is now planned for "early summer." OY!!! More waiting.

**CaptED** · 05-21-2013, 15:52

Thanks for M class Info...

Hi to all Readers....

Thanks "Avgary" for the updated info on M-Class Tablets....

Okay Folks... After 2 more full charges and VERY disappointing Battery life...
and limited Viewing angle ......

I have Boxed it up and will return it to BigLots...

Turns out the 2 hours usage is about all I could get out of it ...
Keep in mind it could be the way I use it ....

Large amount of Video (Youtube & MX Video Player)
alot of file FTP'ing, and Steaming files off Win7 Machine....

I will say if I was reading a eBook with half Brightness and no wifi I would think
I could get better battery life ..... BUT I don't use it that way....

Ed

**vrocko** · 05-23-2013, 16:25

Picked one up

Yeah I got one yesterday and used for awhile, put it on the charger for about 2.5 hours to charge up. Like the design and the speed, don't like the battery time. I did add a Lexar 16 GB min SD card without an issue, got that one a Big Lots too for $12.

Downloaded some apps from Amazon which took awhile and battery went from 100% to 68% only seemed like 30 or 40 minutes but could have been longer, possibly 1 hr or 1 hr and 20 mins (I didn't pay as close attention to time as should have so lost track), I did have brightness up and was using wifi as well as running one other app.

Could not install the Crackle and AMC apps, not compatible. Angry Birds did install as did Office Calculator and Measurement Converter and a few other odds and ends.

Have not tried to root yet but Avast anti-virus installed okay, will root to set up firewall in Avast.

My Polaroid widgets seemed to work okay as I was able to power off and go to settings with them. I have only tried those two and the widget to download app stores which also worked fine.

I do see it has an HDMI port added to it and would like to try to see how that works as well.

Like I said I like the design and the speed but the battery is worry some. Seemed to drain too fast to me. I've not run video or music on it yet but will try this weekend.

When do the M series come out, next month? I may return this and get the M series to see what it's like.

They had this one and another Polaroid single processor tablet for $69.99 with a camera on both the front and back of the tablet.

Does it seem odd that Polariod keeps putting out tablet after tablet with small tweaks here and there to everyone? I've seen probably 5 different versions of the 7" with additions here and there, one from Gingerbread to ICE, then the design change, thinner tablet from the original fatter ones, the addition of a front and rear camera, now the dual processors. With all these different versions it seems to me they are overwhelming consumers with very minor tweak when putting out the tablets. What they should do is wait and make more tablet changes like add ICE, change the design, add the extra camera, THEN release the tablet. Say you buy the tablet with the design change and single camera then the dual camera version comes out a month or two later. Well do you upgrade or wait cause you would like the dual camera's? You're afraid to because you know a month or two later here comes another version with 2 camera's and Jellybean.

And please stick to a standard on the tablet for buttons and jacks. Seems like with each tablet version buttons and jacks get changed and moved, added, deleted, etc. STANDARDIZE PLEASE POLAROID!

Here's an example of what I mean. I bought a 4.3" version that's different from my buddy's. Mine's a 1 GHz processor his is 800 MHz. His tablet design is different from mine and has different buttons, he has two maybe three (can recall right now), mine only has one. Mine has ICE where as his has Gingerbread and he only got his like 3 weeks before I got mine. You know I understand like cars you have different models but geez even cars only upgrade once a year. Apple updates their Ipad every so often but not every other month. Slow down and standardize.

**vrocko** · 05-23-2013, 16:46

Originally posted by vrocko View Post

When do the M series come out, next month? I may return this and get the M series to see what it's like.

Duh! Helps if I read the ALL the comments.

**ronb** · 05-23-2013, 20:02

Originally posted by vrocko View Post

... With all these different versions it seems to me they are overwhelming consumers with very minor tweak when putting out the tablets. What they should do is wait and make more tablet changes like add ICE, change the design, add the extra camera, THEN release the tablet. ... Seems like with each tablet version buttons and jacks get changed and moved, added, deleted, etc. STANDARDIZE PLEASE POLAROID! ... Slow down and standardize.

My guess as to how this works is that a buyer at Southern Telecom continually gets calls from various Chinese manufacturers who have a tablet[s] designed and maybe already in production - probably one-time production runs. ST says yes or no; if yes, the manufacturer brands the software and prints the name on the bezel and prints a box, and then send a container of them to the US. ST has relationships with various retailers that buy whatever ST has at the time. By the time a container gets to the retailer, the manufacturer has already added something to differentiate it from all the other manufactuers that are vying for ST's and other importers' orders, so the manufacturer has another "newer" model to offer (another one-time production run). ST has probably never reordered, or would never be able to reorder, more of something the same as what they previously received.

What I am most surprised about is that there is enough money in it for ST to have been doing it long enough to have this long a list of past models.

**elektrik** · 05-24-2013, 00:07

Well they're sure keeping me busy, that's for sure!!!

**CaptED** · 05-24-2013, 12:44

Returned my 720 to BigLots..

Hi to All...

Well I took my PMID720 back to biglots.... Not problem on the return...

Just a "Vrocko" stated BAD battery Life... I never got much over 2 hours...

The speed of the Dual Core was great... I never did have a issue with Stalling
of Apps...

The return was because of the Battery Life...

==================================================
I do agree with all the others Polaroid needs to Standardize there Tablets...

Ed

**vrocko** · 05-28-2013, 15:16

Update

I did some more with this tablet. All the Polaroid Widgets seem to work just fine. I'm now having issues with Avast stopping occasionally for some reason. May uninstall and use AVG. Battery time is not good, I've not tried to play a movie or music but it seems the battery is drained quickly. Downloading apps from Amazon put a major drain on the battery. On top of that the battery does get rather warm during use, another issue. I like the speed of a dual core but the battery is a major issue.

I also tried to root it but could not get it to take. Do you have to root Jellybean different than the prior Android versions? I was going to take out the Phone.apk to try to save battery power. I was able to rename it and rebooted the tablet but Phone.apk came right back. Help!

I'll do some more internet searches for this tablet and rooting Jellybean.

Rich

**avgary** · 05-28-2013, 19:48

I did the same thing. The battery life is mediocre. Antutu battery score is about 430. The Antutu benchmark was over 10,000 which is pretty good but...

Was able to rename phone.apk to phone.old using adb shell but that did not seem to help battery life - the phone line on the battery app is gone, so it is not being used by the battery. I guess although it was there before, since it didn't really do anything, it didn't drain the battery.

Tried a number of exploits to truly root it but the attempts claimed that it was rooted but when you used apps that require rooting, they didn't work correctly.

Used adb shell to add busybox and su and superuser but it didn't really root - superuser opened and it could update su but it didn't seem to "take". I was hoping that by using antutu cpu master, I could lower the cpu speed from 1512 to 1200 to see if that would gain some battery time but it would not take. I wonder if the chip in here doesn't really throttle except from top end to low end and nothing in the middle.

It is also possible that even though cpu master doesn't tell me the tablet isn't rooted anymore, it is not truly rooted, as I suspect, and that keeps it from adjusting the cpu.

I reset the tablet and am trying a few other things. Could not get google play to run without crashing but again, that is probably a root issue.

I am now running the antutu battery tester again and I noticed that since reset, I had not setup the wireless config. We'll see if that affects battery usage.

Turns out the "backup and restore" function in the settings does not do a "factory" restore. It only deletes your email, time wifi settings but does not take the tablet back to a "brand new" state. My changes to phone.apk (to .old) and superuser are still in the system app folder. It did remove my downloads and "new" downloaded apps. Tried to use the "reset" pinhole but all that does is kill the tablet like forcibly shutting down a computer. Holding the reset pinhole with a paper clip while pressing the power switch does nothing even after holding the power button for 30 seconds. Then, when pinhole is released, tablet boots normally - no restore. OY!

**kevanfl1234** · 05-28-2013, 21:34

pmid720

glad to see this thread.. purchased this a week ago $99.. what most tabs should cost in my opinion..

I also found the recommended rooting steps installed su (super one click) but no binaries and no su rights. I think this tab has a partition wth the recovery rom or possibly a hidden file in the admin rights. It appears su is assigned to "linux" from what I can see with esfile explorer. I understood the only way for root access is to install a rooted rom.

I contacted southern telcom support for why no recovery rom on website.. ( just the user pdf) heres the reply...

Reference number: LTK11177077849X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: Polaroid Tablet Support

Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting us.
We have recently launched the tablet so in coming future we will have the firmware for your tablet on the computer.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Email Team

It appears with the "context" of the message it is a generic non English response.

I have gapps working except for downloading paid apps for some reason.
gmail, gvoice, gcalander, fb, fbmessenger, tweetcaster, firefox, netflix, all work. Only gmail and fb sync, calendar does not. CNN streaming relatime news and Netflix works great. Flash player 12 installed..

Trying not to brick this thing because I think its got potential with a good rom. Haven't found a recovery yet nor have I figured out if it has android recovery (and where). the only hardware buttons are the reset and power. Not brave enought to hold reset in while powering up.

I think the reset disconnects power but not sure what it boots to. I have not reset since installing gapps. Oh and the gapps that worked was vending-3.1.3-signed.apk.

Haven't had tab experience but have been rooting phones for years via xda and their talented folks. Running Sprint Epic 4g with CM10.1. Saved me from upgrading phone again. In fact I wireless tether to the PTab.. love it.

Slatedroid seems to be a good reference u prob know of it. I like it lists the Chinese tabs by processor. XDA didn't have much but they are not tab focused.

Have not tried hdmi out yet.. cheapskates didn't include one.. oh well only $99..

If I find anything new I post. And if you all find a rom please post..

oh and I'm not to sure about that livesuite used by the manufacturer, seems like you should be able to backup a rom but I don't see it.

thanks,

Kevan

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Dual Core Polaroid PMID720 at BigLots

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