Olive Telecom's OlivePad reviewed, we wish we spoke Hindi (video)

I've not only heard about it, but I have seen it. Because Olive pad, which is made by Olive Telecom, an Indian based company, has made, in competition with iPad and launched in Indian markets and we have no idea when the official launch of iPad will be in India. So in the meantime let's examine as to what is special about the Olive pad.

We are presenting the to be launched officially in India, the first fullscreen 7" tablet computer running Google's Android 2.1 and has been given a touchscreen and the experience is phenomenal. If you like you can use it as your computer or as an entertainment device. Android Market gives you access to 70,000 apps which can be downloaded. Olive pad has all the features of Apple iPad, but there are also some special features which are not in iPad. For example there are two cameras in Olive pad. There is an autofocus camera in the back, and a VGA camera in the front for video calling.

There's also a micro usb port, which you can with great ease transfer gigabytes... and there's a 3G sim card slot. And by putting in this card you can employ it as a super smartphone. And because of the 3G network's super-fast speed, you can surf the internet. For connectivity they have WiFi, an A2DP bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Olive pad also has a micro sd card, expandable up to 32GB. The estimated price range will be between Rs. 22,000-25,000 (472-537 USD), which is in the same price range as the starter WiFi only version of the iPad. Olive pad will be available in the first week of August, from Tata Chrome and electronic retail stores.

(1:53) That was about Olive pad, but we thought since we have both the Olive pad and the iPad, why don't we figure out which one we'll recommend for you. Even though iPad has not yet launched in India, but when in launches, which one you should buy. All right Abhishek, in the department of looks, Apple iPad wins hands down, because it is such a sleek looking iPad, and the Mac finish is very classy. And when talking about the Olive pad, it has a full metallic body, and the back has an excessive shine. And the screen is quite clear, but when it comes to the Apple iPad, but when it comes to the Apple iPad, there is no doubt that the Apple iPad scores better. In the matter of looks the score is 1-0, Apple iPad 1, Olive pad 0. Just as much as looks matter, so does size. And in that category, Olive pad's 7" touchscreen, that fits right in your pocket.

And the iPad? As Abhishek mentioned, the iPad had a 9.7" capacitive touchscreen, like all other Apple products. In this too, the Apple iPad scores. And what's special is, wherever you need to browse the internet or view webpages or play games. The bigger the screen, the better the experience you will have. Look you can get 4, 4.5 in. in just a mobile phone, so adding another three inches doesn't seem like such a big deal. While with a 9.7" big touchscreen you can really enjoy playing games and enjoy watching videos, and along with that, the webpages. It's just amazing. 2-0 Apple iPad 2, Olive pad 0. Next level, we will look at the touchscreen.

For any Apple product, whether it's a an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, the experience you get from the Apple products, it does not look like that any Indian product can compete against it. The multitouch experience you get, the way you can pinch, the way you can swipe, I don't believe that you can get that in the Olive pad. (Abhishek) No, no, in the Olive pad, it has the same touchscreen as the Apple iPad, except that it has a 7" rather than a 9.5". And the second thing, that the iPad scores is in the experience, in pinching in swiping the iPad does better. The score is 3-0, Apple iPad 3, Olive pad 0.

Now let's talk about the OS, on top of which, the entire UI on which the gadgetbase is based on. Olive pad uses the Google Android 2.1 operating system, and the special thing about the Google Android system, you get the features of the entire Google universe. So what do you have to say about the iPad? The Apple iPad is on the iOS platform, and the greatest thing about it, is that even if you aren't net-savvy, and even if you're not getting a good user experience, the OS is very user-friendly. So whether you're a gadgetfreak, and it's very easy for you to use the Apple OS or not, it's very user-friendly for a layman. Both get 1 point each.

The score is Apple iPad 4, Olive pad 1.

So we've talked about the OS, let's talk about the apps. There are about 200,000 apps in the Apple App Store, of which there are 23,000 exclusively for the iPad, which is awesome. On the Olive pad, from the Android market, you get 70,000 applications, which you can download. Now 70,000 vs 200,000 there's no doubt that in this the Apple iPad scores. Apple iPad 5, Olive pad 1.

We have now said many nice things about the Apple iPad, but let's get down to some serious talk. Can you tell me, does the iPad have a camera? No. Well the Olive pad has a 3Mp autofocus camera, and a front facing VGA camera from video conferencing. 3G sin card slot, so you can use it as a super smartphone. It's another matter that you're going to have to pick up a 7" phone and say "Hello, hello, hello." and may not want to use it that way. But nevertheless there is a 3G sim card slot. And does the iPad have micro USB connectivity? No. Well the Olive pad has micro USB connectivity, which with great ease, you can connect to your computer or any other device and you can share data, using just drag and drop. So in this matter, no doubt, Olive pad gets 1 point.

So the score now is 5-2.

Now, Abhishek, for all of these features I suppose one would buy a phone? Now let's talk about memory, for the Apple iPad you have 3 options, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. On the Olive pad you have up to 32GB, expandable memory by micro SD card. So you can get your own micro SD card, what is good about this is that you can expand based on your own needs. You can by 2, 8, or 16GB, based on how much you would like to spend and what you need, you can decide. And while with the iPad you can get more memory. So in this matter you cannot just give iPad a point, but rather it should be 1 all.

The score is 6-3.

So now let's talk about price, because the Indian market is very competitive, in that the lower the price the better the gadget. So the cost of the Olive pad is Rs. 25,000 and for this you get 3G, WiFI, bluetooth and all the features we've mentioned, And what about the Apple iPad? Well in this respect the Apple iPad get's slightly beaten up. As Abhishek mentioned, iPad is not yet officially available in India. So if you get it though some relatives that live in London, etc. It will be quite expensive. Or if you get it in the grey market in India or on eBay.com. The 16GB WiFi version you will get for Rs. 30,000-32,000 (644-687 USD).

So the other problem is that if you buy something in the grey market, you will not get the Apple warranty. So any loss will be yours. So on that count, the Apple iPad is not available in India. Therefore we don't give any points to Apple, on the other hand the Olive pad, in August you can buy it from Chroma Source. So we give Olive pad 1 point.

The score is 6-4.