The PLDT TelPad S7-Slim Review

2 years ago, the country’s biggest telecommunications provider announced the launching of its hybrid landline unit called Telpad. I admit I was not that impressed. I obviously did not jump into the bandwagon for a number of reasons. But recently, a close encounter with a live Telpad made me reconsider my stand, which, by the way, explains why I am writing this review. I am writing this entry because, as most tech geek does, I want to do my own “unveiling” of the PLDT Telpad. (Never mind that it is a year late. As they always say “it’s better late than never”.)


Before I go down to the good stuff, allow me to explain why I initially gave my “pass” card on the Telpad. First, it seems impractical and pretentious. Well, everyone knows that I love gadgets. I love them sleek and sophisticated but I also love them simple and functional. The Telpad performs, well, just like any other landline unit. The clincher here is that it comes with a tablet, which brings me to my “impractical” argument: I already own a tablet.

So, aside from a phone and a tablet bundled together, there is nothing really groundbreaking after all… the technology itself is not so innovative. Second, there seems to be a lot of negativity around the promotional packaging of the Telpad. There are people who think that there might be a misrepresentation of figures on the fees. But of course, there is always another side of the story. And the last reason why I did not join the Telpad community was because I just don’t need it and I already have a landline unit.

So why the sudden 360 degrees turn—you might ask—? Let’s just say, certain situations require certain needs. A few weeks ago, I was lucky to be chosen to try out the PLDT Telpad S7-Slim with free 3-month subscription. I got so excited. I placed it in my living room immediately and used it as my main landline unit.

While playing around with it, I reminisced the time when I first used a telephone. I have to turn the rotary dialer around and wait until the circle swung back to the starting position to dial next number. Time really runs fast. A few years back, I can only see thesekind of devices in futuristic movies that I was able to watch in Betamax and VHS. Now, it’s a real thing and I’m actually holding it.

What’s great about the Telpad is the ease of using a landline phone. Anything that you can do with your smartphones can be done with your landline. You can easily view your call logs, save your contacts, writes notes while taking calls, and do everything in the landline without moving around. You don’t need to get a pen if somebody asked you if you have a pen to jot down what the caller is saying. You can easily browse Google maps if somebody asked you how to get here or there. You can do a lot of things, because you’re landline is not just a landline. It’s a smartlandline (just like smartphones, hehe).

You can’t use the Android tablet for calls if you remove it from the Telpad dock. Anyway, you can use the built-in loud speakers of the landline unit if you want to walk around and talk out loud. This is really not a major drawback, just a slight disappointment for users who are fond of using wireless landline units. You can just do everything, except bringing the phone a few meters away from the dock. But hey, you can bring the tablet far away from the dock and use it as your very own Android tablet outside home.



















Overall Experience:
The price of convenience is not that expensive after all. I can say that owning a PLDT Telpad is really worth it and you’ll surely not bother to look for another landline unit again. I’m satisfied and really happy to have tried this awesome Telpad. And if you want to upgrade to a better landline unit, I highly recommend the PLDTTelpad S7 Slim or the Wave 2.3, whichever you like.

Some facts about the PLDT Telpad:
The Telpad comes as a device that has aphone and a built-in tablet dock where the tablet can be mounted (the tablet of course is detachable). The Telpad, derive partly from telephone, sports a multifunctional phone (duh!? But hey, most reviews forget this part). It has a nationwide coverage and provides unlimited local calls. It also has a direct dialing access for NDD & IDD. The phone also boasts the following ability: Contact list, Call history, Call hold/ pause, Speaker phone, Speed dialing through favorites tab,Caller ID, Call waiting, Call forwarding, 3-way conference (last four is via subscription).

More good stuff:
The PLDT Telpad tablet also comes in two variants: The PLDT Telpad S7 Slim, which runs on an Android 2.2 Froyo platform, and the PLDT TelpadWave 2.3 (AD-1000A), which is powered Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The PLDT Telpad S7 Slim sports a 0.3MP front and 3.2 MP rear camera. It can last for about 180 hours of standby time and boasts a 3-axis Accelerometer, gravity, and ambient light sensors. It measures about 7.87x 4.3x 0.49 inches and has an 8 GB built-in memory.

Its brother the TelpadWave 2.3, on the other hand, carries a singular front facing camera but is loaded with its 2MP SVGA 800×600 pixel. It is also bulkier than the S7 Slim with its 8.24x 5x 0.58 inches measurement. It is also tender with its battery—last for about 70 hours of standby time—and 2GB built in memory. It has a 3-Axis Accelerometer for UI auto-rotate.

Now, I don’t want to elaborate on its web browsing and multimedia functions anymore since I think tablet knowledge is no longer a thing of the past, even 3-year-old kids own a tablet nowadays. What I want to share is something exclusive to PLDT Telpad subscribers. If you own a PLDT Telpad, you get exclusive access to PLDT HOME—a virtual hub where you can get updates and offers from partner establishments—and askPLDT—a one-touch guide to the latest news and information.

FYI:
PLDT is rewarding Telpad subscribers with another good stuff. They are offering the Telpad + WiFi Zone package. The WiFiZone is a new service that provides faster internet connection via dedicated WiFi line in select establishments throughout the Philippines. Telpad subscribers can enjoy faster internet connection outside home all day for just an additional 150 per month. That is, if you’re within a PLDT WiFi hotspot.


An existing PLDT plan subscriber may avail the Telpad for an additional fee (depends on your current plan).

And oh, PLDT is offering a promo for their TelPad. Get a free myPhone or a Samsung phone upon subscription to a Telpad plan. This is a must-try and I assure you that you’ll never regret in owning a PLDT Telpad.

You may visit pldttelpad.com to know more about the PLDT Telpadfor the detailed specs of each Telpad unit.