just bought a polaroid pmid4311 tablet

[londonstylz]

just bought it 2 days ago and works ok so far. I like the tablet so far. has android 4.0. Runs a little slugish at times but was pretty cheap $60. Installed amazon appstore easily. also installed google play but play keeps crashing. There are a couple games that wont play on it including "shift" which worked on my old lg optimus V which died the other day which is why i bought this. I was wondering if there are any firmware updates for this device. I checked polaroid.com and the directed me to a second website but couldnt find my model. Any Help Would be apreciated.

 

[londonstylz]

can anybody help me please. cant find any info on the tablet on google.

 

[RedundantOne]

Hi,

It is brand new, so no new firmware yet. I do have one, and in order to make Play Store work you have to use a file manager with root access ( or ADB ) to push the .apk ( v3.8.17 is the latest ) to /system/app/ and 'fix' its permissions. Just look up how to put Playstore/Market on ICS. It already has Google Services Framework, and is partially rooted ( to fully root you have to download Superuser from the PlayStore and update su ) so that is half the battle.

There is a Youtube video review of the device itself, just search PMID4311.

Decent specifications for such a small and inexpensive device.

Android 4.0.3
1ghz Cortex A8 cpu/Mali 400 gpu
512mb Ram
4gb Flash
MicroSDHC slot
5-point Multitouch

If you have specific questions maybe I can help...

 

[rvp.770]

Has anyone had a problem with charging it. I'll, charge mine to 100. Than after 5 mins it say plug in charger.

 

[Jonathan Gahan]

My 6 year old used his Piggy Bank money to score one of these for $45 (actually he got the identical Emerson EM543). Both (as well as Uniden, Sharper Image and SlicK brand tablets) are made by a company called Southern Telecom. Came loaded with Android 4.0.4. Additional info for those who may not have pulled the trigger:

Screen: 4.3" 480x272
Camera: VGA
Charger/Data connection: Micro-USB
Battery charging will stall at < 100% if your charger puts out < 5V
Micro-SD card: Up to 32GB
Wifi: a/b/g/n
Bluetooth: No
3.5mm headphone jack
Front-face button mapped to "Back" button
I haven't torn it down to confirm (my son would KILL me!) but the Cortex A8/Mali-400/el-cheap Made-in-China trifecta reaks of an AllWinner A13 SoC driving this thing. Overall great device to give to little kids. Sufficiently similar to mom and dad's that they will actually use it. Sufficiently cheap as to be regarded as disposable. Lack of a pack-in charger is lame, but keep telling yourself it was $50, and that you already have a gazillion Micro-USB chargers lying about. My 6 year old is a very satisfied customer.

Some useful links:

Southern Telecom:
Southern Telecom
Polaroid | Home | polaroid.com

To install Google Play:
How to Add Android Market to Polaroid PMID702C - The Digital Reader
Amusingly, the included documentation states that Google Play is not pre-loaded because "we find it's more optimized for smartphones" Riiiiiight... Turns out the Google compatibility document http://static.googleusercontent.com...m/en/us/compatibility/4.0/android-4.0-cdd.pdf states a minimum 426x320 display resolution. Note the aforementioned 480x272 display.

Netflix works fine (It streams Shaun the Sheep like a boss) but you need v. 1.6 of the Netflix app. Get the apk here:
Netflix 1.6.0 - APKTOP

 

[SomebodySysop]

I got the Emerson EM543 Tablet with Android 4.0.4. When I installed the Android Market (using the link in the previous post above), it disabled my system Lock Screen. This apparently is a common problem with some cheapo tablets like mines. I need to get this back working, otherwise if I lose the Tablet, someone can simply turn it on and access everything I've put on there. Obviously, I won't put a lot of sensitive or valuable stuff on a $45 tablet, but just my google id is enough to cause a problem or two. Does anyone know how to get the lockscreen back? I uninstalled Market, but the lockscreen is still not present on boot or anywhere else. I downloaded and installed Go Locker, but it doesn't lock on startup, which is what I really, really need.

 

[IP IHI II IL]

My fiancee and I were out shopping for christmas lights and maybe a cheap camera for our 6 year old at Big Lots, and we ran across the PMID4311... I joked at first, "Why would ANYONE buy a phone sized TAB made by Polaroid?!" Then I saw it was running 4.0.4 AND had a camera, and decided to do some research. After reading that it was pretty much rooted outta' the box, and that Google Play (before it became Google Play) could be added to it, we decided to get one for both of our kids. The specs are impressive for such a small device from an unexpected manufacturer, and they play our really old, crappy phones with lesser specs to kill time sometimes, so why not?! I opened one up last night to play with/test it's functionality, and MAN am I impressed! I finished up the root job with SuperSU and Busy Box, then installed some games to test. Everything runs suprisingly smooth, and outside of a few minor issues (time has to be set manually because the auto detect is 3 hours off, and the on screen buttons are TINY, and the "Home" hardware button is in kind of an inconvenient spot, etc...) I think they're really gonna' love these when they pull them out of their stockings on Christmas! Another annoyance was the fact that there's no dedicated camera button on a "Tab" (still think it's too small to be called that) made by Polaroid?!

I charged it up, and put it through the paces while the kids were at school, and after an hour and a half of HARD usage, setting up widgets, moving apps around, setting up ad blockers, etc it was still at about 65% battery!

I read above that Google Play could be adjusted to work on this lil' bad boy, and I'm wondering what the permissions need to be set to for it to work? I'm familiar with the rest of the instructions, though!

Thanks in advance!
=IP IHI II IL=

 

[esposito4]

I'm curious if you ever get the webcam working for video chat? I'm having trouble to get it turn on. Please help! I got 2 PMID4311 Polaroid for my girls! They want to do the video chat with me. Thanks!

 

[bluewarrior2013]

This android tablet 4.3" running android 4.0 is the
exact same model as Emerson EM543.
Big Lot's $50 to $60 even $48 on sale.

They and others are made by SouthernTelecom.com
There is plenty of info out there about adding google play market to it.
How to Add Android Market to Polaroid PMID702C - The Digital Reader

I wondered why I had to download the tools above, but this
is why:
There are other markets as well. Amazon market was the
default because it is FEE BASED. The other sources for apps
are FREE, no credit card required.

 

[Jamie Petersen]

We got my son this tablet for x-mas but he password protected it and forgot the password. So we are stuck out of it. Called tech support and ( after an hour wait) they told me to do a reset but I can not get to the apps screen to do that! Somebody please help me figure this out!

 

[SomebodySysop]

Have you looked at this page from the Southerntelecom support site:
http://www.southerntelecom.com/polaroidsupport/firmware_guide_pmid4311.html

You do not need to go into Apps to do this, as far as I can tell.

 

[Hoverbored1234]

I just got this tablet and could use help getting root access. Any and all help is appreciated.

 

[SomebodySysop]

I can tell you that the Emerson EMS543, which someone said is the same exact model as this tablet, comes rooted. If you download and install the app ROM Toolbox, when it runs it will verify whether your tablet is rooted or not.

 

[mcts56]

Re: just bought an Emerson tablet/mp3/camera

It won't charge. Tried everything. Keeps saying plug in device...IT IS PLUGGED IN
Plugged in every different way AND NOTHING. It's going to die before I figure out how the hell to make it takeaway charge.

 

[SomebodySysop]

I got the Emerson EM543 Tablet with Android 4.0.4. When I installed the Android Market (using the link in the previous post above), it disabled my system Lock Screen. This apparently is a common problem with some cheapo tablets like mines. I need to get this back working, otherwise if I lose the Tablet, someone can simply turn it on and access everything I've put on there. Obviously, I won't put a lot of sensitive or valuable stuff on a $45 tablet, but just my google id is enough to cause a problem or two. Does anyone know how to get the lockscreen back? I uninstalled Market, but the lockscreen is still not present on boot or anywhere else. I downloaded and installed Go Locker, but it doesn't lock on startup, which is what I really, really need.

Basically re-flashed the ROM, and that did the trick. The instructions to do this are found in the Firmware Installation Guide for the tablet: Emeson Tablet Firmware Installation Guide - EM543

 

[Stephen Bell]

Re: just bought an Emerson tablet/mp3/camera

It won't charge. Tried everything. Keeps saying plug in device...IT IS PLUGGED IN
Plugged in every different way AND NOTHING. It's going to die before I figure out how the hell to make it takeaway charge.

Yeah, if you look the usb micro port does extend out to the edge of the plastic, and thus most connector's don't fit in all the way, and thus it doesn't charge (I had the same problem).

So either A: you are not using the cord they shiped with it, or B: they shipped the wrong cord.

Either way, easy fix. Take a razor blade and cut off a bit of your usb micro's plastic. Looking at mine I had to cut a penny's width in order for it to fit. But now it works fine.

Also, I would rec This. Cyanogenmod runs nice on it; gives you the google play store, as well as a recovery mode. Also I can confirm that at least with cyanogenmod you can hook up all kinds of USB game pads and they work with it. Yet to try a bluethooth dongle, but it is on the list. Also remember to turn wifi off when you are not using it. The battery can last all day with it off, and just 2 hours with it on.