Hisense Sero 7 Pro - Unboxing pictures (no video)

[Joe Barry]

I'm still clueless. Why on earth should there be any need to identify any device as an "OTG" device, versus just adapting the plug to fit the tablet? It sounds like a layer of complexity that serves no purpose whatsoever. What am I missing?

Same thing is done to identify high output chargers, imagine if you plugged in a 2.1AMP charger into a phone that only is meant to charge at 500mA it would destroy the battery & phone. How do you think your phone knows when to output Video through the USB port such as using a Slimport or MHL Adapters? Your phone needs to know are you connecting the USB cable to transfer data, charge the phone & at what rate the phone & charger supports. That's why if you plug in a high output Apple charger for example into a Samsung S4 it's only going to charge the phone @ a max of 500ma that is because Apple uses a different encoding scheme that Android manufacturers use. It may be a USB style connector but it is not your typical USB connector of PC's of yesterday.

 

[djsunyc]

where in the blue heck is the android update?

 

[kernmal]

I'm still clueless. Why on earth should there be any need to identify any device as an "OTG" device, versus just adapting the plug to fit the tablet? It sounds like a layer of complexity that serves no purpose whatsoever. What am I missing?

Your tablet has the ability to be both a USB slave and a USB host.

A simple explanation is:
There is a fifth pin on a micro-USB connector (as compared to a standard USB connector which has four pins).
On the cable that you use to connect your tablet to your computer that fifth pin is ungrounded and puts your tablet in slave mode with your PC as the host.
On an OTG cable, the fifth pin is grounded and that tells your tablet to switch to host mode.

The Sero 7 should support USB keyboards and mice out of the box with an OTG cable.
I don't know why access to external storage is not implemented without rooting or using Nexus Media Importer.

You can pick up an OTG cable for under a dollar on Amazon.


Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Clarence Dold]

I use the Airdroid app for all my for copying

 

[gberpa]

Re: Airdroid
It has a nice GUI on the pc and I like the tablet interface which allows you to pick items. However, I use my external card to store pixs, vids, music. It didn't seem to allow me to input the card path. Did you get to your external card? Would like to know. It also uses a bit of internal memory-nearly 7 Mb.

I use (not a lot), Remote Desktop Free. It was pointed out to me by a friend with a phone with little storage. It takes up only 0.66 Mb.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.androiddev.mobiletab

 

[Clarence Dold]

copying data files from my Windows 7 PC to the Sero 7 via the USB cable.

I use the Airdroid app for copying from my phone and Sero to and from Windows and Linux.
All you need is a browser, pointed to web.airdroid.com, which puts a QRCode on the screen.
You scan the QR code with the app to make the connection to a pretty good interface.

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

I'm on the email list for "1sale.com", one of the daily sale sites, and today they have the Sero 7 Pro for $89. Hisense Sero 7 Tablet for $89.99 + Free Shipping on 1Sale.com

 

[gberpa]

Note that it's a refurb with a 90 day warranty (vs 1 year included for a new unit, 3 years with WallyWorld's $15 extension).

 

[Clarence Dold]

Re: Airdroid
Did you get to your external card?

I don't have a card. On my phone, I can get to the external, by default. I recall that the internal was hard to find, but is there.
<edit>
Well, that was simple.
I took the micro-SD card out of my camera, popped it into the Sero, and Airdroid recognizes it just fine.
> SD Card
V External SD
V DCIM
> 354CANON
> 355CANON
This was the reason I got a micro SD card and adapter for my camera, so I could upload photos.
But my Blackberry added all kinds of crud to the card, so I only did it once.
The Sero seems clean.
</edit>

 

[Joe Barry]

Note that it's a refurb with a 90 day warranty (vs 1 year included for a new unit, 3 years with WallyWorld's $15 extension).

An Extended warranty at Wally World is only good for 2 years and it cost $28

 

[gberpa]

An Extended warranty at Wally World is only good for 2 years and it cost $28

I paid $15. And the info provided says "except for enhanced coverage items, all other coverage becomes effective at the end of the manufacturers warranty(which is 1 year parts and service)...in effect for the throughout your term" . The term on my receipt says 2 years.

 

[Joe Barry]

I paid $15. And the info provided says "except for enhanced coverage items, all other coverage becomes effective at the end of the manufacturers warranty(which is 1 year parts and service)...in effect for the throughout your term" . The term on my receipt says 2 years.

True I paid $15 also, but that was the past they are now charging $28. I was also told it's from day one coverage, and if not then for the 1 year you would have to send it back to the manfactuer, which is not the case; so you get a total of 2 years to send it back from day 1 and get the gift card.

 

[gberpa]

I was told it was a 2 year extension and that is what I believe the written warranty states.

Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk

 

[Joe Barry]

I was told it was a 2 year extension and that is what I believe the written warranty states.

Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk

Call the 800 number as I did, you only have 2 years from date of purchase.

 

[gberpa]

Thanks. It looks like the problem might be with my S7, maybe the micro USB port. I took the 2 USB female/micro male USB cables along with a USB stick with music to my local Staples and plugged them both into a Samsung 7" tablet. They both worked! Almost since I purchased the unit, there's been a 'flaky' connection that periodically loses contact while charging with either the original or a Nook Simple Touch cable with a micro USB plug. I have to carefully drape the cable downward to make good conntact. I just tried pushing the internal contact point on the S7 slightly down with a small screwdriver. The power contact improved but it still won't read the memory stick. I've put this off but it looks like I might need repair service from Hisense. :-(



Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk

I called Hisense on 10/21 and they agreed to replace the cable/charger to see if that solves the power issue. Received the charger/cable yesterday afternoon after a follow-up call last week. It seems they got messed up and were going to send me an authorization to ship the tablet so they revised their records on 10/24. It makes a much better connection and I don't have to fool with the cable position. However, my USB OTG cables (2 different ones) don't always make continuous contact and Nexus Media Importer loses the directory. I'll fool with it a bit more before deciding whether to return the tablet as I can use other means to get data onto my SD card.

 

[gberpa]

Call the 800 number as I did, you only have 2 years from date of purchase.

I stand corrected and was misinformed by WW sales person. When I called, they say that since their extension covers things Hisense doesn't, eg accidental damage, it goes from day 1 for 2 years. You still have to deal with Hisense on repair issues in year 1.

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

I stand corrected and was misinformed by WW sales person. When I called, they say that since their extension covers things Hisense doesn't, eg accidental damage, it goes from day 1 for 2 years. You still have to deal with Hisense on repair issues in year 1.

That's when it finds it's way under a car tire do the "damage" is handled by Wal-Mart.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Joe Barry]

That's when it finds it's way under a car tire do the "damage" is handled by Wal-Mart.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Agreed, if a problem arises it goes back to Wally World's insurance carrier, not the manufacture; you get a gift card for the full value and then simply go back to the store and buy another

 

[jiminy87]

Hi to all! I'm new here and I'm hoping someone can can answer a few questions and concerns for me about the Sero 7 Pro. I apologize in advance if it's a bit too long but this seems like the place to ask about this.

I bought one of these the other day at Walmart for $129.99 for my girlfriend's Christmas gift. She has a cheaper little 4" tablet that she uses all the time so this year I thought I would upgrade her to this one - she uses it mostly for gaming, like Candy Crush. But it's very small and limited in what it can do. Cost is a big factor for me as money is tight this Christmas. I love the many features of this tablet and of course the tablet that I'm comparing it to directly is the Kindle Fire HD. I think this will be the tablet I give her but I do have a couple concerns I was hoping somebody could shed some light on:

- I have read the following comment about the Sero 7 Pro and it worries me a bit:

"Basically, any time the sero would start to warm up a bit, performance would get horrible. I saw this on games like Nova 3 and Horn, graphically intensive games. They would get so choppy as to be unplayable. With the tegra over clock app, I found that the kernel has a three step "thermal guard" set up, and the first step was set at 45C... And cut the CPU speed in half! The app recommended that the speed not be throttled until about 70C. I changed to this and now have no performance issues. Only downside... The setting has to be redone after reboot."

This worries me a bit - it sounds like the kernel has it set to throttle the graphics performance when it gets over 45C - and I've read several comments that the tablet can definitely get warm with use. So is this throttling something that is noticeable to people? This poster I quoted above sure thought so. My girlfriend mostly plays puzzle games but with a nicer tablet like this I think we'll be trying out some more graphically-advanced games, but the throttling sounds like it could be an issue. Does the Kindle Fire HD do that also? The Youtube reviews I've seen for this tablet seem to say that gaming on this tablet is as good or better than the Kindle Fire HD, but if the graphics get throttled at 45C and the tablet reaches this temp often during charging or heavy gameplay, then this may be an issue. I won't be rooting the tablet so I won't be able to install that Tegra overclock app that he mentioned. Any thoughts? Is throttling in-game that much of an issue with this tablet when it's warm?

- Also, I read earlier in this thread somewhere that the creaky back plate may have been improved in build quality in later builds of this tablet - the back was reinforced better to avoid the flexing or something. The date on the sticker on the tablet box says May 2013. When did this Pro tablet first hit stores? May seems like it was early in it's run. Would this tablet have the fixed back plate or am I better off seeing if I can find a newer build with a more recent date?

- This video below shows a bug where the guy's stylus can't draw smoothly on the screen - it skips and stutters. He says using a finger is fine but the stylus always leaves gaps as he demonstrates. The Kindle Fire HD seems to have no issue like that, only the Sero 7 Pro. Is that an isolated case or maybe his stylus is weird (he tried 2 different stylus pens he said)? Is this an issue with the Sero 7 pro screen?

- Another interesting thing I learned on a Youtube clip - the Kindle Fire HD has a 10-point capacitive IPS screen - the Sero 7 Pro has a 5-point capacitive IPS screen. So the Kindle Fire HD can register up to 10 finger touches at once, unlike this tablet, which only registers 5 fingers maximum at once. Does that even matter? It seems to me that you likely wouldn't need more than 5 fingers at a time on the screen anyways, unless some games might benefit.

- Also, is it true that the Sero7 Pro can't read NTFS formatted SD cards, thus restricting video files to less than 4GB for FAT32?

- One other note - I've read conflicting information in this thread regarding Walmart's warranty against cracked screens, spills, etc. - some said it was $15, some said $28. The guy that sold the tablet to me at Walmart said it costs $28.00 - I asked him about the $15 price and he said that does not apply to tablets - and he gave me a printed card with their warranty prices and sure enough it says right on the glossy printed card that the in-store price of the 2-year warranty for tablets $100-$150 is $28. So I'm thinking those that paid $15 may not be properly covered according to the card he gave me to keep.

Anyways any thoughts would be much appreciated. The Kindle Fire HD is going on sale on Black Friday at Staples for $89 for the 16GB - that price makes it a very tempting buy instead of this tablet - more internal space for games and apps, but no room for music or videos, which she likely wouldn't care about so much anyways. I wish this tablet had 16GB instead of 8. Of course this tablet has a better camera too. Also the Kindle Fire HD comes with annoying ads and you have to pay like $20 or more to remove the ads, so with that factored in, it's not much cheaper than this on Black Friday. I'm not sure what to do but I'd like to stick with the Sero 7 pro. But some of these points have me worried.

 

[jiminy87]

Anyone having screen sensitivity issues? Every once in a blue moon, I'll be scrolling through something (mostly reddit) and it'll stop mid-scroll, register as a touch input, take me to the new page, and start scrolling the new page... all from one continuous scroll. It's not too bad since, like I said, it's a very rare occurrence.

The bigger problem I'm having is "skipping" when using a stylus. I use Sketchbook (and other similar apps) to sketch and doodle, recreationally, in my free time. It's REALLY difficult to do that with this tablet because it skips so much, unless I'm pressing REALLY hard on the stylus... and it'll skip, even then. I don't know if it's not running the app correctly, or if it's the stylus, or the tablet, but I think it's the tablet. My Nex7 runs the same apps smoothly, and perfectly. No skipping.

Can anyone confirm this, or is it just me?

EDIT: Here are a couple photos of what I'm talking about. Several vertical lines, drawn with continuous strokes, from screen edge to screen edge. It's not a region-specific thing (in reference to the screen) since spots that don't work one moment work another moment...

http://i.imgur.com/10BQFvs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zxb1JLO.jpg

Also, anyone notice that the system button silhouettes (the dots that replace the back, home, app, and screenshot buttons at the bottom when in camera mode or watching a movie) are offset from the actual buttons? When using my camera app, the buttons turn into the silhouettes, but those dots ale to the side of where the buttons actually are...

Anyone else?

I saw your video about this on youtube, which I linked to above. This is something that I'm concerned about, and would love to hear some more info on. has anybody else had this issue? Can anybody confirm if this happens on their tablet with sketchbook or similar apps?