[REVIEW] Zidoo X1

[chalkybobo]

MY LOVE FOR ANYTHING ANDROID!

I have been using the Android OS for 5 years now. Back then, I made a switch to the HTC Hero (v1.5, Cupcake) from a Sony Walkman non-smartphone because I wanted to get out of the auto-restart problem that I was facing back then. I have never looked back since then, because of the seemingly limitless potential that the Android OS has due to the developers – the custom roms, Xposed modules, great apps. I've personally used Sony, LG, Samsung phones powered by Android, iPad powered by the iOS, Nokia phones powered by Windows over the past 5 years. Every OS has their own sweet spots. I'm also into the development of China phones such as Xiaomi, OPPO, MEIZU and Lenovo, mostly with reviews and posts from gizchina.com

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH AN ANDROID TV BOX

In Nov 2013, I purchased from Geekbuying, out of curiosity of what an Android TV box can do, a Tronsmart MK908II RK3188. The idea of having an Android TV box sounds like a cool idea. I could connect portable drives to watch videos, share crystal clear photographs with relatives, get connected to YouTube, monitor the stock market on a BIG SCREEN. However, I didn’t have a good experience with using the Tronsmart TV Box, not due to its processing speed or design, but because it didn’t have a good connection to the WIFI from the room where the box was supposed to be used at. I didn't bother getting a WIFI extender as I wanted to keep things simple. In the end, I gave it away to a relative of mine for better use.

SHOULD YOU BUY AN ANDROID TV BOX?

Smart TVs are common in most households. Major brands like LG, Samsung and Sony have USB ports inbuilt in TVs, support most common video file formats and subtitles and have Internet browsers, YouTube, . Recently, Sony has introduced their new line of Android TV too. So, why would one buy an Android TV box?

In my opinion, one should buy an Android TV box only if:
1. His/her television set is outdated, old and has no smart capabilities

This is up for debate though. Everyone has different uses for the same thing

REVIEW OF THE ZIDOO X1 ANDROID TV BOX

I would like to thank GeekBuying for the chance to review the ZIDOO X1, an Android TV box from Shenzhen, China.

1 Packaging Design:

2 Inside the box:

The TV box has a plastic-y feel. It doesn't feel premium, as expected of a product at that price level. But with a silver top, it can easily assimilate into any modern home.

There is a port for LAN, x2 USB ports for disk drives, x1 TF, x1 AV, x1 power DC, x1 HDMI port

The controller's buttons are a bit hard to press. But other than that, I really like the APP SHORTCUT buttons indicated by the red, blue green colors on it. Other useful buttons

1. 'Display' which can change the frequency and resolution (50Hz, 60Hz, 1080p, 720p)
2. 'Recent App' to access other opened apps
3. 'Back' button that I used really frequently throughout the tryout
4. 'Menu' button that can access menus in most apps
   
   The lack of an inbuilt air mouse makes it hard to navigate the screens.
   
   The HDMI cable is about 2m long, good enough for most set-ups!

3 Specifications:

Source: http://www.zidoo.tv/Product/spec/model/X1/target/AjLkU[ld]qhKb8=.html

4 Zidoo RC App
An alternative to the controller provided is the Zidoo RC app. Install the app into an Android phone and be amazed at the choices available for use with the Zidoo X1.
(Screenshots from my LG G3 smartphone, connected to the Zidoo X1 by WIFI)

If you have ever used an Android TV box without a proper keyboard or mouse, you would have understood how painful it is to navigate the screen and type words. Well, with this Zidoo RC app, things become more manageable. There are number pads to enter numbers, a 'Send Text' feature (located at the top right of the app) which allows you to send words like, for example,"Girls Generation", to a YouTube app without clicking each character one by one from the onscreen keyboard. There is also a mouse function, which is buggy. It is not responsive sometimes and the cursor moves too fast when it does move, which render it less useful than intended.

5 Look and Feel

Homescreen -- Simple with minimal informaton. An alternative is the Nova Launcher which will make the homescreen similar to the layout of an Android smartphone.

File Manager -- Access music, video and photographs from this app

KODI -- Play or stream music, video and photographs with this app. KODI is also available for use in tablets and smartphones and it works, in my opinion, more intuitively than in an Android TV box, mainly due to the lack of a touchscreen function. The second image is a screenshot of my attempt to use an LG G3 streamed (via UPnP) to the Zidoo X1. It took quite a while before the music started playing. Due to its slow streaming speed, I wouldn't recommend any layman to use it. There could be a workaround to improve the speed.

6 Final Thoughts

If you have a Smart TV purchased within the past 4 or 5 years, there are probably few reasons why you should get an Android TV box.
If you do not fall into the above category, the Zidoo X1 will serve as a good upgrade to your current TV.

Get the Zidoo X1 at Geekbuying for US$59.99! (caa 21/7/2015)

 

[restore_xp]

Forget abt this quad core player, it time to go for octa core player