Our Third Fusion5 Tablet in the OfficeI am a great fan of budget tablet computers and I have written...

1. Review: A1CS / F5CS Fusion5 Xtra V3
Our Third Fusion5 Tablet in the Office
I am a great fan of budget tablet computers and I have written before on InfoBarrel about the A1CS
Fusion5 range of tablet computers. The company has rebranded in the footsteps of their top-selling
range of tablet computers and for the third time we have bought a F5CS Fusion5 tablet for the
household. At less than £150, the F5CS Fusion5 Xtra V3 should be just as good as it's
predecessors.
Lets start with something most important; comparing the core specs of the original Fusion5
Xtra (which we reviewed here) with the new Fusion5 Xtra V3:
Â
Fusion5 Xtra V1
Fusion5 Xtra V3
Processor
AllWinner A10 (1.2GHz)
Cortex A7 (1.5GHz Quad Core)
Graphics
Mali 400Mhz
Display size
10.1" screen at 1024x600
Operating System
Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4
Android Jelly Bean 4.1
System Memory (RAM)
1GB DDR3
2GB DDR3

2. Storage
16GB NAND Flash Micro SD (up to 32GB)
It is also worth noting that the Fusion5 Xtra V3 has been superceeded again by the F5CS Fusion5
Premium+ which is running Android 4.2.2 and a host of other upgrades.
The Fusion5 Xtra V3 is not going to be a world-beating tablet and certainly if it was placed along
something like a Galaxy Tab or anything by Apple then it is going to struggle to catch up. At the
same time though you are not paying for the same specifications that you expect from higher end
models; remember that this tablet is still only £150.
The specifications are clearly a vast improvement on the original Fusion5 Xtra tablets in the range
and further so than its earlier predecessor the standard Fusion5Â line that A1CS originally
distributed. The updates have been done where they are most needed though, in the processor and
the RAM as well as little extras like the inclusion of Bluetooth in the V3.is
As with previous incarnations this tablet comes with full access to the Google Play Store and a range
of applications to get you started; your previous back-catelogue of Android apps are also available
for you to install including any that you have paid out for on older devices.

3. Google Play Store
As you would expect from an advertising behemoth
such as Google; to use the Play Store you will need to
sign up for a Google account, or sign in with your
existing one to download apps and games. For existing
users this is obviously not an issue, but for new users
this might mean creating a connection to Google+ and
many other connected web services.
Wi-Fi Only - No 3G
To keep the price down, in line with all other budget tablet computers the F5CS Fusion5 Xtra v3 has
no 3G or 4G adapters. The tablet runs on wireless connections only which is not a problem if you
have a wireless router at home or use the tablet in huge built up cities like London; but if you are
taking it travelling and need Internet access then you might choose to invest in a portable Wi-Fi
hotspot or check whether your cell phone can do this instead.
MF60 black mobile Hotspot (21.6 PA+ UMTS 2100M
Display)
Amazon Price: Buy Now
(price as of May 5, 2014)

4. ZTE offer a great range of both mobile cell phone devices and portable Wi-Fi hotspots.
If you are only connecting 1 device at a time then the slower 21.1Mbps models are perfect when you
want to be mobile on the move, on a budget.
We have already found that the Fusion5 Xtra V3 is more reliable at maintaining the wireless
connection on a home wireless network than the original Fusion5 and even is more reliable on a
mobile hotspot than our now 2-year-old Fusion5 Xtra (Version 1).
New to Fusion5 Xtra - Bluetooth
I am so massively impressed with the Bluetooth that when I bought the F5CS Fusion5 Xtra v3 I also
had to buy her a bluetooth keyboard. Being able to turn your tablet computer into a small laptop
using it is great for people who like to work at length on the train and to prove it I stole the
keyboard from under my good lady's nose for a few hours and connected it to my BlackBerry Z10
cell phone.
Both on the tablet and the mobile phone I was able to get good speed and the delay between typing
on the keyboard and it appear on the screen was minimal enough to really not matter; with a budget
tablet you can expect of course for the battery to take a bit of a hit if you were to use it for an
extended amount of time as your tablet (and indeed my Z10) is forced to keep up a Bluetooth
connection.
This is actually a big bonus because the Fusion5 Xtra range only come with a micro-USB port to
connect up your peripheral devices. F5CS do offer a "full-size" USB adapter but it is not the same
when you have to connect cables and leads to the tablet. As part of the update the tablet now also
supports USB OTG (On The Go) which with the adapter means that you can use it to rad USB sticks
and plug-in conventional wired keyboards more readily.

5. Anker® T320
Ultrathin (4mm) Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for iOS (iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad 2 / 3 / 4), Windows
and Android 3.0 and above OS with Built-in lithium battery / Aluminum Body
Amazon Price: $25.99 Buy Now
(price as of May 5, 2014)
A Bluetooth keyboard is essential if you are going to be typing at any length on a tablet computer or
mobile phone. I type long documents on my BlackBerry Z10 and I use one all the time.
Play Store Apps and Games
If you already have a Google Play Account on another tablet then you will be wanting to bring your
existing apps and http://www.bernoonsub.com games across and that is great as this tablet has full
access to the Google Play Store. One big improvement is that this tablet now supports Google
Chrome browsers à ¹€à ¸¥à ¸‚à ¹‚à ¸Šà ¸„à ¸”à ¸Âμ which before were too
powerful for the tablet to handle.
There are a number of apps that we swear by in this house when using our Android tablet computers
and if you are buying a tablet or have one already you should give them a try
ES File Manager - This app allows you much more freedom to browse not only
https://www.facebook.com/bernoonsub files on your tablet but also further around your computer
network. We have a server in the house which stores a lot of music and film files. Unlike the stock
file manager, this one finds them all.

6. Kingston Office - This free office app is a suitable replacement to store and read files in the
Microsoft Office 1997-2003 formats. We have not yet tested it with .docx and .xlsx (new MS Office)
file types though.
AVG Anti-Virus Free - If you surf the Internet then you need to make sure you stay protected. It is
not normally the case that we hear of virus infections spreading around the Android community, but
never say never.
Battery Life
Although we have not had a chance to stress-test the battery yet we plan to test it by:
surfing the Internet for 90 minutes
watching a 1 hour program on BBC iPlayer
Installing and un-installing a few programs
listening to a 1 hour radio program on the BBC
A typical à ¹€à ¸šà ¸Âà ¸£à ¹Œà ¸¡à ¸‡à ¸„à ¸¥ à ¸ªà ¸§à ¸¢ heavy
use day in many families.
Final Thoughts: F5CS Fusion5 Xtra
We love the A1CS and F5CS range of tablets. They offer a budget tablet computer that you can
get on with and last a few years, which is what you expect from something this cost-effective for
around the house use.
If you have got this far then you might want to buy a F5CS Fusion5 Xtra V3. You can buy a Fusion5
Xtra v3 on Amazon in the UK. You may also want to check out the new F5CS Fusion5 Premium+ if
you are looking for a new tablet computer from the same company.