When we were asked if we’d like to review a Hudl2 I was a bit skeptical; it seemed unlikely that a budget tablet that costs only £129 could offer the same sort of quality/functionality as its more expensive rivals. But I was very pleasantly surprised. So, here’s our Hudl 2 review.
First impressions: the Hudl2 looks great, really stylish and although it’s slim and sleek it feels substantial, durable and strong. The size is just right, too – not too big for a handbag or school bag, not so small you’d lose it easily. It takes about three hours to charge up to full power and then you’re good to go.
Usability: the Hudl2 is incredibly easy to set up and get started, and there’s a cool video tour to help you discover where everything is. The screen is a decent size at 8.3in, bright and colourful and simple to navigate. The camera is also simple to use.
Browsing: the Hudl2 is already set up so you can use google (and google +) and it responds instantly.
Blinkbox: this is very cool – there’s a fantastic choice of movies, TV programmes and books, and I can finally get round to watching Breaking Bad (I know, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it yet either). And the Hudl2 comes with £25 free blinkbox credit (#win).
Added attractions: as the Hudl 2 comes from Tesco it’s easy to set up to link up to your Clubcard account and do your shopping, plus it comes with some pretty cool offers including £10 off at F&F and Tesco Direct when you spend £50. It also has Adobe Reader which is fab if like me you have to look at a lot of documents/pdfs.
My only niggle: The USB cable is a little short, which means that if you want to simply plug in to charge (rather than using your computer) it’s a little bit of a stretch from desk to socket.
Verdict: the Hudl2 would make a brilliant Christmas present for kids aged 8-14 who probably aren’t quite ready for a more expensive android tablet – it’s got everything they could possibly need (you can buy accessories like headphones) and is also ideal for when they need to look up facts quickly for their homework or if you want to entertain them on a long journey; you can set up parental controls for up to seven users, too, so you can tailor it according to age and suitability, plus you can set a time limit so they don’t spend too long staring at the screen when they’re supposed to be ASLEEP. And it comes in a choice of colours so you can get their favourite. It would also be perfect for anyone who wants a tablet but doesn’t want to spend a fortune to buy one, or for someone who has the habit of dropping phones and tablets and smashing the screen *cough*. I’m tempted to hang on to it, although everyone in the family is already asking if they can have it.
