I don't believe in luck, but I'd like to believe in destiny. When things are destined for you, it will surely knock at your doorstep no matter what. Anyway, I'm not exactly fond of joining blog giveaways, but when I do, I make sure that the prize at stake is something that I 1.) badly need, 2.) love to death but can't afford, and 3.) simply tickles my fancy. Also, I don't make it a habit to keep my hopes high, especially if the winner is to be drawn randomly. What are the odds, really? But like I said, if you're destined for something, it will come when you least expect it. 

Case in point: Remember this post I wrote about Andrew's Globe Tattoo MediaPad Giveaway? I joined because I badly need  a tablet for my job. Well, apparently, I was destined to win it (Thanks Globe Telecom and Andrew for the early Christmas Gift!) ! I did not expect it. In fact, I prayed that if I wouldn't win, I'd have enough funds to buy myself a tablet for Christmas. Well, God knows how to surprise me! Last week, this baby finally landed into my palms, through which I rightfully named her Destiny. Sounds legit, don't you think? 

I've been exploring it since the day I got it and I'm ready to give my review. Do note that I'm not particularly a tech blogger, but I will try to share what's good and what's not. 

When I finally got hold of it, there were only two things that I hoped the Globe Tattoo MediaPad would do well: quickly load webpages and take decent photos. I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. I tried to load one of our toughest website projects to date; one that had a lot of videos and images. The images flashed within a few seconds and the videos played smoothly albeit took a short while buffering, which is quite normal. The social media sites loaded with ease, which obviously is favorable for me. One thing that I consider an edge of this device is its 3G capacity and the fact that it can turn into a portable wi-fi hotspot. I road tested it the other day, wherein around 3 to 4 devices were able to connect without any problems. I used a Globe sim card, of course. Impressive!

Games run flawlessly as well. I've been playing Asphalt 6 and Turbo Kids (ugh, this game! It's giving me eye bags and broken capillaries. It's so addicting it should be illegal!), and so far, I have not experienced any lags. All thanks to the Android 4.0 ICS and Dual Core 1.2 GHz processor.

I haven't tried playing music or watching movies with the MediaPad yet, as I still need to buy an SD card. By the way, the tablet is packed with 8GB internal memory, which can be expanded to 32GB. This gives me more room for several apps that I might be needing in the future. 

As for the 5MP rear camera, I appreciate that it yields to good quality of photos. It's not super amazing, but it's decent enough to be posted  anywhere. In fact, it can even support my food blogging activities.

Here's a sample image of the rear camera. I like that it has an autofocus so you get crisp photos, especially under natural lighting. Not bad, right? 

Did I mention it also has a 1.3MP front-facing camera? Yep, it does. What you see is what you get, but it ain't that bad either. And yes, that's Nikki Gil. Sorry, but this is the only picture I have using the front camera.

For the longest time, I've yearned for a 10-inch tablet because it's big and it won't give me a hard time reading on it. I'm quite a bookworm myself, so I want a tablet that's big enough for me to read without straining my eyes from small fonts. However, when I tried reading though the 7-inch MediaPad, I realized it was just enough. The size is perfect, actually, since it's pretty much the same size with most novels I read.  Plus, I don't have difficulties holding it because it's lightweight.

Screenshot of the book I'm currently reading on the MediaPad. The file is in ePub format, which is why it is well-formed and properly aligned. As you can see, it's just the same size of most books, right? The font is also just enough. Do note, however, that  the text size and alignment is not the same when you load a PDF  in it. The font is smaller and you might have to magnify and move from left to right to grasp the entire text. See below:

So yeah, that's all I can say for now. I haven't fully explored it yet, but so far, I'm loving it. I think it's a great device if you're someone like me who's always online and on-the-go. Perhaps, the only caveat I could think of is the battery. I guess it's a given that smartphones and tablets have short battery life. But in consolation, it did last 6 hours of non-stop use (sans gaming). 

Specs:

I find it  pretty expensive though at 21k, but considering the specs, you'd actually get more than what you pay for. Well, the good news is that, Globe Telecom is now offering the Tattoo MediaPad at just P7,800.00 with Tattoo Personalized Plan 999! Learn more about it here.