Tips for the frustrated Philips 7+ Android 4 tablet user
The Philips 7+ (PI3800) Android 4 tablet was launced in China and is perhaps sold in some other countries by now. This affordable tablet of good name is a huge disappointment to an English speaking buyer. The reason is not the hardware, which is of fairly good quality, but the fact that Android Market (or Google Play) cannot be installed on it. This means that almost no decent Apps in English can be downloaded. In China, the device comes with Philips HiMarket App which offers a fairly useless variety of mostly Chinese and mostly free Apps – as far as my ability to read Chinese App-descriptions allows me to see.
The local IT technician I employed first thought that he managed to install Google Play by means of an APK file discovered on the internet. Google Play actually installed on the PI3800. But this proved to be a mirage because the Philips 7+ will not play the Google Play App and will not download or install anything coming from that source. If you want a decent App like Evernote 3.6, almost all sites offering it will divert you to the stonewalling Google Play. Using VPN in China will not solve this problem, which makes me wonder where in the world Google Play will install on this tablet.
There are only two ways you can get some passable English Apps on your Philips 7+, as far as China is concerned, and as far as my experience goes.
The first is to download from alternative markets like 1 Mobile Market, GetJar and Soc.io Mall. You won't get the variety and quality that Google Play offers. But after a hard struggle you will be happy and grateful for the few good ones you have discovered and managed to download and install. I'm not a games fan but I installed all the Angry Birds Apps as well as other good games such as Cut the Rope from these markets "of the second rank".
The second way to go is to search for downloadable APK's on the internet. An APK is the "installation file" of an App. The search will take you to shady corners of the internet. But I managed to download and install an older version of Evernote this way, to give one example. For this operation, you need a WiFi File Explorer program (which I managed to download & install) and a File Explorer program (managed that as well) – so you can hunt down and download the elusive APK on your PC and transfer it to the tablet.
Using these workarounds, I have by now given up on certain things I need and found consolation in some questionable alternatives. I wanted Skype for Android, so I could use the Philips 7+ as a Skype phone in some situations. But Skype will not install – or rather will not sign you in if you manage to download & install it. I have installed an App called IMO which kind of works as a knock-off for Skype services.
I wanted to use the tablet mainly as a book reader, but there is no way I can get around the Google Play stonewall as far as Sony's Reader App is concerned. That's what I need to read the books I bought from Sony Store. On the other hand, the pre-installed Browser and Gmail apps on the Philips 7+ do their work perfectly. So do the pre-installed Camera and the "Gallery" (photo and video) Apps.
Its an exercise in frustration and disappointment to buy a Philips 7+ in China, perhaps elsewhere too. But working under its hood compulsively is addictive and it has its joyful moments. You never know when you might make a breakthrough, like I did with Evernote or with the very nice Kingsoft Office program I managed to get hold of. I'm going to see if I can get a Sony Reader App URL from Sony Support chat. Who knows where good luck might lead the owner of the Philips 7+.
A special Philips Forum category dedicated to Philips' tablets will make a world of difference to the usefulness and pleasure afforded by these new products.