The Augen GenTouch78 made headlines when it hit the streets last summer because it was one of the cheapest Android tablets you could walk into a store and buy in the US. That didn’t make it a good tablet. In fact, it’s probably one of the worst tablets I’ve used, thanks to a sluggish processor, non-responsive touchscreen, and software that’s barely usable. But there are some things you can do to make the tablet a little more useful.

PandoraDroid is a not-quite-complete replacement for the software that comes with the GenTouch78. The developer added support for the Google Android Market and other Google apps including Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps.

PandoraDroid also removes the default app launcher, and several other apps and replaces them with ADW Launcher, the Android 2.1 3D photo gallery and other apps. There’s also a custom theme and custom buttons added to the status bar for Home, Menu, and Back buttons — so you don’t have to try to locate the buttons on the back of the device every time you want to return to a previous screen.

The hacked software also includes root access and Clockwork Recovery, which should make it easier to install other custom ROMs on the Augen GenTouch78, although I haven’t really run across any other ROMs for the tablet.

PandoraDroid was released in September and it doesn’t look like it’s been updated since then, so I wouldn’t expect much more from this project. But it’s still probable your best bet for squeezing a little more out of this cheap tablet.

You can find more details, download links, and installation instructions at Android Spin. You can check out my hands-on video showing some of the features after the break.

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

7 replies on “PandoraDroid makes the Augen GenTouch78 tablet almost bearable”

  1. Im Glad someone has found use with my PandoraDroid Touch! its nice to search the interwebs and see it in use! thank you liliputing! 
    JesterDroid

  2. I doubt Augen wants to make a $400 plus Honeycomb tablet and compete with Moto, Sammy, Asus,LG Etc. they probably happy with the low end devices they produce.

  3. Considering i just checked it’s under 50 bucks on ebay that’s not too shabby

  4. I wish this was around before I accidently killed my Augen Gentouch 78 trying to upgrade the software (perhaps pressed the reset button and it made a sizziling sound). Hopefully Augen will see this and upgrade their software/os. IMO; it would be an improvement on what they have.

    1. That doesn’t seem likely. The GenTouch78 originally shipped with the Android Market (even if it didn’t work), but the company was pressured by Google into removing it. I think you’ll have to rely on unofficial ROMs like this to make the GenTouch78 usable.

      There’s still hope for Augen’s new tablets though. If the company can load them up with Honeycomb, they might get full Android Market access.

Comments are closed.