Recommendations for a tablet

[joninjax]

I'm sure you guys see this question all the time, so my apologies as a newbie if I'm breaking any forum etiquette here for asking this.

MUSTS
======
Under $200
Android Marketplace
7" or bigger
Android 2.1+
Handles streaming video well
Doesn't have quirky/unreliable touch screen
Reliable Wi-Fi


NICE BUT NOT DEAL-BREAKERS
=======================
Android 2.2
GPS
3G or 4G
8 GB storage

Basically, it's a gift for my wife, who wants something with easy and reliable access to apps, the Internet, and e-mail. Flash is nice (which, if I understand correctly, is only available on 2.2 and not 2.1), but if non-Flash streaming video such as Youtube works, then we can probably live with that.

Any help you can give would be great! Thank you!

Jon,
Jacksonville, FL

 

[pbrauer]

To be honest, in my opinion you either need to lower your list of "MUSTS" or add $100 to your price. There are absolutely devices that will have 5 out of 7 of your must haves in that price range, but not many, and certainly not many that are going to long-term usable by a non-geek that is willing to either do a lot of fiddling around or deal with machine shortcomings.

 

[joninjax]

To be honest, in my opinion you either need to lower your list of "MUSTS" or add $100 to your price. There are absolutely devices that will have 5 out of 7 of your must haves in that price range, but not many, and certainly not many that are going to long-term usable by a non-geek that is willing to either do a lot of fiddling around or deal with machine shortcomings.

Thank you for the honest reply. I can probably get away from the 7"+ size, but the price and the Android Marketplace are absolute musts.

 

[LS650]

I bought a Gpad G10. It meets all of your MUSTS; it was delviered with working Market, YouTube, etc. Touch screen is resistive but decent. Price was about $200 with shipping.

 

[joninjax]

Thanks, guys!

My wife actually said last night that the 7"+ size wasn't a must. She's fine with an iPod Touch. I'd rather an Android tablet rather than an Apple device, so what would you guys recommend for all of the MUSTS minus the screen size? I'm thinking that Android 2.2 OS is more important than I initially thought. Is the Archos 32 any good?

 

[gurgle]

The Android 32 and 43 and especially the 28 are more of PMPs (Personal Media Player) size. The issue I see for you is you are describing the Archos 70/8 or something like the WITstech A81E/G series. The difference is noticable though. Look at my poor table below.

Archos 70/8 WITs A81
RAM 256M 256M
Int Store 8G 2G
Slot MicroSD MicroSD
Cams 2 None
Android 2.2 w/update 2.2
G-Sensor Yes Only newer units
Market No/slideload poss Yes
GPS Added option Yes
BT Yes Yes
Support Large Company Community/Company
Source Big Box/Internet Internet
Price $270-300 $150-240
Stability Historically V-Good Fair-Good

The above is off the top of my head and may hold bias. There are other units to compare as well. PBrauer has it right though. You get what you pay for. Apple is right now ahead of the curve and Android Tablets are playing catchup. But to get what you want with available support, it usually is $300+ at this time.

 

[teegunn]

The Archos will likely be more stable. The Wits is about $100 to $125 cheaper. The archos has a capacitive screen, the Wits doesn't. I see that amazon and tigerdirect have the ARchos in stock I might order two of them.

 

[joninjax]

Thanks, gurgle and teegun!

Basically, she wants a tablet that gives her WiFi access when she goes to her favorite Hotspot joints (Starbucks, Borders, etc.), as well as a tablet that has "apps" (be it the AppsLib or the Android Market). What "apps" does she want? Heck, she doesn't know...she just wants some dang apps! LOL!

She'd like to be able to view streaming video, too, but that clearly takes a back seat to the "apps" that she just knows she wants access to.

So is the Archos 32 good for what she wants?