Some help please. Total newbie in need of wise council.

[Professor_tanhauser]

Greetings and salutations.

Until recently I viewed tablet computers are just toys for people who grew up watching star trek: The next generation and wanted to have their own PADD, like on the show.

Recently it came to me that a fair number of people I respected and liked were getting into the tablet craze, so I gave it another look.

Shortly thereafter I got a little love letter form god in the form of a chance to grab a HO touchpad for 100$, damn near spanking new, in the box with a case for 100$.

I have determined that a tablet is more than a toy for star trek fans, and admit my initial impression was in error.

I am amazed at the ability and quality of my touchpad, but have become aware of it's limits, such as limited software, little prospect for future support, no expandable memory, can't seem to hook it to a usb drive, etc.

I have considered getting an android tablet for christmas but am uncertain what to get. I have questions, issues and constraints I seek advice on and hope some experienced android tablet owners here will deign to share their wisdom with me.

First I would like a tablet that has a 10 or so inch screen with 1020x600 or so resolution. I've used my touchpad to view tutorial videos for 3d modelling software and need good res and a large screen.

I've been told a capacitive screen is the way to go, and since my touchpad has one and it works well I agree.

I would like one that you can add memory too, in the form of a micro/sd card and that has ports to plug USB drives into for file moving, and can work when linked to a computer. (My touchpad will let you link it to a desktop but esentially goes dormant during the link and you must move files on the PC screen.)

Now I'm a total android virgin, having never owned an android device in my live. I've heard that android 2 isn't really optimized for a tablet from some sources and would be better off with android 3. Opinions? Also is it hard to upgrade a tablet that comes with android 2 to version 3?

Lastly, I'd like it all for (please don't laugh or sneer) less than 300$.

Ok, if you're done laughing, sneering, etc..

I actually have found two possible contenders, believe it or not.

one is the zenithink c91, a chinese knockoff.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...639309862403_1245216667_3171589_9825553_n.jpg

The other is an amiga tablet:
http://www.amiga.com/shop/?prod_id=10

Now someone said the amiga tablet is a repackaged gtab/vega and costs way more than these do, but I can't find any proof of that.

So if someone here would offer me some help and advice, I'd be grateful.

 

[ObsidianBlk]

I always suggest buying name brand devices because, for all intents and purposes, they have more stable features than "Chinese" tablets (though, that's not to say you wouldn't find one).

For price, Barnes and Nobles Nook Color and Amazons Kindle Fire may be worth looking at. Both are solid companies that have put out solid hardware and both devices are under $300. That said, neither of them are "stock" android devices. Each have heavy modifications to the standard android UI to serve each company's interests. Nor is either device a 10.1" screen device.

If you're willing to break your piggie bank by about $100 extra, both the Asus Transformer and the Acer Iconia A500 give you everything you're looking for. Both have a 10.1" screen. Both run android honeycomb (that's android 3). Both allow for a micro SD card expansion for additional storage. I, myself, own an Iconia and can tell you for a fact that it supports USB flash drives for moving files between tablet and computer.

Someone else may be able to give you more solid advice for other tablets.
I hope that helps a little.

 

[Professor_tanhauser]

I appreciate your responding, at least someone did.

I looked at the kindle fire, smal screen and limited uses.

300 really is more than I want to snend anyway, 400 is OotQ I'm afraid, but thanks for the tip.

Someone said the amiga tablet is a gtab of a vega and 150$ higher, but I can't believe a tablet like the amiga 10" one could cost much less.