The One 'Do I Buy This', 'What Do I Buy', 'I'm Looking For' Thread

[Ronbo]

Xaueious, please help me!!!

Getting totally confused with this site and don't know if this is the proper place to ask this, but it seems to be, so I'll try...

Completely new to these ereader/tablet discussions, and to ereaders specifically. I've been looking for a good one for 2 months now and keep getting more and more bogged down with specs., features, and upcoming releases of firmware, OS, Flash, screen, etc. I am completely lost!

Here is what I want.

Inexpensive, not more than $300, if possible.
At least a 7" screen...resistive or capacitive not a big deal, I don't think???
Android 2.2, I think???
Flash 10.1, ???
Camera, not important
Embedded book store, B&N would be nice, or at least availability to it through Nook for Android
Stylus, YES, I have fat fingers
Wifi, YES
SD Expandable memory
Web access, YouTube, FaceBook
Speakers, stereo not necessary, but nice
HDMI, not necessary, but nice
Video resolution, compatible with Android OS
Processor, minimum 800Mhz??
Can play Angry Birds???

As you can see I am asking for the impossible, but willing to settle. I don't know what features I've left out (and there probably are many!) but perhaps you could add a few. Basic function is an ereader with good finger control.

Well, any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ron K.

 

[xaueious]

@Makav3ll1 You should not trust the Chinese Cortex A8 tablets yet... If you want a cheap tablet, the lowest thing I would recommend is the Coby Kyros MID7015. But it does a lot less than you might expect.

@Ronbo Creative ZiiO 7". Upgradable to Android 2.2 later. Resistive touchscreen works with stylus. $250. Angry birds. Apps work. Wifi. SD expandable. Good sound (supposedly).

 

[Beestieboy]

Ah perfect! An easy place to ask the "which tablet do I buy" question. A big thank you in advance for taking the time to help out.

We've been looking for a tablet for our kids to play fun games on (Angry Birds, etc. of course). They will probably occasionally watch movies on it. There is no specific size restriction. We would really like a capacitive screen. Price point is just as low as possible I guess. The WoPad looked kind of like a winner but I saw some posts about no OpenGL on it and so games are out of the question. Is that true? We have a fair bit of computer knowledge around here so we're not scared to dig in and upgrade/install things as needed if that would help. We are new to the Android/tablet world. We have Droid Incredible, and Droid 2 phones so we have a little experience with Android (2.2 at least).

If it can also be had on the same device, I wouldn't mind having a tablet for myself if only for simple web browsing, email checking, light game playing, and maybe some e-book reading. The kids just probably wouldn't use any of those features.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[xaueious]

@Beestieboy FlytouchII/Wowpad does what you are looking for at less than $200, but it would be much better if you could move up at least to the Nook Color ($250) or the Viewsonic gTablet ($350), particularly for hardware support.

 

[boneless]

@Shino
I do not know what to tell you about an unreleased tablet yet, but for me personally, it would not be worth it.

@boneless
The Zenithink ZT180 (both versions) is pretty much the defacto standard for a cheap 10-inch tablet. Overall cost should be under $200. I do not consider these things well built or high quality. The lowest you should probably go with is the Archos 101 IT if you are consider a professional environment.

@Tweener
That budget is too low for something that works well out of the box. You probably should reconsider your budget, or your choice for an Android tablet as a gift. Honestly I do not know what tablets you have available for a lower end device. There is the Disgo 6000, but I would not give it away as a gift to a typical 16 year old girl.

@lclifton618
You do not buy an Android tablet for school work. You need a netbook.

@tmitchell
I think all of them, but only if you pay the most expensive shipping. But there is a high chance of being disappointed with either the product or the shipping methods. Stick with local methods. $50 for DHL is expected, because it is close to what it costs to ship.

@rogand
The Archos 70 works well out of the box. The Nook Color is much more upgradable and has better hardware, but needs more work to be modified to a workable state. The shanzhai tablets are buggy. It does not make much sense for anyone but Android or electronics enthusiasts.

Xaueious, do you mean that the build and finish of these cheap tablets is unprofessional? Or the software and setup buggy? I've unlocked Iphones and rooted my G1 with Froyo so tinkering is not an issue for me. But if these tablets just have the wifi functional and onscreen keyboard is easily usable , I'd be happy. Customers would only be using it for online forms and checking off boxes or descriptions for 15 mins max for once time.

I would expect to replace these after a few years maybe so around $200 makes sense for me. It's more of a glorified clipboard to do our paperwork if anything. My other alternative is a refurbished Ipad just for the wow factor for our patients, but those are still just north of $400. An easy to type and read Wifi tablet is all I need.

 

[jrsharp21]

I am newbie looking to purchase an android tablet for the first time. I would like to purchase two of them, one for me and one for my wife. My wife will really only be using it for internet browsing, app games, and email. For me, I would like to use it for email, internet browsing, email, and watching movies while traveling. Since I travel sometimes, it would be nice to have a camera to video conference, but it is not a necessity.

I have been checking out some models online and in stores. But I feel like I have no idea what to really look for. I am trying to keep it to under $300 per unit. Also, I don't want to have to pay for any monthly data plans and planning on using it via WiFi.

I have really been looking into the Huawei Ideos S7. I think that being able to walk into Best Buy and play around with it and buy it makes me more comfortable. But then I figured I would ask around and see what the experts have to say.

Thanks all.
​

 

[xaueious]

@boneless
There is a lot of variability with these tablets. I guess the mindset to know is that the same people making these tablets are the ones who make the knockoff iPhones, but they switched to making tablets instead. There are plenty of Youtube videos to get an idea of how bad this actually is. It's hard to describe with words...

@jrsharp21 If you don't need to use it as a mobile data device (3G), you are better off with either the Archos 70/101 below $300. This is what I recommend to most people who want a starter Android tablet.

 

[jrsharp21]

@jrsharp21 If you don't need to use it as a mobile data device (3G), you are better off with either the Archos 70/101 below $300. This is what I recommend to most people who want a starter Android tablet.

Thanks Xaueious. I have been reading on the Archos 70. My two concerns are the 256MB of memory and the casing. Many people said the casing is pretty flimsy plastic.

What are the major difference between the Archos 70 and the Ideos S7? Also, is the Nook color a lot of work to turn into a viable tablet. My daughter has one and I like the build of it. Just didn't know how much fiddling and playing around it would take to mod it.

 

[boneless]

@boneless
There is a lot of variability with these tablets. I guess the mindset to know is that the same people making these tablets are the ones who make the knockoff iPhones, but they switched to making tablets instead. There are plenty of Youtube videos to get an idea of how bad this actually is. It's hard to describe with words...

@jrsharp21 If you don't need to use it as a mobile data device (3G), you are better off with either the Archos 70/101 below $300. This is what I recommend to most people who want a starter Android tablet.

Thanks, totally forgot about searching youtube. Could've save us both some time.

 

[clerky96]

People keep recommending the Archos 70 and say it is under $300. I have searched and cannot find one anywhere that has them in stock and under $300.

 

[faceman]

Thanks Xaueious. I have been reading on the Archos 70. My two concerns are the 256MB of memory and the casing. Many people said the casing is pretty flimsy plastic.

What are the major difference between the Archos 70 and the Ideos S7? Also, is the Nook color a lot of work to turn into a viable tablet. My daughter has one and I like the build of it. Just didn't know how much fiddling and playing around it would take to mod it.

I can't comment on the Archos or Ideos, but I picked up the Nook Color and aside from my reading and thinking, I spent a total of 45 minutes setting up the nook - that includes rooting, installing apps, installing Recovery software, performing backups, flashing a custom kernel so I can overclock it to 1.1 ghz, and then testing stability/speeds. If you are the least bit comfortable playing with tech devices, you can probably deal with the NC.

Also, I was much more willing to try it out once I realized the NC has a built in partition that allows a factory reset that restores the device to out-of-box status. I'm loving my NC.

 

[xaueious]

Hm... That means you should wait for the next batch. Don't rush your purchase.

@jrsharp21 Try playing around the with Nook Color first. The only thing it really lacks is a camera.



Edit: ArchosFans is keeping track of where you can get it in the US here

 

[faceman]

People keep recommending the Archos 70 and say it is under $300. I have searched and cannot find one anywhere that has them in stock and under $300.

The Archos 70 comes in an 8gb and 250gb flavor, the 250 lists for around $350+, so make sure you are searching for the right one. That being said, I find that doing a Google search and then picking their Shopping link on the left side of the page will get you directly to some options for online purchase.

 

[tweeter]

First, I've learned so much from this forum, it's great! Thank you to all who take the time to answer all the questions.

That being said, I've managed to get myself so confused. I thought I knew what I wanted, but the more I read, the more I'm not sure.

I'd like a 7", able to tether to my Motorola Droid, Flash support, GPS. I have no idea how to root, and I'd be afraid to even try.

This would be a more a toy than anything, so access to a good app store would be a plus. I've looked at the Archos 70, but then read some of the problems people were having, and the not so good support from the company. The Viewsonic tablets look good, but the Viewpoint 7 doesn't seem to support flash. I really like the Viewpoint 10 features, but think it'd be too big.

I'm so confused! Suggestions? Are there good tablets out there that I've not looked at?

 

[LTLFTCer]

OK, I will play too. I bought a superpad off eBay, but hate it.

Looking now to keep it under $400.
Front camera
4-8GB storage
HDMI(not a huge requirement), USB, Bluetooth, TFlash, micro USB charging, WiFi, 3G capable is ok but not necessary either but need to be able to tether wifi to my DX.
Stylus would be nice
Multitouch screen
Android 2.2, hardware able to upgrade to 3.0+, I know Android pretty well (so rootable as well)
Most android apps native (gmail, maps, market, etc)
Prefer a 10+ inch screen
1Ghz processor, at least 512 memory
Battery that lasts more than an hour (lol, ok, more than 4 hours would be nice)