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

[Mr. Bag of Excrement]

Hi, I'm considering getting a tablet and was looking for some suggestions and feedback from everyone. I've considered the Dell Streak 7, the Nook Color, chinese knockoffs, The Galaxy Tab, and the ipad(I dislike apple, but will tolerate it if it lives up to the hype).
1.)I'm primarily buying it for web browsing, taking notes, watching movies, and for some apps. I'm not too concerned about the g-sensor, gps, or bluetooth, although they'd be nice to have.
2.)I'd like to spend less than $500(the cheaper, the better, unless quality's substantially compromised).
3.)I'd prefer a 7" screen, although I'm not opposed to a 10" screen.
4.)I'm familiar with Android, I'm on my 2nd Android phone, and have some experience rooting them and installing custom ROM's. I'm nowhere near being an expert, but I can follow directions and do some basic troubleshooting on my own.
5.)I'm in Illinois, United States

Thanks in advance for your suggestions. I used the recommendations in the first post in this thread to organize my post. The format is quoted below.

1) what you will be using the tablet for. list any features you need, such as g-sensor, gps, bluetooth, Adobe Flash, or any specific apps
2) how much you are willing to spend
3) if you have an idea, what the size of the tablet should be
4) how much you know about Android, or just whether or not you are computer literate
5) Please list your location somewhere. (You should really include it in your profile, by the way)

 

[sheep5161]

THANK YOU! i will see!

 

[Quasimojo]

Hello, been reading through the forums, and I must say there is a veritable cornucopia of useful information here. Thanks to all who contribute.

I'm looking to buy my first tablet. My needs are as follows:

1) what you will be using the tablet for. list any features you need, such as g-sensor, gps, bluetooth, Adobe Flash, or any specific apps

Must haves: Adobe Flash, compatibility with Kindle reader and other ebook readers.
Would really like to have: g-sensor, bluetooth, capacitive touch screen, 4:3 display (this one is very close to being a "Must have" - see book preferences below).
​

2) how much you are willing to spend

Would really like to stay under $300 if at all possible.
​

3) if you have an idea, what the size of the tablet should be

I've been looking closely at the Nook, but I really think I'm going to have to find a 10.1" tablet to properly accommodate the technical/programming books I read (which accounts for at least half of my reading).
​

4) how much you know about Android, or just whether or not you are computer literate

I know very little about Android, but I'm a programmer, so there really isn't much I couldn't easily manage in the way of rooting and such.
​

5) Please list your location somewhere. (You should really include it in your profile, by the way)

Central Indiana.
​

Thanks up front for any advice.

 

[Orson]

1) Extension of my Droid. A pretty good CPU and GPU to handle a few games, front/rear cameras (front isnt high on the necessities list) 3G/4G is also optional.
2) Less then $500
3) Can't remember the screen sizes, but Galaxy tab to Xoom
4)I flash roms almost everyday. Learning java, and I'm pretty computer literate
5) New York

I'd love to get the Xoom, but I cannot afford $799 of contract, and if I'm going to pay that price I'd rather buy a tablet-laptop. I've heard that the G-tablet isn't bad, and that it can be made into really nice device. Just wondering what you guys have to say about it...

I went for a Kinpad (7", $399) as it had Froyo an AMD GPU, VPU and multi-touch capacitive screen. I'm very pleased with it's performance and build quality. It also has a dedicated GPS chip but there's some confusion re: GPS vs A-GPS (see the Kinpad post).

 

[RipplingHurst]

Okay, I want to build a more complete rear seat entertainment center for my SUV (3 rows). I already have a factory DVD, but the kids want more options (big age difference too, so they do not like to watch the same movies much, the older is 7, plus family also rides with us in the last row too).

So, I was thinking about using tablets for my headrest screens. Maybe mounted in the back seats, maybe on the headrest poles, maybe inside the headrests.

In India, they use Android tablets mounted inside headrests in buses, like this:

Or, I also like solutions like those in the 2011' Audi S8 and 2010 Mercedes GL, where the screen/tablet would not be totally covered:

So what do I buy?

1. Battery life is obviously not important. The tablet would be charged everytime it would be docked.

2. I have no problem leaving the tablet in the car at all times. It would be great to take it off though, for the odd bad neighboorhood problem, or for maintenance.

3. Games are important, but not 3D first person shooter of course. Angry birds, educational games are a must, but anything better than those 8bit games that comes from headrests on ebay should be good enough. My two and a half year old can take my iPad from the off position, slide to unlock it and launch games, Dr. Seuss stories without a problem. I expect that kind of thing to be possible.

4. Wifi, of course, my phone would provide a hotspot for the devices. Adults could connect to check the weather, wikihood/wikipedia, sport scores, facebook, etc.

5. Capacitive would be great, milky resistive screens I'm afraid do not work well in the car, but probably out of my price range.

6. 7", again, 9", 10" would work, but out of my price range.

7. Price range: dual dvd headrests with games start at 300.00 all the way to 600.00. More likely I would like to spend $300.00 for both tablets, but I would buy one to configure at first.

8. Right now the only app I know I will need is the Tasker. I hope it will turn off the tablet screen when it senses it's not charging anymore (IGN off), that when the IGN on, the tablet will start charging, then tasker will tell it to unlock the screen, start playing last media automatically (say, cartoons for the 3year old), while the others would be able to just pick it up and turn it on then back on the dock, etc.

What do you guys think? Suggestions?

I like the Coby Kyros MID 7015. Not so sure it can run Angry birds, if it can load the market apps, if the screen is good enough to use inside the car.

Also there's so many options. But I can't find any capacitive screen (clearer, brighter, better for games too) under $200.00.

So I'm open for suggestions, not only about what tablets to buy, or even about the overall project.

Thanks again,

R. Hurst.

 

[xaueious]

@golum That 8" Freescale tablet has had various issues that makes it difficult to recommend. Try to stick with what can have some sort of customer support for such as the Advent Vega. Unfortunately, I am not sure what type of tablet I would recommend for you in the UK. I have heard better things about the Samsung based tablets than the Freescale ones so far.

@pvella The Viewsonic gTablet is said to originate from Malata. The Zpad is its OEM cousin.

@Andreabg76 I don't think there will be much difference between the two except for price. The community is enthusastic about the Motorola Xoom because it is already here, meaning that it will get a head-start on community support. The Xoom is the better choice even though it will cost more.

@skittles123 If you want to write a paper, you need to be able to attach a keyboard to the tablet. You could get a Coby MID7015 for around $150, and there is an USB keyboard accessory people have discussed. It should fulfill your needs.

@anton73 Basically your choices are the eLoctiy A7, Archos 70 IT, or the Creative ZiiO 7.

@sheep5161 Ming Kwok, 华强北 for Hong Kong, I think.

@SwiftLegend If you already have eyes on the gTablet, ask XDA. There's also the eLocity A10 to consider.

@Mr. Bag of Excrement Since you can handle custom ROMs already, try the Nook Color. If you are trying to save money, all the tablets in your category require you do work on the firmware yourself.

@Quasimojo I do not have any 4:3 tablets I can recommend on the market. However, with a budget like that, there is the Archos 101 IT that might work if you want something larger. I would probably wait for reviews of the eLocity A10 if I wasn't in a hurry to buy one now.

@RipplingHurst The MID7015 wont run Angry Birds, but has one of the widest video support capabilities in the price range. It has issues with various games. I read that the Sylvania tablet is $100. That thing also supports a lot of video types, and it works with more games including Angry Birds. The downsides include build quality, ease of install, and difficulty in installing Android Market. I think there is a working CIFS module for the MID7015, if that is important for you. I think both solutions will do just fine for video, provided that you are prepared to make modifications to the firmware. You can't find a capacitive screen for less than $200 anywhere.

If you are looking for the thing to be removable anyways, you might as well go for a Nook Color. Despite the narrow video support, the screen looks better, and it is capacitive multitouch for more games.

But I don't really like the idea of having kids play with a tablet in a car. Videos on a stationary unit is one thing, but I don't think playing games would be a very good idea, especially for the health of their eyes in addition to their posture.

None of these tablets have screens that work well in sunlight. You might have to work on a canopy or shade for the screen.

 

[Fuganater]

admin edit: banned user spam. use the report button next time

Ban this guy?

 

[alcassetta]

Brower , you have had too much kool- aid from the Apple Store, youre mind has rotted out from the inside, I pad2, has No flash. no extra ports, it sucks Big Time,

 

[Fuganater]

Brower , you have had too much kool- aid from the Apple Store, youre mind has rotted out from the inside, I pad2, has No flash. no extra ports, it sucks Big Time,

Agreed. I found a review that is like the 5 thing the iPad2 doesn't have... of course I can't find it now to link...

 

[Mister Charles]

I am currently in the market for a tablet. A friend is recommending the iPad since the iPad 2 is driving down the price. But I really prefer the Android OS. (I have a Motorola Cliq for my phone currently.)

I would like to spend around the (now) $400 price range of the iPad. Give or take a little.

The primary features I want are...

- Wi-Fi
- Web Browsing
- Document Creation/Editing (word,excel,powerpoint,etc)
- Music Listening
- Movie Watching/Streaming (youtube, netflix, etc.)
- eBook Reading (ePub)
- Comic Book Reading (cbr/cbz)

Other features I'd like to have but are not required...
- Flash Support (for games)
- Camera (for use with Skype Video Chat)

Any info that could be provided would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[alcassetta]

Mr.Charles go to Elocitynow.com and read the specs on Elocity A7, I have Had a Color Nook, Freescale A8 Cortex" China knockoff(Sent back 3days later defective Hardware). Now I have a Elocity A7, with everything on your list possible ,The price at ShopNBC.com was $299.00 , It has same Processor and ram as Motorola Xoom. For $ 400 less!
It has Tru 1080 HDMI Viewing and output, Lastest update has. Made Capacitive screen fully functional.
Flash 10.1 for the smoothest video and gaming app, Angry Birds run perfectly! Superfast. 1ghz. Duo Core is also the Best when Android 3.0 comes out for this unit very soon.
Only thing that I can't praise is Camera' it is adequate for Video Conferencing, but has no rear camera, not a big deal for me, since I use my 14mpx Nikon Coolpix for photos and video's. I think 7 inch is better weight and easier to read and surf the web without Heavy 10" pads coming out! That's just my opinion. Alan

 

[RipplingHurst]

@RipplingHurst The MID7015 wont run Angry Birds, but has one of the widest video support capabilities in the price range. It has issues with various games. I read that the Sylvania tablet is $100. That thing also supports a lot of video types, and it works with more games including Angry Birds. The downsides include build quality, ease of install, and difficulty in installing Android Market. I think there is a working CIFS module for the MID7015, if that is important for you. I think both solutions will do just fine for video, provided that you are prepared to make modifications to the firmware. You can't find a capacitive screen for less than $200 anywhere.

If you are looking for the thing to be removable anyways, you might as well go for a Nook Color. Despite the narrow video support, the screen looks better, and it is capacitive multitouch for more games.

But I don't really like the idea of having kids play with a tablet in a car. Videos on a stationary unit is one thing, but I don't think playing games would be a very good idea, especially for the health of their eyes in addition to their posture.

I think you're right on this. Gotta do some research.

None of these tablets have screens that work well in sunlight. You might have to work on a canopy or shade for the screen.

OMG, fantastic reply in such a short time!

Thank you fir your input, highly appreciated.

 

[Mister Charles]

Thanks! I'll look into it!

 

[skittles123]

my only other question is with coby releasing the 7025 8025 and 1025 will the price for the 7015 drop down lower? or will the newer be within a decent price ranger or over $200. do i make sense. there is no point in me buyin something that may be on sale next month or buying something better within my price range. i just want a tablet and i want it now!!! why oh why cant money grow on tress.

 

[skittles123]

erm walmart has the coby for 138! so yea. yay!