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

[TxToast]

I've had my G Tab for about a week now. Excellent recommendation.....

Took less then 10 minutes to install clockwork mod and custom ROM. Only "issue" I had is my 1st ROM was TnT 4.2.5 and while it "loaded" the tablet
retained the original configuration (even though it showed 4.2.5) {I'm guessing I ran the 4.2.5 overlay without installing 4.2}. So the TnT logo showed vs the "android" of the ROM and all the stock apps etc.. I
flashed the latest Vegan ROM and it took just fine.

 

[solo118]

Hey
First post, but I have been searching and looking for a specific Tablet for my needs as follows

Screen size 7" preferred & multitouch would be awesome hehe
Front camera needed
2.2 (or if it can be upgraded to 2.2)
Price $200-$300 max.
Heres the main feature I would love:
Able to use T-Mobile 3G (or HSDPA+) as I have a sim card with grandfathered internet only plan for cheap unlimited internet.

I currently use a mytouch 3G for data only but I am certain a tablet will do this much better while I am on the road and dont want to bring my laptop.

Thanks in advance!



EDIT: I know t-mobile offers the Streak and the TAB but they are out of my price range. I have also seen the Huawei S7, but I am thinking that t-mobile 3g is not compatible?

 

[Zonino]

Thanks Xaueious,
I've been online looking where to get one can you point me in the right direction, I can't seem to find it anywhere..
I am in sweden which could be the problem as there doesn't seem to be any out of US sales at all!
If I can't get it what would be my next option?

 

[the_hundreds]

hey new here and looking to pick up my first tablet

1) will be using the tablet for music, gaming , movies , browsing , flash videos ,
2) $300-500$
3) im flexible on size i just want a decent or good screen for viewing
4) not to familiar with android but i have a few friends that are
5) currently in south korea but will be ordering tablet online
6) a camera and n router setting would be nice but i guess it wont be a deal breaker

 

[kiddude]

First thanks for setting up this sticky...

Looking around there seems to be a ton of options. I don't mind aftermarket stuff and I am comfortable working on devices to get things right (I have done that a bunch) and I own an Android phone...the issue is cost $200 give or take but I probably can do $300 if it has the right items. I don't see appropriations committee letting anything higher through.

USAGE: comes down to apps I will probably use, the apps the kids (8-12) will use (angry birds and such) and I see this as an opportunity to get something that can play video (basically a larger version of my phone) using video either from storage or NetFlixs (if possible). The kids will play games like Angry birds, some web-surfing and watch videos (so larger screen will help otherwise they will fight). My apps are simple, iScore - baseball scorecard program and Andronos and a couple others. If it can do Netflix and replace the wife and I using my laptop...even better.

MUST:
10" screen preferred but if a unit with 7-8" is much better than so be it.
WIFI - 802.11 g
SD or Micro SD card (for storage)
USB
5 or so hours of battery (if I put it in airplane mode).
Decent resolution and sound.

NICE:
GPS (with or without antenna)
HDMI out

COOL (but not deal breaker):
3G

The eLocity looks nice but it is 7" and for that $ I would want a GPS. The colby seems nice and cheap but is droid 2.1 so I am not sure about things working with it (my phone is droid 2.2). I looked at the X220 on eBay but you can't tell the version so you kind of are at the mercy of the vendor. Also, is there a better place to buy them so you know what your getting?

 

[bigwooly]

How to ask a good question
Tell us:
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)

Answers
1)tethering to phone when i'm out and need a bigger device, really looking for a flash capable device, surfing, reading forums, general mayhem, hopefully some 3d gaming (pocket legends, raging thunder, etc)
2) max $150 Shipping and tax included
3) smaller than 10" 7" or 8"
4) I've been successful with the ugly market hack!
5) Georgia, USA

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have already owned a sylvania synet7lp and it is out of commission due to my 2 yr old stepping on it and breaking the screen.

 

[archat68]

bigwooly,
since you dismantled your sylvania synet7lp, can you tell me about the battery specifications - both size and current and voltage ratings?
TIA

Arup

 

[xaueious]

@Zonino There should be pre-orders only right now for Europe.

@the_hundreds Samsung Galaxy Tab. You don't really have an alternative.

@kiddude Nook Color is much better than anything you can get at $200-225 and 10" right now. The only option there 10" and $200 is, as you mentioned, the Flytouch 2/3 or the Zenithink ZT180. But both are ARM11 devices, resistive touch, and of course, shanzhai.

@bigwooly I would really recommend that you shell out the extra money for the Nook COlor, but if you really can't, wait for reviews of the new Samsung based Coby Kyros lineup when it ships, and see how those tablets perform.

@androidworld The Flytouch 3 has not yet been released. The one being advertised is a 512MB variant of the original generic Flytouch 2, with Android 2.2 firmware. It normally comes with 256MB of RAM and Android 2.1. Right now it is just an overpriced alternative.

 

[emisnug]

Okeydokey poeples, hello, emisnug here - and yeah, I'm new, but I'm looking for a tablet. And damn, I want one.

Here are the points that they guy wants at the start of the tread:

1) I'm going to be using the tablet for note-taking in lectures (I hate the tapping of keys), a bit of playing around on the marketplace, a bit of app development and some gaming
2) £500 absolute maximum price
3) Ideally, 12 inch capacitive screen - gives me room for a nice keyboard. I'd be ok with a 10 incher, but 7's (Galaxy Tab, which my mate has) and 5's are way too small for effective note taking. Capacitive touchscreen majorly preferred.
4) As I said, wanting to do a bit of app development, moderatly fluent in C++, and Android is the closest O/S to Red Hat Linux. Fine with 2.1, 2.2 or Honeycomb when it becomes properly mainstream
5) Some sort of sturdy construction


That's about it really. I've heard good rumors about the Acer A500 tablet and have managed to break an iPad (in the shop) so its got to be nicely built.

Any recommendations?

Cheers

emisnug

 

[xaueious]

@emisnug My only recommendation for you is to do more research. Android tablets are not note taking devices. You need to do more research about what tablet computers are for and what they can do. Your expectations are unrealistic.

If you managed the break the iPad that quickly, you will break any other tablet you lay your hands on considering the build quality of the iPad.

 

[xanadol]

Howdy all
Allow me to initiate my first post with a very important question for myself, and perhaps a simple question for the people who are knowledgeable in the area of tablet PCs. I am looking to buy a tablet pc that is 10 inches minimum, however I do not understand if the screen size without the black borders are 10 inches as every seller advertises or if it is the full screen that’s 10 inches. In other words, does the android 10” have a bigger screen than IPAD?
My main usage of the tablet will be to use it for taking notes, solely handwritten, and reading books formatted such as PDF or DJVU. I am almost done with my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and I discovered the ease of taking notes on a tablet pc so I would like to continue my graduate courses with a tablet where I can record the professors’ voice as I am taking notes. So the only purpose of this tablet would be for supporting my education in the form of taking notes with a capacitive stylus and reading books. Also, I was able to play with an IPAD and write some notes with a pogo stylus, however, I did not have the luxury to play with an Android device. I would like to know if writing on the Android has the same feeling of writing on an IPAD.
I will be willing to spend $220 the most, that includes shipping, also the version I am interested in is Android 2.2. I heard that it is faster than 2.1 but I have not used android before so I am not very much aware of the differences. But I would like to buy the faster one if it’s a matter of 20-40 dollars.
Anyways, let me know your opinion and hopefully I can learn a thing or two.
Regards,
Giray

 

[Zonino]

Wicked, thanks, I'll have a look...
I will be making a trip to the US in about 2 months, if I don't get 1 before then I will definitely get 1 then... or 2 ;-)

Sent from my sdk using Android Tablet Forum App

 

[emisnug]

@xaueious - I'm afraid not very helpful. I have done several month's worth of research and have come to the conclousion that Andriod tablets can, in fact, be used (and rather efficienctly) for note taking. My expeectations aren't unrealistic - I could probably design and build my own tablet if I had the time. I'm not going to break anything, it was a freak occurence.

 

[xaueious]

@emisnug I'm not trying to sound smug , but I don't know of any existing solutions that will meet your needs. The largest Android tablet device is 10", not 12". And even at 10", it is relatively new ground only recently filled by the Honeycomb Motorola Xoom released just late last month.

The closest software I can think of for notetaking is Maple Paint. Compared to Microsoft Onenote or even Windows Journal, the capabilities are far inferior on Android tablets compared to Windows 7 tablets. The HTC Flyer is supposed to change this, but it is a 7" device, which you explicit stated that you didn't want.

No shipping Android tablets other than the Xoom have officially pledged Honeycomb support. At the screensize you desire, Android 3.0 is a must, but it just isn't available right now.

If you do design one, let us know. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing larger Android devices.

Unless you can run Android on a Lenovo X201T or the HP TM2T lineup (which you can't), there are no viable solutions. Plus those are convertible tablets, which are not a popular Android form factor yet. X86 and Android do not mix well at all right now. I guess there is the JooJoo too. Maybe you have the background to actually make this workable.

The JooJoo sounds like it might be closest to the hardware you are looking for, but Android is isn't quite there yet.

Or maybe there is something new in the market I am unaware of. I'm answering based on what I know, and I don't know it all.

@xanadol There are side-by-side pictures of the Motorola Xoom and the iPad. it is not significantly larger. I recommend buying a netbook with that budget for academics, and I don't say that lightly.

The best thing to get is a real tablet like the Lenovo X201T or the HP TM2T, which are 12" Windows 7 tablets that have real multitasking and real text recognition, and not a toy in a hyped embedded tablet. What you can do on those tablets is not comparable to Android or iOS tablets.


For both:
Having an active digitizer for note taking is absolutely crucial. With capacitive screens, you cannot rest your palm on the screen while performing writing. The hardware makes notetaking inherently infeasible. There are only a few Android tablets that are Wacom active-stylus enabled right now. I haven't exactly seen raving reviews, nor are they are the right size (Entourage EDGE, Eren Eben generations 1 and 2).

Software palm detection is snake oil.

And I haven't even talked about pressure sensitivity.

 

[Shortzzz]

First of, thanks for making this thread, have been searching a long time for a good and cheap android tablet with many doubts what to get.
I would like a tablet to use for playing games like angry birds, asphalt and 3d games if possible. Also for watching movies music and browsing the internet prefferably with flash. Would also preffer a working market or tablet with ability for market with a workaround. I don't really need bluetooth, 3G or gps.
I would not like to spend more than 250$ a 300$ and the size of the tablet doesn't really matter as long as it is at least 7".
I have a lot of experience with android flashing on my samsung galaxy s and do not mind reflashing cfw if it is necessary.
The "Gpad 9.7 Capacitive Android Tablet" and "ideos s7" sparked my interest but i don't really find a lot of info about any of them.

Thanks
I live in belgium but dont mind buying chinese as most of them can be found shipped from europe so import tax stays low.