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

[zipflint]

Hi Piglet. From one n00b to another, welcome to the forums! If you're like me, the Android tablet world and *especially* the Chinese tablets and their variants can be totally confusing. One of the things I didn't realize was that some tablets, while they might be running the latest version of Android, can't access the Google Play app market because of the chipsets they contain. That sorta blew me away. I sometimes worry that I ask inane questions that have been answered a bajillion times, but I often don't even know WHAT questions to ask. So I do what you do, and link to a tablet hoping someone who knows WTF they're talking about will alert me to anything I should know.

So, I can't offer any truly useful information. But I just wanted to say that you're not alone! Seems like the money you save in buying one of these "off-brands" is made up for in the learning curve. But, I enjoy learning all this stuff anyway.

 

[holster]

Hiya everyone,

I have finally decided which tablet I'm going to get, its the Nexus 7.7.

I am slightly confused by this one on the Tesco website..

Buy Samsung Galaxy Tablet (7", 32GB, wifi, 3G) from our All Tablet PCs range - Tesco.com

Is this the same Galaxy 7.7 as in this review...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Review - Computer and Games Console Reviews and Video | Stuff magazine

From what I can see the spec looks the same, but the price on the Tesco website looks too good to be true - is the one on the Tesco website perhaps an earlier model?

Thanks

 

[inanitydefined]

Ok so I have been hunting my next android tablet and I am about at my wits end here. Let me start from the beginning.
My first android tablet was an archos 5IT. I used this for a long time and liked it though wanted more.
I upgraded later to a icoo d70. The thing was unbelievably slow but I still fell in love with android 4.0 and replaced my laptop computer with this tab. I was also screwed over by the company i bought from but more on that later.
When my girlfriend stepped on my icoo I bought a Double Power m7088 (rk3066 based) this tablet was amazing, quick responsive, filled most of my needs. battery life was short but it worked. Until one day a week later it didn't. Was soft bricked but after seeing so many reviews with the same problem i returned it.
I then bought a Asus/Google nexus 7. This was by far the biggest disappointment. The device was great in performance but was so poorly thrown together i couldn't believe it. My headphone jack didn't work, touch response was broken, light sensor crapped out, screen lift, you name it i had it. I returned it
So I have literally spend about 30 hours looking for where i go from here and I'm lost. Now on to your questions

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
I use my tablet as my only computer. The device must be rootable, have roms and preferably Linux/Ubuntu Support. Google Apps whether native or added is a must. Bluetooth is a must. GPS would be nice but not necessary. Must have at least one good camera. I plan to have this thing for a while so it needs to be able to grow with me, that requires good hardware that can be overclocked and a good community. Oh and please don't suggest anything slower than a tegra 2. The only reason I'm even considering that is it has lots of overclocking room
edit: HDMI output would be a big plus as well
2) how much you are willing to spend
My budget peaks at about $300 but I'd like to stay under $220. Note that I am not against used or refurbished devices. I am a little gunshy to chinese vendors, as when I bought my icoo, I paid for the higher end version and the vendor shipped me the cheap outdated version then refused to acknowledge their mistake. If i can find a chinese vendor with a rep for OUTSTANDING customer service i will consider going that way
3) if you have an idea, what the size of the tablet should be
I prefer a 7 inch but will accept up to a 10.1 if it has really great features
4) how much you know about Android, or just whether or not you are computer literate
I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty rooting/overclocking/and flashing custom roms. I am no programmer though, i haven't written much more complex than "hello world"
5) Please list your location somewhere. (You should really include it in your profile, by the way)
I am in the United States

Thanks a lot I know its a lot I'm asking but any help will be good. I have a short list but its mostly a pipe dream. For the record: perfection would be an Asus Transformer with a dual core Cortex a15. But thats a ways off and out of my price range anyway

 

[inanitydefined]

Hiya everyone,

I have finally decided which tablet I'm going to get, its the Nexus 7.7.

I am slightly confused by this one on the Tesco website..

Buy Samsung Galaxy Tablet (7", 32GB, wifi, 3G) from our All Tablet PCs range - Tesco.com

Is this the same Galaxy 7.7 as in this review...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Review - Computer and Games Console Reviews and Video | Stuff magazine

From what I can see the spec looks the same, but the price on the Tesco website looks too good to be true - is the one on the Tesco website perhaps an earlier model?

Thanks

the one Tesco has for sale is an older model and a far cry hardware wise from the galaxy 7.7. That price seems a little high, I've seen them for $200usd and i believe your money is still stronger than ours. These things are on my short list and don't seem bad if you get them cheap enough. That galaxy 7.7 looks amazing though

 

[Barney.S]

Hello boys and girls,

I'm looking for some help in finding a suitable tablet

ANSWERS AS PER OP QUESTIONS
1. Intended use: Ultra-portable laptop replacement (see below for wanted features).
2. Price: Not an issue.
3. Size: Preferably around 8", I find the 7" too small and the 10" too large.
4. Android knowledge: Fair (can tweak and install custom ROM's etc.).
5. Location: All over - I spend time in Europe, the US and the far east.

FEATURE WISH LIST
- Size similar to iPad mini (around 8" screen)
- High end processor/hardware
- Wifi n
- 3G and possibly 4G
- Bluetooth
- Internal storage: preferably 32GB or larger
- Memory card slot
- Intend to run custom JB ROM with PDroid and no google apps (including market, I'll get the apk's through other means), preferably with custom kernel (so preferably unlockable boot loader)

Basically "extra everything except size" Any suggestions from the top of your heads?

Cheers,
b

 

[inanitydefined]

So it seems I've answered my own questions. I've landed on the PIPO S2 and purchased it. let me break down why
1. RK3066. I don't know if i mentioned this but I love this chip. Excellent performance, difficult to hard brick, fantastic audio quality (rockchip has a cult following among audiophiles). Its about at its limit at 1.6ghz but i can live with the performance for now (see pt 3)
2. big battery. Perhaps my nexus spoiled me, but now 5 hours is simply not enough. this thing has a 5000mah battery that I should be able to set up for more than 8 hours (i run my brightness low, am crazy about background tasks, and am an avid over/underclocker. I once had a palm treo 650 that ran weeks between charges)
3. Its cheap. Very cheap. This means I can put most of my money away for the next generation of processors. Hopefully RK31xx is coming soon and tegra 4
4. Its feature packed. For less than $150 i got 16g+sd, a full usb and a micro usb, bluetooth, hdmi out, google play, and front and rear cameras. And the aforementioned 5000mah battery.
5. Last but not least, support. First the company is vigilant in releasing firmware updates for its devices, including english market firmware. They fix their problems and customer satisfaction seems high. Also the community is good. There are custom roms cooked from the official releases and there are lots of walkthroughs for doing anything I can imagine to these devices including rooting, installing recovery. I'm sure somewhere theres a linux port and if not there will be

Ok so I have been hunting my next android tablet and I am about at my wits end here. Let me start from the beginning.
My first android tablet was an archos 5IT. I used this for a long time and liked it though wanted more.
I upgraded later to a icoo d70. The thing was unbelievably slow but I still fell in love with android 4.0 and replaced my laptop computer with this tab. I was also screwed over by the company i bought from but more on that later.
When my girlfriend stepped on my icoo I bought a Double Power m7088 (rk3066 based) this tablet was amazing, quick responsive, filled most of my needs. battery life was short but it worked. Until one day a week later it didn't. Was soft bricked but after seeing so many reviews with the same problem i returned it.
I then bought a Asus/Google nexus 7. This was by far the biggest disappointment. The device was great in performance but was so poorly thrown together i couldn't believe it. My headphone jack didn't work, touch response was broken, light sensor crapped out, screen lift, you name it i had it. I returned it
So I have literally spend about 30 hours looking for where i go from here and I'm lost. Now on to your questions

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
I use my tablet as my only computer. The device must be rootable, have roms and preferably Linux/Ubuntu Support. Google Apps whether native or added is a must. Bluetooth is a must. GPS would be nice but not necessary. Must have at least one good camera. I plan to have this thing for a while so it needs to be able to grow with me, that requires good hardware that can be overclocked and a good community. Oh and please don't suggest anything slower than a tegra 2. The only reason I'm even considering that is it has lots of overclocking room
edit: HDMI output would be a big plus as well
2) how much you are willing to spend
My budget peaks at about $300 but I'd like to stay under $220. Note that I am not against used or refurbished devices. I am a little gunshy to chinese vendors, as when I bought my icoo, I paid for the higher end version and the vendor shipped me the cheap outdated version then refused to acknowledge their mistake. If i can find a chinese vendor with a rep for OUTSTANDING customer service i will consider going that way
3) if you have an idea, what the size of the tablet should be
I prefer a 7 inch but will accept up to a 10.1 if it has really great features
4) how much you know about Android, or just whether or not you are computer literate
I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty rooting/overclocking/and flashing custom roms. I am no programmer though, i haven't written much more complex than "hello world"
5) Please list your location somewhere. (You should really include it in your profile, by the way)
I am in the United States

Thanks a lot I know its a lot I'm asking but any help will be good. I have a short list but its mostly a pipe dream. For the record: perfection would be an Asus Transformer with a dual core Cortex a15. But thats a ways off and out of my price range anyway

 

[landog]

1) what you will be using the tablet for...

I need to be able to program it and add pictures (large buttons with pictures) and play short audio clips when pressing the button.
For starters - I need a prototype beta test unit.

wi-fi would be nice
the ability to play audio or movies are a plus

2) how much you are willing to spend

I'm flexible - willing to spend what is necessary. That said, the less I spend - the better.

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

Again, somewhat fexible on this. 7 - 10 inches? Whatever it takes.


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

I am quite computer literate - but in a Windows / AIX / Linux fashion.



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

Ohio.


Thanks!

 

[MrFastZombie]

I am back and this time my requirements are different
Price: $100-$200
Space: 32 GB or Expandable to 32GB
OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Processor: Quad core 1GHz (Or better)
Wi-Fi Support: Yes
Google Play Support: Yes
Screen size: 7" 1280 x 800
Multi-Touch: Yes, must support to atleast 5 Fingers
RAM: 1 GB or more
GPS: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
Google now: Yes
Microphone: Yes
Netflix, Twitter, Facebook Support: Yes

Optional but preferred:
4G Support
Camera on back or a camera on both sides

*May change stuff in the future.

 

[ravenryuu]

So it seems I've answered my own questions. I've landed on the PIPO S2 and purchased it. let me break down why
1. RK3066. I don't know if i mentioned this but I love this chip. Excellent performance, difficult to hard brick, fantastic audio quality (rockchip has a cult following among audiophiles). Its about at its limit at 1.6ghz but i can live with the performance for now (see pt 3)
2. big battery. Perhaps my nexus spoiled me, but now 5 hours is simply not enough. this thing has a 5000mah battery that I should be able to set up for more than 8 hours (i run my brightness low, am crazy about background tasks, and am an avid over/underclocker. I once had a palm treo 650 that ran weeks between charges)
3. Its cheap. Very cheap. This means I can put most of my money away for the next generation of processors. Hopefully RK31xx is coming soon and tegra 4
4. Its feature packed. For less than $150 i got 16g+sd, a full usb and a micro usb, bluetooth, hdmi out, google play, and front and rear cameras. And the aforementioned 5000mah battery.
5. Last but not least, support. First the company is vigilant in releasing firmware updates for its devices, including english market firmware. They fix their problems and customer satisfaction seems high. Also the community is good. There are custom roms cooked from the official releases and there are lots of walkthroughs for doing anything I can imagine to these devices including rooting, installing recovery. I'm sure somewhere theres a linux port and if not there will be

I appreciated reading your posts - I'll be keeping this company in mind for when I'm ready to get another tablet

 

[JasonLazenby]

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
Ok, I need to buy 4 tablets for business use in Garden Centers. It needs to be wifi /3g, touch screen, be able to operate windows (we have a lot of excel spreadsheets with images), USB drives, good readability in direct sun, with the typical good qualities for cameras and other fluff features.

2) how much you are willing to spend
Can spend up to $2000 if need be...

3) if you have an idea, what the size of the tablet should be
Somewhere between an Ipad and laptop

4) how much you know about Android, or just whether or not you are computer literate
Not so much about Android, but consider myself average to slightly above on computer literacy

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

Auburn, AL

 

[cpuken]

.....
Here are some of my favorites in the 7" Segment:

Samsung Galaxy Tab2 - can be had new for $179 or refurb for $149; although lower res than the Nexus 7, it has a brighter and better looking screen IMO, microSD expandability, front and rear facing cams, IR ability to control TVs etc. dual core TI OMAP4 processor isn't the fastest of the current gen, but still plenty fast for 3d gaming
Nexus 7 - can be had for $199 new in 16gb version or $229 - $249 for 32gb; Tegra 3 cpu/gpu combo is about as good as it gets for gaming; fragile build make it less ideal for smaller kids, and it doesn't have rear facing camera, microSD expandability, or mini HDMI out.
Ainol Novo 7 Fire/Flame - Expect to pay $160 - $175; Bang for the buck buy for an off brand, but 1280x800 IPS panel shortages mean low supply. Slightly better spec'd than the Galaxy Tab 2. No GPS, but has integrated bluetooth. Good build and support via the forum.
Onda V712 - $150, Another bang for the buck buy. Rugged aluminum chassis, and almost identical specs to the Ainol Novo 7 Fire/Flame, sans built-in bluetooth and a slightly lower spec'd battery. I bought one of these and am quite happy with it!
Pipo U1 - $150, no direct experience, but good hardware and have heard good things.

Good post. I'm new to Android and new to Tablets. I've been checking out this forum the past few days.
What I've noticed is that there is about 1 answer for every 10 questions posted. Not sure if the knowledgeable users are busy right now if thisis the norm around here.

As I posted in another thread, I had been looking at getting the Ainol Novo 7 Flame/Fire but restrained availability lead me to pickup a Pipo U2. My initial impressions are the following (after a few weeks use).
1. Wifi quality is poor and may be the deal breaker that keeps me from recommending it. You can't stray too far from the router before it becomes useless. I've caught a few other post here regarding other China tablets and I'm not sure if this is common problem... I really hope not because with out good wifi connectivity, this limits the usefulness of a tablet.

2. The Pipo U2 has a great looking screen and snappy performance. If the wifi worked well, I certainly recommend it even though it has a few other negatives.

3. The Pipo U2 has a small bezel around he screen, while this seemed like a good idea at the time, in actual use this is a bit of a problem. You have to be careful how you hold it because you will end up touching the screen and launching apps or settings because you accidentally touched the screen just tring to hold it. After repeated false launches, you eventually learn to hold it carefully and in certain places to minimize this.

4. My next tablet will have built-in GPS or at least be able to add it. There are many apps that work best when there is built in GPS... cheap gas prices near by, what businesses are near by, location of bank near by, etc. I have an iPhone 4s and I'm constantly using apps that need location information. Of course you can enter your location in manually each time but having the app just use the GPS location sure makes it work seemlessly.

5. My wife and had an Ipad (1st gen) since they were released so I'm familiar with how well they perform, I have an iPhone 4S and my wife just purchased a Kindle Fire HD (7 inch) for Christmas. The Pipo U2 has wifi problems when none of these other devices do. One thing I did notice is that the U2's speed/performance appears to be snappier then the Kindle Fire HD!!! that was a nice suprise and of course the limited access to the Andoid marketplace is a negative. The Kindle Fire is good for her but it would drive me craze to be hand cuffed like that.

6. Pipo U2 cameras are a waste of time. I believe it is 0.3 front facing and 2.0 rear facing cameras. I wanted a tablet with both rear and front facing cameras but these are useless for most work. Using a app that scans bar codes I couldn't even get it to recognize the bar code due to the poor camera quality. Oh well, I'll just use the camera on my iphone for this.

Those are the items that come to mind off the top of my head.
I'm looking forward to purchasing another 7 inch Android tablet and I'm looking at the Ainol Novo 7 Venus. I want a 7 inch tablet with a nice screen, front and rear facing camera, SD card support, GPS, quad core processor and most importantly good Wifi connections. I'm hoping others will chime in with how well their wifi works on whatever tablet they own. Let's determine if there are brands, models or certain chipsets to avoid.
Thanks
Ken

 

[lmreia]

Which tablet is the best between Momo7 Talent and Pipo U1 Pro?
App compatibility in the Play Store is one of the most important things to me, since I don't want to root the tablet.

 

[irmis]

Hi guys, I am new in android tablet world and I am searching for tablet for around 200$.
So far I am thinking about:

CHRISTMAS SALE: Ainol NOVO 10 Hero Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 10.1 inch IPS Dual Core Bluetooth V2.1 Dual Camera
Ployer Momo12 Dual Core 10.1 Inch G+G IPS Android 4.1 Tablet PC WIFI HDMI Bluetooth 16GB

Which one is better, or maybye I should choose another one. Please advice me.

 

[Danspill]

Hello, Im looking for advice on which tablet to buy for teaching. I have a laptop but its heavy to take to work. each day. The main purpose would be to play video files and streams out to projectors. and tvs. In order to do this VGA is necessary, although via an adqptor is ok.
My price range is perhaps upto $500, although cheaper is good of course. I currentlybuse a galxy S3 phone so I know mobile android, and I live in Taiwan.

 

[coruptedone]

TABLET FOR STUDENT:
well I have already done some extensive research and have it narrowed down to two tablets
1. Asus transformer pad TF300.
2. Google NEXUS 7
However I am open to other suggestions I mostly want to use this for reading textbooks, splashtop gaming, note taking, and web surfing.
Other than that my real big dilemma is 7in or 10in... do I want the portability and form factor of the 7in or do I need the larger screen for reading the textbook.pdf's
I am looking to spend upwards of 400 but I would like to keep it to the lower end of the price scale.
I have a Galaxy Nexus smartphone and am no stranger to the android scene and I am majoring in Computer Science