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

[dansamy]

@dansamy
Your selection depends on where you are as well.
There are more Cortex A8 tablets on the market right now other than the IMX515. There have been some really bad revisions of the 8" IMX515, so it is very difficult to recommend. My recommendation depends on who you are shopping from.
If you are looking for strong communities and don't mind hacking, your best choice is the Viewsonic G-tablet. The next one up is the Nook Color.

I bought a white Pandigital, but it's going back since the hardware isn't so great. For the kids, they really need a screen they can touch with their fingers. I think the NC might do the trick, but I may just wait until after CES to see what's around the bend. It's not like this is their Christmas present and I *need* something *now*.

[Ads]

[ZokuZetsubou]

Hi, I can't decide what to get, any help will be very much appreciated.

slight background:
I looked around about 4 weeks ago and almost got Nook Color, but then saw the Archos 101 and ordered that. The order didn't go through, so I looked around for some others. Eventually I found the Notion Ink Adam and was planning on getting that, thinking it might be out by Christmas or January, which it won't, and I can't wait anymore, especially not for 2, 3 or more months for it. So now I want one as soon as possible, and I don't want to spend so much. I want something to hold me over for about 6 months to a year or so before I get something more expensive around $300-$500, and the new batch of tablets has come out (Mirasol Display!!).

Price Range: maximum of $150-$200, might change..
Screen: at least 7"
expandable memory through SD or microSDHC up to 32GB
primary uses: reading .pdf and .epub files, notetaking - good touch screen for writing notes on or drawing with
secondary uses: multimedia - video/music/internet, easy to use for developing/testing android apps on
optional uses: emulating game consoles up to PS1 & N64 (unlikely?) or at least SNES, and GBA


summary: I'll mainly use it for reading technical books mostly in .pdf format, such as math and physics books, and want to be able to write/annotate on it as I'm reading so that I can do some of the practice problems, and do exercises as I go along with it. I suppose I would want a touch screen that works well with a stylus, though multi-touch would be a nice bonus. I'd also like to read comics on it. I'd also like to use it for testing and developing android apps on it. I'm fine with rooting it, using custom firmware etc. as long as it works well. Fair audio and video capabilities would be appreciated, but not absolutely necessary (but certainly appreciated).

Thank You for any suggestions!

[gdanko]

This will be for general hacking, ROM development, and so forth.

* 7-8" screen
* 800Mhz+ CPU
* Capacitive multi-touch screen
* 512MB RAM
* 4GB+ ROM
* SD slot
* Official market

One that has piqued my curiosity is the Locktec Wowpad2 but it's a bit pricey at $508.
Shenzhen LOCKTEC Co.,Limited

[xaueious]

At $500, you might as well go for a Tegra 2 tablet. Capacitive multitouch is a work in progress on those IMX515 platforms. Resistive variants retail for as low as $150US before shippin, just to get an idea.

@ZokuZetsubou
The Nook Color is the best alternative you can get for your requirements.

[dundroid]

Hi all,
I want to upgrade to something that does PDF well,
Adobe reader is only available to 2.+ , so :
must be 2.2
fast enough process as not to lag when opening large PDFs
Battery life is very important 4 hours at the least, the more the better (a removable battery might be even better)
4:3 aspect ratio will be a plus
less than $250
popular = readily available ROMs
The following is not necesary but will not hurt (even if I paid a bit more)


upgradable to Android 2.3/3
capacitive screen
regular SD or micro SD
Direct USB (no dongle)
bluetooth
support, firmware updates
512 or 1GB RAM
G sensor
3D graphic Handling
HD
HDMI
Multitouch
3G
GPS
Wifi nthanks alot

[buddyisonfire]

Okay, I'm new here and this is my first post. I've been looking everywhere for a tablet that suits my needs but have been unable to find one. Hopefully you guys can help me out.

Im looking for a tablet that I can permanently mount in my car that I will mostly use for GPS navigation and music playback so it'll need to have GPS and market access or some other way to get a good offline navigation app on it, I also need at least 120gb of storage for my music. I also hate resistive touch screens so it needs to have a quality capacitive screen between 7 and 10 inches. At least Android 2.2 would be nice, but it's not necessary. I don't want a super slow tablet, but I'm not too worried about specs as long as it has room for my music and can navigate me around.

I got super excited when I saw the Archos 70 Internet tablet, but my excitement quickly left when I realized there was no GPS

Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance.

[subcultureuk]

Hi folks

great thread.... ive been reading this forum for some time now, and im not really too much wiser, so im hoping someone can make me a recommendation to at least point me in the right direction! im looking for a tablet to browse the internet (including flash) , play games, read PDFs, and link up to a TV to play divx and mkv files (Hi Def) outputted by HDMI. Im based in the UK, and i have up to $400 to spend. Im looking for something that definitely has the full market place, preferrably out of the box, but i'd be happy to tweak if guides/support were freely available. From what ive read so far, heres the spec i feel i need:

ESSENTIAL:

* Full market access
* Android 2.2 minimum
* 8 - 10" screen (preferrably the bigger)
* Flash support for internet/youtube etc
* wi-fi
* good battery life (5/6 hours minimum)
* g sensor
* good movie codec support
* support for 32gb memory card
* 3D game support

DESIRABLE

* capacitive screen
* upgradable firmware
* good support

any other advice of chipsets and any other features that would be useful for what im gonna use it for, would be much appreciated... thanks in advance!

[xaueious]

@dundroid
Shanzhai tablets A8 8" IMX515, Witstech A81, and the Samsung A8 8" S5PV210
Of these, the S5PV210 shows the most promise, but I wouldn't call any of these reliable and popular.
I have nothing to recommend to you at this price point. I would just order the Archos 70 from Tigerdirect and get $20 off Paypal.

@buddyisonfire
It depends on where you are. The Huawei S7 is a good choice if you want something that just works. Archos 5 IT has GPS but is really dated.
Shanzhai choices include Witstech A81G, Leader PXA166 (http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/...6-tablets.html), Flytouch II are the shanzhai choices (http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/...-1-tablet.html).

You didn't list a price range or size. The Flytouch II is the most easily attainable below $200.

@subcultureuk
Advent Vega, with the exception that codec support doesn't work up to 1080p high profile. The support community via Modaco is as good as you can get for in terms of community support. Also consider the Archos 101, but the Advent Vega has better long-term value.

[subcultureuk]

@dundroid
@subcultureuk
Advent Vega, with the exception that codec support doesn't work up to 1080p high profile. The support community via Modaco is as good as you can get for in terms of community support. Also consider the Archos 101, but the Advent Vega has better long-term value.

thanks for that... the Archos 101 was one i definitely considered because a friend told me that Archos offer a trade in scheme in the future if you wish to upgrade, do you know if this is correct?

also, is it fairly straightforward now to add full Market to the 101 running android 2.2 software?

thanks for your help, i'd never even heard of the vega... looks really interesting, especially as it may be available locally (PC World)

[subcultureuk]

sorry, i also forgot to say..... if i was happy to stay at 8" screen (there seems to be a bit of an issue with 10" screens but the look of it?) , would you be happy with your same recommendation, or are there other options you would recommend? What ive read on the Vega is that is not a great out of box experience (tweaks needed, viewing angles etc), and the HDMI playback aint great. I do like the idea of support from a Uk major company though (DSG)