[h=1]Which of these tablets is the best?
Coby Kyros 7-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Tablet with Capacitive Touchscreen - MID7022-4G (Black)[/h]Can I update it to Android 4.0. I found an update here, but I don't know if it works because Coby says it can't be updated? Consumer Entertainment Products for Home, Office or On the Go! | COBY
[h=1]Idolian TurboTab Samsung CPU - 7" Inch Android Tablet PC - Capacitive Touch Screen WITH GPS[/h]This seems like a good tablet, but I can't find it anywhere, even on idolian.com. What's up!!!! Also, can I updated it to Android 4.0?
[h=1]Idolian Touchtab C8 7" Android Tablet Capacitive Touch Screen[/h]One of the reviews on amazon.com scared me, so I am unsure I should buy this tablet. Also, can I updated it to Android 4.0?
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Idolian Touchtab C8 7" Android Tablet Capacitive Touch Screen
I'm a longtime Android phone user. This is my first Android tablet and I absolutely love (almost) everything about it. The screen is extremely responsive, the operations are speedy and it was very easy to set up (weird thing though -- most of my favorite apps from the phone didn't show up on the Android Market. Inconvenient, but a workaround is to Google search for "app name apk" and install manually. Also, for some reason it runs the older Market despite having a later firmware version than my phone). Web surfing, movie watching, game playing, all much more pleasurable compared to the phone's tiny screen; in fact, I don't think I can ever go back to just using the phone after only a week with the tablet.
It was even amazingly simple to set up a wi-fi (G) network, and I have had horrendous luck in the past with wireless setups. Now my phone benefits from the faster connection as well (and it is REALLY fast. Having surfed the web on my Samsung Galaxy S on only 4G for awhile now, I see what I've been missing. FAST!)
However, it's not all rainbows and roses. The original Amazon listing for this model with over 80 reviews, which strangely has vanished now, contained multiple complaints of the weight of this thing and they weren't kidding. It's really heavy. So heavy that holding it one-handed becomes truly uncomfortable fairly quickly. It creates the impression of solid build and sturdiness, but still -- detracts somewhat from the enjoyment of using it.
A tiny quibble is the placement of the back and menu keys on the side of the device, though after playing with it for a few days and then going back to my phone, it's taking a surprising amount of adjustment to have all the buttons on the front now.
Also the battery life is terrible, but reading around I think this is common to all tablets. I'm used to my phone battery lasting 24 hours or slighty more -- the tablet dies at closer to 8.
The biggest problem, and the reason I'm returning it, is a few days after playing with mine it developed the "Sleep of Death" problem. This is when putting the device to sleep (a suspended idle mode that it's supposed to wake from quickly by tapping the button again) results instead in the unit powering itself down completely. It's aggravating to say the least, because it happens completely randomly: once it happened when I put it down for a minute or two. Then that night I put it to sleep and it woke up instantly after 8 hours. There's just no pattern and no one is sure of the cause (I've read practically every forum I could find on the topic. And it does happen on other tablets, not just the C8).
Since I love everything else about it I'm ordering another, as most people report getting a good one on their second (or third) try, so it's a roll of the dice whether you get the defect or not. Fingers crossed.
One last thing -- you probably shouldn't bother with an external keyboard for it. I got one of the cheap "leather" cases with attached keyboard here on Amazon and typing on it was immensely frustrating, to put it nicely. Instead I installed the Super Keyboard app from the Market (bigger for tablets) and can type amazingly quickly and accurately with it.
UPDATE: Doing more research on Chinese tablets (which I wish I had done originally), I realize now the C8 comes with a crippled Market (reviews of most other tablets all seem really excited to point out that they come with a "full Market") -- I always thought the Market was the Market, period. Ah Android...a learning experience around every corner.
Ultimately, given the chance to look around a bit more and despite the fact that the Herotab performs more than satisfactorily (other than the unfortunate Sleep of Death), I opted to try the Wopad i7 as a replacement based mostly on weight. Like I said, the Herotab is really oppressively heavy and I'm excited to try out something I can hold one-handed for longer than a few minutes without fidgeting.
Thanks everyone!
Coby Kyros 7-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Tablet with Capacitive Touchscreen - MID7022-4G (Black)[/h]Can I update it to Android 4.0. I found an update here, but I don't know if it works because Coby says it can't be updated? Consumer Entertainment Products for Home, Office or On the Go! | COBY
[h=1]Idolian TurboTab Samsung CPU - 7" Inch Android Tablet PC - Capacitive Touch Screen WITH GPS[/h]This seems like a good tablet, but I can't find it anywhere, even on idolian.com. What's up!!!! Also, can I updated it to Android 4.0?
[h=1]Idolian Touchtab C8 7" Android Tablet Capacitive Touch Screen[/h]One of the reviews on amazon.com scared me, so I am unsure I should buy this tablet. Also, can I updated it to Android 4.0?
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Idolian Touchtab C8 7" Android Tablet Capacitive Touch Screen
I'm a longtime Android phone user. This is my first Android tablet and I absolutely love (almost) everything about it. The screen is extremely responsive, the operations are speedy and it was very easy to set up (weird thing though -- most of my favorite apps from the phone didn't show up on the Android Market. Inconvenient, but a workaround is to Google search for "app name apk" and install manually. Also, for some reason it runs the older Market despite having a later firmware version than my phone). Web surfing, movie watching, game playing, all much more pleasurable compared to the phone's tiny screen; in fact, I don't think I can ever go back to just using the phone after only a week with the tablet.
It was even amazingly simple to set up a wi-fi (G) network, and I have had horrendous luck in the past with wireless setups. Now my phone benefits from the faster connection as well (and it is REALLY fast. Having surfed the web on my Samsung Galaxy S on only 4G for awhile now, I see what I've been missing. FAST!)
However, it's not all rainbows and roses. The original Amazon listing for this model with over 80 reviews, which strangely has vanished now, contained multiple complaints of the weight of this thing and they weren't kidding. It's really heavy. So heavy that holding it one-handed becomes truly uncomfortable fairly quickly. It creates the impression of solid build and sturdiness, but still -- detracts somewhat from the enjoyment of using it.
A tiny quibble is the placement of the back and menu keys on the side of the device, though after playing with it for a few days and then going back to my phone, it's taking a surprising amount of adjustment to have all the buttons on the front now.
Also the battery life is terrible, but reading around I think this is common to all tablets. I'm used to my phone battery lasting 24 hours or slighty more -- the tablet dies at closer to 8.
The biggest problem, and the reason I'm returning it, is a few days after playing with mine it developed the "Sleep of Death" problem. This is when putting the device to sleep (a suspended idle mode that it's supposed to wake from quickly by tapping the button again) results instead in the unit powering itself down completely. It's aggravating to say the least, because it happens completely randomly: once it happened when I put it down for a minute or two. Then that night I put it to sleep and it woke up instantly after 8 hours. There's just no pattern and no one is sure of the cause (I've read practically every forum I could find on the topic. And it does happen on other tablets, not just the C8).
Since I love everything else about it I'm ordering another, as most people report getting a good one on their second (or third) try, so it's a roll of the dice whether you get the defect or not. Fingers crossed.
One last thing -- you probably shouldn't bother with an external keyboard for it. I got one of the cheap "leather" cases with attached keyboard here on Amazon and typing on it was immensely frustrating, to put it nicely. Instead I installed the Super Keyboard app from the Market (bigger for tablets) and can type amazingly quickly and accurately with it.
UPDATE: Doing more research on Chinese tablets (which I wish I had done originally), I realize now the C8 comes with a crippled Market (reviews of most other tablets all seem really excited to point out that they come with a "full Market") -- I always thought the Market was the Market, period. Ah Android...a learning experience around every corner.
Ultimately, given the chance to look around a bit more and despite the fact that the Herotab performs more than satisfactorily (other than the unfortunate Sleep of Death), I opted to try the Wopad i7 as a replacement based mostly on weight. Like I said, the Herotab is really oppressively heavy and I'm excited to try out something I can hold one-handed for longer than a few minutes without fidgeting.
Thanks everyone!
