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

[jlw0211]

really would like to get a Galaxy Tab but not sure what to get!! Have a Droid Inc and would like to stay with a Droid tab but the iPad looks good but not a fan of the big size. Is the Galaxy WiFi only out yet? and What about all the new tablet coming out. Need help picking one!!!!

 

[johnnewhouse]

I have been following the recent announcements from Spain with great interest around tablets that are about to be made available. I am in the market to buy one, but i am not liking the prices that i am seeing.

i purchased the Advent Vega (I'm in the UK) before christmas but i had to return it as the screen was uncontrollable when it was plugged in to the mains, that plus the screen was a bit of a let down on viewing angles.

I hate to say it but all i want is a 16gb iPad (wifi only) that runs android (for flash reasons)
my main uses would be basic web browsing, light gaming, definite media playback (xvid mostly) and flash media streaming from the browser.
i am looking for a tablet to replace my bulky (and hot) laptop for things that don't need a full operating system environment.
i have used Android since the G1 and currently running a Samsung Galaxy S with custom firmware, so the o/s is not something that is new to me.


does anyone know if there is an Android tablet coming out in the next couple of months that has the following specs for roughly the same price as the lowest iPad? (in the UK that would be £419)

need
9-10 inch screen with good viewing angles
decent resolution (1xxx by 768)
tegra 2 processor.
hdmi out
wi-fi (n preferable but not vital)
some inbuilt storage for apps
sd card slot (although i do hear that honeycomb does not currently accept sd card storage??)
decent build quality from a respectable company name (hint, not random brand found on tv's in supermarkets)

would be nice
GPS chip

dont care about in the slightest
cameras (rear in particular, might at some point use a front webcam, maybe)
3g radio
3D (really?? who is asking for this stuff)


i am hoping that the prices for the xoom and the lg slate are going to come down after a couple of months when some more competition appears.

do you think that something like this will be coming soon, or am i living in a dreamland

 

[matallic]

Hi I found this on ebay and I want to know if this is a good buy. EPAD 10" INCH ANDROID 2.1 OS USB TABLET PC + BONUS CASE - eBay (item 130474812631 end time Mar-13-11 20:59:11 PDT)

If there is something better please let me know.
I'm looking for something like ..

OS: 2.1+
Can be rooted
10" screen
1020x600 or better resolution.
1GHz processor
Has at least 2 usb ports.
US based distributer

So far, the one in is the link is the best one I found.

 

[lhay32]

I'm new and could use some help about which tablet to buy. I have an original Nook, a camera and a DS for game playing. What I'm looking for in a tablet is something to travel with and use at home (do not like to be tied to my computer) to surf the web, hotmail and facebook but no game playing on facebook. I'm not a techie person so all the talk about rooting, etc is a little over my head. I would like to keep the cost around $200. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hamada1420]

Hi all
I am looking for Android tablet for browsing internet - Navigation(GPS) - playing Music
7 or 10 inches - no more then 250 $ - good quality - 2.2 OS
I am a computer literate and I live Saudi Arabia
Thank you for Help

 

[TechieJ]

@Xaueious
Ok, my "resources" have changed (read: baby due sooner than expected, so not as much money for my new toy as I originally planned ). So... That bein said, my primary purpose is to learn the Android OS. Other uses include:
-ebook reading
-light gaming (mostly things like chess or other strategy games, nothing too demanding)
-video chatting for when I'm deployed (can be via tethering to my phone or wifi if it's available)

I PREFER to have to mess with it some (or even a lot) to get it working to it's max potential - part of the learning thing. Budget is $200, maybe $250. If I decide to wait (read: can hold out) till my birthday in May, that may go up to $350. So, what are your best recommendations at those price points? There are a lot of variables that may adjust my budget at any given time, so it's likely I'll hold out until the bug bite gets too itchy & I just have to scratch it, haha. Thanks man, you are an awesome resource to all of us Android / tablet newbies!

 

[JDoumo]

@JDoumo Check AtWiki for a list of shops in Japan.

Xaueious,

Finally got to Akihabara and from what I (didn't) see you wouldn't think there was much of a tablet market in Japan (maybe because of the completely entrenched cellphone market?) -- the major stores (Yodobashi Camera, Sofmap, etc.) basically only had the iPad, Galaxy Tab, Sharp Galapagos (a "media tablet" with no video support?), Creative ZiiO, and some Onkyo WinCE Tablets. There was a Hallods mit A7 looking out of place and lonely at Sofmap at it wasn't charged and didn't have an adapter plugged in and no info on the specs -- it was the cheapest one I found as the floor model was being sold for 9,000jpy (~$110) (it was listed for 29,000jpy ~$350) but it's Android 1.5. There were very few knock-offs/Chinese tablets in the small "outlet" stores, most shrink-wrapped but I was able to play with a couple.

Looking online there is a much larger selection, but the other problem is price. Given the current exchange rate (~83jpy to the $) the cheapest 2.1 tablet I can find runs around $205 and 2.2s start around $250 (for an APad Freescale iMX515 800MHz 4GB). It's a bit hard to stomach when the Coby 7015 can be bought in the US for around $150. Made me consider buying one from China but given the shoddy reputations of most of the sites (Merimobiles seems to be the only one to get OK reviews) and the strong recommendations to purchase expedited shipping (which would increase the cost to levels similar to what I could get locally) it would seem my best (only?) choice would be to buy locally -- but not necessarily off the net.

There is one store in Akihabara that seems to have a wide range of models and seem to be dedicated to android tablets so the after-purchase support should be good (customer service is usually pretty good in Japan. The store is called Next Fun (shop.apadjp.com) and they're located on the Yodobashi Camera side of Akihabara. Given my luck they were of course closed when I went, but they have a website with available models. I'm planning to go back when they are open to play around with the various models but would love to know your opinion on which I should buy from the following models:

Android 2.1 Models
------------------
$215 - E7002H 7" (TCC8902 720MHz 256MB 2GB)
$235 - Coby 7015 7" (Assuming, model# not listed)
$235 - OPAD Mid 701 7" (Their "best seller" - Telechip8902 ARM1176JZ(F)-S 800MHz 256MB 4GB)

Android 2.2 Models
------------------
$270 - Witstech A81E 7" (Has GPS but probably not the E+ model)
$270 - ZT180 10" (1G MHz 512MB 4GB)
$283 - IMX515 8" (Freescale iMX515 512MB 4GB -- same as what I could get for $250 at online-only shop)
$307 - MINIPAD S5PV210 8" (Samsung S5PV210 1.2GHz 512MB ??GB)
$340 - Dropad A8 7" (samsung Cortex-A8 PV210)

For reference they have the Archos 70 ($414) and 101 ($473). I would like to get the cheapest one but figure 2.2 would be better than 2.1 and want to get something that is not already completely obsolete hardware wise -- or is that really a consideration (is a Cortex A8 processor that much better than an ARM 11 one?). I'm thinking that 10" is too big (not portable) but that a 8" might be better than 7" (though limits my options).

In any case, looking forward to seeing what you recommend and then going and playing around with them -- and finally buying one!

Many thanks for all your help,

JDoumo

 

[jtodaro]

Ok, so here is what I am looking for. Any recommendations I can get would be greatly appreciated.

Features
-------------------------------------
7" bare minimum (would prefer 8-10")
Android 2.2 (with future possible 3.0)
Flash Support
Multi-touch
Camera
GPS
WIFI Only (no 3G variants)


What I want to use the tablet for
----------------------------------
Web Browsing
Light Gaming (simple games like Chess and online Facebook games)
EMail
Video Chat/Skype/Gtalk
GPS (for directions if needed)
Light Document creation/modification
Video Playback
Ability to tune (automobile tuning via some of the Open Source tools would be great, but is not a must)


What do you guys suggest? As this is my first tablet and my introduction into the Android market, it might be a learning curve/stepping stone tablet, so this could potentially include some of the cheaper versions and also negate the possible future 3.0 version upgrade requirement. Most everything else I am pretty firm on for features that I want.


JT

 

[xaueious]

@johnnewhouse If you want that GPS and nice screen, you are probably looking at one of the tablets from either LG or Motorola. If not, the Malata Zpad T2 and Advent Vega A10 both will have 1366x768 IPS screens.

@matallic You didn't list a price. Do you research on the Gome Flytouch II before pulling the trigger.

@lhay32 The Coby MID7015 should do what you need. You need to play with one to see if that's what you need though. Pick one up and try it.

@hamada1420 I can't vouch for quality, but your choices at that price range are:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum...der-7-marvell-tablet-gps-android-2-2-a-2.html
Witstech Tablets
Gome Flytouch II (GPS version)

@TechieJ Nook Color at $250 can get you a long way. I don't see much price drops until probably Q4 this year, for the quad-core tablets.

@JDoumo With those prices, I would be highly tempted to buy from a Chinese/Hong Kong seller instead, depending on what I am getting. I'm actually not too sure what I would pick from that list. The so called OPAD's quality (HSG X series) has dropped a lot recently. I would try the Creative ZiiO 7 (looks like Amazon.co.jp has listings for ￥ 24,800) or E7002H.

 

[TechieJ]

I almost pulled the trigger on the NC, it looks like a really good device. Only thing holding me back is the lack of a front facing cam for video chatting. At $250ish, I should be able to get a good tab with a cam, no?

 

[xaueious]

There is the Creative ZiiO 7, but it has much less community support, and an inferior screen (800x480, viewing angles). The screen is resistive as well, which is not everyone's favorite method of input for a tablet.

 

[TechieJ]

Blast. Are there no other options in that price range??

 

[cheerful]

Newbie. Looking to buy a tablet for:

1. Multi-touch
2. Watch HD video
3. USB and SD/microSD expansion
4. Android market to get games for kid
5. Solid build so kid won't break it easily (3 years old)
6. Prefer 10" but can take 7" or 8" if high resolution
7. Ideally, able to access shared drives from Windows (is that standard)
8. OS 3 or upgradable, if none, what's the most likely one to be upgradable

Really want to buy now. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[xaueious]

@TechieJ The Nook Color is a steal at that price. You should check out tablet prices in other countries as reference.

@cheerful Assuming you are in the US, and you listed no budget, the Xoom if you can afford one. Otherwise, the eLocity A10 pre-order looks alright. Take a look at the Viewsonic gTablet as well.

 

[jtodaro]

@xaueious I didn't see an answer to my question, but it looks like cheerful and I are both on the same page. Does the Viewsonic and/or eLocity have GPS?