Android Android tablets

[Guild McCommunist]

So sometime yesterday my piece of shit laptop died (again). Last time it died a local computer guy gave me a 20GB hard drive to replace the broken one and now this hard drive died. The thing was a piece of shit anyway and since there's no point wasting any cash on it, I figured it's time to get a new laptop or something along those lines.

After sorta-foolishly blowing some of my cash on Magic cards and video games, buying a gaming computer (that I'd of course use for school work, watching movies, etc) is out of the question now.

I've been looking into Android tablets and they seem to actually be what I'd want. I see some of them go cheaper than most laptops and they're also rather portable, not to mention a cool gadget in general. Here's my criteria for something I'd want:

• Sub $200 price. The cheaper the better (I would like some extra cash for storage and accessories)
• Large enough screen for a decent on-screen keyboard.
• Power is not a huge issue, I just want it to run smoothly and run everything below.
• Needs to support apps for Word/Powerpoint, web browsing, Skype, etc. Not looking into gaming or emulation for it so that's not a factor. Basically I just need Android Market access.
• I'd also like expandable storage (SD or MicroSD preferred) so I can watch movies on it.
• Needs to be able to run Flash (so I can basically watch videos via web browsing, not just Youtube).

I'd probably on be shopping on Amazon so if you could link there, that'd be fantastic.

 

[Fat D]

• Sub $200 price. The cheaper the better (I would like some extra cash for storage and accessories)
• Large enough screen for a decent on-screen keyboard.
• Needs to be able to run Flash (so I can basically watch videos via web browsing, not just Youtube).

This makes it difficult. Most affordable Android devices still use the ARMv6 architecture, which lacks some vector FPU features needed for Flash support. Also, screen size can be an issue when looking at the price as well.

 

[AlanJohn]

The galaxy tablet is the best android tablet yet.

 

[Originality]

You mean the Samsung Galaxy Tab? Or the Galaxy Tab 10.1? The first can't use Android 3.0 and the second got cut back in order to boast being slightly thinner than the iPad 2. Either way, they're not the "best".

Then again, I can't really make any suggestions for this thread. What I do know about Android tablets covers only the high end, since I've never paid any attention to the low end (the ones that can't use Android 3.0).

 

[Haloman800]

http://www.buy.com/prod/viewsonic-g-tablet...html?adid=18094

$260, install CM7 or a Honeycomb ROM. That thing is a beast! Dual-Core processor, 1080p playback, 10.1 inch screen..

I'd get one if I actually had a use for it (or any tablet for that matter).

 

[Guild McCommunist]

The galaxy tablet is the best android tablet yet.

That's way out of my price range. Read the criteria please.

QUOTE(Haloman800 @ Jun 30 2011, 10:55 PM) http://www.buy.com/prod/viewsonic-g-tablet...html?adid=18094

$260, install CM7 or a Honeycomb ROM. That thing is a beast! Dual-Core processor, 1080p playback, 10.1 inch screen..

I'd get one if I actually had a use for it (or any tablet for that matter).

It says $300 for me and it's out of my price range even at $270.

 

[Terminator02]

your only real choices for cheap, not-total-crap android tablets are the viewsonic g-slate or the nook color, I'd imagine you could buy one of them used off ebay for around $200

and the g-slate is $260 new over at amazon

the nook color is $250 new from any barnes & nobles near you


and for both of them to be legitimate tablets you'd like your gonna have to hack em up (tho it's relatively easy, just go over here or here)


Edit: and @originality, the galaxy tab 10.1 is the best android tablet out right now, only competitor is the asus transformer, but it's a whole different ballgame with the keyboard dock

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Alright, if I wanted to forget about Flash support (I don't visit all too many Flash-using sites anyway), what would be my best option for the rest of the criteria?

 

[Terminator02]

i'm telling you there really isn't any other cheap tablet out there that isn't complete crap (nicknamed craplets)

 

[glukriek]

I got the Archos 101 and it's cheap and really good (music, videos, ebooks, e comic books), it is arguably the best deal for cheap tablets, I love it. http://www.jr.com/archos/pe/AHS_501590/
You also have the Arnova 101 cheaper but probably slower. http://www.jr.com/archos/pe/AHS_501714/

Cheers

Glukriek

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I actually just got a paycheck that is surprisingly more than I thought so I'm now looking at the ViewSonic gTablet.

Would this fit all my original criteria then?

 

[Terminator02]

yes, it should

again, just look at the stickies over here, and you can get Cyanongenmod 7 or honeycomb, and i'm pretty sure you have to mess with it to get android market access

 

[murkurie]

I actually have a viewsonic Gtab, so I'll try and answer those
Stock OS is pretty bad

*[*]Large enough screen for a decent on-screen keyboard.
Honeycomb keyboard works great, the stock keyboard is meh, some like it.

[*]Power is not a huge issue, I just want it to run smoothly and run everything below.
Tegra 2, runs everything smoothly, overclockable to 1.5ghz

[*]Needs to support apps for Word/Powerpoint, web browsing, Skype, etc. Not looking into gaming or emulation for it so that's not a factor. Basically I just need Android Market access.
All of those work, but, on honeycomb the camera does not work YET. so no video chat with skype if they ever get it working.

[*]I'd also like expandable storage (SD or MicroSD preferred) so I can watch movies on it.
Works fine, some apps need to be told to look at the microsd, cause the internal emmc shows up as a sdcard, so apps look at that and not the external one.

[*]Needs to be able to run Flash (so I can basically watch videos via web browsing, not just Youtube).
Flash has major issues with honeycomb on it, basically because honeycomb was hacked on too it, from one of the Asus tablets. and the kernel you use does not support every thing honeycomb needs, so no HD video either
CyangenMod works fine, but same issue, we don't have the library's need for hardware acceleration on gingerbeard, but flash works.

Easy to get market on cyangenmod just flash the market zip(google for this). Most honeycomb roms have the market already on it

I recommend going too SlateDroid for it and not XDA, the main dev for the g-tab left xda. he still shows up every now and then. and all of the honeycomb roms are just reposts on xda from slatedroid. Beware, the screen is bad, but usable for the price of it. If you want it to just work, 1080p playback, flash, and all of the hardware install a froyo based rom.

 

[pokefloote]

I have a Nook Color, (using it to type this post, actually.) and it does everything I needed my laptop to do. Updating CM7 is really simple, runs flash, nice big screen and keyboard, overall a very nice device for $200-250.

CM7 uses android 2.3, but you could use 3.0, it just isn't the true 3.0 because Google never released the source code for it. when 2.4/3.4 (?) is released it will be able to be ported to CM7.

 

[Terminator02]

ice cream sandwich is gonna be 4.0

 

[kotaro_14]

I'd rather get the the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer. Cough up a measly $120 more for it. It's one of the best tablets out there. It'll be worth the upgrade from the Viewsonic GTablet and will last you for a couple of years if you're not a spec addict. It's $399.99 for the 16GB and $499.99 for the 32GB while the Viewsonic GTablet is $269.99.

 

[Supersonicmonk]

I'd rather get the the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer. Cough up a measly $120 more for it. It's one of the best tablets out there. It'll be worth the upgrade from the Viewsonic GTablet and will last you for a couple of years if you're not a spec addict. It's $399.99 for the 16GB and $499.99 for the 32GB while the Viewsonic GTablet is $269.99.

I agree, my advice is save up for a transformer and in the mean time use Chrome OS on your laptop which can run flash and doesn't require you buying anything except a USB stick if you don't already have one. It's not a great solution and is still a little buggy but it doesn't require a HDD and it's what I used when my laptop's died on me. I really wouldn't recommend getting such a cheap tablet because it will probably break or become outdated (to the extent that newer apps don't work not just in terms of specs) and support will be terrible so it'll just end up collecting dust when you could have put the money towards something better.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I'd rather get the the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer. Cough up a measly $120 more for it. It's one of the best tablets out there. It'll be worth the upgrade from the Viewsonic GTablet and will last you for a couple of years if you're not a spec addict. It's $399.99 for the 16GB and $499.99 for the 32GB while the Viewsonic GTablet is $269.99.

That's way out of my price range so it's a no-go. $120 is not "measly" for me.

 

[chris888222]

Android Tablets?

The ee pad transformer is highly recommended here.
Iconia tab as well, but acer has bad reputation over their hardware.

Also, iconia tab is more expensive than ee pad, but it does have built in USB ports by its own.

 

[kotaro_14]

I'd rather get the the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer. Cough up a measly $120 more for it. It's one of the best tablets out there. It'll be worth the upgrade from the Viewsonic GTablet and will last you for a couple of years if you're not a spec addict. It's $399.99 for the 16GB and $499.99 for the 32GB while the Viewsonic GTablet is $269.99.

That's way out of my price range so it's a no-go. $120 is not "measly" for me.

You couldn't wait and save could you? I mean patience is a virtue. Why would you have to get it now anyways? I mean just work 3-4 days if you get paid minimum wage.
I would definitely wait this out man, ASUS makes the worlds best motherboards, just wait man, just wait.