Android Tablet Question

[marianne202]

Hey all, I'm considering getting an Android tablet, but I don't have a clue what to look for and I thought the techies here could help me out. I'm looking for something that is at least 7" (I'm old with bad eye sight!) that has Wi-Fi I can use to check my email, degree forum & facebook, use as a calendar, eReader and maybe watch short movies or lectures along with listen to music. Some fun apps for games might be nice as well. I'm not interested in an I-Pad and I can't afford to spend a ton of money (tuition is eating away at my funds). I would like to stay below $200. I'm looking for the best option at the lowest price. I would like decent battery life for long flights and traveling. Any suggestions on specific models, what to look for and what to avoid? Thanks in advance for your help.

[dcan]

I don't know much about them myself, but I did read a horrible review recently of one of the $99 tablets (!!) from Walgreen's. Called it the worst tablet ever made or something like that. Apparently when you are in the sub-$200 market the components are very cheap. The big one that seems to get cut is the touch screen, so you can wind up with a cheap screen that performs very poorly, i.e. press... wait... wait... wait... oh look, maybe it started doing something... nope, press again...

I'm sure this isn't the case with every one, but I'm also sure it isn't the case with only that one either. I would see what is available, then google "<product name> review" or similar and see what they say. And don't forget YouTube videos -- lots of people like making "unboxing" video reviews showing how things actually work and perform.

[Lindagerr]

My techie DH says Amazon Kindle fire($199 from Amazon) or Blackberry playbook ($199 from blackberry) which is QNX not android. My friend got a fire for Christmas and it seems good for what you want. According to DH Blackberry has the best browser of all tablets. I have an HP touchpad, DH got for $150. I love it. Hope this helps.

Edit: DH says you might be happier with an ACER Aspire one netbook (~ $150-$199 check Walmart) with Jolli OS instead of windows 7. It is small light and has a keyboard. I also have one of these that I take when I travel, I love it and don't even miss my big laptop.

[ryoder]

Probably not helpful but I got my wife a sanding galaxy five inch player which is a DROID. It is. Working great as a nav unit. I just couldn't see paying 250for for a good touchscreen nav when a larger player with a suction mount and the Sygic nav app does the trick. I have an original ipad and its nice. I bet you could get one cheap used.

[dcan]

iPad would be the Cadillac of course. I read the return rate on iPhones is like 2% vs 30% for droid phones, same OS as the tablets.

Apple has refurbs for $399: Discount Prices on Refurbished iPad and iPad Accessories - Apple Store (U.S.)

Ebay used iPad bids starting around $66, "returns not accepted": used ipad | eBay

Google Shopping used iPads at $279: used ipad - Google Search

[mouse123]

I have a Samsung 7" tablet from Verizon and love it! Can't say enough about it. Low price too because I have the 3G (all I need). Be prepared to pay the monthly data fee.

[marianne202]

Wow, I'm overwhelmed by the choices. The more I look, the more confused I become! Thanks for all the great suggestions. I did buy an Acer netbook last year and I love it when I travel, but the last long flight I needed my full-size laptop for work and I couldn't even open it on the plane due to no room! After the guy in front of me reclined his seat I couldn't even open my tray table! My company had put me in the row in front of the exit, so no reclining seats and minimal room, never again! It was a very, very long 5 hour flight each way! That is when I decided I should look at a tablet, as the guy next to me was able to watch some movies and play some games even in the cramped space. I guess if I had my netbook, it might have worked, but for some of my work needs the netbook just doesn't cut it. Now I'm thinking of some more creative options using the netbook instead of investing in a high price tablet until the prices come down. I tried to get an HP touchpad when HP dumped them, but alas all the Ebay sellers got to them before I did! Thanks for all the info! I will have to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on some of the ones recommended here. I think the investment will only be a good one if I purchase a better tablet such as an HP Touchpad, IPad or Samsung Galaxy so I get more mileage out of the money spent. Thanks again for helping me narrow down my choices.

[bricabrac]

You might consider a small laptop. I have a portable 11.6" 3.5lb laptop (intel core i3, 250gb hard drive, 8gb mem, win7 ultimate, and office 2007, adobe acrobat..etc) that I actually now spend more time on than my other laptops/desktop. When I'm not on the road the computer hangs out in the kitchen so it gets A LOT of use. It does everything the work computer will do but is nice and small for travel. I also carry my droid (unlimited data plan) that can be used as both a tether (one time charge for the app) or hotspot for internet so I disabled the computers internal 3g/4g broadband card. And I play the silly games on my droid when I'm bored.

I've also been contemplating a tablet (the new Asus Transformer Prime/Tegra 3) but would use only as an extra toy.

[RA808]

Gonna have to spend more than that for a good Android tablet. I'm currently typing on an Acer Transformer. I hate typing on tablets and prefer the ipad for a few reasons, but this is a solid tablet and there's a physical keyboard attachment that makes it into a mini laptop. Makes up for the annoying software keyboard.