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[Q] Advice on cheap tablet for child

My 9-year-old daughter really wants a tablet, and I'm considering getting her one of the ultra cheap ones that's floating around, especially in this cyber-sale week. She doesn't have the best history of caring for her things, so I don't want to spend more than $100 on something she'll likely break sooner than I'd like to know. I recognize this means I'll end up with junk, but I'm trying to filter the junk.
My main concerns are having at least Android 2.1, and the ability to hopefully hack the genuine Market onto it, although I'll settle for the Amazon Appstore. Being able to do all the basic things without being horrific at it would also be very nice.
Does anyone have a specific model they could point to? I'm seeing some Velocity Microsos and Pandigitals on sale, along with some cheap no-names from sites like ahappydeal.com, but I'm trying to make an informed decision.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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DealExtreme.com have a lot of Android items. Just be sure to read the reviews. They may be extremely cheap but there are limitations. I use the website to buy cheap gadgets as gifts for my friends lol. But yea, if you need a simple Android tablet with a certain spec give them a try.

thiencao said:
DealExtreme.com have a lot of Android items. Just be sure to read the reviews. They may be extremely cheap but there are limitations. I use the website to buy cheap gadgets as gifts for my friends lol. But yea, if you need a simple Android tablet with a certain spec give them a try.
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Yeah, I already buy a lot of things from there, but was hoping I might find someone who has more direct experience with a specific model.

I'd run up to Walmart, Staples, Office Max, or Radio Shack and see what they have in regards to e-readers. Velocity Cruz Micro is one I believe is sub $100 one at my local Radio Shack. Find one that you like for the price and then see if your able to load the market, or better yet a custom rom.
When your looking in the less than $100 catagory, that's probably your best bet. They're at least made with some care for the consumer in mind, where as an elcheepo china model isn't.
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App

RadiantSkies said:
I'd run up to Walmart, Staples, OfficeM
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
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I've not seen anything there in a price point below the Nook Color you're writing from. Certainly no sub-$100 Android tablets. Or has their inventory changed recently?

Well Fry's, BestBuy or Office Max will probably be your best bet to get the feel. Read some reviews on NewEgg or something xD
Oh my bad sub $100. No go with retail stores. Definitely Ebay or DealExtreme. Hard to imagine local stores selling anything cheaper than that.

thiencao said:
Well Fry's, BestBuy or Office Max will probably be your best bet to get the feel. Read some reviews on NewEgg or something xD
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Fry's is a vague possibility, yes. The other two don't carry tablets that low-end, though. Not by a long shot.

TurboFool said:
I've not seen anything there in a price point below the Nook Color you're writing from. Certainly no sub-$100 Android tablets. Or has their inventory changed recently?
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Sorry, I sent that prematurely. I edited it to what it should have said. Stupid submit button -_-
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App

RadiantSkies said:
Sorry, I sent that prematurely. I edited it to what it should have said. Stupid submit button -_-
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
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Ah, thanks for the clarification!
Yes, I was looking at the Velocity Cruz units that were on sale on 1SaleADay today, but as I dug into reviews I wasn't liking what I saw. Some really odd limitations and compatibility issues that concerned me. Left me thinking they'd be no less of a frustration than the Chinese ones from the descriptions. Might not be accurate, but that's why I was hoping for people with some real-world experience who did some of the hacking themselves.

Well, I can't help you there, but I can tell you with these cheep units that your experience will almost be gauranteed to be a crapshoot. It might work for me, it might work for you, it might not. I'll dig around the net and see what I can find for you though. I'll report back in the morning, I gotta get some rest for the night.
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App

Really appreciate the assistance. I've done some research of my own, too. I'd love to get her something really good, but I just know for a fact that if I do I'll get a call a week after Christmas that she left it out in the snow, or her dog chewed it up, or something. But I also don't want to get something that will frustrate her enough to CAUSE that.

Wasn't there a £30 7" tablet floating around eBay with a capacitive touch screen running 2.1 Eclair? I'm sure somebody mentioned it on these forums a while back and a few members bought one for family members, might be worth a look there.
Good luck finding one.

Well, most of what I'm finding is Chinese ones that break the hundred dollar mark after shipping and what not. The ones that stay below that either turn to vaporware or are ungodly aweful.
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Ah I see, sorry I can't help you any more, I'm not really into tablets and stuff so whatever knowledge I have of the tablet market is very limited. Goodluck finding one, might be worth a look in a few second-hand shops and get a decent used one? My local CEX and Cash Generators etc sell HTC Flyers, Blackbery Playbook and iPads fairly cheap.

Might want to take a look at the amiga tablet ...
amiga.com/shop/?prod_id=4

Lol with 9 years me and my brother had only transistors that my dads friend brouht from war.an im 14 now,and i worked my way to the xperia x8.dont just buy it for her,let her earn it so she could appreciate stuff.
Sent from my E15i using xda premium

RadiantSkies said:
Well, most of what I'm finding is Chinese ones that break the hundred dollar mark after shipping and what not. The ones that stay below that either turn to vaporware or are ungodly aweful.
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While I agree, which was my concern, if I go above that point it's both prohibitively expensive and a really stupid move on my part. I know her well enough to be shocked if this thing survives more than six months. If it does, then I can consider putting real money toward a good one for her. But this is basically a test run both of her responsibility and of how into it she really is.
CurtisAndroid5 said:
Ah I see, sorry I can't help you any more, I'm not really into tablets and stuff so whatever knowledge I have of the tablet market is very limited. Goodluck finding one, might be worth a look in a few second-hand shops and get a decent used one? My local CEX and Cash Generators etc sell HTC Flyers, Blackbery Playbook and iPads fairly cheap.
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Yeah, not terrible ideas, but still unlikely to be in the price range I want even then.
curreyr said:
Might want to take a look at the amiga tablet ...
amiga.com/shop/?prod_id=4
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Okay, now THAT's intriguing. I feel like there's got to be a serious catch, but it's intriguing. Might still be a shade too much to spend on her, but it's a starting point. Thank you.
DeHuMaNiZeD said:
Lol with 9 years me and my brother had only transistors that my dads friend brouht from war.an im 14 now,and i worked my way to the xperia x8.dont just buy it for her,let her earn it so she could appreciate stuff.
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You do understand the concept of a Christmas gift, yes?

Be very careful with cheap tablets. They are all extremely weak. Ugly performance, ugly screen. Your kid will hate android having this as first toy.
It is for kid. Buy used older device but good mark

TurboFool said:
You do understand the concept of a Christmas gift, yes?
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Yes.but a tablet for chrismas?ok i guess.if you are american.
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Want to know peoples experince on best way to sell phone.

i have a thunderbolt in essentially new condition that i want to sell, but only really know of ebay. have people used other services that they could recommend? or if you know of any sites where people barter for other electronics that would be great too

Use the marketplace here its free to use with far less hassle than ebay. I've sold 2 phones here my g2 and nexus one and both were successful, easy and smooth transactions!

you can also try swappa.com they charge you $10 but the service is great I've used it several times to buy and sell phones.

Ebay always has been best for me, good prices and quick sales
Sent from my HTC ThunderBolt using XDA App

Craigslist has always been the way for me - meet somebody face to face and get cash....

ncwildcat said:
Craigslist has always been the way for me - meet somebody face to face and get cash....
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Or get robbed. Be verrrryyyy careful with face to face meetings.
eBay has served me very well over the many devices I've sold.
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk

I have sold successfully on amazon, although they do charge comission. I have used craigslist too, but if you choose to meet, do so at a public place, like coffee shop or grocery store.
Sent from my StarTAC

lrs421 said:
Or get robbed. Be verrrryyyy careful with face to face meetings.
eBay has served me very well over the many devices I've sold.
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk
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Wow - I hope people aren't getting robbed! Meet at a Verizon store, not in a back alley in the worst possible part of town. Done many a transaction via Craigslist, never once had any issues and I usually sell within a day or 2 and get the amount I am looking for.

want to start small cell phone repair business

I want to start a small cellphone repair business maybe make it mobile.I wanted to see if anyone here that has experience in that field could give me some tips on how to get It running. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance

Asking business tip here I think might not be the best place however what counts the most is how you threat your first customers they are the most important so make sure to try your best in satisfy as much as you can..
You might as well want to get a website..
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app

Making a web site is a great idea ! Perhaps do some advertising. Word of mouth is also wonderful advertisement! Treat your customers well and they will recommend more people to your business. I wish you the very best. I've had experience in growing business in the dental profession and business is business you must advertise! Phone book, news paper , online, flyers, get the word out. I wish you the very best. Think of creative advertisement, radio, door flyers, balloons , anything to get your name out there. A web site is a great start however to get customers any form of advertisement is good. Best of luck to you! I've seen business grow tremendously just by doing the simple suggestions I've given you!
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium

shahkam said:
Asking business tip here I think might not be the best place however what counts the most is how you threat your first customers they are the most important so make sure to try your best in satisfy as much as you can..
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I recommend not threatening your customers.
I've found that hurts business.
In all seriousness there are 2 really important things to know. Treat your customers like gold, and have cash on hand to correct your mistakes. And you WILL make a mistake and bork up someone's phone at some point. Even if you are an expert and have done it 20 times and never had a problem, when you start doing it in higher volume you will break something eventually. You want to make sure you can get that customer a new phone or you'll have to deal with a lot of misery if they want to take you to small claims court or something. (Not to mention it's the right thing to do if you break a customer's phone.)
You might even think about geting insurance to cover your msitakes, if you can obtain it.
Things to watch out for are the scammers, who WILL find you. Someone will have a completely bricked phone, send it to you, claim you broke it, and demand a replacement. You need to have a plan in place to prevent that as much as possible and to know how to deal with it when it happens.
And not that it's a huge risk for a part time cell phone repair business that you are talking about, but be sure to separate the business from your personal life. Have a business bank acount and a separate tax id number (if you are in the US) to completely remove the business from your personal life. That way if you do get sued, or go into debt, or otherwise have a disaster, it can only take down the business and can't take down your personal finances. I mean let's say you get a phoen that has naked pictures of someone on it and somehow you accidentally text those pictures to everyone in the phone's directory (Or something else equally as stupid). The owner could sue you for hefty damages. You want to make sure that they can only sue the business and not you personally. And there are jerks out there who would do a thing like that. But if your business finances nad personal finances are all intermingled, you can't make the arguement that the two are separate.
Oh, one other REALLY important thing. Don't be discouraged if you fail! Most small businessed fail. Sometimes they are run badly, sometimes it's just bad luck. In either case, don't get discouraged. Make sure you learn everthing you can about hat worked and what didn't and don't be afraid to climb righ tback on tehe horse and try another business for your next good idea later.

I didn't meant threat lmao typo I meant treat nicely
Yeah however there are a lot of scammers you have to somehow manage to know if it's bricked or not which can be hard to do... But however as real said advertising is the way to go!
Might want to rent a little store to begin whit and if your budget allows you for extra gain you can as well sell accessories besides the repair good luck sir!
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app

Start your business on Ebay, Get some good feedback so you can transfer it to your website. I have repaired Screens and boards on..G1,Hero,Desire,Legend,Iphones (boooo) kindles,Blackberrys the Wildfire and Wildfire S all via ebay or word of mouth. Most commonly the Digitizer on Iphones.I only charge £20 for iphone repairs dont have a website and still get a fair amount of business. I also offer Android S-OFF,Sim unlock and debranding for £10 all in on ebay.
What the guy said about customers is 100% right, don't annoy your customers all it takes is 1 bad feedback nowadays and that could be game over. Good luck with it all,if i could get enough to make a living i wouldn't have to work 4 jobs!

Wow your input was amazing thank you so much guys.I have one question . How would I start a service business on eBay? I thought it only sold products

You can sell services also, search ebay and you'll see.

Also, is there cheaper way to acquire experience besides buying broken phones and disassembling/reassembling them

vincent1190 said:
Wow your input was amazing thank you so much guys.I have one question . How would I start a service business on eBay? I thought it only sold products
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How you can do it ? Well when selling a product you have to make a description most of the time people refer their website along or create a kind of banner and put direct access to their store in which you can see all their ebay items listed
You can watch on youtube and find some great how-to for the banner/ad part
And also a good tip in business be patient money doesn't roll in in day one
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app

I fix it, already fixes cell phones. But if you bought cheap broken phones on eBay, and fixed them. You could sell them used and make some cash
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app

joefrog1996 said:
I fix it, already fixes cell phones. But if you bought cheap broken phones on eBay, and fixed them. You could sell them used and make some cash
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
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This isn't a bad idea alot of people messes their phone up.. and let it go for quite a cheap price
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app

This is all such great information guys thank you really. I'm sure this will also help others who wish to do the same thing. Another question, does anyone know about using jewelry cleaner to fully clean off corrosion down to the microscopic level? If anyone has experience with this please let me know thanks

Am working in the repair shop for a 10 years now,still learning.......new phones new stuff to learn.If u think 4 screws and a screwdriver is all u need dont even start.If u need help i can explane it to u.Read books,watch on youtube,ask!Also,u need tools,without a proper tool u will brake the phone even more.Good luck

Craigslist works great to get local business. Also use google adwords. Its advertising from google. You pay as you go. You set a budget and can change it anytime, it is the best advertising for the money. I have a computer repair business and it helped tremendously. Also dont forget about facebook and twitter. Facebook is great for getting a new business going. Dont spend a lot in the phonebook. people use google now days. Also set up a free business page with google so it shows up on google maps, its free. Good luck!

vincent1190 said:
This is all such great information guys thank you really. I'm sure this will also help others who wish to do the same thing. Another question, does anyone know about using jewelry cleaner to fully clean off corrosion down to the microscopic level? If anyone has experience with this please let me know thanks
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Your better off using isopropyl alcohol (97%) to clean off electronics, I use it on phones and my PC all the time

bonesy said:
Your better off using isopropyl alcohol (97%) to clean off electronics, I use it on phones and my PC all the time
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yes that's what kind of amazes me about this tool is that you can submerge it into the alcohol and it will make sure that every nook and cranny is cleaned with it instead of searching for it with a Q-tip
this is a link to what it looks like. I have heard some cell phone repair shops invested into this. instead of cleaning solution, you fill it with isopropyl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVMD-PH8CBo

AD8 said:
Craigslist works great to get local business. Also use google adwords. Its advertising from google. You pay as you go. You set a budget and can change it anytime, it is the best advertising for the money. I have a computer repair business and it helped tremendously. Also dont forget about facebook and twitter. Facebook is great for getting a new business going. Dont spend a lot in the phonebook. people use google now days. Also set up a free business page with google so it shows up on google maps, its free. Good luck!
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wow Google ads that's amazing information thank you!

wicked.igor said:
Am working in the repair shop for a 10 years now,still learning.......new phones new stuff to learn.If u think 4 screws and a screwdriver is all u need dont even start.If u need help i can explane it to u.Read books,watch on youtube,ask!Also,u need tools,without a proper tool u will brake the phone even more.Good luck
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Hi, Altough I am very late in the discussion but I think I have found the most appropriate place to clear my doubts. Sir, I am planning to open a mobile repair shop in my city (India). I have no idea about mobile repair yet. I am planning to do a mobile repair course before I jump into this field. I dont know anything about the tools, boxes and softwares used for repairs. I will have to establish a spare parts supply chain also. I am very scared. There are hundreds of mobiles repair shops in my city. But all of them are running it in a very un-professional way. Cheating people. I want to change that. I want to open a shop which will run in a professional and honest way. I have some ideas like pick and drop facility etc. What do u advice me? How can i gain knowledge on this industry? Is this business profitable if I dont cheat people?

If you have any doubts, why not consult those who already do that for some time, After all it's better to learn from other mistakes/experience than yours.

what 3 party smartphone insurance company should i go with?

hello.. so im with sprint and i always have had sprint TEP insurance.. well when i got my 32 gig nexus 5 from the play store sprint said they wont let me insure my nexus 5 with them.. so im stuck using a 3 party insurance company.. i wanted to with either.. squaretrade... protect your bubble.. or mobile rhino... but i want one that insures for lost or stolen also.. just so i fell better.. and squaretrade dont so.. now im with.. either protect your bubble or mobile rhino.... has anyone had any good luck with any of these companys?? this will be a first for me.. o and i also want to make sure if i ever do need another phone that i get the same phone and not some other phone..

http://www.ensquared.com/catalog

crzycrkr said:
http://www.ensquared.com/catalog
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thanks but that just seems a lil to cheap... to good to be true.. .. deff gonna go with protect your bubble or mobile rhino.. dont kno which one yet.. i thought there would be some users that have used or use one of these companys

Anyone know good UK ones

P.Mobile said:
thanks but that just seems a lil to cheap... to good to be true.. .. deff gonna go with protect your bubble or mobile rhino.. dont kno which one yet.. i thought there would be some users that have used or use one of these companys
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They are a pretty well respected company. There are some bad reviews out there, but no more than any other company. They are mentioned right up there with Squaretrade. If I recall correctly Squaretrade is only slightly more, but don't cover loss or theft. Basic google search will turn up experiences from many with all the companies

honestly I typically recommend against buying insurance for these type of devices. They depreciate very rapidly due to be the quickest moving product in the technology sector currently.
But if you must, people seem to like squaretrade.

Stay away from the clones!

A bit off topic, but there is the odd person who comes to these forums looking for help with their S4 clone. I had often considered one of these handsets before and still get tempted by the lost cost/decent specs, but think I'll stay away for good now.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27908105
Although if the below story is true, even equipment from reputable manufacturers can be compromised, so its no just 'all chinese devices can't be trusted'.
http://gizmodo.com/the-nsa-actually-intercepted-packages-to-put-backdoors-1491169592

I brought a clone at first. And while its mostly ran great the biggest problem was that its 4G/3G antenna was rubbish.

daven85 said:
I brought a clone at first. And while its mostly ran great the biggest problem was that its 4G/3G antenna was rubbish.
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That seems to be the fall down in even the good ones from what I've seen, either a poor WiFi radio or rubbish GPS.

xda is not for clones and Chinese junk that cost as much as a case for phone I do not know why here allowed threads related to fakes

indeed.. got one from ebay ..it sucks

How do people get scammed into buying fakes? Always buy from reputable retailers!

AIkizov said:
xda is not for clones and Chinese junk that cost as much as a case for phone I do not know why here allowed threads related to fakes
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Because we are all saying 'STAY AWAY'.
If one of us said 'Best phone I ever brought' it would be closed.
But in the end I wouldn't bother wasting my money again in the future with those phones.

Better way of not getting a clone is to check the hardware of the device .
Mainly clone or copy have same software but hardware is diffrent .There are many apps to check the hardware .Better be alert
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thank you.:fingers-crossed:

Here is one pic i waan to share so may be it will bit useful for stay away to us for real n fake (clone) phones for all respected members.. Thnks..
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

CyanogenUser007 said:
How do people get scammed into buying fakes? Always buy from reputable retailers!
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I know right. If the deal sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If most people saw a Rolex watch on sale for 50 bucks I'm sure they would be skeptical.....so why would you fall for a knock off phone.