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Good ~$200 tablet?

I'm an iOS/Java developer and I want to learn Android dev and port my apps to Android devices. I know there's simulators, but I'm a firm believer in "dogfooding," and want to "live" with the software running on real hardware for a few days, so, I'm looking at the ~$200 Android options... I can read the spec sheets and shoot-out comparisons as well as the next guy, but I was wondering what's the groupthink here?
What I'm considering (so far; open to other suggestions):
IdeaPad A1
Kindle Fire (rooted)
Waiting for the rumored Google ICS tablet
Thoughts? Capacitive touch screen (ideally with at least 1024x600 resolution), decent responsiveness (adequate CPU and RAM), reliable WiFi connectivity are must-haves. Anything from 2.3 on would be interesting.
I have a PRS-T1 I rooted and am happily running a mix of eReader apps on, and I had a Nook Color running CM7.1 but it was always flaky and inadvertently (unrelatedly) became a chew toy for my newest rescue dog...
Thanks!

Try the Asus MeMO Pad, it has high-end specs for $250.
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/asus-eee-pad-memo/4505-3126_7-35117824.html
However, I would suggest going for the Asus Padfone, as it represents the first step towards a future with modular computing, a paradigm shift on the level of having smartphones in the first place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBTc3gn7jBE

hackintoshable said:
I'm an iOS/Java developer and I want to learn Android dev and port my apps to Android devices. I know there's simulators, but I'm a firm believer in "dogfooding," and want to "live" with the software running on real hardware for a few days, so, I'm looking at the ~$200 Android options... I can read the spec sheets and shoot-out comparisons as well as the next guy, but I was wondering what's the groupthink here?
What I'm considering (so far; open to other suggestions):
IdeaPad A1
Kindle Fire (rooted)
Waiting for the rumored Google ICS tablet
Thoughts? Capacitive touch screen (ideally with at least 1024x600 resolution), decent responsiveness (adequate CPU and RAM), reliable WiFi connectivity are must-haves. Anything from 2.3 on would be interesting.
I have a PRS-T1 I rooted and am happily running a mix of eReader apps on, and I had a Nook Color running CM7.1 but it was always flaky and inadvertently (unrelatedly) became a chew toy for my newest rescue dog...
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being that Im guessing you would like to stay in the $200.00 price range I strongly suggest you check out swappa.com Its the "Ebay of Android" and I know of few here at XDA that have used it with much success. I think you will like what you find.

Galaxy tab 7 2 is 250 brand new so u might be able to get a used one for cheaper
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

nook tablet with custom rom (cm7)
*almost same spec (same processor, etc) with kindle fire but nook has 16gb, micro sd slot and 1gb ram compared to kindle fire's no micro sd and 512mb ram
link - barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-tablet-barnes-noble/1104687969
trust me, 512mb ram is just not enough

it seems samsung galaxy tab2 7 is 249$.

fisherwei said:
it seems samsung galaxy tab2 7 is 249$.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got one last week and I am very pleased with it.

Ubuntu on our HTC One X?

http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/02/ubuntu-for-smartphones/
So? what's it going to take?

zoltrix said:
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/02/ubuntu-for-smartphones/
So? what's it going to take?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the new ubuntu OS looks sexy !!

Two Separate Things
To clarify, those are two separate things. One is an entirely new mobile phone OS, the other is a docked desktop OS that runs alongside Android, sharing the kernel and other resources. The Engadget article for the Ubuntu for Android is here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/ubuntu-for-android-hands-on/. I'm very excited about the possibility of Ubuntu for Android, but it looks like only OEMs can talk to them about it.

I like the way the OS looks, but I rather have buttons than have swipe gestures. Gestures are what my playbook and RIM excel at.
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app

they should make an Ubuntu development subforum once this bad boy gets ported

WOW
This is simply marvelous:good:, I love it!

I'd pay to have a working port of that!
Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

I read they are going to release test builds for the galaxy nexus periodicly... But if its Ubuntu... I'm sure its going to be completely open source and it said its built to use android kernel and drivers so I'm sure one day we will get a port. Not sure if our phone is capable of running the Ubuntu os and the desktop dock thing. It said to use desktop dock you have to have a quadcore
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app

dustinhayes93 said:
I read they are going to release test builds for the galaxy nexus periodicly... But if its Ubuntu... I'm sure its going to be completely open source and it said its built to use android kernel and drivers so I'm sure one day we will get a port. Not sure if our phone is capable of running the Ubuntu os and the desktop dock thing. It said to use desktop dock you have to have a quadcore
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading further you yes they intend to have it completely open source and they also plan to make it easily portable to devices that run android
I'm definitely going to want to see it
Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

Ubuntu on an XL with a bluetooth kb and mouse and something like a Toshiba Dynadock would rock. We'd have a vga out, multiple powered usb ports, headphone jack and a wired network connection in addition to 3G/4G and wifi.
Given that the One XL outperforms a lot of the quadcore phones on the market, it should be powerful enough to run this.
I'm running desktop Ubuntu on an old G5 imac (1 * 1.8GHz ppc processor). That is fast enough for my uses. It should scream on the dual 1.5GHz S4's.
I do recall putting together a linux from scratch OS while I was at uni ... Hrmm. I was actually due for a new computer. Maybe I'll turn my phone into my desktop.

Just finished watching the youtube intro for this. So excited. This is what I've been waiting for, for a very long time.

I installed Ubuntu natively on my Xoom a while back, it ran a bit slow but was useable. The main problem was the touchscreen driver. The HOXL is quite a bit faster than the Xoom, so it should work nicely. I'd like to get my hands on that smartphone version of Ubuntu.

codeprimate said:
Ubuntu on an XL with a bluetooth kb and mouse and something like a Toshiba Dynadock would rock. We'd have a vga out, multiple powered usb ports, headphone jack and a wired network connection in addition to 3G/4G and wifi.
Given that the One XL outperforms a lot of the quadcore phones on the market, it should be powerful enough to run this.
I'm running desktop Ubuntu on an old G5 imac (1 * 1.8GHz ppc processor). That is fast enough for my uses. It should scream on the dual 1.5GHz S4's.
I do recall putting together a linux from scratch OS while I was at uni ... Hrmm. I was actually due for a new computer. Maybe I'll turn my phone into my desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you sound a little overly optimistic in my opinion. I don't think it'll run nearly as smooth as you think, but hell, compared to a PPC970 it may actually be faster. Your biggest issue is going to be the lack of memory. 1 GB is going to start looking mighty low when it comes to running desktop apps on it.
In their specs, they name a quad core A9 as required to run the desktop mode, but in my opinion I wouldn't really bother getting too excited until you're running at least an A15. An Exynos 5 Quad with 2 GB of RAM would probably run quite nicely. Anything less and I think you'll be dealing with a somewhat slow system. Look at the Chromebooks with the Exynos 5. People are loading Ubuntu on those and saying they run great. That's where I'd put the baseline for a desktop, but again, memory would be your biggest limitation at that point. I suppose it also depends on what they can strip out of the desktop version of Ubuntu that comes bundled. If it can be very lightweight, it would help greatly in the memory use department.
Speaking of stripping things out, the One X isn't likely going to be an ideal device for this due to it's lack of storage space also. You'd run out of space REALLY fast if you tried to install a few desktop apps.

AJerman said:
I think you sound a little overly optimistic in my opinion. I don't think it'll run nearly as smooth as you think, but hell, compared to a PPC970 it may actually be faster. Your biggest issue is going to be the lack of memory. 1 GB is going to start looking mighty low when it comes to running desktop apps on it.
In their specs, they name a quad core A9 as required to run the desktop mode, but in my opinion I wouldn't really bother getting too excited until you're running at least an A15. An Exynos 5 Quad with 2 GB of RAM would probably run quite nicely. Anything less and I think you'll be dealing with a somewhat slow system. Look at the Chromebooks with the Exynos 5. People are loading Ubuntu on those and saying they run great. That's where I'd put the baseline for a desktop, but again, memory would be your biggest limitation at that point. I suppose it also depends on what they can strip out of the desktop version of Ubuntu that comes bundled. If it can be very lightweight, it would help greatly in the memory use department.
Speaking of stripping things out, the One X isn't likely going to be an ideal device for this due to it's lack of storage space also. You'd run out of space REALLY fast if you tried to install a few desktop apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, I'm optimistic. It won't be a highly spec'd desktop by any means, but I'm not really a gamer (the only games I'd play on it would be chess and freeciv. You are correct - 1 GB of RAM is not a lot, and it'd struggle with any heavyweight desktop app, but I've got the Tesltra HTC one XL (which is 32 GB not 16 like the AT&T version), so it should be slightly more usable (at least while I'm waiting for manufacturers to start releasing linux phones).
For storage I'd mostly be using my home NAS, and the cloud options available.
I get that it will be quite limited, but I'd still like to see what it can do

Need expert suggestion...

Hi,
I am looking for an android TV stick to make my TV smarter, there are tons of chinese varieties out there with huge pricing variations and therefore I need expert advice from you guys to make my buying decision. Here are my requirements :
1). Play 1080p (Full-HD) video over Wifi on my TV via a networked Samba Share.
2). Watch 3D movies on my TV.
3). Pair my iMac Bluetooth keyboard/mouse to control the stick.
Thanks

Best bet is to wait until quadcores hit the market. 1080 doesnt work as well as it should without mods done so you can overclock. Not sure on 3D working on any that are out now.

Are there any quad-cores out there yet ? Also, what would be the best suggestion from current options.

Quad cores should start coming out this month.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Tab 2 7" Questions

Hello all, Hope you are well.
------
So I will be buying the 7" version of this tablet before the end of the week and I have a few questions regarding the development side of things, I have previously owned a large range of Android devices and rooted and used custom roms ect on them all so I am not a noob lol.
-------
My questions are as follows"
1) What is the highest frequency possible for the CPU?
2) How many cores are available for the GPU? and what is the highest frequency it can be set at?
3) Is 4.2.2 JB available in a CM?
4) The ram is stated at 1gb but I guess it would be around 770mb available, is the ext4 or ext3 ram extender available for this device?
5) How are the 3d or HD games running on this device? performance wise.
6) Is it worth $198 Au?
-------------------------------------
How does this tab compare to similar ones on the market?
-------------
Thank you all r3NdRag

r3NdRaG said:
Hello all, Hope you are well.
------
So I will be buying the 7" version of this tablet before the end of the week and I have a few questions regarding the development side of things, I have previously owned a large range of Android devices and rooted and used custom roms ect on them all so I am not a noob lol.
-------
My questions are as follows"
1) What is the highest frequency possible for the CPU?
2) How many cores are available for the GPU? and what is the highest frequency it can be set at?
3) Is 4.2.2 JB available in a CM?
4) The ram is stated at 1gb but I guess it would be around 770mb available, is the ext4 or ext3 ram extender available for this device?
5) How are the 3d or HD games running on this device? performance wise.
6) Is it worth $198 Au?
-------------------------------------
How does this tab compare to similar ones on the market?
-------------
Thank you all r3NdRag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) 1.4 safely
2) don't recall
3) yes
4) yup depending on rom 77x
5) arguably decent
6) barely
7) read the viable option thread
8) seriously all these questions are easy find use the search
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda app-developers app

@r3NdRaG
I'm guessing your from Australia, like myself.
I've gone through alot of tablets.
For the retail price of $200 at jb Hifi, **** Smith, officeworks, big w (all are advertising it at that price)
etc it's a good price.
Online - eBay is obviously going to be cheaper obviously.
The tablet is great I myself this week got the Samsung galaxy tab 2 10.1 16gb WiFi ver only for $300 - any of the stores above.
And bought a 64gb card for $50 on eBay.
I bought cause I need more screen estate and will be docking in the car alot.
Any questions ask.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

Try researching for nexus 7.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I'm not a real fan of devices that don't have expandable memory
Maybe the op is different.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

Thank you all for such a quick response.
Mrkhigh I know I could have searched but I need 10 posts before I can use development forum.
I think I will buy this tablet it seems like a good deal.
I'm hoping it will be able to handle what I throw at it lol.
Sent from my TB512-16G using xda app-developers app

its a light weight tab bro....you can get it for $86 now......i wud have recommended you get another...
r3NdRaG said:
Hello all, Hope you are well.
------
So I will be buying the 7" version of this tablet before the end of the week and I have a few questions regarding the development side of things, I have previously owned a large range of Android devices and rooted and used custom roms ect on them all so I am not a noob lol.
-------
My questions are as follows"
1) What is the highest frequency possible for the CPU?
2) How many cores are available for the GPU? and what is the highest frequency it can be set at?
3) Is 4.2.2 JB available in a CM?
4) The ram is stated at 1gb but I guess it would be around 770mb available, is the ext4 or ext3 ram extender available for this device?
5) How are the 3d or HD games running on this device? performance wise.
6) Is it worth $198 Au?
-------------------------------------
How does this tab compare to similar ones on the market?
-------------
Thank you all r3NdRag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Has there been any ouya vs sheild talk?

I think the hard part is getting non PC people to have a PC, with a 650 or better nvidia GPU. And then you have PC people that just need an upgraded GPU. And is nvidia gonna do first party break the ice with a bunch of mini game or small and quick MMO or plan on setting up a special something for shield owners? And then you have people who don't really want the portability all that much and will likely buy the poor man's gaming console, the ouya, which should refressh it's hardware every year or two. And isn't nvudia inside the ouya to start off with? Nvidia could get something jumpstarted where the ouya would work in this equation somehow or be a host server for man, or all out line if the right components are there and up to the task.
my gnote2 is bigger than your puny iPhone.

I'm still not too sure about either, to be honest. My Asus Infinity with a Tegra 3, and a PS3 controller with the Sixaxis app, currently handles all of my Android gaming. The Tegra 4 will be in Android tablets soon, though I think the first tablet getting the Tegra 4 will be running Windows 8. I'm just not too sure, YET, if Project Glass will be worth the extra money...
Sent from my White Evo LTE running MeanBean, using XDA Premium

The ouya has a tegra 3 at 1.3ghz. The Shield has a 1.9ghz tegra 4. Significantly more power.
The shield running stock android means it doesnt need to stream from a desktop PC. With the OUYA also being android based I reckon it would be a fairly easy port to get an OUYA game running on the shield, either with a port of the game code to the shield or possibly a modded OUYA SDK. Dependant on how much source code is available for the Shield roms and OUYA roms it might be possible to run an ouya rom on the shield.
Windows 8 wont run on a tegra 4. Namely because windows 8 is x86 only and tegra 4 is ARM.
Windows RT might but there have been no new windows RT devices announced so none with a tegra 4.
Only tegra 4 devices I know of right now are the shield, the HP splitbook x2 and the NVidia demo phone and demo tablets sold to manufacturers to sample what the tegra 4 and 4i can do.

SixSixSevenSeven said:
The ouya has a tegra 3 at 1.3ghz. The Shield has a 1.9ghz tegra 4. Significantly more power.
The shield running stock android means it doesnt need to stream from a desktop PC. With the OUYA also being android based I reckon it would be a fairly easy port to get an OUYA game running on the shield, either with a port of the game code to the shield or possibly a modded OUYA SDK. Dependant on how much source code is available for the Shield roms and OUYA roms it might be possible to run an ouya rom on the shield.
Windows 8 wont run on a tegra 4. Namely because windows 8 is x86 only and tegra 4 is ARM.
Windows RT might but there have been no new windows RT devices announced so none with a tegra 4.
Only tegra 4 devices I know of right now are the shield, the HP splitbook x2 and the NVidia demo phone and demo tablets sold to manufacturers to sample what the tegra 4 and 4i can do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OUYA actually has a 1.9GHZ tegra 3 T33 processor (supposedly better than the T30L which is what youll find in devices like the Nexus 7, HTC one and Asus pads) The OUYA development tool (referred to by the developers as the ODK) is easily obtainable from their website. When you download it and install it (it's an apk) it boots you into the OUYA interface, acting like a launcher controlling it with my nexus 7's touch screen was clumsy and un productive and I didnt have access to the app store but I believe it would be quite easy to gain access. I also installed the play station mobile app on my nexus 7 but since it is not an officially licenced device with access to it it locked me out. This was fixed by flashing a package from custom recovery. No doubt the same applies to the ouya market.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Tetra 3 uses a cortex A9. Tetra 4 uses A15 which is about 50% faster at the same clock speed. So even with the ouya being 1.9ghz it still has less CPU power than the shield. Has a weaker GPU too.
Only points the ouya wins on are cost and dedicated developer support. There are probably more people hoping to make ouya specific apps than there are shield specific apps, a relatively minor point seeming as those apps should play nicely on either device anyway.
Ultimately you could still hook a shield up to a tv and pair a Bluetooth gamepad with it (maybe even an ouya one when they get around to selling them on their own) if you want a living room console, then unplug cable and go if you need a portable device. It just comes at a cost.

Wasn't contradicting your statement was merely correcting some misleading information.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

There is a lot of hope from both camps (Ouya and NVIDIA) that these "controller-based" products will really push for developers to support landscape-only devices and dedicated controller support. While Shield has the advantage of a touch screen available, both devices are really driving toward controller-only development.

I could see myself getting one of these. Not at launch but after a couple critical mass games and the one that gets more quality support for console like gaming. The ouya is potentially a GameCube successor and the shield has a lot of potential but are people really going to put their smart phones and tablets down for a dedicated but still portable console.
Sent from my GT-N7100

@rbiter said:
I could see myself getting one of these. Not at launch but after a couple critical mass games and the one that gets more quality support for console like gaming. The ouya is potentially a GameCube successor and the shield has a lot of potential but are people really going to put their smart phones and tablets down for a dedicated but still portable console.
Sent from my GT-N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I was previously interested in the OUYA for some hard core android gaming on a tv, I've kind of lost interest due to the fact that its model was meant to attract developers looking to make a name for themselves meaning small scale AA games. While there's nothing wrong with producing opportunity for new developers, it does mean that a good portion of the content will not be worth your time atleast in its early stages. The Nvidia Shield not only has the power to handle anythjng the market can pushout for atleast the next two years, the OUYA is packing hardware which is already outdated.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Jsusgarcia179 said:
While I was previously interested in the OUYA for some hard core android gaming on a tv, I've kind of lost interest due to the fact that its model was meant to attract developers looking to make a name for themselves meaning small scale AA games. While there's nothing wrong with producing opportunity for new developers, it does mean that a good portion of the content will not be worth your time atleast in its early stages. The Nvidia Shield not only has the power to handle anythjng the market can pushout for atleast the next two years, the OUYA is packing hardware which is already outdated.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ouya is supposedly getting new hardware every year. How they plan on doing that I don't know. It would be very nerdy and cool to unplug and drop a new SOC instead of buying the while console each time. And ouya seems to be off to a shaky start already with the controller and lag issues.
Sent from my GT-N7100

@rbiter said:
The ouya is supposedly getting new hardware every year. How they plan on doing that I don't know. It would be very nerdy and cool to unplug and drop a new SOC instead of buying the while console each time. And ouya seems to be off to a shaky start already with the controller and lag issues.
Sent from my GT-N7100
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Click to collapse
What I think they meant by that is that a new ouya with updated hardware will be released every year.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks to the easily exchangeable hardware of the ouya, I believe that we will see upgrade possibilities.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app

Jsusgarcia179 said:
What I think they meant by that is that a new ouya with updated hardware will be released every year.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I think that is the way it will be, but if they designed it the right way it would be cool to just drop a new soc in and only have to buy a new ouya every 3 years or so. Upgrading just the hardware inside for $50 or so would be really cool on the wallet also.
Sent from my GT-N7100

slainbybeats said:
Thanks to the easily exchangeable hardware of the ouya, I believe that we will see upgrade possibilities.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what are you on about?
The ouya only breaks down into 4 components. Case, lid, motherboard and fan. Nothing is removable from the motherboard and its hardly worth keeping the case between upgrades (besides, case has negligible financial impact). Only way you can upgrade the ouya is swap the entire motherboard in one go, or basically just buying a new ouya.
Swappable SoC's won't work as ARM chips don't maintain a standard pin out. To swap from a tegra 3 to a tegra 4 even requires a new motherboard. Workaround is to use a computer-on-module but that would not be effective for the ouya. Drivers for different SoCs are all different too. There is no feasible way to switch between SoCs in the ouya.
Just expect new hardware revisions every year or 2 instead.
Until then. Ouya VS shield. Ouya only really wins out for cost and size, and its not as if the shield is big. Ouya apps can probably eventually be coerced into running on the shield and ouya controllers would also work with the shield. Shield is more powerful, more portable. Only thing the ouya has and shield doesn't is the touchpad on the controller (exposes itself as a Bluetooth mouse so there is one workaround, or pair an ouya controller with the shield, or emulate it on the shield touch screen).

I believe the upgrade path for an Ouya would be to keep your old controllers, and just get the base unit.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I love the idea of Ouya, but with the Xbox One and PS4 coming out in the fall I don't see a need for it.
The shield wins for me because I love the idea that I can play my PC games anywhere in the house or even the backyard. I love the idea of being able to use it like any other Android device. I love the portability and the power that the shield offers and I love that I can actually plug the shield into any TV im play those games right to it. If I wasn't such a big Xbox gamer and just wanted something cheap to play then I would consider the Ouya, but that's not the case and I have been looking for something that's portable with counsel quality gaming for a while now and the PC streaming is just a huge bonus for me.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

The shield does seem to have a more serious gamer allure but at a higher cost. The ouya would get the all around enthusiast gamer and would be much better suited for family or friend fun. Though I don't see why the shield couldn't support multiplayer from one shield output to a TV. I am not a serious gamer anymore but the Xbox one probably won't ever be in my living room if they really do undermine the second hand market like that. Probably the same for the ps4 if they decide to go ahead and do it. Still very interested in getting a ps4 in a couple of years when ps3 starts to show it's age in blue ray movies. The ouya might pique my interest in the meantime if they have some meaningful games.
Sent from my GT-N7100

stanglifemike said:
I'm still not too sure about either, to be honest. My Asus Infinity with a Tegra 3, and a PS3 controller with the Sixaxis app, currently handles all of my Android gaming. The Tegra 4 will be in Android tablets soon, though I think the first tablet getting the Tegra 4 will be running Windows 8. I'm just not too sure, YET, if Project Glass will be worth the extra money...
Sent from my White Evo LTE running MeanBean, using XDA Premium
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Click to collapse
More like tablet (singular)