[Q] Interest in a tablet. Best low cost options? - Android General

So I am interested in getting a tablet, as I'd like a device that can handle productivity tasks better than my phone but is more portable than my laptop. However, I'm looking to spend as little money as possible for a decent device. So far these seem to be the best options
Nexus 7 2013 (<$200)
LG G Pad 8.3 (<$250)
New Nexus 8/9 (>$400)
I am leaning toward the LG as I would like a slightly larger device. I also want to use a hardware keyboard case/dock with the tablet I eventually purchase. I read in reviews that the N7 is too petite of a device to maximize keyboard use. While the new nexus would be ideal, I don't want to pay the full retail for the 32gb version so I would have to wait for price drops.. I currently would like the tablet now. I plan to root whatever the device I get. Based on all of this, which would yall recommend I purchase? Also if yall had any other suggestions I would appreciate it, Thanks.

There are 3 threads devoted to discussions about devices, please repost your question in one of these three threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
Thanks! :good:

Related

[Q] Android tablets...

So i want to buy a android tablet. i will so be going to college, and i find it was easier to carry tablet with ebooks instead of the actual book.
I have AT&T. so their tablet will be the Galaxy Tab, which is okay for 549.99
but then the Motorola Xoom (wifi version) came out for 599.99 which i find way better only problem would be the 3G. i hate verizon btw.
and of course there are many other to come in the next months.
so can you all guide me in which direction will be the best for me. thanks
sal2708 said:
So i want to buy a android tablet. i will so be going to college, and i find it was easier to carry tablet with ebooks instead of the actual book.
I have AT&T. so their tablet will be the Galaxy Tab, which is okay for 549.99
but then the Motorola Xoom (wifi version) came out for 599.99 which i find way better only problem would be the 3G. i hate verizon btw.
and of course there are many other to come in the next months.
so can you all guide me in which direction will be the best for me. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If only there was a thread called:
Need advice on my next TABLET / what model is better? Official Thread---
if only that thread was not limited to $200... -sigh-
meltwater said:
If only there was a thread called:
Need advice on my next TABLET / what model is better? Official Thread---
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sal2708 said:
if only that thread was not limited to $200... -sigh-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If only you'd read the rest of it and realise it is now a combined general thread.
I would imagine you would be needing something with exceptional battery life and an excellent screen (particularly for viewing in sunlight). Something like the pixel qi technology, the Notion Ink Adam for example, however whether the Notion Ink delivers on what it promises remains to be seen, its been in development for a long time.
If you are spending that sort of money I would highly recommend getting a demo of the devices and I would also consider setting the iPad2 as a benchmark, if you are paying around the same price, then you should at least aim for a screen/battery better than that, or you might as well get one of those.
i not really in iOS, i have an ipod touch. its blah.
i liek android better.
there to many out there to go for.
i have my eyes set on some of them, HTC Flyer, Moto Xoom (AT&T verison might launch is that is so, we got a winner but until then), toshiba tablet, Viewsonic Viewpad 7 or 10. those are mainly the once i am intrested in. just dont know which will be best. and more hackable (if thats even a word.)
sal2708 said:
i not really in iOS, i have an ipod touch. its blah.
i liek android better.
there to many out there to go for.
i have my eyes set on some of them, HTC Flyer, Moto Xoom (AT&T verison might launch is that is so, we got a winner but until then), toshiba tablet, Viewsonic Viewpad 7 or 10. those are mainly the once i am intrested in. just dont know which will be best. and more hackable (if thats even a word.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I can tell they are all quite similar spec, although not looked in detail.
Regarding hack-ability, keep an eye out for which ones are rooted etc, with the hardware specs being so good and being from main stream manufacturers chances are they will be hacked (I imagine just too tempting).
I would expect that the Viewsonic's battery and screen won't be a patch on the others, as a lesser manufacturer, but then neither will the price.
For me, I've decided to go the cheep route, since I don't have the cash to get the more expensive ones or to upgrade them when they get superseded in 12 - 18 months.
I think after all the atrix with the lapdock will be my final choice
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
I have a notion ink Adam - pixel qi, 3g.
It's a great piece of hardware. Fast, good camera, light, the pixel qi works well.
The down sides are:
- the Eden UI still has a few bugs. I'm looking to run Ubuntu anyway so not an issue for me
- pixel qi is not the same as a kindle. Similar, but pixel qi is more for usage in the sun.

should I get a g tablet?

I'm casually looking into getting an Android tablet. I had the OG Droid and have since upgraded to the HTC Thunderbolt, but I would like to get a tablet somewhere down the line. I am really not in any hurry to purchase a tablet, but if I did get one now I would go with the G tablet. I would like to know your thoughts on whether or not I should get one though because I would not really have a problem waiting another couple of months (especially if there is talk if it dropping in price again) but if I do wait would the G tablet still be worth it? I know the new Tegra 3 devices are going to come out not too long from now, but I would also rather spend $200-$250 on a G tablet than $500+ for the latest and greatest. The reason I like the G tablet so much is the USB port, HDMI (with the dock),10.1" screen, processor+ram, and the wonderful development community here at XDA, all of which really make me feel like I'm getting a major bang for my buck. Any tablet I get would have to match or exceed the G tablet's specs without costing too much more.
Thanks to anyone who responds!
jruasap said:
but I would also rather spend $200-$250 on a G tablet than $500+ for the latest and greatest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO the price you quoted above is the "go-go" price for the GTab, regardless of the naysayers (who have certainly went below the radar after the HC ports), you can't beat the bang for buck @ sub $250 (even might come with some accessories).
@ $300 or more, you might want to consider a $100 upgrade to an Asus Transformer.
no...............dont buy one...i have two...ones still sealed i'll sell it to you for $400 lmao!
Unless money is an overriding factor I'd get the Asus Transformer instead. The higher-resolution, beautiful IPS screen is reason enough, but it also functions better out of the box without any need for rooting/hacking (although it supports that too).
I say this as a three-month owner of a very hacked GTab.
jruasap said:
I'm casually looking into getting an Android tablet. I had the OG Droid and have since upgraded to the HTC Thunderbolt, but I would like to get a tablet somewhere down the line. I am really not in any hurry to purchase a tablet, but if I did get one now I would go with the G tablet. I would like to know your thoughts on whether or not I should get one though because I would not really have a problem waiting another couple of months (especially if there is talk if it dropping in price again) but if I do wait would the G tablet still be worth it? I know the new Tegra 3 devices are going to come out not too long from now, but I would also rather spend $200-$250 on a G tablet than $500+ for the latest and greatest. The reason I like the G tablet so much is the USB port, HDMI (with the dock),10.1" screen, processor+ram, and the wonderful development community here at XDA, all of which really make me feel like I'm getting a major bang for my buck. Any tablet I get would have to match or exceed the G tablet's specs without costing too much more.
Thanks to anyone who responds!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent you a private message. Check your inbox.
You might want to consider getting an ipad instead. I absolutely love my gtab. But the gtab is not for the faint of heart.
My theory on this is this. Any fault in a $500 device you will try to overlook. But if you buy something half that price, you will always have the attitude of "of course, this is a piece of crap, it's only $250."
People have been crying bloody murder over the tiniest inconvenient about the gtab. For example, it is only .3 lb heavier than the ipad and there are people who claim left and right that the gtab weighs like a ton.
So, again, if you have to ask your question, the I highly recommend you getting an ipad. At least there you will know you spent good money on it and will not ***** about everything that's wrong with it.
... and of course the very day following your question, Gtabs are available for a great price on woot.com. ..... coincidence? You decide.
/ sent from my Gtab of course /
I really enjoyed my Gtab but I sold it and got an Acer Iconia A500. The A500 has a full sized USB port and HDMI arleady on it. I wanted the Transformer but after having had the Gtab I wanted the USB.
No.
If you even gotta ask, and you have money to go mainstream - go mainstream.
This prolly isn't the tab for you.
Sent from my Gtab dual-booting BT5 and Vegan5.1.1 oc'ed @ 1.6 through Connectify on my Asus-G73JH I7 usb-tethered to my OG-Droid GINGER oc'ed @ 1.0 using PDA-net 3.0 paid.
No, they not have support anymore, and developers are dumping this thing and moving to other tables. It's a dead end.
goodintentions said:
You might want to consider getting an ipad instead. I absolutely love my gtab. But the gtab is not for the faint of heart.
My theory on this is this. Any fault in a $500 device you will try to overlook. But if you buy something half that price, you will always have the attitude of "of course, this is a piece of crap, it's only $250."
People have been crying bloody murder over the tiniest inconvenient about the gtab. For example, it is only .3 lb heavier than the ipad and there are people who claim left and right that the gtab weighs like a ton.
So, again, if you have to ask your question, the I highly recommend you getting an ipad. At least there you will know you spent good money on it and will not ***** about everything that's wrong with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong the lack of flash diminishes the user experience major number one complaint of ipad owners plus the lack of input ports. There is also a dock charging problem and apps force close. Many mainstream app developers are scaling back there apps because of a memory handling issue there was an article about 12 ipad issues on infoworld. For $499 unacceptable but $250 no big deal.
edirector said:
Wrong the lack of flash diminishes the user experience major number one complaint of ipad owners plus the lack of input ports.
There is also a dock charging problem and apps force close. Many mainstream app developers are scaling back there apps because of a memory handling issue there was an article about 12 ipad issues on infoworld. For $499 unacceptable but $250 no big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of these can be forgiven by most regular users simply for the fact that the ipad is a mainstream device.
Again, all the *****ings and complaints don't really stem from the faults of the device but rather from whether the device is mainstream or not.
Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen issues with the ipad that I don't have with the gtab. But because the ipad is $500 and a mainstream device, most people will turn a blind eye to these issues.
kekinash said:
No, they not have support anymore, and developers are dumping this thing and moving to other tables. It's a dead end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah ?!?
ROMS:
- Roebeets HC port : latest release June 6.
- CyanogenMod Team CM7 GB port : latest nightly May 25.
- tjohnsonjr's G-Harmony GB port (with HC elements) : latest release June 6.
- Cocide's Evervolv GB port : latest release June 2.
Kernels:
- pershoot's OC kernel : latest release June 4.
- Clemsyn's OC kernel : latest release May 1st.
Not sure which devs are dumping this thing and moving to other tablets though, in any case, the above (and the many others I missed) should do for now

[Q] Tablet/Netbook?

Hey everyone,
Now im looking to Buy a Tablet, Netbook (about 10"), I live in Aus but am happy to buy overseas to get a cheaper price.
I want something that is good for the price, im not to bad on what brand as long as its sort of known. I am also kinda wanting a 3G connection but if that is not possible ill just stick with Wi-Fi.
I am interested in the Motorola Xoom, as I love its features and not a bad price, but any suggestions are welcomed.
Also I am after battery life, i would love heaps of battery as i am at uni all day.
Size: I do not really care about onboard size, as long as it has some sort of sd card slot
I do not know which OS, either Windows 7 or Android Honeycomb depending on device.
I think thats about it
Any suggestions would be great and very helpful
Thanks guys
I suggest having a look at the new Samsung Tab 10.1 - plenty of bang for the buck. Not sure about battery life, though, might be geared more towards power than conservation.
the asus transformer is the perfect combination of netbook and talet goodness

would you trade up your device for cash ?

Hi guys i worked really hard this summer to save up for this tablet and dock. it was sweet the first week and i made sure to factory reset and just install good known apps. 3 weeks later the device is still... pretty snappy i guess. it laggs opening the app drawer with only 2 pages of apps lol. getting back to the homescreen sometimes is a pain . and i dont understand why there is not a lot of people with the device ! the nexus 7 has every dev and his grandmother making things for it. its getting really hard to justify the money i spent for it
so my question is. would you sell your tablet and dock ( lets say my dad wants to buy it off me for 600$) and you get a nexus 7 and enjoy the custom roms, gaming and community behind it ? with lots to spare? i dont use the camera on the tf700, i mostly use cloud storage so idk if i need the micro and full size sd card i bought lol. hm at the same time i dont want to regret it later. oh well ! opinions ?
If the Nexus were 10", I'd consider it. As is, absolutely not. I've tried a 7" tablet before, and they're just too small to do anything productive on them. They're great pocket web browsers, but at that point I feel like I could just whip out my phone and as such dont see much of a point.
Roms WILL come for the Infinity. Its still a rather new device, the Nexus has the advantage of full source being available for it from day 1. Most non-nexus devices have only kernel source available, so it takes a while for devs to figure things out. Once one AOSP ROM drops, development should pick up really fast.
I'd never consider having a 7" tablet instead of a 10" tablet or the Infinity specifically, especially with the dock. This is more of a netbook (but not laptop) vs Infinity thing for me.
I'll definitely consider getting a 7" tablet as an addition to it, however, for note-taking on the go and such, but when there's a solid 7" tablet with SD card slot, 3G, good (and fast-charging) battery with reasonable CPU/GPU/SoC and JB out... pretty demanding, so I'm still waiting, 3G seems to be the biggest problem in these.
d14b0ll0s said:
I'd never consider having a 7" tablet instead of a 10" tablet or the Infinity specifically, especially with the dock. This is more of a netbook (but not laptop) vs Infinity thing for me.
I'll definitely consider getting a 7" tablet as an addition to it, however, for note-taking on the go and such, but when there's a solid 7" tablet with SD card slot, 3G, good (and fast-charging) battery with reasonable CPU/GPU/SoC and JB out... pretty demanding, so I'm still waiting, 3G seems to be the biggest problem in these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for a 10" over a 7". I have to say I have a sorry long history with the various tablets, going back to the very first Android Tabs. I have had the full range of Asus devices, spent months testing the Xoom and the Galaxy 10.1 for VZW, the ViewSonic gTablet, all the way back to the Augen Gentouch and the Velocity Cruz. For me, 7" is a great e-reader and that is about it. I am very hard-pressed to come up with anything that it is useful for besides reading a book that I can't do faster and easier with either my phone or my tablet depending on the need.
I just don't see the value in it. Borrow a 7" and try to take notes, it really doesn't work nearly as well as you would hope. Then do it on a 10" and see the difference.
Good luck!
this is a subjective question to be answered by ones own needs
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
No SD slot on Nexus, thats why I got a tf700 in the first place.
I was really tempted initially when I found out how few apps there are supported. But measured side by side its main competitor in my mind the ipad 3, the infinity just has so much more functionality I'm willing to wait for the app support. :victory:
I waited forever to get the Infinity so I definitely have patience for more development.
Trade for cash
Heck ya baby...
Bucks talk hardware walks!
I'd say no. If you REALLY want a device with lots of devs behind it and ability to customize it, go for something like the samsung galaxy tab 10 (or the tab 2.0 but thats reather expensive)
The reason i say the tab 10 is because:
10" tablet
Sources are available
Odin is provided BY SAMSUNG to make CUSTOM ROMS, how much easier can they make it?
LOTS of cooks making custom versions of android
Its been out for ages meaning there is a developed community behind it
In my area anyways they were given away like fruitcake, Buy a cell phone get a tab, buy a PVR get a tab, buy a car get a tab, go to school get a tab, etc. so the market is saturated
Tab 2.0 drives down the price of the tab 10, you can get them used for like, $200 in my area
Dual core, powerful enough to run pretty much anything on the market. VERY few apps take advantage of quad core
If you want to get a solid 10" tablet and not pay big money this is the one i would go with. Its not top of the line, its not as flashy, it doesnt have as many features as the prime but it IS a solid tablet that will do what you want with the customization you want while leaving LOTS of extra money in your pocket.
If there would have been any valid rumours about Nexus 10" tablets I wouldn't have even considered getting another tablet. Same goes for phones now. My SGS3 will be the last branded phone. I want to go to Google all the way. Just so tired of companies putting their "own value" to the product and making updates slow and actually most of the extra is just annoying. Thank god Asus didn't make that much changes, only some useless apps which can't get rid off without rooting. But still updates are slower than with Google's Nexus. And Asus is the best of the rest.
CandyAndy said:
If there would have been any valid rumours about Nexus 10" tablets I wouldn't have even considered getting another tablet. Same goes for phones now. My SGS3 will be the last branded phone. I want to go to Google all the way. Just so tired of companies putting their "own value" to the product and making updates slow and actually most of the extra is just annoying. Thank god Asus didn't make that much changes, only some useless apps which can't get rid off without rooting. But still updates are slower than with Google's Nexus. And Asus is the best of the rest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung is bad for updates, i agree, however because we get all the sources it is pretty quick before you get AOSP versions that are up to date with google, at least thats the way it is with my S2.
hey boy i know you spend a good amount of money to get the infinity but your comparing it to the nexus 7 which is a 7" device with almost no features with cheapness ooozing all over it . It's like buying a bmw and you want to trade it for a honda civic!!!!! .
Sure it will have more developer because it came out first plus its a google nexus reference design what do you expect. Wait another month and you'll see that there will be a lot of developer for this device.
Why so many useless thread concerning this type of question eg: should i trade my infinity? , what color do you like? , should i get the 32gb? Why not get yourself a brain so you can make a decision.

Best Tablet for Gaming under $400

Hey guys,
I'm looking for some recommendations on a new tablet, I'm going to use it mainly for gaming and watching movies/TV shows. My iPad Air broke recently and am looking to get an android alternative.
What's most essential for me are the specs, the more future-proof it is the better as I won't be getting another tablet for quite some time (5+ years). Things like the camera, keyboard or controller support are secondary as I'll hardly use these features at all.
Nvidia Shield K1 seemed like a really good choice, however it's impossible to find a new one now at $200. Google’s Pixel C also look pretty awesome with the Tegra X1, but it’s still really expensive even after two years, and I'm not sure if it's really worth it for the steep price.
What are some good tablets I can get that are best bang for the buck (in term of gaming performance) under $400?
By the way, as someone who has never owned an android device before, I'm wondering how good are they for gaming in comparison with the iPad? Google store is looking pretty sweet now with plenty of apps, figure it'd be a good time to switch especially if I can get a tablet that's cheaper and with better specs.
I'm getting pretty tired of apple’s iTunes sync, locked down updates, and the fact that older devices get significantly slower with new iOS updates. Although I wonder how does the Android market fare in comparison, is it a similar thing as well?
Performance in gaming is my primary concern, how are optimisations on android games in comparison with their iOS counterpart? If I buy an android tablet that have similar spec to an iPad, can I expect the same level of performance in game?
Future-proofing is another one of my concern, does android tablets get significantly slower in a couple years as well? I will not have the money to purchase a new tablet for a while, so the longer this one lasts me the better it will be.
Anyway thank you so much for reading this, sincerely appreciate any recommendations that you can give.
Cheers!
First, read the Forum Rules and search before posting.
Use the thread in place here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
Thread Closed.
Falcon912 said:
Hey guys,
I'm looking for some recommendations on a new tablet, I'm going to use it mainly for gaming and watching movies/TV shows. My iPad Air broke recently and am looking to get an android alternative.
What's most essential for me are the specs, the more future-proof it is the better as I won't be getting another tablet for quite some time (5+ years). Things like the camera, keyboard or controller support are secondary as I'll hardly use these features at all.
Nvidia Shield K1 seemed like a really good choice, however it's impossible to find a new one now at $200. Google’s Pixel C also look pretty awesome with the Tegra X1, but it’s still really expensive even after two years, and I'm not sure if it's really worth it for the steep price.
What are some good tablets I can get that are best bang for the buck (in term of gaming performance) under $400?
By the way, as someone who has never owned an android device before, I'm wondering how good are they for gaming in comparison with the iPad? Google store is looking pretty sweet now with plenty of apps, figure it'd be a good time to switch especially if I can get a tablet that's cheaper and with better specs.
I'm getting pretty tired of apple’s iTunes sync, locked down updates, and the fact that older devices get significantly slower with new iOS updates. Although I wonder how does the Android market fare in comparison, is it a similar thing as well?
Performance in gaming is my primary concern, how are optimisations on android games in comparison with their iOS counterpart? If I buy an android tablet that have similar spec to an iPad, can I expect the same level of performance in game?
Future-proofing is another one of my concern, does android tablets get significantly slower in a couple years as well? I will not have the money to purchase a new tablet for a while, so the longer this one lasts me the better it will be.
Anyway thank you so much for reading this, sincerely appreciate any recommendations that you can give.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Categories

Resources