Related
My wife keeps asking me what I want for Christmas, and honestly, I think I want a Tablet. I don't really know why, but I love my HTC Hero so damn much that I think I would really like a larger, more powerful version (that can play 3D games, watch movies on, etc). I have seen a bunch of relatively inexpensive Android based pads on ebay, such as the Zenithink ZT-180 as well as many other cheaply made (looking) iPad clones. I'm not above getting one of these providing they actually work and don't just fall apart immediately.
Does anyone had any experience with these devices? How is the build quality/Android implementation? Is it worth getting one, or is it really worth the enormous price for the Samsung Galaxy Tab?
Thanks in advance!
Zeb
Doublepost I realise, but just to add another note, I've just been looking at the Archos 7 Internet Tablet, and it looks really good! Android 2.2, good build quality, capacitive touch screen (rather than resistive), multi touch, accelerometer... It definitely seems to tick all of the boxes! Only downside is the lack of Android Marketplace on the device (which I have read can be kinda hacked to add this separately).
Anyone tried one of these? Definately looking like the right device for me, as a lot fo the others don't support multi-touch, or they have resistive screens, etc. Plus Archos is a brand I know and I am confident that still means something.
Any comments or suggestions?
Zeb
I was just reading a Mobile magazine that compared a TONS of PADs. The one that struck my fancy was the "KMART" brand which is a 7" Android 2.1 800mhz tablet for about $149.
Thats dirt cheap and would probably get you where you need to go quite easily. Sure it isn't Froyo 2.2, but anyone with a Nexus knows that there isn't much different between the two.
EDIT: Found the Magazine, Maximum Tech, by Maximum PC. The Kmart PAD is a rebranded GenTouch78.
800×480 color TFT touch panel screen Resistive touch
CPU: 800 Mhz
Ram: DDR2 256mb
Internal Memory: 2GB
Expansion Slots: SD/MMC card slot up to 16GB
Wi-Fi Connectivity with Full Web Browsing Capability
Supports Ebook Formats: Text, PDF, E-PUB, HTML
Supports Media Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC
Supports most popular E-Book formats
Picture Viewer in JPEG, BMP
Video Player
Rechargeable Lithium Battery
Carrying case included
http://www.talkandroid.com/7788-k-mart-offering-gentouch78-tablet-for-150/
Its listed as $179:
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_...o=1&blockType=G1&prdNo=1&i_cntr=1287775848825
@Above: My Co-Worker has an Archos (older one I think with 1.6 on it) and I've installed the Market and Maps and stuff no problem. If I remember correctly it was just a matter of downloading the APK and installing it.
The Archos listed in the Magazine is the Home 7 Tablet with Android 1.5... and a newer version released by the FCC called the Archos 32 with Android 2.1. No listing of it having 2.2 unless it has been updated since publication. It does say expected in October for about $150.
-800mhz A8
8gb of storage
3.2-inch 400x240 screen (yuck)
Great info! Thanks a lot! I have had a look at the Gentouch device, but the screen wasn't really what I was looking for, but then again, it is dirt cheap! Nice to hear that the Archos devices can be sideloaded easily enough, how did you find the overall build quality of the two?
what's the intended use?
You have to keep in mind that
... Gingerbread tablets will get released, soon
... Android is a mobile OS at the moment, which means not as powerful as the real Windows, thus only good for browsing the web, watching a movie, checking mails, but no work
... if you want to do some work you'll need Windows sooner or later (just take a look at Office, there are some apps for Android, like Documents to go, but it's not useful to create documents, rather view and do some minor changes
... if you want to take notes, then there is no possibility with Android at the moment. Lack of hardware (pen or keyboard), lack of software (like OneNote), lack of tools (like Handwriting recognition)
... really interesting tablets get released soon, regarding Android: Notion Ink Adam with great hardware and included software which should make their Android stand out from the android used on smartphones, regarding Windows 7: HP Slate, regarding WebOS: HP WebOS slate, regarding MeeGo: unknown
So better tell us your intended use.
If you just plan to do the same with the tablet you currently do with your smartphone, then take the cheapest tablet running Froyo.
I would use the tablet to do much the same things as I use my laptop for currently. Watching movies, listening to some music, playing the odd game and browsing the internet.
Admittedly, not having ANY productivity suite is a big downside, I hadn't thought about this really, but is there no app to remote desktop to a PC in the house? If it is possible to RDP/VNC to another PC, then this is no issue at all, if there isn't, surely one is on the way? I really don't want to pay the premium for a device powerful enough to run Windows 7 and have a lot of overhead taken by the OS, I don't think I need something as complex as a "full" OS like that. Plus I REALLY love android!
Watz up all, 1st time poster but I've been lurkin arounds these forums awhile now. The andriod pads are a geat idea for people with out the phone. I have a zio its does the job and actually does it pretty well.I would defiantley get a andriod touch pad but ONLY when there is a Ps2, N64 emulator! Like i said even my cheap zio does i all.
l8er
PocketCloud is a great RDP app.
Still, just wait a few weeks, there aren't really great media tablets out there yet.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
I have been doing a lot of research into a good cheap android tablet to buy and now I'm even more confused than when I started. Apad,Iped,etc. Spec. faking and all.
I have come across the zt180 which seems to be the fastest And (among others) This, which is slower but seems to be a better machine overall (2.2, more ram, some sort of video playing dsp chip).
They seemed to be the best but there is probably many I haven't seen.
Can anyone who owns either device or who knows more about this recommend what one I should buy. Weather it be one of those 2 or something else.
I am looking for something that can play "standard 700mb a movie" divx videos (not sure of the quality but its the quality most 700mb movies are), youtube and some web browsing. I am also worried whether the resistive screen is going to be annoying or not.
Thanks
Hi, did you end up buying your tablet. Im looking to get a cheapie too and was wondering how you went.
My daugther has a popcorn hour a-110 and i have created the jukeboxefunction on it, but beside that files stops working or shortcuts and that is kinda slow i want the ability for here to self pick what movie she wants to see, its importent that it is jukebox function cause she is to young to read.
I bought the archos it 101 and i seem to be one of not so many that it runs really slow even after custom room and oc etc so i have given up on that pieace of crap.
But i have read that they can suffer from the ability to read all kind of files, lack of jukebox function and ability to run 1080p
im not gonna run 1080p movies but i want it to have the power for it, its mainly dvd rips etc, im not gonna run thos file types that include 1080p with 3d, 7.1 surround and whatever it needs, not even i run that kind of files.
But i need jukebox function and ofcourse its good if i get the best tablet for the price, even if i dont use all functions i still want to do a good deal....
I have looked into differens tablets and now im looking into acer iconia a500 cause its on auction for 2000SEK, little under 300$, and the auction runs out in around 2 hours and i forgat to ask here before
edit: im gonna use external 2tb 3.5" drives for the movies and HDMI output, some have full HDMI but this ones hasnt, but it isnt the end of the world.
edit or the galaxy tab 10.1, found one that is for sell and ens tomorrow its on the same price but i dunno how much higher it will end on, downside is that i need the dock station to use HDMI but that is on the package and the keybord to.
I know bumping isnt allowed but because its not so much more then 1 hour left on the acution for a500 i just wanna try getting answers.
Hey guys, been a while since I've posted anything.
Basically, grabbed myself a beautiful Samsung 42 inch TV and now I want to use more than it's built in USB feature...whilst it is nice, it doesn't support .mkv and .flacs....so I was doing my researches and found this but I am a tad stuck.
What would you guys recommend? Honestly, I want something that will comfortably play 1080p from being streamed from my computer into the device...plus it will be connected to a 120mbit fibre network anyway for when I want to stream movies instead...so, what do I get? Something to start me off? Something reliable, preferably...just anything anyone coculd recommend would be great! Or even making my own!?
Will be great to hear your feedback! Thanks!
If I were you, I'd get the UG008 Android mini PC. It's the evolution of the UG007 and has a couple of nice things over the 007--a physical power button and an external WiFi antenna.
The Minix Neo X5 is probably the best device with a rk3066 chip in it but with rk3166 devices starting to show up it might be worth waiting for the reviews to come in before spend cash on something that might have WiFi and other hardware issues, this is probably why I'll wait for MINIX Neo X7 in a couple of months...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
For $100 more you get 16gb more internal storage (apps2sd is not much help), and an amazing display with same chipset. Gamepads work fine with Android 4.1 on up. More battery life too.
If the Shield drops another $50 for the holidays, I will lean more back to Shield. Already have several tablets, so Shield would be a better device fit perhaps. Unless I sell some tablets.
I prefer Asus tablet.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4.
Your best question is, do you play PC games or just want to play Android games?
darkjedi said:
Your best question is, do you play PC games or just want to play Android games?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe not the best question since both can be done on the shield. Also the Shield most likely will still run games better due to its lower native res.
I'm guessing since the tablet will also sport the tegra 4 chipset, won't it be possible to also stream games to it the same way shield does?
pear or apple... eat what you want... they are different mate, shield is for gaming, you can't use it in portrait.. or at least not as easy any device; the tablet well, its a tablet.
I can use a controller for the tablet and it has more storage for games. Still, the Shield is more gamey of course in design.
I wish Best Buy had these or Gamestop had demos.
I have a tablet, phone and the Shield. The shield is the best portable android gaming device in my opinion. Sure it may have cost more than my other two devices but I wanted the best handheld emulator available and this is it.
georaldc said:
Maybe not the best question since both can be done on the shield. Also the Shield most likely will still run games better due to its lower native res.
I'm guessing since the tablet will also sport the tegra 4 chipset, won't it be possible to also stream games to it the same way shield does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is if you play PC games. Because you can't really easily do that with a tablet. But if you don't game on PC, then just use the tablet with a controller. Me, I *love* the game streaming. I can be on the couch or in bed and play my PC games. How awesome is that?
The shield is a tablet and at the same time it isn't. If you think your going to be doing more tablet specific things that a true tablet would do better then go with the tablet, if how ever you want an android device built for gaming(which is a big difference from a tablet that was converted to play games) and would enjoy a great way to play games on a handheld divice whilst also enjoying most of the perks of a tablet, then get the Sheild.
Tablets:
Pro: Bigger screen, longer batter
Con: can be less portable, not as handy for games, can be cumbersome to handle.
Shield:
Pro: Quick and easy game play, very comfortable for long periods of times. true hardware buttons/joystick.
Con: smaller screen, not as easy to control touch based applications,
You must yield the power of the shield it is as awesome device and i replaced my tablet for just one device to rule them all.
jutley said:
You must yield the power of the shield it is as awesome device and i replaced my tablet for just one device to rule them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I traded in my xoom2 and 3ds to get shield. I figured in two or three years the shield will emulate 3ds games, but then ill have a shield 2 by then.
Any sign of a sleep bleed and throttle fix yet?
rushless said:
Any sign of a sleep bleed and throttle fix yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been seeing a suggestion of using a live wallpaper that uses gpu resources to keep your shield from downclocking after it wakes up. Haven't tried it out yet though.
That would help the throttle, but reduce battery life and not help the bleed in sleep mode.
Nvidia better be pronto on a fix.
A tablet and a shield are two completely different things. The only thing they have in common is that they both run android. I would suggest having a tablet for productivity and a shield as a gaming device.
A shield is definitely not a tablet replacement, but it can work as a great android desktop/media device if you hook it up to your monitor with a mouse in keyboard.
There is in issue with HDMI lag but Iv not tested this. Probably an update would fix it.
georaldc said:
I've been seeing a suggestion of using a live wallpaper that uses gpu resources to keep your shield from downclocking after it wakes up. Haven't tried it out yet though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been playing with a pabndaboard es for a while and all android builds I have used on it run slow as......but when I switch to a live wallpaper it improves. Also on the pandaboard not using a live wallpaper makes android crash.
nielo360 said:
A tablet and a shield are two completely different things. The only thing they have in common is that they both run android. I would suggest having a tablet for productivity and a shield as a gaming device.
A shield is definitely not a tablet replacement, but it can work as a great android desktop/media device if you hook it up to your monitor with a mouse in keyboard.
There is in issue with HDMI lag but Iv not tested this. Probably an update would fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a tablet replacement IF you only bought the tablet for games like I did.
I have both Shield and Asus Transformer. The Shield is the most revolutionary gaming thing I've seen in a while. I would get the shield, put on some emulators, and you have access to 10,000 games in your hand
What asus tablet is it ?
I see I forgot to mention what I would buy IF i were looking to get one of these two devices. I already have the SHIELD, but I were to make this choice right NOW knowing what I know now.
I would buy the ASUS tablet, as the shield is crap, nvidia is pointing the finger at everyone other then nvidia for every shield problem out there. Have a problem with the geforce drivers needed for shield streaming? Here is nvidia's response "steam needs to fix it". Would you like to make a suggestion for some you would like to see added? Send in a bug report, we will add "new" features based on a bug report for something that is not currently in the software.
Everything works fine other then games on the shield, and the Geforce drivers for shield streaming. If you don't try and play games on the shield it works okay. If you don't install the geforce drivers for shield streaming PC games play great.
chevyowner said:
I see I forgot to mention what I would buy IF i were looking to get one of these two devices. I already have the SHIELD, but I were to make this choice right NOW knowing what I know now.
I would buy the ASUS tablet, as the shield is crap, nvidia is pointing the finger at everyone other then nvidia for every shield problem out there. Have a problem with the geforce drivers needed for shield streaming? Here is nvidia's response "steam needs to fix it". Would you like to make a suggestion for some you would like to see added? Send in a bug report, we will add "new" features based on a bug report for something that is not currently in the software.
Everything works fine other then games on the shield, and the Geforce drivers for shield streaming. If you don't try and play games on the shield it works okay. If you don't install the geforce drivers for shield streaming PC games play great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear about your streaming experience but the Shield is most definitely not crap. Mine streams just fine the few times I have tried it. I use it for android games and emulators. It works fantastically for this. I have owned at least 7 different Android tablets and none of them can play games like the shield can. I currently use a Nexus 10 and a Nexus 7 (2013) both of which are great tablets but cannot play games with them like the Shield. I also have a Rocketfish Miracast receiver and use it stream android games to my TV. The only problem I have with the device is screen resolution (needs to be 1080p) and screen size. I wish the size was a bit bigger but I realize they were trying to match the controller size. The resolution however, they could easily get a 5" 1080p screen. The battery life is very good and the Tegra 4 is blazing fast.