[Closed] Recommend me an Android Tablet

Guy at work here has the Xoom. It's the best Android tablet I've played with so far, the cheap ones are pish. I'm liking the look of the Asus Transformer too.

Someone will be along shortly to tell you to buy an iPad, but in honesty there aren't a lot of realistic competitors.

I have a Xoom and to date I am very impressed. Does everything I want it to very well indeed. Only small criticism, the case looks little clunky, but it does protect everything very well, so I suppose that's OK!

Got an Asus Transformer here and very happy with it. If your not bothered about the lack of 3g connection direct from the tablet I'd say this is the one to go for (Can easily be tethered to a phone to use its connection so I see the 3g a expensive unnecessary feature). Yes some of the others are lighter or more stylish but the addition of the keyboard dock makes the transformer a much more useful device, since I bought mine 2 months ago the main house PC has only been used once! The screen is nice a clear and plenty bright enough. Slight annoyance at the moment is lack of Skype video calling (skypes fault apparently), however google talk gets around this.

Here it comes
[b]buy an iPad[/b]
Nothing else compares or competes, not that I've anything else so it's a totally bias comment

But the Rim Playbook, Xoom are the best of a sorry bunch.

Are any of the Andriod Tablets actually significanlty cheaper than an [shhhh]ipad[/shhhh] yet? (ignoring the defunct HP one)

Thanks guys all very useful.

cheers

[img] [/img]

What about the Samsung 10.1 jobbie?

MrsG is interested in a tablet (she is a complete technophobe with no Apple/Android bias) so we went to an outlet that stocked the lot. She spent over an hour fiddling with them all and declared the Samsung her favourite with an Asus transformer a close second. She just didn't 'like' the iPad.

Not sure if you can buy them at the moment as Apple and Samsung are having the biggest geek fight ever and Apple has slapped an injunction on the Galaxy range.

I'm selling a 32Gig Touchpad - email in profile.

Another happy Asus Transformer user here.

Amazon had the 16 gig version for about £330 recently which makes it pretty good value against an iPad in my opinion...

Tried the Xoom at the airport recently didnt think it was any better than a Advent Vega that I had(With upgraded App Market and Rom).
Really like the HTC flyer but seems a bit pricey for the size.
Blackberry playbook seemed nice enough but a bit small and some awkward gestures on it.
Not had a go on the new Galaxy tab yet but the old one seemed pretty good.
And yes I do have a Ipad as it does seem to be the most useable,I only have the Wifi version but I can tether it to my Android phone no problem and use its 3G connection.

I have the galaxy tab 7inch very pleased with it got it to use when away fishing £5 a month sim unlimited surfing run memory map app is really good £250

The samsung 10.1 [url= http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-p7510-galaxy-tablet-pc-16gb-10983395-pdt.html ]is available in PC world[/url]. However, the 32GB non-3G Xoom [url= http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/motorola-xoom-tablet-pc-32gb-09752543-pdt.html ]is now available for £330[/url]!

I had a play with this in HMV yesterday:

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=289;16;-1;-1;-1&sku=335573
The smaller here
[img] [/img]

It runs gingerbread 2.3 (big bonus), has a multi touch capacitive screen that seems pretty bright and its a bargin at £120.

It was really responsive and fast, nicely made, solid and glossy. Best experience Ive had on an android tablet and Ive been fiddling with them when I walk into shops for the last twelve months. I reckon the discount price (down from £300+ish) is due to low demand for the size, but its a great size for a big pocket, and sofa surfing etc.

Im about to press the button, but has anyone got one yet?

http://arnovatech.com/products/g2/index.html?country=nl&lang=en

Hmmm that looks good stoner...have to say I find 7" way handier to use than the 10"

Vegas are £140 refurb on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Advent-Vega-Refurbished-Internet-Tablet-/130582310469?pt=UK_iPad_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item1e674fee45

Kogan @ £120 has had good reviews, Hannspree at a similar price also - I think these cheapies will need a bit of hot-rodding to make them work well, but there appears to be money to be saved.

TBH If I was looking at spending £300+ I'd just get an ipad - you can get a discount if you Look/wait around. But then I'm not an apple-hater.

I like having the 1gz ARM cortex and capacitive screen in there for £120.

As I said I think on my early posts on tablets nearly a year ago that this is when the functionality and pricepoint become sensible for something for webbrowsing, podcast/music listening / ebook reading on the train etc,

PS It also means when I get my new phone in a few months time, I dont have to look for the size/phone function compromise. I can use my phone as a 3G mifi point for this for browsing so I can go for a smaller, slimmer android business phone

htc flyer now 300 dollars in the US (wifi only) if you can be arsed getting one sent over

Ah **** I think I have to buy one 😡 oh well I'm £200 better off since I decided not to buy those 250gm rims from PX after they went back up to £100 each 😀

3G one only £10 more!

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=289;16;-1;-1;-1&sku=262547

oooh hadnt seen the 7c for just 130.

I have a spare sim lying around somewhere....

Think I might have to go for it...

STOP!

the 7c isnt the same formfactor or cpu.

7c:
• 195 mm x 118 mm x 14.1 mm – 490 g
• Qualcomm MSM7227

7:
• 203 mm x 107 mm x 12 mm (8” x 4.2” x 0.5”) – 370 g / 13 oz
• ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz

Im going to stick with the 7 I think

stoner, some comments on the std one and the 3G one (which has a slower processor apparently):

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/archos-arnova-g2-7-8gb-tablet-119-99-hmv-1024519#comments

3g (which has GPS too)

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/arnova-7c-g2-3g-tablet-7-inch-screen-4gb-memory-card-144-cpw-1003265

avforums.com will prob have some comment too...if it ever gets up 😡

defo not going for that 3G unit - the cpu is a fair bit slower, and I dont need the GPS or 3G functionality since they are in my phone which Id be using for connectivity anyway when out and about.

just bought it 😯

cross-post.

Nowt on avforums that I can see.

just bought it

Be interested to hear how you get on with it. My thinking on tablets seems to be similar to yours - don't need 3G/GPS because I have a phone to do that and want something easy to carry about, which the 10" tablets don't manage. 7" screen seems like a good compromise.

I've found 7" just right for typing & holding up, 10" was too heavy and a pita to type on in landscape format for me.

I do not have limp wrists either, in fact my guns are pretty good.

been looking at the anova g2 7 too. mixed reviews but.the main thing I understood is that it uses applib rather than the android market. anyone able to confirm? or know of other ways of getting apps on it?

I have a Vega.
£200 from currys, get it home and drop VegaComb on it which is rooted Honeycomb (Android 3).

Works fantastic. Easily as quick as an ipad and while it's not always as slick, is far more configurable.
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6177697963_6a2035a15b_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6177697963_6a2035a15b_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53067724@N00/6177697963/ ]IMAG0152[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53067724@N00/ ]Jon Wyatt[/url], on Flickr

samuri, does USB hosting work with the software you're using ?

Yep, I believe it does although I've not tried it yet. The problem is, knowing if you're in host or slave mode. One of the chaps over on Modaco has come up with a little widget for switching between the two I think.

No one mentioned the new Kindle Fire yet?
Be hard to get a better spec at that price I expect.

(tho personally I'd have an iPad 😉 )

the Fire 's not out yet, no uk release date, a strong possibility that the uk version will have less functionality, price tag likely to match or be more than the dollar price and currently privacy concerns on the stock browser.

still interested, mind but with some hacking.

Samuri - yeh, I have a modaco one on there just now. Haven't quite got the hang of USB hosting (failed to get it to sync down a cable with my phone, but had a go tonight with the tablet as a massive GPS screen tethered to my phone via wifi) If only I could see past it to the road ahead 😯

GrahamS - You're right, as long as they can rip the Amazon software out of it, the guts sound fantastic value for people like modaco to piss about with. It'll be interesting to see prices of other devices now this is out for 200 dollars (REALLY ??) in the US

This article makes a good point:
http://m.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/kindle-fire-android-competion/

The Fire may be the death of (other) Android tablets - who can compete with Amazon?

Especially when it may be being sold at a loss:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/30/amazon_kindle_fire_bill_of_materials/

Got to admit, I am going to be sorely tempted by the Fire as and when it appears in the UK (though may be tempted to hold out for the 10" version). The Archos machines are also looking tempting though... especially if I can get the 250Gb version and find a way to plug my DSLR into it as a backup device on the road.

Or an Android version of Lightroom.... mmmmmm

When is the new Amazon thing out, or isn't it a proper toy?

The new Sony is meant to be very good - me? I'd buy an ipad. Sales stats show most buyers do the same

I hear the Sun Newspaper is pretty popular.

I know what your saying Al, but popularity is not necessarily a bad thing.

Buying Apple may mean your [i]"one of the sheeple fanbois"[/i] but its popularity means you have access to a ton of third-party accessories (covers, docks, keyboards, car chargers, stereo hook ups, printer support, NAS support etc).

When is the new Amazon thing out, or isn't it a proper toy?

Definitely [i]proper[/i], but no release date in the UK yet (available in the US now I believe). It took the original Kindle two years to come to the UK so we might be in for a wait.

It's not GrahamS but many buy ipads for reasons that don't matter to android lovers (and I don't mean apple haters)

So we have a 10" refurb android tablet that can be honeycomb'd for £140 and a 7" on gingerbread for £120 - ideal for me and others as I don't want to blow £400 on an ipad.

The point about accessory support is not lost on me though.

"So we have a 10" refurb android tablet that can be honeycomb'd for £140 and a 7" on gingerbread for £120 - ideal for me and others as I don't want to blow £400 on an ipad."

+1

All things considered, I think I'd still rather have an instant-on Netbook that I can stash in a jacket pocket. The Fire looks nice, but I really don't understand the furore over tablets.

cynic-al: agreed 🙂

I really don't understand the furore over tablets.

I think it comes down to two things Cougar:

1) it just works: Most netbooks come with XP or Windows 7, so you've got to faff about with virus scanners, Windows Updates, malware, browser updates, blah blah blah. Most (non-geek) people can't be faffed with all that when all they want to do is read their email and Facebook.

2) form factor: trying lying on your couch and holding a netbook over your head to read like a book. The screen is the wrong way round for a start and the keyboard gets in the way.

You (like me) are a geek I believe. So these things possibly hold less sway to you than they do with Joe User.

netboiok keyborads are crap for typing and mouse-pads crap for surfing/scrolling - tablet way better for bbrowsing

cynic-al - Member
netboiok keyborads are crap for typing and mouse-pads crap for surfing/scrolling - tablet way better for bbrowsing

[i]Sent from my crummy Netbook[/i]

If I wanted to read a book, I'd get a Kindle (or, y'know, a book).

The 'just works' thing I get, but that's wholly unrelated to form factor, it's a direct result of Apple's "no user serviceable parts, leave it alone" approach. It just works because they've removed the primary cause of things not working; tinkering users and unrestricted third-party software. The same locked-down approach might well mean that the Fire ultimately succeeds where other tablets haven't.

I think though that "it just works" is probably the second biggest selling point for the iPad. The first is "ooh, shiny," and somewhat further down the list is actually having a use for one. People want an iPad in the same way that I want a circular saw(*).

For me though, I have a specific niche in my tech needs, which is the hole left by my Psion 5. A tablet doesn't meet those needs because for all the on-screen keyboard might be great, I can't touch-type on one.

(* - I just do, alright?!)

The ability to watch a movie, browse the net, check my email and read a book in a format larger than my phone is just the ticket for me, instead of having 2 devices to do that.. kindle and netbook.

I've alway thought them a great idea, and just working without need to faff is a big, big draw to me (and I like faffing with computers)

Are those Vega expandable memory wise? 512MB is seemingly bugger all, when even a compressed avi to mp4 is easily 400mb's...assuming the vega' is capable playing a decent quality movie. And already above to make it more 'usable' they talk about replacing the OS.. faffing before you even get to use it! (maybe minor but still)

EDIT: wanting a circular saw is a natural man thing, I got given a cheap one, it scares the be-jesus out of me in use. Also have a chainsaw which my friend has helpfully confiscated from me (under the pretense of needing to use it)

Samsung do have a handy bike mount for their tablet though:

[img] [/img]
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2011/09/samsung-suggests-showing-off-your-tablet-to-potential-thieves-with-a-bike-mount/

What are they thinking with that bike mount? White forks, white saddle [b]black[/b] bar tape!

THAT. BIKE. MOUNT. IS. AWESOMZ!

Anyone got hold of an Arnova 7 G2 yet?

[i]Are those Vega expandable memory wise? 512MB is seemingly bugger all, when even a compressed avi to mp4 is easily 400mb's...assuming the vega' is capable playing a decent quality movie. And already above to make it more 'usable' they talk about replacing the OS.. faffing before you even get to use it! (maybe minor but still)[/i]

Yep, you can get SD cards for them, mine's got a 32G card in, it has a USB slot so you can plug just about USB device in there and it has a HDMI output port too for pushing stuff out to your big telly.

Mine plays movies fine. The speed increase from Gingerbread to Honeycomb was huge too. It went from just about acceptable to lightning fast.

I'd only add that getting the Honeycomb ROM is a bit of a faff but the guys who created it do give you excellent guides. The hardest bit is getting the drivers working properly on your PC.

Any apps available for the Vega that will store notes locally with encryption? - want something for work instead of either a crappy notepad or a heavy laptop to take notes on through the day but I can't leave it unencrypted.

Evernote is what I use on my phone but there doesn't seem to be encryption available using the app.

Just played with an Arnova and Vega - former much quicker, interesting that the honeycomb makes the latter faster (not like that for pcs!).

Money's probably going on an Arnova - less faff and I think I prefer that size. Saving £16!!!

good to have my thoughts corroborated at least a little bit. ANy more detail on what you like about it?

email from hmv, woohoo!

it's on its way

Hi STONER

Your order's in the post and should be with you soon. If you've pre-ordered, we'll aim to get it to you on the day of release (UK deliveries only).

Qty Format Artist Title Price Estimated Delivery
1 AC ARCHOS ARNOVA ARNOVA: 7" G2 8GB £119.99 2-5 days

Hmm - wasn't that impressed with the idea of tablets - certainly not at £400 for something almost as big as my 11" netbook and significantly less usable (this has a proper keyboard and can run any normal Windows SW - is fine for developing on). However £120 for something 7" starts seeming quite tempting.

However £120 for something 7" starts seeming quite tempting

And to some extent, that for me is the reason why this, Amazon Fire, etc actually are competition for iPads even if they're not the technical equals.

I reckon that if another year went past (I'm still waiting to hear on the tabs above and the Fire) with no serious competition for the iPad then I'd end up getting one. As it is I reckon there will be much cheaper alternatives (that suit what I actually want to do, not suggesting they'll technically match the iPad) and I'll get one of those instead.

And to some extent, that for me is the reason why this, Amazon Fire, etc actually are competition for iPads even if they're not the technical equals.

+1 - I basically want a tablet to read the news while I'm having breakfast, and maybe update my twitter feed while sitting in the garden connected to the WiFi. There's no way I can justify the cost of an iPad (or Xoom or whatever) to do that, however well-constructed it may be. That said, Android 2.3 would be nice!

I think the fire looks like it comes very short in the functionality compared to a descent tablet though.

Possibly - that's what I'm waiting to find out - but it'll be interesting to see what it's actually lacking.

almost as big as my 11" netbook and significantly less usable

Missing teh pointz of tablets, as per Cougar earlier.

Does your netbook have a touch screen? GPS? Accelerometers? IPS display? Two cameras? 10 hour battery? Does it weight 600g? Can it easily be held in one hand and read like a book?

Alternatively, do you have to fanny about with virus scanners, malware protection, Windows Updates, browser updates, security settings, etc etc

Basically the market is different. Yes netbooks are more flexible, but with that comes all the usual problems associated with a PC with software, hardware and form-factor. Tablets just work and have a much more usable form-factor for consuming media.

Amazon Fire, etc actually are competition for iPads even if they're not the technical equals.

More so for other Android tablets I think. Once someone has decided that they don't want to spring for an iPad, they are going to be left looking at the £120 Fire, a big pile of other £400 'droid tablets, and some horribly crippled sub-£200 junk.

How about the Asus padphone - no redundancy just use the phone as normal but put it in the padphone when you need the bigger screen:

http://event.asus.com/mobile/padfone/

Is that the one limited by the screen resolution or O/S (phone version) of the phone?
Absolutely cracking idea otherwise.. & all of the 'extra' devices have their own batteries!

It'll be the OS version on the phone I would think but it will be a big faux par if the screen res is limited.

that padphone is an interesting idea.

I was thinking of something along similar lines but say more like a 7" tablet with a slide out BT earwig/headset.

I think the fire looks like it comes very short in the functionality compared to a descent tablet though

(addit) that padphone is a great idea

16gb Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" 3G in Tescos today for £150.

@stoner: Uh...the Arnova just seemed a little slicker - screen, colours, smoothness of animation, speed, body, everything really (i.e. more like an iPad 😛 )

I think it's the size & weight mostly though - I can grab 7" with both hands (ooh-er) and type with my thumbs. Probbers gonna order online tonight.

One really odd thing with the Vega was typing in portrait - the keyboard takes up about half the screen, so they keys are tall and not placed where you'd expect them - made it useless.

Well, after spotting the Arnova in HMV last week and being quite impressed, I went looking for reviews, didn't find any and figured it was probably junk.

But after seeing this thread I went out and bought one. Ihave to say I'm impressed all over again!

I have nothing to compare it to however, not being a fan of apple things.

(unless they've been very clever) I'd give it a fortnight, max, before somebody has it rooted. Maybe a month or two for a full new software rom

Amazon are quite relaxed about the device being rooted apparently, sounds like they're not going to put measures in place to try and stop it.

I had a Advent Vega that I hacked with the Modaco rom,was very good for the 3 days that it stayed working,screen packed up on the 4th day so was not that impressed with it after that.

Have had a play around with several tablets at the weekend in John Lewis,
Motorola Xoom still seems like a overpriced Vega.
New Sony Tablet works well but is a odd shape,did not feel comfortable in the hand,Playstation(original) games on it had dire graphics.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was very impressive,quick,light,very thin and worked well.

I have used the BB Playbook and although nicely built and decent screen just does not seem to have much going for it.
HTC flyer was fantastic but very expensive for the size.
There was a Asus or Acer as well but did not get chance to play on it as SWMBO was nagging.

I currently have the original Ipad and think the Samsung Galaxy would be the only one to tempt me away.

that padphone is an interesting idea

That interface is going be a weak point though
They always are
I'm sure it's undergone plenty of user testing but these sort of things alway fail in the end
We have a few different bits of test kit with detachable parts (remotes etc) and they always go

Well, after spotting the Arnova in HMV last week and being quite impressed, I went looking for reviews, didn't find any and figured it was probably junk.

But after seeing this thread I went out and bought one. Ihave to say I'm impressed all over again!

that's kind of how Ive been feeling blob.

It just seemed so much smoother and slicker than past android efforts -not just at that price point, but even much, much higher, so it seemed a bit remarkable, and Ive had to have a second take.

the Arnova just seemed a little slicker - screen, colours, smoothness of animation, speed, body, everything really

eggzactly.

i need to investigate this arnova 🙂 is the screen measured diagonally?

yes

That PhonePad thing looks like an excellent idea, if the increased screen real estate actually means a higher resolution screen. If it just turns a 4" WVGA display into a 10.1" WVGA display, I can get the same result by holding my phone closer to my face.

My current phone is qHD (960×540). That means it's actually a 'bigger' screen than the Arnova 7(*) and not all that far off the 10's 1024x600. Tell me again why I need a tablet?

(* - which is 800x480. That's despite claiming "Full 1080p" playback, which is just bloody cheeky when what they mean is that it'll play 1080p videos at 480px. By that argument, my old 14" Pye CRT was HD ready.).

Missing teh pointz of tablets, as per Cougar earlier.

The other question of course is how important all those features you mention really are - I'm struggling to see how I'm losing out significantly having a proper usable keyboard (and decent touchpad) compared to a touchscreen when I want to type stuff. Why an IPS display and something I can hold in one hand are better for viewing the screen than something with a hinge in the middle I can get a good viewing angle without having to hold it. Can't say I ever have a problem with my 4 hour battery life (you can get netbooks with 10 - I compromised for more power), and wonder how often typical tablet users need that much. Oh, and I have GPS (and 3G, something a lot of tablets appear to lack!) Trying to help you out and remember the last time I had to fanny about with virus scanners, updates etc., but struggling, as once I'd got it set up it just works.