which android tablet

annies_mum

hi, can anyone give me any advice on the android tablet pc's that are out there.
i know they won't be as good as the ipads or even the samsung galaxy but to be honest i don't have that kind of money.
we have been looking at the advent vega but it seems permantly OOS, so we started looking at the Archos 101 which runs Android 2.2.
Has anyone had any experience of this tablet? or can you recommend a better one in this price bracket £240.00 - £280.00.
Please keep it simple, as i don't really know what i'm supposed to be looking for. thank you in advance

cruger

ARCHOS ARCHOS 5 60GB INTERNET MEDIA TAB60GB INTERNET MEDIA TABLET £199

Saw this in Comet. Sold out online but still have some instore. Just go to - say no to - website for the cheap rate telephone number of comet stores and ask around and you may be lucky enough to find one.

[Deleted User]

Personally, i'd wait till January when the Nook Color will get Android 2.2 .. it's only 150 quid and rather nifty

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/10/26/hands-on-with-the-nook-color/

Buy it for 150 quid..
http://www.purelygadgets.co.uk/NOOK-eBook-Reader-(Wi-Fi)/mainproduct/view/32777-WH/10

kwikbreaks

The big problem with most Android tablets right now apart from the Galaxy is that they don't have access to the Android market as they don't meet the necessary hardware specs. Until the newer ones come out I think I'd be inclined to keep my money in my pocket. Even an iPad is a bad bet right now as the next model is rumoured to be due out in February.

flyingscotno1

It might not help but I have the Advent Vega, and it was sheer luck in getting one (and getting it here during the snow!).

Out of the box the Advent Vega isn't a bad tablet spec wise but I suspect the average user would be disappointed with it.

Two main reasons, but both come with a big however....

-No Google Apps for example Google Market (for installing other apps), Google Maps or GMail.

-Also now since 13th December no Adobe Flash.

Now the however is that both these can be corrected very easily thanks to Paul at Modaco.com. He has managed to add the google apps as an add-on and I believe Flash will still work with his add-on too (I'd need someone to confirm so don't rely on that!). He also has a performance pack which improves the device speed and operation further.

The process of installing isn't the easiest on this one- but people at Modaco will help you.

As to why Google apps were missing- I don't know the stages in getting approval for them but for whatever reason the manufacturer did not include them which is a major flaw in the device for the average user.

Flash Player did not, according to news sites, pass Adobe certification on the Vega too which means flash has been pulled and no flash on the units to 2011. I never noticed any issues on stock on iPlayer- occasional lip sync issues but nothing major.

If these were missing I would not be happy with the tablet, but as it is with Modaco additions it makes the tablet and Android 2.2 whilst not designed for tablets is not as bad as I thought on it. Indeed I'm still a bit unsure about tablets but they are winning me over.

myfairrlady

I have Witstech A 81E, with 7" screen, Android 2.2, Flash and full access to the Google Market. I love it. If you want to know more about it, google slatedroid and gadgetsandtablets forums.

annies_mum

thank you so much for all your replies, what does it mean that the tablet pc's don't have the correct hardware for the android market? does it mean that you can still surf the net but can't buy apps like games etc as you can with a Ipad?
its for our son who is 14 and i'd like to say its for homework etc but i think its more than likely to be for facebook etc, he is devoted to his I pod touch, but as hard as i try i really can't afford the high price of them.

debitcardmayhem

annies_mum wrote: »

thank you so much for all your replies, what does it mean that the tablet pc's don't have the correct hardware for the android market? does it mean that you can still surf the net but can't buy apps like games etc as you can with a Ipad?
its for our son who is 14 and i'd like to say its for homework etc but i think its more than likely to be for facebook etc, he is devoted to his I pod touch, but as hard as i try i really can't afford the high price of them.

Let him love his ipod, but my opinion is buy him a netbook at that price bracket £240.00 - £280.00. It will offer a lot more, and will allow him to use iTunes , allow him to use linux, and learn C programming on the Linux bit, and use the windozes stuff at the same time (assuming you buy him a Windows Netbook) My sammy N140 has a 10" screen and works much better than any iPad/Tablet

patman99

You have to be very careful when buying Apads. There are a lot of real bin-fillers out there.
Min. spec. needs to be -
1GHz CPU
512Mb memory
Android 2.2

I noticed that Next and IJT are both selling bin-fodder Apads with Android 1.6, a 330MHz cpu and 256 Mb ram. Tbh, if I received one of these I would probably donate it to the school raffle as a booby prize.

kwikbreaks

annies_mum wrote: »

what does it mean that the tablet pc's don't have the correct hardware for the android market? does it mean that you can still surf the net but can't buy apps like games etc as you can with a Ipad?

For access to the official Android market the device needs 3G and a raft of different sensors. Few have 3G.

There are other markets which they may be able to access of course (such as the one for Archos tablets) but theses won't have as many apps to choose from. There are also various hacks around that will let some tablets access the Android market even though they aren't officially supported but of course some apps may not work and the hack could maybe invalidate the warranty (I don't know for sure if that would be the case).

Other problems with cheap tablets will be use of resistive rather than capacitive touch screens, lower resolutions, and slower processors. As I said in my first post I'd wait for a while before getting any tablet right now.

Forwandert

Funny things happened since tablets have started to become popular, when i bought my Dell streak in June people tended to say !!!!!! is that it's the biggest phone i've ever seen, now it's more a case of wow how smalls that for a tablet run's android 2.2 and (just about) fits in your pocket.