Cheaper tablets - incredible value, or a waste of $200?
May 29, 2011 12:38 PM Subscribe
What do I need to know about these sub-$250 tablets?
I'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting a tablet to take on the road, upstairs to bed, etc. I don't need to do a lot with it - e-mail, web-surfing, Pandora and Slacker-like media usage, some moderate Google Doc'ing perhaps. I really don't want to spend more than about $250 on this device, and preferably, I want to stay under $200. What do I need to know about these machines - what should I expect from the experience of using one, and what do the $450-500 models have that I won't get with one of these? These more expensive models are not an option - if the cheaper models aren't reliable, I'll just skip the purchase.
I'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting a tablet to take on the road, upstairs to bed, etc. I don't need to do a lot with it - e-mail, web-surfing, Pandora and Slacker-like media usage, some moderate Google Doc'ing perhaps. I really don't want to spend more than about $250 on this device, and preferably, I want to stay under $200. What do I need to know about these machines - what should I expect from the experience of using one, and what do the $450-500 models have that I won't get with one of these? These more expensive models are not an option - if the cheaper models aren't reliable, I'll just skip the purchase.
On the whole, they are very slow and built cheaply.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:53 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:53 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
There are some good devices in this range (locally I see dual-core and 1 GHz A8 models hitting the market for the equivalent of your price point, even a 10" 1.2 GHz capacitive model for only a little more), but there are gotchas and compromises.
The biggest compromise would be battery life: good, light batteries are expensive, so that's one area that tends to be skimped on. A Xoom or other high-end device will have an excellent life, a US$250 pad will probably go only 3 hours on a charge.
The screens are usually not as great an image quality, and may have low resolution - a lot of the cheap 7" screen tablets are 800x480 type resolutions, although there are exceptions. You should also make sure you actually get a capacitive screen, since a lot of cheaper devices run resistive to keep costs down.
Android versions and localisation can bite you in the bum. Make sure you're getting a recent (2.2+) version of Android for your location. Unless it's one of the better cheapo manufacturers you're unlikely to get much in the way of updates.
The final gotcha is Android Market access. You can make do without this, but it's a pain in the arse. Make sure the device has full Market access; many cheap tablets don't. Otherwise you'll be playing silly buggers to get APKs on your device.
posted by rodgerd at 1:19 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
The biggest compromise would be battery life: good, light batteries are expensive, so that's one area that tends to be skimped on. A Xoom or other high-end device will have an excellent life, a US$250 pad will probably go only 3 hours on a charge.
The screens are usually not as great an image quality, and may have low resolution - a lot of the cheap 7" screen tablets are 800x480 type resolutions, although there are exceptions. You should also make sure you actually get a capacitive screen, since a lot of cheaper devices run resistive to keep costs down.
Android versions and localisation can bite you in the bum. Make sure you're getting a recent (2.2+) version of Android for your location. Unless it's one of the better cheapo manufacturers you're unlikely to get much in the way of updates.
The final gotcha is Android Market access. You can make do without this, but it's a pain in the arse. Make sure the device has full Market access; many cheap tablets don't. Otherwise you'll be playing silly buggers to get APKs on your device.
posted by rodgerd at 1:19 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
My (rooted) nook color may not be an iPad, but it definitely isn't crap; it's quite usable and useful, and the screen is excellent. I wouldn't recommend it for writing documents on, though.
posted by and for no one at 1:27 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by and for no one at 1:27 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm in something of the same boat. I really want a tablet, but I want one that really meets my (modest) needs, not something that's full of compromise. (I've owned two cheapo MP3 players that have been no end of hassle.) I think my low bar is an older iPad or well-reviewed Android device, potentially used. If I couldn't reach that, money-wise, then I'd limit myself to an iPod Touch or a really decent smartphone. At the moment, though, I'm stuck with a faux-smartphone (the LG Rumor Touch) and while it gets me on the web, I do not enjoy any interactivity, there are numerous operability issues with the browser, and the various included or semi-official apps I can access just don't work as they should (e.g. even the Google Maps app is virtually useless). So I don't have a lot of confidence that a low-end tablet would be any less frustrating.
Put another way, the PC and laptop industry has had a number of settled price points for a long time. The tablet market may not be as mature, but I think the general idea still holds. For $250, you're only about halfway to a decent tablet, but at that level you can definitely get a nice smartphone.
posted by dhartung at 1:42 PM on May 29, 2011
Put another way, the PC and laptop industry has had a number of settled price points for a long time. The tablet market may not be as mature, but I think the general idea still holds. For $250, you're only about halfway to a decent tablet, but at that level you can definitely get a nice smartphone.
posted by dhartung at 1:42 PM on May 29, 2011
I like my rooted Nook Color a lot, and it can accomplish most of what you want. As mentioned, the battery drains pretty fast with extras enabled. I've found that the audio on it (with headphones) is really noisy and not very good, so Pandora is right out. That could be a problem with my particular device though.
The rooting is quick and easy, there's multiple levels of complexity (ranging from just making a bootable SD to wiping and installing Android 2.2+)
posted by Wulfhere at 1:58 PM on May 29, 2011
The rooting is quick and easy, there's multiple levels of complexity (ranging from just making a bootable SD to wiping and installing Android 2.2+)
posted by Wulfhere at 1:58 PM on May 29, 2011
I second the Nook Color. (I have both an iPad and a Nook Color.) Email - Check. Web Surfing - Check (with Flash, no less) Pandora - Check. Google Docs - Check. I now find myself using the Nook Color more than I am using the iPad. It's smaller, lighter (my iPad is in an Otterbox case, so it's a bit heavier), and I'm not scared I will drop, scratch, lose, etc... Plus, unlike the iPad, I have the option of adding more memory with MiniSD cards (MicroSD?). The media player is capable, the battery life is good (not great, but very, very good), and the best thing is that I can read Kindle books (there are ways to remove DRM in Calibre), Nook Books, PDFs, etc in bed. The Nook App store, while nowhere near as robust as the Apple App store, still has some pretty useful apps: Fliq, a good calendar app, QuickOffice, Goodreads, among others. I have the 1st Gen iPad, so the absence of any camera on the Nook Color isn't that big a deal to me.
One thing that frustrates me about Apple (keep in mind that I already own an iPad, as well as three iPhones and three iPod touches - all of varying generations, as well as every generation of Nano) is that they seem to leave out features in order to have something to push the next iGeneration. It's a constant game of catch-up and buyer's remorse. (but, I still buy, LOL)
I'm not trying to sell you on the Nook Color, I'm just telling you that it's ok NOT to get an iPad. And B&N backing it means that it won't be abandoned anytime soon. A word of advice, though... hold out a month or two. scuttlebutt seems to be that Amazon is about to release an Android tablet in the near future. Based on the committment they made to the Kindle, and lessons learned from watching Apple and B&N's efforts, I have no doubt it will be a quality product.
posted by Master Gunner at 2:10 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
One thing that frustrates me about Apple (keep in mind that I already own an iPad, as well as three iPhones and three iPod touches - all of varying generations, as well as every generation of Nano) is that they seem to leave out features in order to have something to push the next iGeneration. It's a constant game of catch-up and buyer's remorse. (but, I still buy, LOL)
I'm not trying to sell you on the Nook Color, I'm just telling you that it's ok NOT to get an iPad. And B&N backing it means that it won't be abandoned anytime soon. A word of advice, though... hold out a month or two. scuttlebutt seems to be that Amazon is about to release an Android tablet in the near future. Based on the committment they made to the Kindle, and lessons learned from watching Apple and B&N's efforts, I have no doubt it will be a quality product.
posted by Master Gunner at 2:10 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
FWIW, apple is selling first-gen Ipads (refurbished) for only $350 - not much of a premium over the other devices for what you get.
posted by jenkinsEar at 2:35 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by jenkinsEar at 2:35 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
Another compromise with Android tablets is the general lack of applications with tablet-sized interfaces. You might look into a first gen iPad, or wait for the iPad 3 to come out, at which point the same price cuts will be made to iPad 2s. But a first gen iPad will do everything you want and is near enough to your budget that it is arguably worth consideration.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:02 PM on May 29, 2011
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:02 PM on May 29, 2011
I have a SmartQ R7, which is around the price point you are talking about. There are other models that run different operating systems. Mine is Ubuntu only. There is one that runs Android, and one that runs WinCE, Android AND Ubuntu so you can switch.
I am overall very happy with it. My main complaint is that the ARM chip means a lot of Ubuntu software won't actually install, and the low memory means that some things that install won't run, or run incredibly slowly. The main thing I miss is dropbox. For light internet use it's great. For editing documents it's fine. (I have a foldout portable keyboard that I bought separately). There is no stand, and its non-standard dimensions mean it doesn't fit stands or covers made for other tablets, so I had to build my own.
The screen is resistive not capacitive, but otherwise great. Very responsive. You can use the stylus or your finger. The on-screen keyboard is a pain, but when I need a keyboard for more than just entering a google search term or something, I plug mine in.
Firmware updates are frequent and good.
Media seems to play well, but I know some of the other flavours of SmartQ are more optimised for media playing.
Battery life is pretty good, in my opinion. I mainly use mine as an e-book reader, and I have to recharge about twice a week. When I'm using it more heavily (on holiday, for example, I'll use it for all internet use, plus games, and sometimes working), I recharge each night. On a plane watching movies I get about 4 hours.
Start-up time is close to instant, but then it takes a minute longer to find the extra SD card that I store most of my stuff on.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.
I certainly don't regret buying it, but that was a year or two ago and there may be better things at that price point now.
posted by lollusc at 4:07 PM on May 29, 2011
I am overall very happy with it. My main complaint is that the ARM chip means a lot of Ubuntu software won't actually install, and the low memory means that some things that install won't run, or run incredibly slowly. The main thing I miss is dropbox. For light internet use it's great. For editing documents it's fine. (I have a foldout portable keyboard that I bought separately). There is no stand, and its non-standard dimensions mean it doesn't fit stands or covers made for other tablets, so I had to build my own.
The screen is resistive not capacitive, but otherwise great. Very responsive. You can use the stylus or your finger. The on-screen keyboard is a pain, but when I need a keyboard for more than just entering a google search term or something, I plug mine in.
Firmware updates are frequent and good.
Media seems to play well, but I know some of the other flavours of SmartQ are more optimised for media playing.
Battery life is pretty good, in my opinion. I mainly use mine as an e-book reader, and I have to recharge about twice a week. When I'm using it more heavily (on holiday, for example, I'll use it for all internet use, plus games, and sometimes working), I recharge each night. On a plane watching movies I get about 4 hours.
Start-up time is close to instant, but then it takes a minute longer to find the extra SD card that I store most of my stuff on.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.
I certainly don't regret buying it, but that was a year or two ago and there may be better things at that price point now.
posted by lollusc at 4:07 PM on May 29, 2011
What do I need to know about these sub-$250 tablets?
"Don't."
posted by mhoye at 4:48 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
"Don't."
posted by mhoye at 4:48 PM on May 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
Would you buy a car based solely on "it's cheaper than the others"?
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:04 PM on May 29, 2011
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:04 PM on May 29, 2011
I would suggest buying a current model iPod touch way before I bought any of the non-iPad tablets. I've seen at least two of the sub-$250 android tablets and they had terrible screens and poor response times. The screen on my iPod is considerably easier to read than the Android tablets I have seen.
posted by ndfine at 5:40 PM on May 29, 2011
posted by ndfine at 5:40 PM on May 29, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'm not buying any Apple products, for reasons philosophical. Interesting that a few of you recommended the Nook - I actually bought one of those for my wife for Mother's Day a few weeks ago, but I've only got to play with it for about 30 seconds - she won't let it leave her grasp. I'm a little sad that if I decide the Nook doesn't meet my needs, the consensus seems to be "don't buy anything." I'll investigate lollusc's SmartQ to see what the word on the street is. DoctorFedora, it's not a case of buying one over the other because it's cheaper - it's not being able to afford the more expensive one, and trying to find out if I'll be satisfied with the cheaper models.
posted by Golfhaus at 6:04 PM on May 29, 2011
posted by Golfhaus at 6:04 PM on May 29, 2011
Yeah, having played with pretty much every tablet there is in the last few months, there is nothing even close to the iPad (2) right now. Even the expensive Android tablets feel like ripoff devices in comparison, and the cheap ones... meh. Junk.
At work we considered some cheaper Android tablets for permanently-mounted use in a few applications (so the bad battery life wouldn't matter) but we ended up going with older refurb iPads instead for a checklist of reasons including screen quality and viewing angle, and the results have been great.
As an absolute bargain basement device that's fun to play with, though, I'll nth the Nook color, hacked so it's useful. Of course, depending on what your philosophical objections to Apple are, you may run into an ethical dilemma in buying a Nook solely to violate B&N's license agreement and/or business by rooting it.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
At work we considered some cheaper Android tablets for permanently-mounted use in a few applications (so the bad battery life wouldn't matter) but we ended up going with older refurb iPads instead for a checklist of reasons including screen quality and viewing angle, and the results have been great.
As an absolute bargain basement device that's fun to play with, though, I'll nth the Nook color, hacked so it's useful. Of course, depending on what your philosophical objections to Apple are, you may run into an ethical dilemma in buying a Nook solely to violate B&N's license agreement and/or business by rooting it.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 PM on May 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
AnandTech covered budget tablets last week and the only ones they thought were worth anything–indeed were worth covering at all–were the Nook Color ($249) and the Galaxy Tab ($349).
posted by 6550 at 1:39 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by 6550 at 1:39 AM on May 30, 2011
If you're comfortable with rooting and reflashing a tablet, the Viewsonic gTablet is a strong contender - but the stock ROM is pretty craptastic. Rooting and reflashing is pretty straight forward and there are lots of video walk-throughs and written instructions on google and places like tabletroms.com or XDA-developers, etc.
(upon checking the link 6550 posted, I see that the review panned the gTab for having the worst possible screen or some such; that hasn't been my experience, but I suppose YMMV)
It was available on woot a while back, so there was a glut on ebay immediately afterwards, which drove prices down to just about your target (it was 290ish on woot with shipping). I'd check around and see if there are any available for your budget
posted by yggdrasil at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2011
(upon checking the link 6550 posted, I see that the review panned the gTab for having the worst possible screen or some such; that hasn't been my experience, but I suppose YMMV)
It was available on woot a while back, so there was a glut on ebay immediately afterwards, which drove prices down to just about your target (it was 290ish on woot with shipping). I'd check around and see if there are any available for your budget
posted by yggdrasil at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2011
Response by poster: For those who are interested, it turned out that I had a little more spending power than I originally expected, and have gone with the Asus Eee Transformer. Pretty excited. Thanks for the responses!
posted by Golfhaus at 6:52 PM on June 10, 2011
posted by Golfhaus at 6:52 PM on June 10, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dfriedman at 12:50 PM on May 29, 2011