Spotlight members of the week: xaueious and probbiethe1

[probbiethe1]

A couple that i have owned personally and would recommend are the Haipad m701-r and the x5a. they are two great devices and they have a big dev community behind them. CM6.1 has been ported to both. Also form what i have seen any tablet running 2.2 that allow flash are pretty good. One that i am very interested in is the new wopad with a capacitive touch screen and 5 point multi touch New Wopad Android 2.1 Tablet with 5 Points Multi Touch Capacitive Screen, Rockchip 2818 CPU - US$249.00 : Euogo.com. that might be my next device.

 

[xaueious]

We answer questions recommending tablets every day. My personal list is here:
A Non-Authoritative Android Tablet Buying List: What to Get, What to Avoid

I would avoid buying directly from China right now for most people. The accuracy on product postings is typically absurdly low. Plus it is very difficult to receive any aftersales support. Unless you know Chinese (like me), or can deal with no aftersales support, it is better not to deal with them at all.

I am Canadian, so I can't buy locally. But in the US the choices are much better now.

But to summarize my list:

~$175
Coby Kyros MID7005/7015 performs like the HTC Hero, runs Android 2.1. It is the best video player on the Android market bar none because of DSP offloading, better than Tegra 2 and Samsung's Hummingbird. The platform (Telechips TCC8902) it runs on it is very popular and is stable now. But the drawback is that the platform is not GPL compliant. Gaming is another weakness of the platform. They are basically better built Augen Gentouches.

Black Friday prices dipped below $150. China local prices are typically $120, and dropshipping prices are around $160. This is the only platform I would recommend buying directly from China right now.

~$250
The Nook Color is one of the better ones available right now, mainly for its potential. I hope it was okay for me to start a thread here: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/an...iscussion-androidtablets-net.html#post1091513
If not, please help me move it

~$300
Huawei S7 is the best bank-for-buck if you need 3G capability, but only for AT&T. Drawbacks are the resistive touchscreen and Android 2.1. Huawei has indicated a future upgrade to Android 2.2, and my sources tell me that it is going to happen for sure despite recent reports.

Then equally, I would recommend any of the Tegra 2 tablets and the Archos 70/101. They do have some issues right now, and the specifications are lower (RAM, in particular). But they have Android 2.2 already. Viewsonic G-Tab and eLocity A7 look really good.

 

[furbearingmammal]

xaueious (and I'd love to hear that pronounced by someone from a couple hours outside Atlanta, Georgia), what do you think of taking the Nook Color, rooting it, and then throwing the Kindle app on it?

 

[xaueious]

Don't bother saying my nickname. I made it on a whim and I just stuck with it since.

The Nook Color is a great deal for a sub $250 tablet, but it depends on the implementation of Android 2.2. The Black Friday deal was definitely worth it for the hardware. If I was in the US and wanted one, this is a no brainer under even with Android 2.1. But I say this comparing with the other tablets on the market right now.

I think the majority of Tegra 2 alternatives has a good chance of being below $300 by Q1 next year. Just like the smartphone market, we are seeing a transition to Cortex A9 dualcore parts.

CES is next month.

 

[pc747]

Thanks for your insight can you tell us how they would stack up against the popular tablets ie Samsung galaxy tab and ipad.

 

[pc747]

Actually the link you posted does that so I will be reading that....for those thinking about an android tablet click those links they do a good job with comparisons.

 

[Quicksilver7714]

Congratulations. A great duo to host the spotlight for the week. Keep up the great work. I might be over there (Android Tablet Forum) sometime soon if i have the cash to get the Moto tab.

@FMB where did you find that vodka?

 

[furbearingmammal]

I can find almost anything. Maybe I'm more Rat than Wolf, but I was born in the year of the Monkey!

Just so the link is more visible, and keeping it somewhat on-topic, check this info out about the Nook Color.

Froyo snuggles into cosy Nook ? The Register