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Old 03-05-2012, 01:33 PM   #1
sherbearjt08
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Should I buy an Android Tablet or Ereader?

Need some advice.

I currently have a Nook Color, rooted to CM7 on sdcard. I don't use it much other than to read because it is too slow.

My requirements:

Cost - $299 or less

Apps: Andriod Market or Amazon (must have apps: Kindle, B&N, Moon+Reader, Adilko)

Storage: ability to sideload my epub books so I can read them with Moon+reader; 8MB at least

Processor: 1GB?? 512???

Games - want to be able to play a few

Movies - maybe, maybe not. I have a TV.

Size: No more than 9"?? Am used to 7" NC

I saw that Office Depot had the Lenova ThinkPad K1 for $299 on clearance. Kindle Fire is $199; Nook Tablet 8GB is $199;

I want a good clear picture no matter what a do. Wi-Fi definately.

Any thoughts?
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Old 03-06-2012, 09:38 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sherbearjt08 View Post
Need some advice.

I currently have a Nook Color, rooted to CM7 on sdcard. I don't use it much other than to read because it is too slow.

My requirements:

Cost - $299 or less

Apps: Andriod Market or Amazon (must have apps: Kindle, B&N, Moon+Reader, Adilko)

Storage: ability to sideload my epub books so I can read them with Moon+reader; 8MB at least

Processor: 1GB?? 512???

Games - want to be able to play a few

Movies - maybe, maybe not. I have a TV.

Size: No more than 9"?? Am used to 7" NC

I saw that Office Depot had the Lenova ThinkPad K1 for $299 on clearance. Kindle Fire is $199; Nook Tablet 8GB is $199;

I want a good clear picture no matter what a do. Wi-Fi definately.

Any thoughts?
I've been in the same position for a while. I was looking at the Pocketbook 912 but it's $359. That's a good price but not exceptional. I ended up going with the Le Pan II Android tablet. It's available at Best Buy for $279. I don't have it yet but it looks promising. I'll give a report when I finally get it.
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Old 03-06-2012, 09:55 AM   #3
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It's got good reviews on Amazon. I may go to Best Buy tonight to check it out. They are talking about a partnership between Google and Asus to make a tablet that is $199 to come out this June. Have to watch those rumors.
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Old 03-06-2012, 11:15 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sherbearjt08 View Post
Need some advice.

I currently have a Nook Color, rooted to CM7 on sdcard. I don't use it much other than to read because it is too slow.

My requirements:
You might want to look at the Archos 80 G9 Turbo. It is an 8" with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Here is a $260 link from a reliable seller.:

http://www.adorama.com/ARC501895.html
Quote:
Cost - $299 or less

Apps: Andriod Market or Amazon (must have apps: Kindle, B&N, Moon+Reader, Adilko)
It comes with Android Market and you can add Amazon Market.

I use Kindle, CoolReader and Manatno but have tried all those you mentioned with no problem.


Quote:

Storage: ability to sideload my epub books so I can read them with Moon+reader; 8MB at least

Processor: 1GB?? 512???
Sideloading is no problem. This is cross between the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet. All three run the TI OMAP 4430 processor. The Archos has as 512 RAM like the Kindle, 16GB Flash memory like the Nook but runs at 1.2Ghz rather than 1Ghz of the kindle and Nook.
Quote:

Games - want to be able to play a few

Movies - maybe, maybe not. I have a TV.

Size: No more than 9"?? Am used to 7" NC

I saw that Office Depot had the Lenova ThinkPad K1 for $299 on clearance. Kindle Fire is $199; Nook Tablet 8GB is $199;

I want a good clear picture no matter what a do. Wi-Fi definately.

Any thoughts?
I have or have had more than a dozen tablets and the Archos is by far my favorite.

My primary use for the Archos is as a reader. I noticed I was getting pretty good battery life so I gave it a test. In airplane mode with GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi off I got 14.5 hours between 100% and 15% of battery life. I was reading abut 2 hours at a stretch and powering down after each read.

I installed MX Video Player and was able to play any video format I tried without a burp. I installed Netflix but don't use it much (would rather read).

There is a less expensive version (1Ghz - 6GB) called the Archos 80 G9 Classic. This was their first model and has a few issues. You would be better off with the Turbo version.(Mfr. Part: 501895).

With the addition of an OTG usb adapter cable it supports a keyboard, mouse and flash drives. There is also a full sized usb port meant for a 3G phone card but will support a flash drive (I haven't tried a keyboard or mouse in that port).

If you have any questions give me a shout.

Regards - John

P.S. It comes with Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) but Archos has said that an update to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available later this month.
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Old 03-07-2012, 03:39 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sherbearjt08 View Post
Need some advice.

Size: No more than 9"?? Am used to 7" NC

I saw that Office Depot had the Lenova ThinkPad K1 for $299 on clearance. Kindle Fire is $199; Nook Tablet 8GB is $199;

I want a good clear picture no matter what a do. Wi-Fi definately.

Any thoughts?
You mentioned that you might want a smaller tablet. If I'm not mistaken, the Lenovo ThinkPad K1 has a 10.1-inch screen. I believe the Le Pan II that Jim mentioned has a 9.7-inch screen.

I have two tablets: a 7" Acer Iconia A100 and a 10.1" Acer Iconia A500. I use the smaller one more often for e-reading, as I find that more awkward on the larger tablet. I also use the 7" tablet more often as a portable device (to listen to music mostly). I use the larger tablet for web-surfing and watching movies. I do enjoy movies on the 7" tablet too, which surprised me. The larger tablet is heavier and bulkier, so that may be something to keep in mind.

You might want to consider the 7" Lenovo Ideapad A1. There's a rather long thread about it here, which was started before it was released. You may be more interested in the posts near the end of that thread. I don't recall if it meets all of your specifications.

If you can wait a while, keep an eye out for the Asus MeMo 370T—a 7" quad-core tablet for $250—which is scheduled for release in the second quarter this year. Here is an article about that one. (That's the one that may also come out in a $199 Google version. See this link.)

Also, someone mentioned in another forum today that he/she recently bought a new 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus for $299, but I don't know where it was purchased.

Lots of choices! I hope you'll let us know what you choose.

Last edited by DreamWriter; 03-07-2012 at 03:52 AM.
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Old 03-07-2012, 12:18 PM   #6
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The thread title is “Should I buy an Android Tablet or Ereader?” then you go on to describe the requirements of a tablet rather than an ereader. So the answer to the question is an Android Tablet, definitely!

As to which one; there are any number of tabs that meet your stated requirements, my own opinion is that if you don’t need 3G/4G connection an can live with wifi only, a rooted Nook Color at $169 is the best deal in town. But it might take a bit of research to figure out how to root it and load an alternative ROM (operating system) on it.
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Old 03-08-2012, 06:08 AM   #7
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I got my husband the Lenovo Ideapad A1 (7"). I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by it. The only drawback so far that I found is that it shares the same flaw a lot of the (cheaper) wifi-only tablets running 2.3 share: the radio for 3G is still there and is turned on. But as the Lenovo is easy to root, that also is easy to remedy.
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Old 03-08-2012, 12:47 PM   #8
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Sweetpea, what do you mean by the radio is still there? Do you mean the hardware is there, but not activated on any carrier, or do you mean the software for the radio is there, but not the hardware?

On a tablet running essentially a PHONE OS, it would be understandable the have phone support built into the OS.
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Old 03-12-2012, 08:21 AM   #9
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Sweetpea, what do you mean by the radio is still there? Do you mean the hardware is there, but not activated on any carrier, or do you mean the software for the radio is there, but not the hardware?

On a tablet running essentially a PHONE OS, it would be understandable the have phone support built into the OS.
The main battery hog is the "Radio standby". I assume the hardware is still there for it to use battery... (and as it has GB, the software is there too)
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Old 03-12-2012, 02:33 PM   #10
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The main battery hog is the "Radio standby". I assume the hardware is still there for it to use battery... (and as it has GB, the software is there too)
I suspect the radio that is using up your battery is the wi-fi radio, you can turn it off in setup, but then you wouldn't have wifi. Just because the OS has phone support, doesn't mean that the cellular radio is present.

I know, it's a bit confusing, but a smartphone has several radios, they are:

1. phone,
2. wifi,
3. wimax (in the case of Sprint 4G phones),
4. LTE 4G (in phones that have LTE)
5. Bluetooth,
6. GPS (reciever only).

A tablet my or may not have some or all of those, but I don't know of any that doesn't have at least the wifi.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:02 AM   #11
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I suspect the radio that is using up your battery is the wi-fi radio, you can turn it off in setup, but then you wouldn't have wifi. Just because the OS has phone support, doesn't mean that the cellular radio is present.

I know, it's a bit confusing, but a smartphone has several radios, they are:

1. phone,
2. wifi,
3. wimax (in the case of Sprint 4G phones),
4. LTE 4G (in phones that have LTE)
5. Bluetooth,
6. GPS (reciever only).

A tablet my or may not have some or all of those, but I don't know of any that doesn't have at least the wifi.
No, WIFI is a different item on the list. I have a wifi-only Flyer. And I didn't have that Radio Standby in my list (even when I was on GB). Bluetooth and GPS have been turned off.
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