Quote:
Originally Posted by DMDyne
Honestly, I think ColdSun would be the person you should pose this question to. The very first post on this forum is a review of the A81 by ColdSun. Send him an email through the forums, explain exactly what you're looking for. He reviews all of these ebook readers, ultra mobile pc's, and the like. He's probably the most knowledgeable on the broad spectrum of hand held devices.
If you find a device you like but it doesn't do exactly what you need (like the A81), then sort through the forums. A lot of us have spent countless hours downloading and installing software that doesn't work just to find the perfect piece of software for our needs. Each of us have these things tailored to what we're looking for and I'm sure with a little bit from each of us, your device can be tailored to what you need.
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Hello! There is an archive available in this thead that has all the applications he needs. I'm in a hotel room on a business trip, but when I get back next week I'll post a new thread that has a collection of useful links like that.
As for which device to choose, are you looking for which A81 to purchase or which tablet period? If the answer is which A81, I would highly recommend getting the new model, A81-E, since it supports both WinCE and Android. I'm not sure which one comes installed. Can a new owner of an A81-E clarify this for him? The A81-E also has more buttons, which is a fact that I actually like quite a bit, and the Android users of the older A81 models may be a little sad about (because they have issues without the buttons). Personally, I would leave WinCE on the older A81 because it works very well with that OS.
If you are looking for any tablet, WinCE or otherwise, and not specifically the A81, well that is a hard question to answer. Besides the fact that there are so many new tablets/slates on the horizon, and there are already some good ones out there, let me take a stab at your question with those things in mind.
Of the currently released tablets, its all about what you can afford. Be wary of some of the cheaper ones, like the EKEN M001, which is highly customizable but extremely lacking in performance. If I had to choose, based on price, my choices would be (from highest price to lowest):
Dell Streak
Huawei Smakit S7
Ramos W7
Archos 5 Internet Tablet
Archos 7 Home Tablet
A81-E
X10 MID/DAWA D7
Notice that I don't mention the iPad. If they had a 5" to 7" inch iPad it would be at the top of the list, which I might add is MY list and not to be confused with THE list (since these are only my opinions).
Here is something to consider, maybe all of us here should. Before spending a large amount of cash this year on a tablet, buy something cheaper to get going in the tablet club and then you can stash more money away for buying whatever fantasy is coming. I'm calling this the year of the tablet, and I'm sure we will see some great things from electronic brands, and all at competitive prices (or as much as an iPad, which some find priced just fine for them and others find high). Now I'm rambling. Time for sleep, if that is possible in a hotel room far from home.
I thought
this post from my friend Chippy (owner and lead editor at Carrypad) to be quite entertaining and I thought of it when I replied.