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ghostyjack · 11-29-2012, 01:42 PM

I've a bit of a dilemma.

I currently own two tablets: the 10" Transformer Infinity and a Galaxy Tab (original one).

My Infinity is great and perfectly fine, but my Galaxy Tab though is getting a bit long in the tooth and starting to become obsolete due to software no longer being compatible, case in point, the latest versions of Mantano are not available for it.

I will state that I do love my tab, as it's been a great companion for quite a long time now, but there is a major issue with it. It was bought from Orange (due to being an Orange employee at that time and I got it on a great discount), so it's locked to Orange. Orange only upgraded the OS to Froyo (2.2) and declined the Gingerbread upgrade. This limits what new software I can install on it, so I've got a few options.

1. Root it and then somehow hack it to make it become a stock Galaxy Tab and then use Kies to install Gingerbread.
2. Root it and then install a different non-Samsung ROM.
3. Replace it with a new tablet.

Options 1 & 2 are possible, but I've never done this sort of thing before, so don't know how successful this will be, or even is the result will be worth the effort.

Option 3 is a possibility, but that one then presents me with a few more choices.

1. Buy a 3G-compatible tablet.
2. Buy a Wifi-only tablet.
3. Buy a 4G-compatible tablet.
4. Buy an ebook tablet like the Kindle Fire, Nook HD or Kobo Arc.

I'm in the UK so 4G is not that prevalent yet, I do live in Bristol and 4G is here. 3G though is readily available and I've got my 3G SIM from my Galaxy Tab so I could just stick it in.

Wifi isn't quite as available as I'd like, so might not be able to always get it, chances are, I'll probably have significant periods without connection to the net. The one advantage that a Wifi-only table will offer is that it's cheaper. So does the trade-off of no mobile network connection but cheaper outweigh having the mobile network connection but needing to pay a bit more for the tablet?

Lastly, if I look at getting an ebook tablet, what do I loose in comparison to a regular tablet? Or are they in fact better?

11-29-2012, 01:42 PM	#1
ghostyjack Guru Posts: 718 Karma: 1085610 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bristol, England Device: PRS-T1, 1825PT, Galaxy Tab, One X, TF700T, Aura HD, Nexus 7	Looking to Replace my Galaxy Tab I've a bit of a dilemma. I currently own two tablets: the 10" Transformer Infinity and a Galaxy Tab (original one). My Infinity is great and perfectly fine, but my Galaxy Tab though is getting a bit long in the tooth and starting to become obsolete due to software no longer being compatible, case in point, the latest versions of Mantano are not available for it. I will state that I do love my tab, as it's been a great companion for quite a long time now, but there is a major issue with it. It was bought from Orange (due to being an Orange employee at that time and I got it on a great discount), so it's locked to Orange. Orange only upgraded the OS to Froyo (2.2) and declined the Gingerbread upgrade. This limits what new software I can install on it, so I've got a few options. 1. Root it and then somehow hack it to make it become a stock Galaxy Tab and then use Kies to install Gingerbread. 2. Root it and then install a different non-Samsung ROM. 3. Replace it with a new tablet. Options 1 & 2 are possible, but I've never done this sort of thing before, so don't know how successful this will be, or even is the result will be worth the effort. Option 3 is a possibility, but that one then presents me with a few more choices. 1. Buy a 3G-compatible tablet. 2. Buy a Wifi-only tablet. 3. Buy a 4G-compatible tablet. 4. Buy an ebook tablet like the Kindle Fire, Nook HD or Kobo Arc. I'm in the UK so 4G is not that prevalent yet, I do live in Bristol and 4G is here. 3G though is readily available and I've got my 3G SIM from my Galaxy Tab so I could just stick it in. Wifi isn't quite as available as I'd like, so might not be able to always get it, chances are, I'll probably have significant periods without connection to the net. The one advantage that a Wifi-only table will offer is that it's cheaper. So does the trade-off of no mobile network connection but cheaper outweigh having the mobile network connection but needing to pay a bit more for the tablet? Lastly, if I look at getting an ebook tablet, what do I loose in comparison to a regular tablet? Or are they in fact better?