Best small tablet under $200 to replace NOOKs?

[dandelioncottage]

I was visiting a friend yesterday, and while we were out shopping, someone came into her home and took (among other things) my NOOK HD and her NOOKTablet. I've deregistered them with B&N so am safe that way, but we want to replace them as soon as possible.

I hesitate to buy the new NOOK Samsung tablet or used versions of the NOOKs we had, because with B&N's new "no sideloading" policy, I don't really want to be locked into their ecosystem anymore.

Would the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 be a good choice? I'd like something that takes an SD card and good battery life. Would it work with Calibre Companion and with Mac Mavericks?

Any other recommendations for small, lightweight tablets under $200? I'd prefer something we could just go into the store and buy, vs. having to order. Thanks!

[gbm]

Originally Posted by dandelioncottage

I was visiting a friend yesterday, and while we were out shopping, someone came into her home and took (among other things) my NOOK HD and her NOOKTablet. I've deregistered them with B&N so am safe that way, but we want to replace them as soon as possible.

I hesitate to buy the new NOOK Samsung tablet or used versions of the NOOKs we had, because with B&N's new "no sideloading" policy, I don't really want to be locked into their ecosystem anymore.

Would the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 be a good choice? I'd like something that takes an SD card and good battery life. Would it work with Calibre Companion and with Mac Mavericks?

Any other recommendations for small, lightweight tablets under $200? I'd prefer something we could just go into the store and buy, vs. having to order. Thanks!

Can no longer buy in a store but the Hisense Sero 7 Pro is really nice. Can get still new at Amazon.

With a usb mouse and hdmi cable make a good backup for my PC when the power supply failed.

Good luck
bernie

[Xanthe]

I have both the Nook HD and the HD+, and recently got the Kindle Fire HDX. The 16GB version is $179.

The Nook HD has been my go-to reader/tablet for a while but I am really impressed with how smoothly the Fire HDX operates; it's more akin to how the iPad is. It's got a faster processor than the Nook HD which means there is less lag in opening apps, surfing the web, and it connects to my wireless router much faster. It does not have the extra SD card capability, which is a negative - especially if you get the 16GB version (I got the 64GB one). The sound is better and will play louder than the Nook HD. You don't have access to Google Play (though there is apparently a way to do so without rooting the device) so not everything is automatically available. It does, however, allow you to download apps from "Unknown Sources" if you choose, which is needed for third-party download sites; the unrooted Nook HD doesn't have that capability. So you can get some of the things that the Amazon Appstore doesn't carry. The display is also very crisp and clear. That's an important thing to check, the display size and the DPI of any tablet you might get.

I got it for two primary reasons:

1) I can use it as a second TV to watch my cable system's programming streaming live (I can't do that with my Nooks - my cable provider's app doesn't work on them)

2) I can watch Amazon Prime Instant Videos directly, without having to view them via a flash-equipped Android browser.

[booklover6]

If you want to just read on it, mainly, consider the new Fire 6" tablet. You might be able to find it at your local Best Buy.

[ebusinesstutor]

I have had great success with my Samsung products (Note and Note 3) and I wish that I had gotten the Galaxy Tab instead of the Acer Iconia when I bought my tablet. The