Looking for my first tablet

[Catlady]

I've been looking for my first tablet. I want Android, 7-inch screen, and micro card slot (preferably sdxc); don't care about camera. I would be using it primarily for reading, listening to audiobooks, streaming music, web browsing and e-mail, and occasionally playing games like Candy Crush.

I was hoping to stay around $100. I'm looking at the ASUS MeMo Pad 7 ME176CX-A1, for $119. The reviews on this one look pretty good, and my old ASUS netbook has been a workhorse, so I'm favorably inclined toward ASUS.

I'm also tempted by the Toshiba Excite Go AT7-C8. I'd been on the verge of getting this one until I saw some really bad reviews. Now I'm thinking about it again because it's been dropping in price by $2-$3 every day at Amazon for the past week--today it's down to only $55. At that price, maybe I can overlook some drawbacks. On the other hand, these price drops have me baffled--I'm wondering why Amazon's trying to dump these (other retailers have not similarly dropped the price).

Any opinions on either of these, or recommendations for something else? Thanks.

[Ripplinger]

I have the ASUS MeMOPad HD 7-Inch 16 GB Tablet, Blue (ME173X-A1-BL) 2013 Model that I got for $99 and it works perfectly for what you want. I think it's just the older model of your pick, and it's fast enough for what you want, battery is definitely good enough. I got it for when I had to proofread a book in PDF format so I didn't have to suffer sitting at my PC doing it and it works absolutely great for that. It plays simple games like Candy Crush without lag, although I rarely use it for that. I've been happy with it all around for what I bought it for and haven't had any problems with it.

I don't know anything about the Toshiba, but keep in mind it's got half the memory of the Asus, only 8 GB, and the resolution is 1024 x 600, vs 16 GB and 1280 x 800 on the Asus as probably the biggest differences. And considering the bad reviews you found, I'd stick with the Asus. But then you're buying it from Amazon, you should be able to return it without any problems if it doesn't work out.

[Wearever]

The Memo Pad might be the best one in this price range. Or you could also look at refurbished tablets that have been properly restored to like new condition, places like Amazon will offer a one year warranty, just like new tablets. Just a thought.

[AnemicOak]

Might be able to get a refurbed Nexus 7 (2013) for around the MeMOPad's price. Twice the RAM and a much higher resolution screen (since this is primarily for reading).

[HarryT]

I'd second the recommendation for the Nexus 7. It's an excellent device.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have the ASUS MeMOPad HD 7-Inch 16 GB Tablet, Blue (ME173X-A1-BL) 2013 Model that I got for $99 and it works perfectly for what you want. I think it's just the older model of your pick, and it's fast enough for what you want, battery is definitely good enough. I got it for when I had to proofread a book in PDF format so I didn't have to suffer sitting at my PC doing it and it works absolutely great for that. It plays simple games like Candy Crush without lag, although I rarely use it for that. I've been happy with it all around for what I bought it for and haven't had any problems with it.

Thanks. I was looking at this one and another earlier version, but I'm worried about the OS--I'm thinking it should at least be KitKat. My previous smartphone quickly became dumb when so many apps wouldn't run anymore on its old OS.

I don't know anything about the Toshiba, but keep in mind it's got half the memory of the Asus, only 8 GB, and the resolution is 1024 x 600, vs 16 GB and 1280 x 800 on the Asus as probably the biggest differences. And considering the bad reviews you found, I'd stick with the Asus. But then you're buying it from Amazon, you should be able to return it without any problems if it doesn't work out.

Half the price though! I figured the trade-offs were worth it until I saw some reviews that said it kept crashing. That gave me pause.

Originally Posted by Wearever

The Memo Pad might be the best one in this price range. Or you could also look at refurbished tablets that have been properly restored to like new condition, places like Amazon will offer a one year warranty, just like new tablets. Just a thought.

Thanks for the idea. I generally shy away from refurbs, especially when I'm new to the device and unsure about what I need, beyond certain basics. My main concern is that the thing lasts for a couple of years.

ETA:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Might be able to get a refurbed Nexus 7 (2013) for around the MeMOPad's price. Twice the RAM and a much higher resolution screen (since this is primarily for reading).

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd second the recommendation for the Nexus 7. It's an excellent device.

As above, I'm hesitant about a refurb. Also, the Nexus OS is Jelly Bean, not KitKat. Would the better resolution and RAM matter that much when I wouldn't be doing videos or gaming?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Would the better resolution and RAM matter that much when I wouldn't be doing videos or gaming?

To my mind the higher resolution matters more for reading than it does for videos or gaming.

Originally Posted by Catlady

Also, the Nexus OS is Jelly Bean, not KitKat.

Actually the current updates put the Nexus at Lollipop.



As for refurb's it's a fair point. Refurb can mean a lot of things depending on who did the refurb (factory or 3rd party) and what kind of warranty is given. A new Nexus 7 is about $165 so more than your budget.

Other than the MeMOPAD the only other thing I can think of might be a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 depending on what prices are like on those right now, but if I'm remembering the specs are pretty similar to the Asus (which is a nice tab).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

To my mind the higher resolution matters more for reading than it does for videos or gaming.

Yes, I entirely agree. Resolution is relatively unimportant in a moving image compared to a still one.

[Catlady]

Thanks. The price point at which I'm comfortable--considering I don't really need a tablet; I just want a new toy--keeps creeping up. I wish I could see some of these devices side by side, but they aren't in stock at any of the local B&Ms. I'm probably going to go with the ASUS ME176CX for $119, since it seems like a safe choice (and I can get it in red!), but I may wait a couple more weeks and see if something goes on sale for Father's Day.

I very much appreciate the help.

[conan50]

I just bought this:
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Touch-M...=8+inch+tablet
It is 8" instead of 7" but with the positive reviews and hardware, and kitkat, seems like a great deal. I'll have mine tomorrow.

[Catlady]

Please post what you think of it once it arrives. Thanks.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Please post what you think of it once it arrives. Thanks.

Will do.

[barryem]

I had the 7" Asus Memo HD ME173 for a year or two and I've enjoyed it. I just today got the newer Asus ME176CX and it's pretty much the same thing. There are some new features n the software but nothing important to me. The thing is considerably faster. I don't know about battery life yet. The speakers on the old one were good. This is better.

The biggest surprise is Wifi. I'm amazed at home much faster it downloads things. I don't recall seeing that it's dual band but maybe it is. I do have a dual band router.

There is a reading mode and I tried it with Moon+ reader and it does make it a bit easier to read, although Moon+ already let's me get things pretty much the way I want them.

I have a Kindle Voyage so this won't be my reading device except now and then but I do want it to be ready to use it for that when I want to.

Barry

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Please post what you think of it once it arrives. Thanks.

It is a very nice tablet, especially for that price range. It came with a screen protector installed, but my guess is most people will not realize that's what it is and will pull of the little plastic film over top of it and take the actual protector off as well. The tablet is light, screen looks good, fairly responsive to touch, but I often use a stylus to input text. I would guess the battery lasts about 6 hours rather than the 8 advertised on the site. After about three hours of installing apps and setting them up it still had 52% battery. I put lots of apps on it and it still had 11 gigs of storage left. The tablet is fast, nothing sluggish about it. No problem installing any apps. I put Overdrive on it with no issue. Moon+ Reader worked well, and I found my books on the 32 gig micro sdcard I put on the tablet. Amazon books and Music work well. Plus the tablet has an FM Radio which is pretty cool.
It was packed well and arrived fast with Prime shipping. I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. Of course I can't say how well it will do over the long run, but from what I can see, it is a very good tablet for that price and especially with the nice IPS screen.
Hope that helps :-)
Any other questions let me know.
Dragon Touch M8
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Touch-M...ragon+touch+m8

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by barryem

I had the 7" Asus Memo HD ME173 for a year or two and I've enjoyed it. I just today got the newer Asus ME176CX and it's pretty much the same thing. There are some new features n the software but nothing important to me. The thing is considerably faster. I don't know about battery life yet. The speakers on the old one were good. This is better.

The biggest surprise is Wifi. I'm amazed at home much faster it downloads things. I don't recall seeing that it's dual band but maybe it is. I do have a dual band router.

There is a reading mode and I tried it with Moon+ reader and it does make it a bit easier to read, although Moon+ already let's me get things pretty much the way I want them.

I have a Kindle Voyage so this won't be my reading device except now and then but I do want it to be ready to use it for that when I want to.

Barry

Thanks, barryem, for the info on the ASUS MeMo. I'm pretty much sold on the ME176CX (today, anyway!) but I'm forcing myself to wait just a little while to make sure it's really what I want.

Originally Posted by conan50

It is a very nice tablet, especially for that price range. It came with a screen protector installed, but my guess is most people will not realize that's what it is and will pull of the little plastic film over top of it and take the actual protector off as well. The tablet is light, screen looks good, fairly responsive to touch, but I often use a stylus to input text. I would guess the battery lasts about 6 hours rather than the 8 advertised on the site. After about three hours of installing apps and setting them up it still had 52% battery. I put lots of apps on it and it still had 11 gigs of storage left. The tablet is fast, nothing sluggish about it. No problem installing any apps. I put Overdrive on it with no issue. Moon+ Reader worked well, and I found my books on the 32 gig micro sdcard I put on the tablet. Amazon books and Music work well. Plus the tablet has an FM Radio which is pretty cool.
It was packed well and arrived fast with Prime shipping. I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. Of course I can't say how well it will do over the long run, but from what I can see, it is a very good tablet for that price and especially with the nice IPS screen.
Hope that helps :-)
Any other questions let me know.
Dragon Touch M8
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Touch-M...ragon+touch+m8

Thanks, conan50. I read a sampling of the reviews the other day and it sounds interesting. I worry about buying an unfamiliar brand, though. Decisions, decisions!