On 23/05/12 09:07, COX Derek wrote:
Android tablets are down to almost disposable prices now (best I’ve seen -
£38), so thinking about buying one just as a new gadget.
Any recommendations or things I should look for/avoid ?
I just bought one for about £90, and subsequently realised I don't really have
a use for it so can't tell you how well it functions :-)
However, when comparing them, the points I'd look for:
- Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x)
- Access to Android Market (Google Play). I think this can probably be added
to any of them but I'd look for one that has it as standard.
- CPU spec: note that a lot seem to add the GPU and CPU speeds together so
when you see 1.5GHz it turns out to be 1.2GHz CPU and 300MHz GPU; that may or
may not be fair but just check you're comparing like with like.
Separately I have bought a cheap ARM development board from Hong Kong for
about £100 with touchscreen etc; based on that experience I would consider
buying a cheap tablet from Hong Kong (via eBay) if you can cope with the 2-3
week wait. You can also buy a tablet case for under £10 with a built in
keyboard and I'd definitely recommend those. Unfortunately they seem to come
with a standard USB connector for the keyboard (your tablet will be mini or
micro USB) so with an adapter it gets a bit bulky but I'd still recommend it.
If you find one with a mini-USB connector for the keyboard let me know!
Oh, and if you have an Android phone, be careful with your expectations of the
tablet. The CPU will likely be a lot slower in the tablet (there's a reason
your phone costs hundreds more out of contract!), and the battery life won't
be comparable either. As long as your expectations are reasonable they seem
OK, although like I said I have yet to put it to any real action yet.
Mark
--
Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450
Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER
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