Wife, for professional reasons, is bracing herself for tomorrow, when WallyWorld has a back-to-school Cyber Monday. However, her head has been turned by a $50 tablet package. Since the only thing she wants it for is downloading and reading books from Project Gutenberg this is probably a good match. The tablet itself is $45. The other part of the package is some earplugs–the flat ones that don’t stay put and are a buck at Dollar Tree, a Y cable so two can enjoy squinting at the 7" screen while listing to YouTube videos that are constantly rebuffering, some cheap screen-wipe rag, and an 8GB micro-SD card. The increased storage appeals to her, though just how much of PG you can fit in 4GB is probably close to “a lot,” and $5 for an 8GB card ain’t bad, but she can always get one if she needs it later. There’s another one for $60 what comes with a detachable keyboard, but no SD slot, so that’s out.
So, is this something that will work for her needs? It uses Android–can I transfer files to an SD card and then to her tablet? Can I connect them directly through the USB port?
I’ve never heard of Xelio before and there’s no mention of it at gadget sites like Endgaget and Gizmodo. It’s android, so theoretically it ought to connect to the Google Play store. Since she works there, I’d strongly suggest that she not buy it unless she can go hands on with one and also have an honest heart-to-heart with the sales people about it.
And even then I’d probably still recommend getting the basic Nook or Kindle models, instead, if what she wants is an eReader. They’re not that much more expensive and the screen quality on them sure to be better than reading on the Xelio.
It’s a first generation Android tablet bordering on doorstop at this point, but will it make a passable reader or media player. It’s not compatible with the android playstore.
Overall I’d still pay the extra for higher quality, higher res. tablet. You’ve only got one pair of eyes why beat them up with a mediocre screen and a limited tablet? It’s a false economy.
Well, THAT’S given! It’s a $45 tablet. And I read the reviews. Teach your grandfather how to suck eggs… But Sonny, 800x480 resolution is a wider VGA, and she and I remember when that was a giant step UP in resolution. A 7" screen is what our daughter’s netbook has, and it’s not horrible. No need for the Android Store, especially since apps are available elsewhere. Android 4.1 is only a year old, so it’s like from the future for us.
She doesn’t work AT the Evil Empire of Retailing, but for a sub, and this thing is out of stock, but it is returnable if she doesn’t like it. I’ll need to spend a couple evenings fiddling with it (breaks a brother’s heart, it does!) to set it up to be Wife-proof and she’ll forget to charge it and hate it for needing to be recharged and stop using it and a daughter can take it over and discover all the newest Android virii then I’ll clean it up and use it and keep it for years after it broke. We’ve been through this process before. But please, continue this discussion for the people who saw this in the Sunday paper and are curious.
The point is, the Kindle & Nook use an eInk screen which (on the basic models) is not back lit, so it won’t glare into your eyes from arm’s length away like a tablet will. Also, the Kindle & Nook have prioritized their font rendering abilities to make the text look smoother and cleaner. Both of those things make reading easier on the eyes on the Kindle/Nook than on lcd tablets.
Well, yes, apps are available elsewhere. But not every Android device will run every Android app. The market is fragmented partly because hardware developers have implemented different features and partly because software developers tend to target specific devices. I wouldn’t pay money for an Android device that didn’t play nice with Google’s store. (Or the Amazon, for that matter.) johnpost - sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
Well, she decided against getting anything. I have a Palm Personal upgraded to Palm III specs she can use to read her 19th Century domestic fiction. Gutenberg supplies books in Plucker, and antique Palms read Plucker. She’ll get sick of it before the batteries die and all I’ll be out is fifty cents for a pair of AAAs from Aldi.
Asus, the company that makes the Google Nexus 7 also makes a 7" tablet for themselves. They were $150 until they announced a newer model (to coincide with the release of the new Nexus), so now it is anywhere from $100 to $110. It’s WiFi, you can do your email, web surf, play games watch movies, as well as use it for a reader. Can’t imagine being without a tablet.
If you want a cheap tablet, a used Nook Tablet or 1st gen kindle fire (at $70 or less) is going to be a better bet than a chinese knock off: http://www.cowboom.com/
Probably not cheap enough for your tastes, but the HiSense Sero Pro 7" tablet is a completely competent tablet that has little bloatware and great usability. Since it went on sale last week for $129, I picked it up last Friday and gave it a whirl. It’s extremely fast (faster than my Samsung Galaxy S III phone, and theoretically faster than the first generation Nexus 7) and the only bloatware apps are Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Vudu, which are easily uninstalled.
But Sonny, 800x480 resolution is a wider VGA, and she and I remember when that was a giant step UP in resolution. A 7" screen is what our daughter’s netbook has, and it’s not horrible. No need for the Android Store, especially since apps are available elsewhere. Android 4.1 is only a year old, so it’s like from the future for us.