COG's android tablet thread of raised blood pressure

[Human Snorenado]

*throws poke-ball*

Andrex, I choose you!

...to tell me which stupid fucking android tablet to buy.  Obviously, if anyone else has any input feel free to chime in.

[Dickie Dee]

I think I might pull the trigger on a Nexus 7 really soon. I have an S3 so I'm already in the android ecosystem

[Pringo]

Yeah the new Nexus 7 seems like an obvious answer. That's most likely what I'd get if I was in the market for an Android tablet.

[Eel O'Brian]

Nook HD+

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512

$149

[Tasty]

Nexus 7 (2013)



1080p, 323 ppi

0.64 lbs

9 hours continuous HD video playback, 10 hours web browsing

Stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (latest release)

Optional 4G LTE

Quad-Core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2 GB RAM

$229 (16 GB, Wi-Fi) | $269 (32 GB, Wi-Fi) | $349 (32 GB, Wi-Fi/HSPA+/LTE)

[brawndolicious]

The Nexus 7 has a faster processor and more RAM but the Nook HD+ has the bigger screen. Do you mainly want it for apps and web browsing or do you want to use it as a PDF reader? For reading PDFs, it really is preferable to go up to a 10" inch size range.

Most people probably don't really know what they're going to use a tablet for before they buy it so just go to a store and play around with everything for an hour.

[Tasty]

The new Nexus 7 is available at multiple Best Buy™ locations across the country.

[G The Resurrected]

Been rocking both Nexus 7's (2012 and the new 2013) I really recommend the 2013 one, its really nice. I was rather disappointed with my 2012 version very quickly though as it became slower and slower. I think the size is just right, to where it not too big and not too small.

[Van Cruncheon]

new nexus 7 refresh

[Momo]

nexus mate

[Human Snorenado]

Nook HD+

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512

$149

Eel, what do you like about the nook over the nexus?  You had a nexus 7 at one point, right?  I wouldn't be using it to read pretty much ever, mostly just fuck around on the web, light gaming and as a chromecast controller.

[Polari]

Nook HD+ is a good deal and the screen is quite a bit bigger than on the N7. The major downsides though are weaker specs (far weaker processor and graphics, half the RAM) and that with the way Nook is going it might not be supported for much longer.

[Eel O'Brian]

Nook HD+

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512

$149

Eel, what do you like about the nook over the nexus?  You had a nexus 7 at one point, right?  I wouldn't be using it to read pretty much ever, mostly just fuck around on the web, light gaming and as a chromecast controller.

The screen is just awesome, 9" 1920x1280. If you're gonna be looking at the web a lot you want a nice, big screen, because reading websites on a 7 inch screen where 1/4 inch is taken up by a menu bar is lol.  I've played games just fine on it. MicroSD for expansion. Access to Google play store and all android apps. For $150, it's a helluva deal. It is a hoss, though, so if you're looking for something to sling in a jacket pocket it's way too big for that.

I'm gonna buck the trend here, though, and say if you want something smaller and more portable, go with either the Asus Memo Pad HD 7 or the Hisense Sero Pad Pro 7. They're both $150, have 5 mp cameras, MicroSD, 7" 1280x800 screens. Hisense is a Walmart exclusive, and uses Tegra 3 guts, same as last year's N7.  Asus went with a mediatech processor this time, which isn't as good with gaming. Otherwise they're largely the same, and both have gotten good reviews.

It's like this: if you just want to kick around with an android tablet, there's no sense in spending $230 on something when you can spend $150 on one which runs fine and does everything you'd want to do with it. Android apps still haven't caught up with the tablet interface.  Save the extra $80  and put it towards a refurb iPad 3 or 4 off the Apple store when the 5 comes out this Fall, so you can upgrade that gen 1 you have and experience dat Retina Screen. Or spend it on games, or just keep it in your pocket. Nexus 7 2013 looks great, sure, but I think you'd be wasting the extra money for what you want out of an Android tablet.

[Human Snorenado]

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking.  I don't really NEED one per se, but just want one to dick around on.  I'll probably end up waiting for a couple of months (about to go on a weekend mini-vacation, and god knows how much money I'll drink away) and seeing if any good deals come up. 

[Human Snorenado]

Besides, if I end up getting an ipad it will annoy Andrex. 

[Eel O'Brian]

There's a 7" Nook HD for $129, too. Only 8gb, but it has microSD. That one has a 1440x900 res, which was the highest 7" res up until the new Nexus 7 came out.

Gamestop carries the Asus, Nexus, and a few other tablets, so if you had any old games you want to trade you could shave a few bucks off.

[Groogrux]

The Nexus' tend to work out of the box, where that can't be said for the Asus tablets.  However, the Nexus tablets don't have SD expansion.  You can get a used iPad mini for $30 more than a 2013 Nexus 7 at Gamestop.

My problem with Android tablets is that they all seem to slow down over time.  I've had an iPad 2 that I bought used at Gamestop and I've not had any problems out of it.  I had it jailbroken within a week of owning it, and was able to cancel my Netflix and Spotify subs because of it.

However, a big portion of the decision on the tablet you buy should come from the phone you already have.  Don't forget that all the apps you have on your phone will sync up with your tablet as long as their both by the same OS manufacturer. 

[brawndolicious]

Android 4.3 does fix that "slowing down over time" problem apparently, which was due to some memory issue.

It is nice to have the same OS to deal with on multiple devices but I've also heard that having access to each OS's exclusive features and apps is pretty nice.

[cool breeze]

Recently learned that $25 google play credit is expiring in September..  I have $22 left to spend.  I'm considering that new nexus as an upgrade, though I'm holding off until the new ipad mini is shown.  Might end up going with an android phone too, if the new iphone is crummy.  Android phones are much nicer than they were two years ago.

[Groogrux]

They won't actually take the credit away, will they?  I thought that meant that they just weren't going to offer it anymore.

[Eel O'Brian]

Heads-up:

The Hisense Sero Pro 7 is $129 at Walmart right now on the website, ship-to-store:


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hisense-Sero-7-Pro-7-Tablet-Quad-Core-Processor-with-8GB-Memory-M470BSA/25427874

It's got Tegra 3 guts, so it's basically a 8GB Nexus 7 2012 with added microSD slot, HDMI out, and a 5mp camera. Laptop mag and Engadget gave it good reviews. Apparently it's getting Android 4.3 this Fall, as well.  If you're in the market for a cheap kick around Android tablet, you probably won't do better than this for the price.

[Great Rumbler]

Tempting, very tempting.

[Human Snorenado]

Yeah, I'm tempted.  But I'm gonna hold out for a sub $200 Nexus 7 this holiday season, hopefully.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I went ahead and bought the new Nexus 7 after some back and forth (and reading some 3D benchmarks).

[Tasty]

 

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I had a moment where I was like "should I buy a 7" Android tablet or a PS Vita?"

then I had a hearty laugh and bought a 7" Android tablet

[Eel O'Brian]

Huh, apparently $129 is the new normal price for the Sero 7 Pro.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Huh, apparently $129 is the new normal price for the Sero 7 Pro.

implies Nexus 7 2012 will probably see an official price cut before too long, and they wanted to be first

[Eel O'Brian]

Given the specs, I'd still go with the Sero over the N7 2012.

[Great Rumbler]

Thanks for the heads up on the Hisense, Eel!

~posted from my new tablet.

[Human Snorenado]

Given the specs, I'd still go with the Sero over the N7 2012.

Yeah, all the extra shit on the hisense is nice.

Dat N7 2013 though

[Dickie Dee]

What's the build quality like on that Hisense?

I might get it just to fuck with. Having an micro SD slot is pretty important for me (I like having my music local).

[Eel O'Brian]

Okay, I bought one. I already have a Nook HD+, but it's too big to fit into anything other than a bag, and I was getting tired of slinging it around on my shoulder all the time. Plus, I really enjoy reading comics on it, and I was getting sketched out about paint dust getting in the ports and messing it up (They're not making Nooks anymore, so once this one goes I might not be able to get another). I tried a refurb iPod Touch Gen 4 from Gamestop (traded in Last of Us towards it), but if you do anything other listen to music on it the battery life drops drastically, and I take a lot of notes and use the calculator a lot during the day. I loved the size, but if the battery shits out before the day is over that is no good. I wanted something that A) was more portable than the Nook HD+, B) I could use for more than listening to music/old radio shows, and C) was lower-cost, so I wouldn't give much of a shit about were it to get clotted with paint dust.  Also, I have a bit of extra money nowadays, and I had some BD money, and I have an electronics problem.  Anyway, this Hisense was only five bucks more than what the refurb touch cost, so I took it back and just used the refunded trade credit to get Steam cards for SRIV.

So, it's nice enough. Build quality is a little lesser than the N7, but it doesn't seem like it'll fall apart in a month. Nice textured back for grip. It has a microSD slot, people have reported using 64GB cards in it just fine. Screen is nice, seems brighter than the N7 from what I remember, same 1280x800 res. Camera is fine and has a an LED flash, I can use it to take "before" pics of really wrecked apartments in case there's a question about my billing. It has a mini HDMI port. It supports USB OTG. It has NFC. It has Bluetooth 3.0. Don't know about the long-term battery life, but seems decent so far, and there are power-saving settings if you're just using it to listen to music or whatever. It fits into the pocket of my painter pants. It looks stupid, but it fits. It's basically a better version of last year's N7 8GB. Definitely worth the $129 so far.

[Eel O'Brian]

They won't actually take the credit away, will they?  I thought that meant that they just weren't going to offer it anymore.

Yeah, I just checked, any unused credit goes away on the expiration date. Time to find a $1.50 app!

[Great Rumbler]

I don't really know anything about tablets, but I'm enjoying what the Hisense offers me. Runs good, lots of apps, nice screen.

[Human Snorenado]

FUCK

I will not go buy one of these.  I will not go buy one of these.  I will not go buy one of these.

[G The Resurrected]

FUCK

I will not go buy one of these.  I will not go buy one of these.  I will not go buy one of these.

Come to the lighter side!

N7 2013 could be yours for $218 for the 32gb version at Office max/ Office Depot/ Staples with little to no work required.

[Human Snorenado]

Rebates and shit?  Whatchu talking bout, G?

[G The Resurrected]

Check slickdeals, it had to do with a 20% off bag which you can price match at the competing stores. Act with haste cause I believe it ends next week.

[Human Snorenado]

The 20% off coupon specifically mentions it doesn't include tablets, though.

[G The Resurrected]

Check this out.
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/100164/officemax-stores-32gb-asus-nexus-7-2nd-gen-7-android-4.3-tablet

[Human Snorenado]

That coupon expired the 10th.

[pilonv1]

Got a Nexus 7 today, dat screen

[Tasty]

Got a Nexus 7 today, dat screen

I think I might upgrade soon too.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Bought a Nexus 7 2013 last month...

Only for Apple to NOT announce the iPad Mini Retina today.

[Tasty]

Who cares, it would still be iOS shite and overpriced.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Who cares, it would still be iOS shite and overpriced.

I realized that last month, then bought a Nexus 7.

[Human Snorenado]

Getting a fat (for me) paycheck tomorrow... probably gonna own a Nexus 7 by the end of the week

So, expect lots of dumb "how the fuck do I do this with android" questions in the near future

[Tasty]

Treesong

Creepy Old Guy

[hampster]

I've been eyeing the Nook HD. For $129 with google play access it seems like a good deal. Maybe later this year

Getting a fat (for me) paycheck tomorrow... probably gonna own a Nexus 7 by the end of the week

So, expect lots of dumb "how the fuck do I do this with android" questions in the near future

Do you need a second Puzzle and Dragons account that badly

[Human Snorenado]

Nah, if I did I'd just get that cheaper hisense tablet from walmart.  I actually want to have a fairly decent piece of tech for various shit- I don't like watching videos on my iphone, screen is too damn small. 7" tablet seems like just the sweet spot, and the screen on this thing is supposed to be nice

(plus, yes, fuck you I need another PAD account)

[Human Snorenado]

Treesong/other N7 owners- what (if any) carrying case/protective crap do you use for your tablet?

[Tasty]

I go naked. Used to have a case but stopped using it when I got a dock. (It's like a big digital clock when I'm not using it.)

[nudemacusers]

definitely ipad




edit: sorry I just read the "best" and "tablet" parts

[Tasty]

definitely ipad




edit: sorry I just read the "best" and "tablet" parts

Not true even then.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Treesong/other N7 owners- what (if any) carrying case/protective crap do you use for your tablet?

My N7 is an "around the house" tablet so I just raw dog it.

[Tasty]

#TeamNaked #TeamRawDog

Wait apparently the new N7 has wireless charging? Jeeze it has everything. Fuck.

[nudemacusers]

definitely ipad




edit: sorry I just read the "best" and "tablet" parts

Not true even then.

You were supposed to dump on and attack my shitpost, not rise above it 

[Great Rumbler]

Just wanna say that I love my Hisense Sero. Yeah, it's not some 10" wonder tablet, but I can play all my cool ROMs on it and basically every game on the Android store seems to run just fine. I'd definitely recommend it to someone who doesn't want to spend too much.

[Tasty]

definitely ipad




edit: sorry I just read the "best" and "tablet" parts

Not true even then.

You were supposed to dump on and attack my shitpost, not rise above it 

Deshi basara, bitch.