Best android tablet under $400

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zod96

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What tablet is best around the $250-400 range in the 10.1 screen size?
 
Maybe you could try waiting for the Archos 101 Gen9?

Most of what's shown on the other tablets are really standard honeycomb features and mostly the same from tablet to tablet. So rather than look at just the spec sheet, look at what's listed that isn't in other tablets and if you can live with or without it.

For media consumption, the Archos is pretty much dedicated to them. Network streaming isn't just for videos, the same applies to ebooks, galleries, and documents. NTFS is also another Archos unique feature (unless you're into hacking), that lets you attach external window based drives (i.e. NTFS harddrives like WDPassport). And to top it off, no other tablet to date can play the videos that the year old Gen8's can.

BTW, that network streaming has a quirk. If you run Adobe PDF reader, you normally get a list of all the PDFs on the tablet. If you try running that on the Archos, it'll list every PDF in your home network. It's like typing dir /s and ending up having your entire network listed.
 
Asus Transformer TF101.

$400 (less with deals, sometimes), and the ability to dock & extend battery life while gaining a nice keyboard.

Otherwise, looks for a used 10.1 Tab - I hate Sammy (#NeverAgain), but that is a nice piece of kit.

-bZj
 
fry's is offering $100 gift card for 10.1 16gb
i think offer is good until sep 1st
 
Just picked up a Asus Transformer myself and love it so far
 
Lenovo Ideapad K1 32GB at Frys for $450 with $100 gift card, the judge is still out on this one. It has Lenovo's name to it so I want to like it so much, but I'm about ready to put my head through the wall. It is nice to have full flash support though, but now that Job's is gone who knows if maybe Apple will start letting flash on its iPad.
 
waz said:
Just picked up a Asus Transformer myself and love it so far
Click to expand...


Had my transformer for a week..

This should decide this arguement: i am trading my video card in my desktop so it will be down this week. And with my TF in my hands,i dont care. :D
 
I posted this question on a different thread but got no responses. Hopefully, I can get some info from you guys. I found this third party tablet, Android 4 GB eTablet OS 2.1. Does anyone have any experience using it? Is it worth the price?
 
savvyninja said:
I posted this question on a different thread but got no responses. Hopefully, I can get some info from you guys. I found this third party tablet, Android 4 GB eTablet OS 2.1. Does anyone have any experience using it? Is it worth the price?
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Those cheap tablets aren't going to give you a very good experience. They have crappy screens and will probably lead to much frustration. I'd save up and get either an Asus Transformer or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
 
I have to say this with all the folks commenting on the getting the Asus Transformer, Asus has a really bad long term support track record. Something new and shiney, like say the Transformer 2 or a new platform like Tegra 3 comes along, Asus WILL drop you like yesterdays news. Lenovo, even though its been more buggy on launch has an excellent track record with support and supporting older products, so I'm pretty confident that I will get those critical updates. With my luck though I'm going to eat those words when things go the other way this time. I've has a real bad track record with Asus portable devices, notebooks.
 
I want to like the Lenovo tablet, I do. But without the ability to convert into a netbook with 16 hours battery life.....I just can't do the Lenovo, especially when you consider price. I never buy computers expecting great support. I never contact support anyways.
 
savvyninja said:
Thanks for the responses guys. I'm curious, Sly, where can I get this tablet for $99?
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Google apad, epad. I'm not sure where you can get chinapads in the US, but this is where i get my gear.

http://www.tipidpc.com/itemsearch.p...low=3000&pricehigh=5000&ord=postdate&dir=desc

This is one of the local trading sites. Our parcel delivery isn't as integrated as in the US so online stores like Amazon aren't very popular compared to the US. If you want a specific gadget or part, and it's not there, you'll have a hard time looking for it anywhere else.Divide the prices by 43 to convert them to dollars.
 
savvyninja said:
I posted this question on a different thread but got no responses. Hopefully, I can get some info from you guys. I found this third party tablet, Android 4 GB eTablet OS 2.1. Does anyone have any experience using it? Is it worth the price?
Click to expand...

Just some more information on the ePads/aPads/whateverPads:
I purchased one for $71 shipped in May 2011 that is the same as the one you listed except mine runs Android 2.2 and has the WM6850 CPU (I also rooted it). At the time, and for $71, it was a decent device. With javascript turned off, it browsed basic forums like [H] quite well. It also played a few fun games but most games either wouldn't run or simply ran too slow.

If you are serious about getting a tablet, then I highly suggest buying something like the Transformer and not one of these cheap tablets.
 
I have the transformer, and i love it, nice screen, feels good in the hand, nice and snappy, ive never had a problem with it being slow and the battery lasts a good while. The option of a dock is also quite nice
 
RangerXML said:
Lenovo just announced a $200 16GB ($250 32GB) Android 2.3 7" tablet.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/lenovo-announces-ideapad-a1-the-199-android-tablet-we-go-hand/

Also figured out from reading the Lenovo forum that the instability comes from the Launcher that the K1 ships with, replace the default launcher and you got something that won't reboot or lock up while sleeping.
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yeah but its stuck with Gingerbread according to the reports and has only a Cortex A8 single core processor.

not really on the same playing field as the $400 price range devices
 
RangerXML said:
I have to say this with all the folks commenting on the getting the Asus Transformer, Asus has a really bad long term support track record. Something new and shiney, like say the Transformer 2 or a new platform like Tegra 3 comes along, Asus WILL drop you like yesterdays news. Lenovo, even though its been more buggy on launch has an excellent track record with support and supporting older products, so I'm pretty confident that I will get those critical updates. With my luck though I'm going to eat those words when things go the other way this time. I've has a real bad track record with Asus portable devices, notebooks.
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I know this much: Asus is infinitely better than Samsung. I had a Vibrant & traded it for an HD2. I'd rather run a 2yr old WinMo6.5 phone (hacked to run 2.3.5, of course) than deal with broken GPS & lacking updates. Asus has had 4 or 5 updates to the TF101 in the first few months of release. 3.0 > 3.1 > 3.2 (and some incremental updates). ASUS > Samsung. #NeverAgain
RangerXML said:
Lenovo just announced a $200 16GB ($250 32GB) Android 2.3 7" tablet.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/lenovo-announces-ideapad-a1-the-199-android-tablet-we-go-hand/

Also figured out from reading the Lenovo forum that the instability comes from the Launcher that the K1 ships with, replace the default launcher and you got something that won't reboot or lock up while sleeping.
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If you RTFA (;)), you'll see the 8GB (& unavailable in the US) model is $200. $250 - 16GB, $300 - 32GB.

-bZj
 
I ended up selling my HP touchpad for $200 and got the Samsung tab 10.1 from Sprint for $500. So it was $300 out of pocket...
 
Oh yeah which was $100, so it was $400 out of pockets :)
 
Gave up, Lenovo released a patch today that totally screwed up my tablet, returned it and got a Transformer (Ad Hoc enabled out of the friggen box, thanks Lenovo).

No regular dock available for the Transformer, just the keyboard one :(
 
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RangerXML said:
Gave up, Lenovo released a patch today that totally screwed up my tablet, returned it and got a Transformer (Ad Hoc enabled out of the friggen box, thanks Lenovo).

No regular dock available for the Transformer, just the keyboard one :(
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I remember reading somewhere that a regular dock had popped up on German Amazon, so not exactly a strong sign, but there's a possibility of a regular non-keyboard dock coming soon.
 
Ad hoc was only just recently added. But, at least it's there now.

-bZj
 
Asus Transformer, for $350... @ sears....

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...1&blockType=G1&sid=I0084400010000100383&aff=Y

.... sold out.

Mark my words, simply a $50 dollar difference and Sears sells out of Honeycomb tablets.
Does Google want to do to the ipad what Android did to the iphone? Get the top end prices of Android tablets around $300, with cheapo devices around $250.....

Its gonna happen, and when it does, the Android tablet will rule. (Until Windows 8 anyway)

I'm a mega Android fan, but holy shit am I looking forward to Win 8....
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
Does Google want to do to the ipad what Android did to the iphone?
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Flood the market with cheap devices? The reason android tablets are not taking off and will never take off is because people don't want them. The ONLY reason android phones are doing so well is because either people are on a carrier that they can't get the iphone, or they're too cheap to buy and and instead opt for the 99 cent android POS. Android does not and will not have that advantage in the tablet space.

If google wants to beat apple, they're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than they're doing now. Win8 has a much better chance of giving apple a run for it's money than android ever could in it's current form. I mean, FFS, it doesn't even have decent hardware acceleration. BRB, lagging while switching home screens. Pathetic.
 
Ryan711 said:
Flood the market with cheap devices? The reason android tablets are not taking off and will never take off is because people don't want them. The ONLY reason android phones are doing so well is because either people are on a carrier that they can't get the iphone, or they're too cheap to buy and and instead opt for the 99 cent android POS. Android does not and will not have that advantage in the tablet space.

If google wants to beat apple, they're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than they're doing now. Win8 has a much better chance of giving apple a run for it's money than android ever could in it's current form. I mean, FFS, it doesn't even have decent hardware acceleration. BRB, lagging while switching home screens. Pathetic.
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Really? People can't get the iPhone, so they get Androids instead? I guess AT&T and Verizon, the two biggest players in the mobile space don't count.....

And... ummm, as the link I posted shows, people *DO* want android tablets. At just a $50 price cut, the Transformer SOLD OUT. You can't even find them locally at most Sears stores, online inventory checkers are turning up OOS all over the tri-state area anyway....

Not really sure where you are getting your information, but Honeycomb in its present state (3.2) is very fluid and stable, and as with Android in mobile phones, offers many things that many people want, but Apple doesn't offer...

Not really sure what else to say... kinda ashamed of myself for responding to a troll :(
 
Ryan711 said:
Flood the market with cheap devices? The reason android tablets are not taking off and will never take off is because people don't want them. The ONLY reason android phones are doing so well is because either people are on a carrier that they can't get the iphone, or they're too cheap to buy and and instead opt for the 99 cent android POS. Android does not and will not have that advantage in the tablet space.

If google wants to beat apple, they're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than they're doing now. Win8 has a much better chance of giving apple a run for it's money than android ever could in it's current form. I mean, FFS, it doesn't even have decent hardware acceleration. BRB, lagging while switching home screens. Pathetic.
Click to expand...

You should stop....I paid top dollar for the top of the line Android handset after much consideration. I could have cheaped out and got the iPhone but that would have meant getting lesser hardware, running a more closed software, with nowhere near the third party dev community. If you've ever used a top tier device running AOSP you have no idea what Android can be. It makes the iPhone look really dated and ugly. The iPhone has its place and way back when it first came out it was the expensive high end choice but today its like yesterdays cold coffee. People that buy android devices are in two groups. The cheapskate s who get the free or $50 Android bottom tier handset....because they are cheap and have no clue. Then there's people that want the best hardware and never even plan to use the phone as it is stock and spend $200-$300 on the latest LTE blazer.

Ill be getting an Asus Transformer soon and if Windows 8 turns out to be better than Android Ill dual boot it. What does that make me? Perhaps instead of labeling people based on OS we should look at the hardware we are getting and its potential. That's what I look for. That's what this thread is about, the best sub $400 tablet. It just happens that the best hardware under $400 comes with Android. That doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
 
nobody_here said:
Ill be getting an Asus Transformer soon and if Windows 8 turns out to be better than Android Ill dual boot it.
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When Win8 tablet comes out, would it be possible to install it on existing Android tablets like the Transformer?
 
sprtnbsblplya said:
When Win8 tablet comes out, would it be possible to install it on existing Android tablets like the Transformer?
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Yes from everything I have read Win8 will be ARM capable. I believe it has already been shown to run on Tegra2 so I'm kinda banking on it myself. I wish we had a TF2 release imminent but even the TF will run well on the right software.
 
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