ANDROID devices.......I know nothing

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Dr. Righteous

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My wife is nagging me to get my 7 year old a Nintendo DS or some such thing to occupy him when we are on trips.
I'm against these types because the games are expensive.
YET, Android games (2D and light 3D) are cheap. I was noticing that iPad like devices are getting cheaper too.
When looking at the games, they don't mention spec; like CPU, etc. just the version of Android your device has.
I know the "top dog" devices will have the quad core Nvidia Tegra but those are expensive.

Say a cheap PAD device with a 7" touch screen like this:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=M760W&cpc=RESX

7-inch capacitive touch screen display
800 x 480 resolution
Google Android 4.0 OS pre-installed (Ice Cream Sandwich!)
1.2 GHz processor w/560 MHz DSP
4 GB internal flash memory (2 GB for general use)
microSDHC card slot
Integrated IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN
Built-in speaker & microphone
G-sensor function provides orientation sensing
Supports various audio/video formats


How adequate would this be for light gaming??
 
Honestly, most games without buttons aren't very fun. If you're worried about the expense of games, consider buying (quality) older games used. There are ways to run homebrew on the DS also.
 
The specs on that tab aren't too bad, it doesn't list how much RAM is on it though. If it's less than 768 MBs and running ICS, then it may be pretty laggy and slow. If I were going to get a tab for gaming (or anything else really), I would get the Nexus 7. It's still relatively cheap and still has higher-end (Tegra 3) hardware inside.

But yeah, what toast says makes more sense. A used DS or DSi is only like $60-70 on FS/FT from what I've seen and you can get used games for them for $10-$15/piece or get an Acecard and run "backed up" games for free. Not much different from getting that cheap Android tab in terms of expense and it's more kid/game oriented so they will enjoy it more.
 
If you are looking for a tablet of any kind checkout that Nexus 7. $200-$250 for a tegra3 IPS 1280x800 Jelly Bean 7" tablet is damn good.
 
You can find some really cheap DS games at swap meets/flea markets, thats actually where I buy most of mine except for the zelda games which I buy brand new. Normally I can find a 2-3 year old game for anywhere as low as a $1 to $5, sometimes higher but those are the sellers who know what they have.
 
GLSauron said:
If you are looking for a tablet of any kind checkout that Nexus 7. $200-$250 for a tegra3 IPS 1280x800 Jelly Bean 7" tablet is damn good.
Click to expand...

This right here, plus Amazon Apps Store for a free paid app every day...no worries on prices ever...+ *cough cough* Route + AdFree Android
 
If you go for touch devices, you'll mostly be limited to puzzle and reflex games like Temple Run (is that even a genre?). However, it does allow for watching videos without inducing a neck cramp.

I'm not familiar with the DS ecosystem, but a lot of games on android are free. However, i can't guarantee how well they'll play on these cheap tablets. And it takes a bit more concentration to play on a touchscreen than it does with hardware buttons. May not be as fun to play for a 7 year old.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
My wife is nagging me to get my 7 year old a Nintendo DS or some such thing to occupy him when we are on trips.
I'm against these types because the games are expensive.
YET, Android games (2D and light 3D) are cheap. I was noticing that iPad like devices are getting cheaper too.
When looking at the games, they don't mention spec; like CPU, etc. just the version of Android your device has.
I know the "top dog" devices will have the quad core Nvidia Tegra but those are expensive.

Say a cheap PAD device with a 7" touch screen like this:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=M760W&cpc=RESX

7-inch capacitive touch screen display
800 x 480 resolution
Google Android 4.0 OS pre-installed (Ice Cream Sandwich!)
1.2 GHz processor w/560 MHz DSP
4 GB internal flash memory (2 GB for general use)
microSDHC card slot
Integrated IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN
Built-in speaker & microphone
G-sensor function provides orientation sensing
Supports various audio/video formats


How adequate would this be for light gaming??
Click to expand...

Get him a nexus 7. The knockoff tablets are not worth the hassle. They usually have crap build quality, half working software and they break alot.
 
Another vote for the Nexus 7". Alternatively a Kindle Fire used. The affectionately called craplets tend to be cheap for a reason.
 
Honestly I'd go for the DS. The tablet is not going to be built to deal with the day to day hell a kid puts a device through. Breaking it would teach him a lesson on how to treat his things, but it's one hell of an expensive lesson.

As for the cheap knockoff tablets? There's a special place in hell, where you're forced to use those tablets for eternity. Don't put your kid through that.
 
I'd go for the nexus 7 as well, they had a deal that gave you $25 towards the app store a few days ago but I don't know if that's still running.
 
DirtyB said:
I'd go for the nexus 7 as well, they had a deal that gave you $25 towards the app store a few days ago but I don't know if that's still running.
Click to expand...

Yeah, did some reading on that recently and it really has a lot of bang for the buck.
I might get one for myself.
$199 ain't bad for a Tegra 3 7" tablet.
 
Get him a used evo 4G and a big sd card. Load it up with movies and tv shows. My daughter is 7 and plays tons of games on my infuse 4G, she has no trouble at all and uses it more then her dsi for damn sure.
 
blackhand1001 said:
Get him a nexus 7. The knockoff tablets are not worth the hassle. They usually have crap build quality, half working software and they break alot.
Click to expand...

Bingo.

Best bets under $200 are:

Nexus 7 at $200

at $150-$180ish you should look for a Nook tablet or a Kindle Fire if you have some halfway decent tech knowledge and can follow instructions.

For more like $100 grab yourself a used/refurb Nook Color. Runs a great port of CM7 - I ran it myself for almost a year before getting my Thrive. Went this route myself - we have 2 NCs on CM7 now (they mainly use them for watching Netflix and some pointless apps).

Alternatively, if you have some patience, deals occasionally pop up on 7-10" devices that are a bit older - the orig. Asus Transformer, Acer A110, Toshiba Thrive - right around $200 or under. Cowboom had used HTC Flyers yesterday for $130. There were some deals on the Transformer for $160 a while ago, too.

EDIT: Acer Iconia A200 today on ebay for $190: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Refurbished...&campid=5335869999&PID=1225267#ht_2668wt_1396
 
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