What about the Lenovo Ideapad A1- also $199 - Kindle Fire General

The major selling point for the Kindle Fire is of course the price. Especially in this forum where all we really care about is the price and hardware so we can put custom ROMs on later.
So as i see it, they both have similar processors, the same amount of RAM and cost the same but the Ideapad has a bunch of other stuff- dual cameras, gps, bluetooth and a microsd slot.
so assuming both devices get rooted why would we choose the Fire over the Ideapad?

cant tell if the A1 has an IPS screen
specs show that the A1 has TI OMAP 3622, which isnt listed on the ti omap page, but the nc is 3621, so guessing its the same chip, @ 1ghz rather than 800mhz.
the A1 also has a smaller battery 3550 mAh vs 4000 mAh (11% smaller or about 7hrs, if NC has 8hr baseline)
so, guessing that if the A1 does have an IPS screen, it would have same performance to an O/C nook color, but with 1hr less battery life. with the NC2 coming out very soon, for the A1 to complete, guessing that sony will have to drop the price for the 16gb model to $200 to be competitive.

I have been wondering myself how this is all going to fall out.
Supposedly the ideapad may be a minimum 250$ for those of us living in the states with no SD card option.
While the kindle fire is nice.. 16 GB can feel small on a phone.. so I don't know if it is practical for a tab at all without SD card expansion.
If the roms maintain the silk browser and amazon storage.. it may be worth it.
The downsides to the Kindle I see are as follows.
1. lack of buttons.
2. any mods done may be more permanent since it is a more modified version of android.. So once it is rooted/romed.. I worry it may not be able to go "back to stock" which is a bit more damaging.
The only advantage to the kindle I see is the dual core processor..which by itself is sex/tempting..
But, honestly I don't see any other advantage unless the only reason you want a tablet is as an ereader in the first place (which is true of many people)

It does have an IPS display and from what i understand there are is an 8gb version for $200 that wont ship in the US and a 16gb for $250 that will (i didnt see anything about no sd slot in the 8gb version)
Maybe the release of the kindle fire will push lenovo to sell the $200 8gb version in the us.
actually the lack of button seems like a big deal. i mean, we can root it but how functional is android without the home and menu buttons?

IPS display, gorilla glass & price are the only positives.
Oh, one more, it will drive the price down on every other tablet except for the ipad.

ok to lack of hardware buttons Cm7 for the book puts an on screen section on the status bar for menu, back and search.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

The A1 has a single core CPU vs the dual core on the Kindle Fire. That's pretty big for me. I already have a Nook color and it can get a bit sluggish sometimes, even o/c to 1200.

I also have an NC, and it runs fine for what I use it for. I don't use widgets/apps that run continuously. It can play MKV/AVI movies OK at SD resolution, using QQPlayer.
The big question is how good is the KF as a modded device, and lack of an SD slot is a major bummer--not just for ease of modding, but also for storage expansion. 8GB (actually, 5GB) isn't a lot. The unrooted KF can get away with it, since it uses Amazon's cloud services. CM7 can't.
But the Lenovo A1 isn't in the equation, as you can already get the same (except cams & GPS) from the existing NC right now for $150. And the NC is already a CM-supported device, so you don't have to wait around a couple of months for it to get dev support. As for the missing features--cams, GPS, HDMI-out--you have to ask yourself what's important for your use. Those aren't important to me.
I'm looking forward to the NC2, which is rumored to have the same 4430 SoC. Hopefully, B&N will match the KF's $199 price, but if the NC2 is as moddable as the NC, at $250 it would still be a good deal for the SD slot.

I agree, NC is probably still a good deal than the A1. I had a nook color before, I liked it for a while but was disappointed that it didn't have a mic. and the speed was a little bit slow as well, even after OC. then, I sold it and got a 7 inch galaxy tab. I loved the tab a lot, it only costed me 260 (woot deal) and it came with everything and 99% of games and app worked fine after gingerbread upgrade. Then I was stupid enough to trade the tab with the 10.1 tab... the 10.1 tab was good and much faster than the 7 tab but too big and half of my apps didn't work.
Anyways, i am also looking for a 7-8 inches tablet.. I want a dual-core, gps, mic, sd-card, at least 8 hours battery life and under $350. mic and gps are must since I have many apps and games for my sons that they need mic and gps..
I am waiting for the galaxy 7+.. Any other idea?

Eh.. Maybe I will regret it later..
I really like the idea of "cheap, no frills" tabs.
I mean in my phone I get the idea.. GPS is nice since if I get lost odds are I will have my phone.
Bluetooth is nice since I'm using my phone anyway.
In a tablet device.. if I can get it cheaper without frills.. then so be it.
I'm really going back and forth both ways on the kindle fire. I may pick up one if I decide to hop on a tablet yet.
It really depends on whether or not the A1 comes out and what kind of reviews it gets.
I guess what we expect the tablet to do also plays into it a lot though. I mean, I just want a web browsing/manga reading device

I've been looking at these too. The IdeaPad is supposed to have a GPS, which is really nice. I'm not sure what the screen is going to be like.
Anyway, I think the Fire is going to appeal to the common man, but the IdeaPad is going to appeal more to the hacker. I'm shopping for my wife, so I'm suck in the middle.
Either way, I welcome the device. Android doesn't really have a main stream tablet. The Transformer is highly tech cool and the Galaxy 10 is pretty and refined, but nothing has really come along to put Android into the main stream tablet world. Sure it's most likely 2.3, but the Fire is going pull a ton of attention to the Android tablet world.
I think an unexplored angle is that it could even break into Apple's bread and butter iPod touch market. If game developers pick up on it, it becomes a very attractive touch competitor. Better browser, better CPU, better screen, same price. I'm sure it will run Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. In 6 months the reburbs will be $150, fairly close to the magic $100 disposable tech line.

israel102 said:
The major selling point for the Kindle Fire is of course the price. Especially in this forum where all we really care about is the price and hardware so we can put custom ROMs on later.
So as i see it, they both have similar processors, the same amount of RAM and cost the same but the Ideapad has a bunch of other stuff- dual cameras, gps, bluetooth and a microsd slot.
so assuming both devices get rooted why would we choose the Fire over the Ideapad?
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Because of the integration with Amazon media services and their Cloud storage. I already have a Xoom 10.1 tablet so I'm not looking for the benefits of a tablet. The Fire will be a convenient device to read, email, watch an occasional movie and wait for the hackers to do their thing.
If I were buying a tablet it would not be a 7 inch one regardless of the capabilities.

1215kids said:
Because of the integration with Amazon media services and their Cloud storage. I already have a Xoom 10.1 tablet so I'm not looking for the benefits of a tablet. The Fire will be a convenient device to read, email, watch an occasional movie and wait for the hackers to do their thing.
If I were buying a tablet it would not be a 7 inch one regardless of the capabilities.
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Click to collapse
Though I see the logic in the point you mention for your planned usage, I still do not see much point in a rooted Fire. Kind of a rat in the cage, due to the lack of storage expansion. Not to mention the Amazon interface and their closed app system would be compromised (not seeing Amazon letting that happen). In short, a person will have a few GB of space and that is it. Android market? What is the point? No room for apps & media
Seems the price is not worth the trade-offs, IMO.

I also have a KK which I paid $139 and for $60 more I will have a much more capable device. Also currently have 20gb of storage in the cloud that includes pics, docs, etc. plus the hundreds of songs. The music doesn't count against the 20gb.
My wife uses the KK exclusively.

Looks like the A1 is up on the Lenovo site, but at $229 for the 2GB model. The 16GB is $250.
Has anyone seen this for $199 anywhere?
The magic $199 price has me looking for a table to add as a remote control & some light couch surfing, emailing and occasional travel use. I like the fact that the Fire is dual core, but think the sd card, cameras and gps would be nice to have.

it was 199$ on the lenovo site for a while..
The release date has been pushed back twice already.
I am guessing they are selling well.

Its 229 and that's on SALE! It retails for 350!!! It also only has 2 gig internal. NO IPS, no dual core... same or worse RAM.... the only redeeming factor in my mind is that I think it has an expansion slot??? Also I don't like lenovo for bussiness or home..

s0m3f00l said:
Its 229 and that's on SALE! It retails for 350!!! It also only has 2 gig internal. NO IPS, no dual core... same or worse RAM.... the only redeeming factor in my mind is that I think it has an expansion slot??? Also I don't like lenovo for bussiness or home..
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It will probably always be "on sale".

What are the chances of an internal SD in the Fire?
There's bound to be a moderately simple way for Amazon to flash the thing, and I doubt it would take long to replicate once it's released.

Snow_fox said:
it was 199$ on the lenovo site for a while..
The release date has been pushed back twice already.
I am guessing they are selling well.
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I saw that too... other colors were available at the time as well, now it is only Black or White.
Also, the employee discount is only $10, which seems odd, so that means $239 for me - but I am still not sold on it at that price. If I could have gotten the discount on the lower spec one priced @ $199, I prob would have bit.
Estimated ship date is 11/8, but the rep I am chatting with now claims it will ship before then.
He has also stated that it does not have Gorilla Glass (which I think I read elsewhere in this thread that it has).
ETA: the rep I am talking too also says that the A1 ships with android 3.1... and just offered it to me for $219.
ETA2: he backtracked on the 3.1, and is also unable to confirm the release of 2.3
ETA3: I ordered a white one @ the $219 price: bonus = Free Shipping!

Related

Is this device worth the 300?

I'm thinking about buying an Android tablet and really it's up between the G-tablet, Archos 70, this, and the Galaxy Tab (which goes cheaper than the rest used). I've been wondering if this lacks any features that other tablets might and how well it sizes up with flash support and browsing.
Out of the box, it does need some work.
If you just want to power up and go, its not the device for you.
I am pretty happy with mine, with the exception of no multi-touch and no 3g.
Sent from my eLocity A7 using Tapatalk
First off not to downplay the A7 its a nice device but it has some issues. I think they Rushed the release. To make the A7 a much better product you have this community modding the A7. You will need the Mod to get true android market place. The mod makes it more phone like and it adds things that are beyond the A7's ability.
Check out the enspert identity e201u tablet. I have seen it $299. Its verry comparible to the galaxy tab. It doesnt need a mod to get android market either and it has no blue tooth issues
And all this would be my opinion.
Updated on the A7 which I own one with the dexter mod 1.3. When I tried to boot it up today and it had somekinda kernal error. It wouldnt go into the launcher. Finally I had to do an recovery on it and reinstall dextor mod. My wife has claimed the A7 from me since now the enspert tablet.
I have been trying to convince her to let me return it and buy her the enspert tablet i think it a much better device.
the enspert tab is on the amazon site with my review but i seen it cheaper on the Dynamism site.
Its an korean product but but build quality I think is better than the A7.
So it lacks multi-touch? I heard that they were planning to update the A7 in mid 2011? Not sure if this is confirmed or not as I just found it on Androidfan forums or whatever it is. I'm personally not concerned about the lack of 3G, I'm more interested in using this as a device to pull out at hotspots when I have a few minutes, say a cafe or class, but I do want to be able to power up.
There are two big appeals for the A7; one being its $300 price tag on Amazon, and the fact that it is based on the Tegra 2 chipset. The enspert looks interesting but I heard good things about the Archos 70 too, so with similar prices I'm not sure which way I would go. Having access to the marketplace by default sounds goo though.
And isn't the Dell Streak 7 wi-fi coming out for around $350 as well? Should I maybe wait for the Dell Streak 7 or the rumored refresh of the A7? I wouldn't be above modding btw as long as it improves my experience overall.
Not sure about the dell but doubt it sub $400 price and with out contract, and after owning a dell pc I would never buy a dell anything.
Correct the A7 does not have true multi touch. What I heard is that its hardware can not support it. It does have a sorta pinch to zoom it steps and its not really something to really claim as a feature. Me my self I don't miss or need pinch to zoom or multi touch. Yes it works great at hotspots with full web flash support. That I do love about it. I use it at the hospital where I work and mcdonalds starbucks and so on. It is a wi-fi BG device though but still fast internet.
main issues is that its buggy and lacks true google market support, sd card mount issues and blue tooth problems. The Dex mod you install to get market is a workaround and it works but it also has issues. which he is also working on to fix.
The Samsung S5PC110, ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz that the enspert has is no slouch. having both I see no performance difference. another con is I truly don't see the point of it being 7" and having a micro sd card, that is so annoying. pluses for the enspert tab full sd card slot. has usb to pc connect ability, way better camera, usb charging and charger adapter, stiffer glass screen.
I dont see elocity doing any serious major updates for the device, i would think they would lean more to a second device.
oops one last thing the ensperts battery life is hands down a big plus. i can get about 5-6 hours the elocity is more in 3 hour range if that.
Wow, the battery life is really terrible. Do you have any experiences with the G-Tablet? The Enpsert sounds good but the Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi can be had for sub 300 used from what I've seen around which is nice IMO, though I guess new is always a plus.
I don't know how you had that bad of an experience with the battery.
I charge mine overnight, take it to work and use it on and off all day there. Then a coupe hours web browsing at home. And still have enough left to play some angry birds before bed.
Same here take mine to work watch some avi files about an hours worth and browse web at home or hdmi the avi to my 50" tv at home. And battery still has decent amount of juice. Love using the 360 wireless controller with emulators too. huge plus!
No I never used the gtab, but cnet doesnt give it a good enough review for me. I have not checked price on it either but the a7 and the enspert tab can bothe be purchased for $299
geoxile said:
And isn't the Dell Streak 7 wi-fi coming out for around $350 as well? Should I maybe wait for the Dell Streak 7 or the rumored refresh of the A7?
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I wouldnt wait for the Dell. Reviewers weren't very happy with the display, and said it had a dismal battery life...but the worst thing for me is the complete lack of external connectors, like HDMI or USB. Given its a tegra 2 device with HD capability, the inability to directly connect to an HD TV is a dealbreaker.

Kindle Fire vs. Acer Iconia A100

I'm am thinking about getting a 7" tablet. Do you think the Iconia A100 is worth the extra 100 bucks?
The point on the Kindle I'm struggling with is that you don't know now if the custom roms will give you the ICS experience... Without the custom roms, the Kindle will be a piece of crap, because the ecosystem is so limited!
The Iconia will receive an ICS early next year and has all the additional features, everyone wanted to see (camera, BT, micro SD, micro HDMI, Tegra 2, 1 GB ram).
What do you think?
I think the iconia a100 price is coming down. I see that Best Buy has it available online for $250. This is $60 more than the black friday price but still a decrease from the previous $330 price. If you can't wait it is only $50 more than the fire. If you can wait, there are a fleet of other tablets coming out so that price might drop a bit more in the near future.
Had a Black Friday one for less than a day. The terrible viewing angles killed it.
If you plan to spend $300 on a 7" tablet right now I'd suggest the HTC flyer. You can only buy it at Best Buy but it's a single core 1.5 GHz tablet. Has an optional pen that only works in a few apps but that I find quite useful.
In general if you spend more you'll be buying a tablet that has market out of the box, a GPS, vibrator (thought that was gimmicky until I had a tablet with one), more memory both for storage and while running, usually some sort of SDHC card slot, possibly USB host. Quite a bit more feature-wise. You'll be giving up the tight integration with the Amazon ecosystem but everything but the silk browser can be gotten by running separate apps for each feature.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I returned the a100 after seeing how inferior the screen was to my wifes Fire. My eyes would hurt on the a100. I now have a Fire of my own.
Scott
I agree, the A100 is a nice snappy tablet, but the screen and awful battery life kills it for me, such a shame.
aimfire72 said:
I agree, the A100 is a nice snappy tablet, but the screen and awful battery life kills it for me, such a shame.
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True. Had mine for a week. Loved the build quality and responsiveness but screen and battery was a deal breaker.
Bit the bullet and rather than compromise on a minimal tab like the KF, got the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Fabulous little tab! Snappy, great battery, HC (ICS coming). Bit pricey but you get what you pay for these days.
bsoplinger said:
vibrator (thought that was gimmicky until I had a tablet with one)
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Click to collapse
A vibrator, you say... well that gives me an idea!
how is the tab? I bought one for my parents as a gift and got a fire for myself? no point in getting a tab for myself when quadrant core tablets are tint around the corner
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
Avoid the A100
I looked at it at Best Buy and the screen was horrible. If you slant it on any angle it has this reflective view. It is really bad. I bought the Fire and it is a LOT better. I don't regret it at all.
Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes do you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a lesser qualified tablet in comparison. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.
GiageJoe said:
Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes to you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a less qualified tablet. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say that the A100 screen looks really nice if you hold it in landscape with the home button to your right. The sucking starts when you use it in portrait. If you view it head-on in portrait, the image tends to look good when you view it from your left eye but becomes dark and inverted when you look through your right. The effect is really distracting.
I also bought the a100 on black Friday and I agree with everyone here, horrible viewing angles and poor battery life but to me the other features outweigh the cons. HDMI out, SDcard slot, and of course Honeycomb. I'd rather have a close to desktop like OS than a more locked down OS like the Kindle Fire. But if you don't mind that the Kindle Fire has excellent build quality and screen.
lcd swap???
I just bought one also on black Fri. ($189) .
I have to agree though the panel is pretty horrible, wonder if we could find a better LCD to swap with..
Is the kindle fire`s LCD the same res and dimensions . Might be willing to take apart my iconia for that.
Though we do not know if we can find a panel with the same exact ribbon connector.
The Fire has IPS and over just better screen quality, IDK the general specs on the a100 screen but as far as I know in general the Fires screen is specs wise superior
I was still set on getting the iconia even after hearing about the screen...until I got to Best Buy and tried it out for myself. I got the Kindle.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
GiageJoe said:
Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes do you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a lesser qualified tablet in comparison. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am really not seeing why all the hate for the A100 either..how exactly are you people looking at this thing? I have no problem with the "viewing angle" because im staring straight in front of the screen! This looks fine to me. Not sure why i would hold it from an angle. Plus the usb, hdmi, sd slots do it for me over the kindle fire, with the addtion of android market...to say the thing is "horrible" is overkill
Well, if you could afford the extra 100 bucks, then why should you turn to the Acer Iconia A100? There are many products you can choose, HTC flyer, Tab...
To me, I would like to go for a Kinlde fire, as the warranties and the lighted cover they offer, and I read the comparison between iPad and kindle fire in iFunia, think the Kindle fire is worthy investing
I owned the Acer for a short time. I think the screen and battery make me prefer the Fire. The Acer is a full tablet experience, but I guess they aren't features I need on a 2nd tablet. if I needed a deluxe 7" I'd spend the bucks for the Galaxy Tab, it destroys the Acer.
I was introduced to the Acer Iconia after I purchased my Kindle Fire.
The hardware seems nice; cameras, bluetooth, HDMI out, etc...
Everything my Android phone has and I thought this is interesting especially for only $50.00 more...
Then I saw how the Acer gets charged... and I'm glad I got the Kindle Fire because I can use the same charger for the Fire as I can for my Epic 4G Touch!
Still looks like a nice tablet though

Should I get this, or another tablet?

Considering picking one up used for $120 or less (BTW, any deals better than the $135 certified pre-owned on B&N's site would be appreciated). I've considered loads of other tablets (mostly 7"), but fact is, I don't want to spend much, at least not on the tablet itself.
Anyway, at $120 or less, is it worth picking up, or should I look at something else? The things that draw me to the Nook Color are price (obviously), screen type/quality (not super glossy = awesome), USB OTG (considering plugging in a keyboard and using it for notes), Bluetooth (for headphones), and support/dev community.
My main uses would be reading books/comics, watching videos (nothing high-res), and possibly taking notes as mentioned earlier; there'd be very light gaming, as anything more serious would be reserved to an Xperia Play when I get one later. I doubt I'd install much just to try and keep it running as smooth as possible.
Expandable memory is nice, but not necessary, and I could live without either USB OTG or Bluetooth if the other was present. Camera/GPS/etc. definitely isn't necessary. Don't care for dual-core and whatnot as I know I won't really use/need the power.
Also, quick question about the Nook Color - are there any major issues left with CM7 for it, or is it basically complete? And how is CM9 in comparison (at the moment)?
nookcolor is a great tablet for $130 (give or take in price) but im ruuning cm7.1 for months now with no bugs or problems at all, it is a very stable rom. Screen is very nice, not to bright or to dull.
I got mine new for around $120 too. It is a great value although it does not have camera or other peripheral options.
tourist2 said:
I got mine new for around $120 too. It is a great value although it does not have camera or other peripheral options.
Click to expand...
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You get what you pay for
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S using xda premium
Android311 said:
You get what you pay for
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Click to collapse
Sometimes, you just pay more because you're an idiot.
The Nook Color has an exquisite screen, and it's better than the Kindle Fire (which I also own). Also, the Nook Tablet screen is exactly the same. It's the right resolution and sharpness. The iPad 3 is probably too much, especially since it runs very hot and eats the battery.
Even if you don't want to root or replace the ROM on your Nook Color, it's still a great tablet with a screen that is better than any other.
I love the color Nook. I f only it had a microphone , it could do everything I need
DigitalMD said:
I love the color Nook. I f only it had a microphone , it could do everything I need
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some success in that area. Check out this thread:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/nook-color-technical/15172-headset-microphone-nc.html
Money
vote Kindle Fire
Forgot to update, ended up getting one for $100 in great condition on Craigslist. Immediately popped in a 32GB microSD and loaded CM7.2, lowered the screen density to 120, and I love it.
Definitely go with the Nook Color
I bought it when it was originally priced at $250. I live in Canada and drove down to the States to pick it up since BN doesn't ship to Canada. Even with the release of newer tablets, I'd buy another Nook Color over the others simply because it's the best bang for the buck.
I use it for my commute -- reading PDF books, listening to MP3s, watching videos, and the occasional game.
FWIW, I've owned an Ipad, Ipad2, and Blackberry Playbook. However, I couldn't justify the $400-600 price tag and sold them.
CM 7.2 is very functional, assuming you can live with the fact that apps won't recognize it as a full-on tablet. Within that limitation, it does everything just fine that you'd expect. The only shortcoming on your list is bluetooth support, as ranges can be limited.
At anything below $150, I'd says it's definitely worth a buy. You can blow that much with a night on the town, and have nothing but a headache and a strange rash to show for it.
Just to let everyone know that for some reason (good or bad), CM7.2-RC1 KANG on my NC is last FOREVER
I don't even know I should smile or not. It has been left idle (with virtually no use, screen off) for a WEEK and still has roughly 65% left in the tank.
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed my NC for some time and still continue to do so (as I already own it and it's just good enough to still do what I need, namely play around with new OS code ala CM9).
That said, even at $199.00, it's way slow compared to the competitions products at the same price ranges. NT is much better but doesn't even have BlueTooth at all, from my understanding and shown in it's tear down.
This means that if you need BT, albiet with a less than 10 inch range, the NC is probably the only "eReader" with BT using CM7 or CM9 at that range.
If you are thinking of the tape for gaming? Don't, it's opengl is good enough to entice you with some titles running, but it'll be lag city once there is enough onscreen action.
Thinking of it for Video? Semi-don't. Sure it's IPS screen will impress, but 720P video will not be 100% smooth and it doesn't have the video processing to do anything higher. Pretty much 480P res when you use NetFlix.
Can't buy new? While you can get a cheap NC off of Ebay, keep an eye out for several of the top end earlier generation tabs as the new ones entice users to upgrade.
SeaFractor said:
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed my NC for some time and still continue to do so (as I already own it and it's just good enough to still do what I need, namely play around with new OS code ala CM9).
That said, even at $199.00, it's way slow compared to the competitions products at the same price ranges. NT is much better but doesn't even have BlueTooth at all, from my understanding and shown in it's tear down.
This means that if you need BT, albiet with a less than 10 inch range, the NC is probably the only "eReader" with BT using CM7 or CM9 at that range.
If you are thinking of the tape for gaming? Don't, it's opengl is good enough to entice you with some titles running, but it'll be lag city once there is enough onscreen action.
Thinking of it for Video? Semi-don't. Sure it's IPS screen will impress, but 720P video will not be 100% smooth and it doesn't have the video processing to do anything higher. Pretty much 480P res when you use NetFlix.
Can't buy new? While you can get a cheap NC off of Ebay, keep an eye out for several of the top end earlier generation tabs as the new ones entice users to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Bluetooth was one of those things I just can't live without, even with the limited range. I definitely wouldn't have picked it up for any more than $100 (I would have just gotten the new NT if it wasn't much more expensive). Video hasn't disappointed me - standard/non-HD video is good enough for me and plays just fine. As for gaming, I intend to get an Xperia Play to use exclusively as a gaming device and just use that - although I may skip it at this point, as I have plenty of PC games, and the tablet is taking up a lot of the free time I had previously.
And I don't mind the lack of tablet apps on CM7 - I find CM9 a bit too sluggish to consider the switch at least for now.

7" Android 4 (ICS) tablet/16GB/capacative IPS screen/case/USB host cable - $139

I've bought a few tablets from this company and they're great. Cheap, work well, and the support is very good. The most recent tablet I got is the basically the same as this one: review here. But when I went to buy another for my brother they now include a case (neoprene), 8GB SanDisk microSD card and the tablet is laser etched with their logo on the back (looks pretty cool and is pretty subtle). I paid $10 more than the last tablet without the card or case - so $10 for an 8GB card and case is pretty good. All in all a great deal for the price. I've had a bunch of cheap tablets and these are by far the best. The metal housing is a nice touch and really makes them feel solid (and the wifi works great, doesn't seem to interfere). I also really like the fact they come rooted (don't even need superuser) and with a USB host cable (all tablets should include this). They ship really fast too, only took 2 days to get the first 2 tablets and 3 days for the last.
Here's the amazon link
Specs from Amazon:
~ Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS (4.0.3 is currently loaded)
~ 7" 800x480 capacitive 5 points-touch IPS screen
~ A10 ARM processor running at 1.2 GHz - 1.5GHz (1.29 is the fastest I've been able to run stably at)
~ 8GB internal storage + 8GB MicroSD card pre-installed (support up to 64GB)
~ 4-dimensional G-sensor Screen
~ 512MB DDR3 RAM
~ 0.3MP front camera
~ WiFi 802.11b/g (speeds up to 54mbs)
~ Google Play (formerly Google Market) installed
~ Flash 11.1 installed
Thats a good deal...but although it's up to date running the latest firmware where would you find any future development for the device? I ask if I were to buy one for myself (have a Kindle Fire) but I do know a few people that wouldn't mind a tablet like this Thanks for the find!
erad1 said:
Thats a good deal...but although it's up to date running the latest firmware where would you find any future development for the device? I ask if I were to buy one for myself (have a Kindle Fire) but I do know a few people that wouldn't mind a tablet like this Thanks for the find!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about future development but I'm sure there are people here working on it. The tablet is based of off the A10 platform as far as I know and as prices come down more people will be working on developing them further. For the price, it's by far the nicest "cheap" tablet I've had and I've tried a ton of other no name tabs - Aniol, Coby, PanDigital, Velocity, Superpad, etc., this one is by far the best...
Anyone else tried this tablet?
Is there another link to this product anywhere else? I am interested in buying it but amazon.com doesnt ship to Canada.
jonnyg1097 said:
Is there another link to this product anywhere else? I am interested in buying it but amazon.com doesnt ship to Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this as I wouldnt mind getting one for my 7yo.
This looks awesome but I can't find anything on (this) Magnus brand though...
(maybe they have some other cool tablets...)
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
dferrey said:
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some pretty good lowered tier tablets, like ainol. You just need to find the correct forums that has custom ROMs from developers.
slatedroid.com
tabletrepublic.com
best advice, is to research before you buy.
dferrey said:
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen on the one's I've received has been very responsive, pretty much on par with my Xoom (just a tad, and I mean milliseconds, slower to react).
Also, when I went to use a 64gb microsd it worked without a hitch. On my Xoom I had to reformat the card to get it to work. On the Magnus Tab it just worked...

Still Worth Buying

With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.
With the HD screen, decent cpu, ability to easily root or run cyanogen mod, for the price I think it's very much worth it.
>My main influence is the aspect ratio
My criteria were aspect ratio, size, and ongoing OS support. Nowaday there are many cheap tabs at close to $100 mark, but they're all 7" 16:10 AR, and most without continuing OS support. Thanks to verygreen and other helpful people here, the Nook HD/HD+ will live on past the B&N era. AFAIK, the Nooks--NC, NT, and HDs--are the only cheap tabs to have official CM support.
But as you mentioned it comes down to your uses. 7" is better for travelling, as well as things like GPS, cams, etc, which the Nook lacks. The HD+ is better if simply for its larger size and res, which are optimal for long-form reading and web browsing.
As for pricing, at some point it becomes petty to harp on the few dollars' difference. Yes, there's a big diff between $500 and $200, but $150-vs-200, not so much. Would you be willing to go across town to buy a 15-penny egg vs a 20-penny one here? Price shouldn't be the end-all. But if it comes to that, my last HD+ was a $120 refurb I bought for my mom, and I'm entirely satisfied with its like-new condition. It probably is new, but marked as refurb for clearance.
In addition to what e.mote already said (which I fully agree with), I think the main thing you have to decide is what you'll be using it for. It all comes down to personal use. Since you said it will be for reading books and mags and occasional browsing, the HD+ is perfect for that. I use it for the same purpose + watching TV with Dish Anywhere around the house + streaming movies / shows from my PC with Plex for Android. On the other hand, if you're going to be doing CPU/GPU intensive stuff like gaming, get the new Nexus 7. I got my HD+ for $120 @ Staples and that was too good to pass up and don't regret the purchase at all, especially with official CM support.
I paid $ 180 for my HD+ and am very satisfied with it.
Watching movies I encoded, browsing web, checking email, playing
the latest games...it does it all quite well.
I have seen as low as $120 refurbished units from B&N which is pretty good. I bought mine at $149 and I have no regret even with all the crazy deals popping up later.
aGoGo said:
With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
e.mote is spot on, but as for my $0.02 I am very happy with my nook HD+. It's my first tablet and I love the high resolution screen and it's plenty portable. I'm using it to watch my favorite tv shows from anywhere I happen to be and I love it! Not to mention that due to a shoulder injury I have been limited on how much I can sit at a computer and work, but with the tablet I can use it for hours without aggravating it. It is well worth the money in my mind.
aGoGo said:
With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Nook Tablet. Still love it. The 7" format fits for my uses. Never the less. The HD+ is the biggest bang for the buck. Good engineering. It is quality. I read a lot and the HD+ 9" format is a big improvement. I watch Netflix on occasion and with this tablet it is big enough to enjoy a video without having to use glasses.
It will always be a good (great?) portable media player. That's how I would view the HD+. Gorgeous screen, solid sound via headphones. Other tablets are going to have more cores and features and higher AnTuTu scores but this is a 1920x1280 IPS with 32GB on board for a low price. AND we're in Cyanogen builds -- support for the foreseeable future. That's a huge plus that everyone doesn't have.
I have an Acer a500 that is in a bad place and began looking for a tablet to replace it. Started out with a 7" 32GB Nexus v.1, but service plan and all was $248.00 - and right now we can't afford it. Read some more and the Nook HD+ really began to catch my eye...but again at that time, felt it was too much and took it back. Tried refurbed Acer A100 and it was AWFUL due to my high degree of near-sightedness. Took it back and went back to B&N and repurchased Nook HD+ with 16GB storage. As files are now accessible from cloud or google drive, and Nook has SD card slot, storage is not a huge issue.
Reason? I missed that 9" HD display for reading and web browsing, I'm not a huge B&N fan, but man did the HD+ sell me...and at $150, it's a definite steal. Seriously thinking about saving up enough money to buy a second one before too long, just to have to tiinker with.
think there might be a $20 gift card too if from b&N
Howdy,
Is the $20 gift card thing new? I bought mine in person a couple of weeks ago at a b&n and there was no gift card advertized or involved...
It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/
I was going to post this, and also I'm ordering. Just spotted this about 3 hours ago.
dxwilliams40 said:
It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dxwilliams40 said:
It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I grabbed one from this deal too.
Wonder when we'll get them?
First shipment estimated to leave on
Thursday, September 12th, 2013
Orders usually ship within 7-10 business days
Under limited circumstances, up to 30 days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When my Nexus 7 (2012) and HD+ are both available I consistently pick up the HD+ for the vast majority of uses. The screen size of the HD+ makes standard websites much easier to read, allow for more ebook content on the screen, and make it better for watching videos. In addition the sound of the HD+ is much better than the Nexus 7's. The Nook's negatives are that it is heavier and not as comfortable to hold but those are trade offs I'm happy to accept for the increased screen size. For my uses I don't notice much of a difference in speed.
Another thing to consider is the Nook's ability to run a custom ROM from an SD card without modifying the tablet's internal software. I'm running CyanogenMod 10.2 (the 4.3 version of Jellybean.) It's not perfect and has occasional problems including random reboots, but so does my Nexus 7 (to a lesser extent) when running stock software.
Overall after 4 months of ownership of the HD+ and 12 months with the Nexus 7, I think the Nook HD+ is well worth the $150 price even if it's being discontinued.
I have heard that the nook will be discontinued and that new versions will be released at the end of the year, I don't know which is true. Still a good device for the money. What makes this a great device are the smart people on this forum, verygreen especially (hat tip to you) and cross pollinators from other similar devices. It gets better with every release.
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
New Nook from 1SaleaDay has arrived
My 16GB Nook HD+ from 1Sale-a-Day arrived yesterday in pristine condition (likely completely unused, but refurbished in original box and with a warranty). I opened it up and went thru registration, and it immediately updated to 2.0.6. I added a few apps and then checked the software update button and it then updated to 2.1.1. Finally, I backed up, rooted, and added extras from Leapinar's thread. This was a little tricky and seemed to not work until I pushed in on the microSD while booting. That worked! I now have a perfectly functional Nook HD+ !! I love the great features, especially the screen resolution, and it is much more nimble than my old HP Touchpad. Overall I am VERY satisfied.
You got yours already?
Mine hasn't even shipped.
I did snag a groovy case for it on ebay for $18
The Nook HD+ is a bargain. I've owned the HP Touchpad and now after upgrading to the Nook HD+, I couldn't be happier.

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