Database Users

[Q] Thinking of Buying an A500. A few questions.

Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
I want to buy it, but i'd like to ask a few questions first.
First off. It advertises as a Honeycomb tablet. Will there be an OTA ICS update waiting for me when i set it up?
If so, How is ICS on this device? Is it buggy? does everything work? Or will i be constantly rooting/roming to get it to work properly?
If i have to root/rom, How is it? Easy? difficult? oneclick? I know my phone was a pain, but another one i did was a snap. Wanted to know how easy it is to rom this device?
How is video playback? One of the main things i wish to do is play movies/videos. mainly; Netflix, Streaming, and .avi and mp4's. How is playback? I can't stand choppy video or audio-lag. So this is pretty important to me.
Also, Some basic performance reviews would be great. not the main purpose of this thread, but hey, any information is helpful.
I was looking between this and the EeePad transformer. Basically within $20 of eachother.
Thank you.

FourForty said:
Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
I want to buy it, but i'd like to ask a few questions first.
First off. It advertises as a Honeycomb tablet. Will there be an OTA ICS update waiting for me when i set it up?
If so, How is ICS on this device? Is it buggy? does everything work? Or will i be constantly rooting/roming to get it to work properly?
If i have to root/rom, How is it? Easy? difficult? oneclick? I know my phone was a pain, but another one i did was a snap. Wanted to know how easy it is to rom this device?
How is video playback? One of the main things i wish to do is play movies/videos. mainly; Netflix, Streaming, and .avi and mp4's. How is playback? I can't stand choppy video or audio-lag. So this is pretty important to me.
Also, Some basic performance reviews would be great. not the main purpose of this thread, but hey, any information is helpful.
I was looking between this and the EeePad transformer. Basically within $20 of eachother.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
depending where you live you will most likely have ics waiting for you most places have it now ics runs nicely hadn't had any bugs with it so far the video playback is great the only time it starts to lag for me is when 1080p is being streamed to a TV ......rooting and romming is easy enough after root flashing custom roms is about 3 clicks from cmw lol rooting i cant say now i mine was rooted before ics but there's lots of tutorials performance wise it can be over clocked to about 1.5ghz but even not over clocked i hadn't found a game that will make it lag yet even N.O.V.A 3 with its online multi player and sweet graphics xD
Its not all amazing though there are some problems
1.some tablets don't have the best wifi saying even in the same room as the router they get one block of signal i think to be an old Gen problem though....i have surprisingly great wifi connection????
2.The Video recording is TERRIBLE on honeycomb not the video but the sound is all congested and gross,but if you do update it there has been BIG improvements with ics
3.does not like Bluetooth headsets with a mic input it will pair but not connect with most of them ,but some still work xD...
One more thing there is also built in GPS not needing wifi and great for gaming and modding so i think...external 3g Hawaii usb adapter have had success working micro sd works up to 64gb and external hard rive up to 2tb xD good luck hope this helped

FourForty said:
Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can beat that price easily. The last one I bought was auction style and got it for $210 shipped. It was the 8gb version. The 16gb can be had for a little more than that if you don't mind playing the auction game. Personally, I'd never pay more than $250 shipped for a refurb. I expect the refurbs to get to the ~$200 price point by the end of the summer.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...+a500&LH_FS=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15&_osacat=171485
As far as the rest... What Gears said.

Thank you both for the replies.
The WiFi connection concerns me a bit. But not a deal-breaker for sure.
Glad to hear video playback is good. As that's most likely going to be my main use of this tablet.
I don't use bluetooth headsets, so not too worried about that.
As for beating the price. Here in Canada, That's literally the best price i could find. Newegg.ca has it for $268. so after tax/fees, it's $301.
I'm not a fan of buying used electronics off ebay. Too much risk. and a boat load of hassle with returns/paypal. well, almost all are final sales. And i don't want to get screwed.
At least with sites such as newegg i get a warranty.
Even with that being said. I used your link and found one on ebay. Currently winning at $122. But with 6-days left. I doubt it will be a good deal. my max is $225, so we'll see how long that lasts.

FourForty said:
Thank you both for the replies.
The WiFi connection concerns me a bit. But not a deal-breaker for sure.
Glad to hear video playback is good. As that's most likely going to be my main use of this tablet.
I don't use bluetooth headsets, so not too worried about that.
As for beating the price. Here in Canada, That's literally the best price i could find. Newegg.ca has it for $268. so after tax/fees, it's $301.
I'm not a fan of buying used electronics off ebay. Too much risk. and a boat load of hassle with returns/paypal. well, almost all are final sales. And i don't want to get screwed.
At least with sites such as newegg i get a warranty.
Even with that being said. I used your link and found one on ebay. Currently winning at $122. But with 6-days left. I doubt it will be a good deal. my max is $225, so we'll see how long that lasts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI & I don't know if they are available in Canada, but a friend & I each picked up refurbished a500s from the referenced "Official Acer Store" on eBay. They came with a 90 day warranty. It was about 4 months ago and they were $267US then. Upon receipt both appeared to be brand new. Mine has had absolutlely no issues. My friend's developed a couple of horizontal colored lines after about 3 weeks. The Acer Store folks quickly arranged for a prepaid return and sent him another immaculate appearing unit in about a week. It has been flawless. None of the 3 units had any difficulty with Timmy Dean's v3.2.1, HC downgrade , the ICS OTA, or bootloader or ROM mods. Whatever you decide, goodluck. The a500 is a super piece of hardware and these forums are a goldmine of information and hours of reading pleasure!

I bought mine around valentines day off eBay for $280 refurbished, a 16gb version. Got the square trade warranty for $40. The tablet was fine for about a week and then my screen started coming up along the top/bottom edges. So I shipped it back. The second one has had no problem. I rooted, installed recovery, custom rom, and backed up on the first one. When my 2nd tablet came I was able to just root, install recovery and recover from my SD backup with no problem.
I love this tablet! Personally, I choose it over the Asus ones that were out at the time I got mine. From what I've heard, the Asus and other tablets don't allow a constant HDMI out like the Acer. They only utilize it when an app calls it. That could have been a stock rom issue, but even then if u have a newer tf101 u can't unlock it like its older model. As stated above, all games run flawlessly. I can play Shadow Gun then load up GTA3 and switch between the two without either game lagging.
You'll be happy with your purchase after the first minute of playing with the Iconia.
Sent from my Iconia A500 using XDA

WiFi works quite well under Gentoo for me. On Honeycomb, it was sightly buggy at times. The changes in ICS seem to have gotten rid of this issue, for me at least.

apapousek said:
WiFi works quite well under Gentoo for me. On Honeycomb, it was sightly buggy at times. The changes in ICS seem to have gotten rid of this issue, for me at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed i havnt had any wifi issues at all since ics

what specifically do you want to do with a tablet? That should help narrow your search , do you need root? do you need custom roms or is the stock fine? are you into testing? If your squeamish about "tech" stuff ,root /rom wont be your thing ,the stock roms offer alot in these tabs ,just having ICS doesnt ensure you anything over HC , most people have this problem about worrying about updates , getting antsy over it , if you go custom rom it all depends on what your comfortable with , you might change the rom daily ,or you might be totally satisfied ,I have a Windows phone 7 that has a custom rom I installed back in december , havent changed a thing since , On my Acer I couldnt tell where I was a week ago ,everything gets changed between a few days to a week !
Read the dev section , anything by skrillax ,civato ,vache,blkthdr (thor if you can find it) and Moscow desire to name a few and you'll be on the right track and as civato says "dont be a chicken, just do it" otherwise stay stock and wait for Acer............

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Moving to Q&A

Hyundai T7 review

Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in you buying one of these.
I just got one of these about two weeks ago. So far, so good especially given the low price. The only serious downside is the battery is on the small side but unless you must watch streaming video for hours at a time, probably not going to be an issue. Screen is very as is the ability to have SD, hdmi and a usb port that actually works. It only has ICS on it and I think the build date is jan 25. But my best guess from trying to decipher the chinese or korean Hyundai website is that they will have a JB update after the official release at MWC. Device also appears to be built by Samsung but not 100% certain on that. If you want a lot more details about it (way more than would be appropriate) here http://www.gedankenexperiment.dk/pivot/entry.php?id=865&w=rant

beezle said:
Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in you buying one of these.
I just got one of these about two weeks ago. So far, so good especially given the low price. The only serious downside is the battery is on the small side but unless you must watch streaming video for hours at a time, probably not going to be an issue. Screen is very as is the ability to have SD, hdmi and a usb port that actually works. It only has ICS on it and I think the build date is jan 25. But my best guess from trying to decipher the chinese or korean Hyundai website is that they will have a JB update after the official release at MWC. Device also appears to be built by Samsung but not 100% certain on that. If you want a lot more details about it (way more than would be appropriate) here http://www.gedankenexperiment.dk/pivot/entry.php?id=865&w=rant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a Hyundai T7s via an Amazon reseller in the UK, and it too works very well indeed. It's hard to believe it's so much cheaper than a Nexus 7 and yet has USB on the go and so on working right out of the box, not to mention a micro sd card slot etc. The only pain so far is the dedicated charger - it's a shame it doesn't charge via micro usb. Exynos Abuse root method works perfectly which is great.

Ouzo said:
I just bought a Hyundai T7s via an Amazon reseller in the UK, and it too works very well indeed. It's hard to believe it's so much cheaper than a Nexus 7 and yet has USB on the go and so on working right out of the box, not to mention a micro sd card slot etc. The only pain so far is the dedicated charger - it's a shame it doesn't charge via micro usb. Exynos Abuse root method works perfectly which is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently charging by USB is possible but has to do with the current provided. Check the T7 thread at slatedroid.

Huyndai is one of the best companies worldwide.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

This is a review and not a deal.
Thread closed

So is this tablet Dead on Arrival?

I REALLY want to get this tablet. Mainly because Google has pissed me off with their Nexus 10 (2013) release secrecy and because this is just a beautiful tablet with a lot of great features. But what makes me feel like it might be a wasted investment is the lack of developer support. We have a root method that trips Knox and absolutely 0 roms after a month.
$600 is too much for a device that's this unpopular among developers. The one developer we do have working on this, is even contemplating returning it for a Nexus 10 (2013). So my question is,
Do all Android devices take this long to gain developer momentum? Will things be radically different in a month or two (e.g. full proof root methods, toolkits, and loads of Roms?)
If it's not this tablet, then it's sitting around like a dunce and waiting for Google to stop playing games with the next Nexus release. Nothing else Android is worth it IMO and I rather go tablet-less than ever purchase Apple's gestapo iOS device again.

As an owner of the Note 10.1 2014, I only bought this because of the S Pen which I rely on heavily for work. If I was buying just a general tablet for using around the house and whatnot and didn't care about the S Pen, I would wait for the new Nexus 10. If the main purpose of your purchase is note taking, then go right ahead and buy the Note 10.1 2014 without hesitation. The Nexus 10 won't be able to take notes like the Note 10.1.
I don't think it's worth putting up with all the Samsung crap if you are going to have the Nexus 10 as an alternative that can meet your needs. Seeing what they did with the Nexus 5 and 7, I'm pumped about the Nexus 10 even though I'm not buying one.
As far as support goes, I have no idea. Sorry.

shall tedoed
Stocklone said:
As an owner of the Note 10.1 2014, I only bought this because of the S Pen which I rely on heavily for work. If I was buying just a general tablet for using around the house and whatnot and didn't care about the S Pen, I would wait for the new Nexus 10. If the main purpose of your purchase is note taking, then go right ahead and buy the Note 10.1 2014 without hesitation. The Nexus 10 won't be able to take notes like the Note 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wouldn't be my main purpose, but I love the idea of taking notes as well as annotating books that I'm reading. Tell me about your experience with it's note taking capabilities. Does it feel as effortless as writing on paper? Between a notepad and pen and this device would you rather jot down notes on the Note 10.1 based on what feels better?
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere? It just boggles my mind that the Note 3 has taken off with full proof root methods and roms, but this is stuck in no mans land.
I'd love to hear others answer these questions as well.

The Note has only been available in Germany for about a week or two and in other countries too. Most people buy it specifically for the note taking abilities and are happy with the touchwiz stuff, like me.
I rooted it, there are no restrictions that I know of. All in all this is one of the best devices I have owned so far. It becomes extremely fast once you disable a bunch of samsung apps and stuff you don't need. Love the multiwindow for productivity and the S-Pen is superb. I use it for taking notes at university, reading pdf's (not really annotating them) and just for general browsing and watching youtube. If you don't really need the S-Pen then maybe get an AOSP-ish device like the Nexus 10. I rely on the S-Pen, any other tablet without would be totally useless for taking notes in lectures and generally for studying.

unless you have a need for the pen/digitizer combo then you don't need this expensive device. the original note 10.1 took a good while to get some devs. i think there were only 3 when i sold mine. unless you get the "cheap" android tablet that all the cool kids get then you may not get much dev support. this is one expensive tablet to mess up modding and slap that knox warranty void and it'll scare a few guys/gals away.

There are only so many developers and with as many Android devices that out there, makes it difficult for developers to buy and develop for. We'll get developers, just will take time. Phones will get developers first because they are more essential than tablets, which are still considered luxury items. There really isn't much that I'm waiting for a ROM to fix and feel that Samsung has moved fast in updating this tablet. MuIti-user was added with the last update.The only thing I want is to have more options to run multi-window with.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4

vdc530 said:
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do the same things as on any other rooted device and the SM-P605 LTE model can be rooted via "Root de la vega".
This method directly patches the system partition and does not trip Knox.
Sometimes a little additional tweaking is needed because the new Notes also come with SELinux.

I haven't felt a real need to root my 2014 Note 10.1 yet, but it is somewhat strange to see such a wonderful, capable light-weight device getting so little attention.
I expect a price drop soon, with the iPad Air now looming mostly over it. I have little doubt that developers and the public will come to know this tablet for what it is in coming months. Since I have few complaints the way it works now, apart from the knox warranty thing, the only thing remaining is improved compatibility of some apps + games.

When I created this thread I was leaning away from getting this tablet. But you guys have really turned my opinion around. Also, on top of these responses I've found out that the device includes such things as an IR blaster (I'm not mistaken right?) which is something that won't exist on the Nexus. Also, the dimensions of the device are the same as the iPad 4, but with a larger 16x10 screen. I might hate a lot of what Apple does, but I agree with the dimensions of the iPad being a nice fit for a tablet, minus the 4x3 screen (what decade is this lol). Every single 10" Android tablet is long and short making books look weird when in portrait mode.
All that on top of the S-pen, multi-window, hard buttons instead of a navigation bar and a fully functioning root has got me really interested now. So, I contacted Amazon to see if they'd extend their $50 gift card promotion to the black 32gb version (currently only for the 16gb white) and they said that they'd be happy to make an exception, but they'd have to run it by their promotional department first. I expect to hear from them within the next 24-48 hours.
Long story short, Iooks like I'll be joining your ranks guys
P.S. if you guys have other things to add about the device, I'd love to hear it. Been checking up on this thread constantly. :good:

Agreed. Honestly all it needs is the bloat removed and with root you can do that through titanium.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I don't get it... The device is a failure because there is no developer action? In pretty happy with my note and much like my s3 and Gnex before it I wouldn't run 3rd party software on it anyway. I would, however, root and de bloat if I could do it without tripping Knox.

SomeGuyDude said:
Agreed. Honestly all it needs is the bloat removed and with root you can do that through titanium.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium? I've rooted my tablet but with hat it does, I'm not really asking for much. It was great out of the box.

icebergisonfire said:
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. We definitely need to put together a de-bloat guide. It's the very first thing I do with my android devices. I wonder if we can use the Note 3's information to compile a list?

icebergisonfire said:
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium? I've rooted my tablet but with hat it does, I'm not really asking for much. It was great out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to remember a topic with apps which can be disabled, without root. Not many posts there yet. Will look it up..... Done
There are 2 in fact:
- Disabling Apps
- [Q] Removing Bloat...

vdc530 said:
I REALLY want to get this tablet. Mainly because Google has pissed me off with their Nexus 10 (2013) release secrecy and because this is just a beautiful tablet with a lot of great features. But what makes me feel like it might be a wasted investment is the lack of developer support. We have a root method that trips Knox and absolutely 0 roms after a month.
$600 is too much for a device that's this unpopular among developers. The one developer we do have working on this, is even contemplating returning it for a Nexus 10 (2013). So my question is,
Do all Android devices take this long to gain developer momentum? Will things be radically different in a month or two (e.g. full proof root methods, toolkits, and loads of Roms?)
If it's not this tablet, then it's sitting around like a dunce and waiting for Google to stop playing games with the next Nexus release. Nothing else Android is worth it IMO and I rather go tablet-less than ever purchase Apple's gestapo iOS device again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had both the original Samsung tab 10.1 and. Galaxy note 10.1. Both tablets needed development and rooting straight out of the box. They were both lacking in functionality and had significantly more lag. I rooted and installed custom roms for those devices because it was needed. I can honestly say for me at this point there is no absolute need for any rooting or rom develppment. Although people say there is lag on this device, this device with nothing but 3 software updates from samsung is leaps and bounds faster and more responsive than my previous develpoed devices. This is the product Samsung should have come out from the beginning. There are a couple things that can be done to increase speed such as installing nova launcher but these are minor things anyone can do. Hope this helps to change your mind

Have lost interest in rooting/custom ROMs since benefits like free WIFI tethering can be achieved without it with toggle widgets, Jelly Bean support debloating by disabling apps, etc. while there are benefits to staying stock such as to avoid invalidating warranty, maintaining stability and features like multi-window multi-tasking. Once Google include built-in support for wireless bluetooth PS3 game controller to replace root required SixAxis controller app it erases any need to root/custom ROM for me. So, this is a non-issue when I get the Note 12.2 Snapdragon 800.

mi7chy said:
Have lost interest in rooting/custom ROMs since benefits like free WIFI tethering can be achieved without it with toggle widgets, Jelly Bean support debloating by disabling apps, etc. while there are benefits to staying stock such as to avoid invalidating warranty, maintaining stability and features like multi-window multi-tasking. Once Google include built-in support for wireless bluetooth PS3 game controller to replace root required SixAxis controller app it erases any need to root/custom ROM for me. So, this is a non-issue when I get the Note 12.2 Snapdragon 800.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait...how do you get the PS3 game controller to work without root? I want to sue mine but do not want to root the tablet. Does it automatically set up the joysticks too or does it use them like a D-pad? It didnt pair when I tried it. Thanks for any tips!

vdc530 said:
It wouldn't be my main purpose, but I love the idea of taking notes as well as annotating books that I'm reading. Tell me about your experience with it's note taking capabilities. Does it feel as effortless as writing on paper? Between a notepad and pen and this device would you rather jot down notes on the Note 10.1 based on what feels better?
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere? It just boggles my mind that the Note 3 has taken off with full proof root methods and roms, but this is stuck in no mans land.
I'd love to hear others answer these questions as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I absolutely LOVE it for note taking capability. The trick is finding the note taking app that works best for you. I personally love Quill but other people like other apps. I hate S Note though. It should be called Sh!t Note. I've been taking notes for over a year and have not touched a paper notebook since I bought the original note 10.1. My personal recommendation for screen protector is ArmorShield because it is kind of squishy which gives you a little more drag and I think makes it feel more natural. I have all of my notes in one place, tagged and organized. My co-workers have a pile of notebooks and sticky notes with no idea where anything is. It's a beautiful thing and my notes will never be heaving than 1.2 lbs. The best part is that the width of the screen in landscape is the width of a regular sized sheet of paper. The new high res screen and better S Pen makes for some beautiful notes. I could not recommend more for note taking. I love it. It's been a game changer without a doubt. I has completely redefined how I work and what I can do. I literally have the equivalent of having a notepad with a camera attached to it. I'm doing things at work my co-workers can only dream of.
I wish I had this in college honestly. I'd have a folder of files instead of 4 boxes full of notebooks.
I rooted it. I disabled knox and s finder with titanium backup. With the latest update and having root which allows me to use the 3rd party apps I need to make this tablet usable, I actually love using it. Before I could mod it though, I wanted to break this tablet in half. I hated being forced to use the physical buttons in the center and S Finder replacing Google Now. Rooting is super easy for the wi-fi edition if you don't care about tripping the warranty bit. I imagine with each update it's only going to get better. It took the original Note 10.1 4 months before Samsung finally optimized everything and squashed the lag. I'm hoping the same thing happens with the 2014 edition.
I'm still annoyed Samsung is using a phone notification shade instead of the new tablet one Google designed but I can live with it. It just looks absolutely ridiculous. I'm hoping Samsung will eventually fix that in an update but I doubt it. Samsung may know how to add valuable features, they have no clue when it comes to software design it seems.
My view of this tablet is very negative for non-note takers because i think you can have a better cheaper experience elsewhere. But for people doing note taking, it has few peers. My wife's Surface pro 2 can also do some amazing things for note taking with Office 2013, but she paid 3x what I paid and has to deal with different set of trade-offs. It's in a completely different class.
Hope that helps.

atg284 said:
wait...how do you get the PS3 game controller to work without root? I want to sue mine but do not want to root the tablet. Does it automatically set up the joysticks too or does it use them like a D-pad? It didnt pair when I tried it. Thanks for any tips!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wireless bluetooth PS3 controller support via SixAxis app still requires root until Google add built-in support in future Android release. For now, PS3 controller works with USB cable without rooting.

mi7chy said:
Wireless bluetooth PS3 controller support via SixAxis app still requires root until Google add built-in support in future Android release. For now, PS3 controller works with USB cable without rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I see. I guess I was hoping google already had support for it and I don't really want to root right now :/
I did play around a little bit with it directly plugged in but the joysticks did not seem to work. Also with it plugged in do you need an app to map the buttons? if so, which one is the best for that? When I tried playing Asphalt 7 I did not see a section in the settings for controller support :/
Thanks a ton for any help!

[Q] should I buy it ?

Hello guys
I want to buy the tab 4 t230 mainly for reading pdf files
is it a good tablet and how about its performance ? I don't want it to be all laggy
thanks for your help

I don't know about the 230, but I have the 330 model and reading PDF files, and any other sort of document is a overall good experience for me. One could make the argument that bigger is better, but for me having the 8" model in horizontal or even vertical layout has worked quite well when it came to looking at notes, editing documents or even reading textbooks for college lectures/classes. I haven't noticed any lag when it came to just looking at a file, only when it came to running graphics intensive games.
(Quick summary) I use the 8" tablet daily and love it. recently, I purchased two textbooks from the play store and reading them and other PDF files work perfectly. :good:
-still it's always good to browse around.
Update: Before I made the purchase on the 8" model I read around that if you have a little bit extra it was a good idea to buy the 8" model over the 7" cause of the different processors inside. So it's all about how much you're willing to spend.

aliess said:
Hello guys
I want to buy the tab 4 t230 mainly for reading pdf files
is it a good tablet and how about its performance ? I don't want it to be all laggy
thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit. I would not buy the 7...
I bought the 8 and the below is for the 8...sorry. I forgot to mention that.
The tab in itself is decent, but with samsung pushy BS Apps the tab is slower...
However, should you buy the tab >> Root device with Towel root >> Freeze / uninstall all bloatware >> Install nova launcher >> Disable animations system wide >> Move larger apps to SD >> Presto = You've got a good tab!
Samsung software is not needed whatsoever. You can get a huge performance advantage by removing bloatwares and providing near android stock performance with nova launcher and animations disabled.

srsly no, i am still unable to root it, for the same price i would suggest a nexus 7

I rooted it out of the box a night or two ago. Just got it.

Same here, root capabilities were available a few weeks to a month after it was available for purchase back in june. I bought my tablet back in May when it first came out. However, I would still agree that a nexus 7 would be a good purchase if you just want to use a tablet for reading PDFs. Actually the Nexus 7 2013 edition is on sale for $159 on Ebay. The Nexus is still Googles current-gen device as of now and has many accessories and what not available, while it took months before I could even buy a cheap case for this tablet ( Better cases and accessories are out now, just not a plethora made specifically for the Tab4).

Brandonr91 said:
I rooted it out of the box a night or two ago. Just got it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
towelroot just freeze after i click the button, are you on the lastest firmware?
edit: sry didnt read about you got the 8" ver, if op insist on getting the tab 4 dont get the 7" t230
also i dont know how long samsung will support this tablet, nexus 7 is confrimed to get andriod L, and like Lilchampsean said its hard to get cases and screen protector for this tablet

ymc1988 said:
towelroot just freeze after i click the button, are you on the lastest firmware?
edit: sry didnt read about you got the 8" ver, if op insist on getting the tab 4 dont get the 7" t230
also i dont know how long samsung will support this tablet, nexus 7 is confrimed to get andriod L, and like Lilchampsean said its hard to get cases and screen protector for this tablet
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What is your device model? My tab is the 8 inch one. The 8 and 10 have similar specs and processor whereas the 7" tab has a marvel based processor and thus is different methodology to root.
Also, Yes I did update to latest firmware on my tab. Opened the box, ran updates, and rooted all about 3 days ago.

Brandonr91 said:
What is your device model? My tab is the 8 inch one. The 8 and 10 have similar specs and processor whereas the 7" tab has a marvel based processor and thus is different methodology to root.
Also, Yes I did update to latest firmware on my tab. Opened the box, ran updates, and rooted all about 3 days ago.
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thx for replying, mine is the 7 inch SM-T230, guess i will wait awhile

I do too know if I am speaking out of place, but can you return it and get the 8? Fr9. What is love ready Modders are having issues with the 7. The 8 and 10 are where it's at. I believe the 7 will always be sluggish.

Brandonr91 said:
I do too know if I am speaking out of place, but can you return it and get the 8? Fr9. What is love ready Modders are having issues with the 7. The 8 and 10 are where it's at. I believe the 7 will always be sluggish.
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yeah its a gift from the telephone company, if i get to pick i prolly will go with the 10 inch one, or the new sony z3tc

Ah, you might be out of luck until they can find a better root method for the marvel processor in your model..
Thiugh, reportedly if you go to the towel root thread it has worked for 7 inch users.

Does anyone here own a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (8.4) (SM-T307U)?

Seems like a simple enough question but I've been having a really difficult time trying to gain traction about information on this tablet or any tablet.

Yes. i've owned one since is was released last year but there is NOTHING on xda. Even though it's new and fairly speedy, no one has worked on an ROM for this. I wanted to unlock and root it so I can use it on another ISP/Mobile.

Gasaraki- said:
Yes. i've owned one since is was released last year but there is NOTHING on xda. Even though it's new and fairly speedy, no one has worked on an ROM for this. I wanted to unlock and root it so I can use it on another ISP/Mobile.
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It's very very frustrating, there seems to be very little support for it. Do you know if you can charge while having a thumb drive hooked up? Like OTG style? I have purchased 2 tablets so far and neither have this capabilities. I don't want to be purchasing a third with the same result

Gasaraki- said:
Yes. i've owned one since is was released last year but there is NOTHING on xda. Even though it's new and fairly speedy, no one has worked on an ROM for this. I wanted to unlock and root it so I can use it on another ISP/Mobile.
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I just ordered o e and it showed up today and it also does not charge while a thumb drive is hooked up. Have you found any information or help on this product anywhere. Do you know of any other forums where people actually answer problems? I am so impossibly frustrated

Gasaraki- said:
Yes. i've owned one since is was released last year but there is NOTHING on xda. Even though it's new and fairly speedy, no one has worked on an ROM for this. I wanted to unlock and root it so I can use it on another ISP/Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to root to switch to another isp. get unlock code from current isp, install odin 3.14.1 and install any isp firmware you want from https://galaxyfirmware.com/model/SM-T307U/ I had an at&t branded with android9, and now i am running wind/freedom android11 firmware.

bbortnick said:
No need to root to switch to another isp. get unlock code from current isp, install odin 3.14.1 and install any isp firmware you want from https://galaxyfirmware.com/model/SM-T307U/ I had an at&t branded with android9, and now i am running wind/freedom android11 firmware.
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Hi, thnx for the useful info. Did you have trouble getting the unlock code from at&t? Where did you enter that code? A specific app on the at&t rom I'm guessing?
Getting a sprint version of this device, but want to use it t-mobile. Have read that just factory reset device and use odin to flash other firmware would work, does that sound feasible to you? I'm kind of doubting that but have no idea really.
It used to be flashing diff rom would sim unlock, but not anymore I don't think.
thnx for taking the time, so little info for this available.
cheers

No problem with at&t, although i had to impersonate a US location. Start here: https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/unlockstep1
Like I said, vendor unlock, install odin on your pc, use odin to install the desired firmware you downloaded.
The firmware should boot up, but maybe the radio bands are different between the two isp's? and therefore the LTE part of the tablet may not work. i don't care since I don't install a sim card, just use it on wifi.

Thanks a lot for the info guys. For anyone else reading, I used 'T307UVLS6CUH1' (BMC) - and it is unbranded and doesn't have a ton of bloatware.
Also, since there are so few users on this thing, will also drop that I made a stand for it here:
Galaxy Tab A Stand by xnappo
This is a horizontal stand for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.4 (2020). Admittedly it is a bit specific because of the not-so-popular tablet and the use of a NetDot Gen10 magnetic USB cable. One could use this with USB-C directly - but I do really recommend that (likely stress on USB port). You...
www.thingiverse.com
xnappo

Hello,
I got unlocked ATT SM-T307UZNAATT from eBay.
My provider is Red Pocket, and I have ATT-compatible SIM.
When I try to place a call - ATT window appears and askes to log in to ATT account or create one.
How could I place calls?
Would appreciate any help!

xnappo said:
Thanks a lot for the info guys. For anyone else reading, I used 'T307UVLS6CUH1' (BMC) - and it is unbranded and doesn't have a ton of bloatware.
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How is the speed/lag? This tablet is mega slow, but I was wondering if I loaded different firmware (currently on AT&T) that it might help, since it can't be rooted.
My 8-yr old rooted Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is better than this thing, but alas a few apps won't run on 32-bit architecture. I think I will relegate this AT&T "brick" to my exercise bike for an entertainment interface.

kodiak799 said:
How is the speed/lag? This tablet is mega slow, but I was wondering if I loaded different firmware (currently on AT&T) that it might help, since it can't be rooted.
My 8-yr old rooted Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is better than this thing, but alas a few apps won't run on 32-bit architecture. I think I will relegate this AT&T "brick" to my exercise bike for an entertainment interface.
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Meh - no better. It is pretty ridiculous - I was very happy with my 2015 Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 - but it started crashing all the time. This one is slower, thicker, lower resolution, and heavier! 32 GB really isn't enough storage either.
It is super annoying there are not any good 8 inch Android tablets. The Huawei M6 8.4 looks okay, but being in the US it is a bit of a pain to get.

xnappo said:
Meh - no better. It is pretty ridiculous - I was very happy with my 2015 Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 - but it started crashing all the time. This one is slower, thicker, lower resolution, and heavier! 32 GB really isn't enough storage either.
It is super annoying there are not any good 8 inch Android tablets. The Huawei M6 8.4 looks okay, but being in the US it is a bit of a pain to get.
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The only great 8" tablet is the Lenovo Legion Y700, running SD870 with 12gb ram. 2560x1600, but IPS and not OLED.
I own the Tab S 8.4 (2014), the Tab A 8.4 (2020) and the Y700 (2021, 8.8").
Tab A is terrible.
It's painfully slow.
It needs root.
It has the same RAM as a tablet 6 YEARS older than it, with LOWER resolution and ! much worse performance. I wish it could be fixed.... Android 10 Lineage is out for Tab S 8.4.

kodiak799 said:
How is the speed/lag? This tablet is mega slow, but I was wondering if I loaded different firmware (currently on AT&T) that it might help, since it can't be rooted.
My 8-yr old rooted Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is better than this thing, but alas a few apps won't run on 32-bit architecture. I think I will relegate this AT&T "brick" to my exercise bike for an entertainment interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done quite a few mods/tweaks to system/Global/Secure settings and also disabled Gaming Optimization Service (GOS) via Alliance Sheild X, it has made a MASSIVE difference. This device's (SM-T307U) performance is being HEAVILY limited by software-based restrictions. Most of which can be disabled without root. I can go into more detail as to how ive sped up this device if anyone is interested.
NOTE - If someone has the ATT version and can drop the .IMG or Firmware .zip that'd be awesome.
Ill keep trying to find a way to root this device until i get a new one, if anyone else has any success, DM me.

K0mraid3 said:
I have done quite a few mods/tweaks to system/Global/Secure settings and also disabled Gaming Optimization Service (GOS) via Alliance Sheild X
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I've already deleted, turned-off and disabled everything I can. It's a good bit snappier, but still a dog.
I actually have 2, so I may play around with deleting/disabling apps via ADB. But it's not battery drain, which with some securetask special permissions I've gotten it to SIP power while the screen is off (varies, as low as 2% per day up to about 6-7%).
I checked the usual sources and couldn't find any AT&T image files.

kodiak799 said:
I've already deleted, turned-off and disabled everything I can. It's a good bit snappier, but still a dog.
I actually have 2, so I may play around with deleting/disabling apps via ADB. But it's not battery drain, which with some securetask special permissions I've gotten it to SIP power while the screen is off (varies, as low as 2% per day up to about 6-7%).
I checked the usual sources and couldn't find any AT&T image files.
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Yeah this this is good on power, it is just severely limited. Judging from similar devices with the same exynos processor, there's got to be something holding it back. I again recommend using SetEdit or something similar to modify some params in the settings tables. The line I highlighted is in both this tablet and my Galaxy S22 & S21. I also found a param in there called "Enhanced CPU responsiveness" which was set to off, after turning that on, I noticed a massive gain in my tablet.
Also worth noting is I added the line "Allow_more_heat_value" with a value of "30" and it allows all cores to boot to max.

K0mraid3 said:
I again recommend using SetEdit or something similar to modify some params in the settings tables.
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I'll have to give this a shot. I wouldn't think AT&T throttled the CPU, which means Sammie did it for some reason. Probably to hit some sort of battery life benchmark. Or maybe it caused instability in some devices. But being a mid-tier processor you wouldn't expect that it needed to be throttled.
I believe Sammie is giving up on the Exynos processors. I bet they had issues on this tablet, said "screw it" and just **** this out with a throttled cpu.

kodiak799 said:
I'll have to give this a shot. I wouldn't think AT&T throttled the CPU, which means Sammie did it for some reason. Probably to hit some sort of battery life benchmark. Or maybe it caused instability in some devices. But being a mid-tier processor you wouldn't expect that it needed to be throttled.
I believe Sammie is giving up on the Exynos processors. I bet they had issues on this tablet, said "screw it" and just **** this out with a throttled cpu.
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Click to collapse
It's 100% a Samsung related throttle. From my understanding, it's done because they use many of the same parts/processors in various devices, so as a way to control device specific performances, they set limitations. For example, this tablet has the same processor as some of their other "Higher-end" models (if I'm not mistaken), so to keep this tablet from outperforming the others, it's limited. I'm sure there are other reasons, like the battery benchmark bit that you mentioned too.
But yeah. This is 100% a Samsung based throttling.

K0mraid3 said:
I have done quite a few mods/tweaks to system/Global/Secure settings and also disabled Gaming Optimization Service (GOS) via Alliance Sheild X, it has made a MASSIVE difference. This device's (SM-T307U) performance is being HEAVILY limited by software-based restrictions. Most of which can be disabled without root. I can go into more detail as to how ive sped up this device if anyone is interested.
NOTE - If someone has the ATT version and can drop the .IMG or Firmware .zip that'd be awesome.
Ill keep trying to find a way to root this device until i get a new one, if anyone else has any success, DM me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I’d be interested in how you tweaked this tablet to function better.

K0mraid3 said:
I have done quite a few mods/tweaks to system/Global/Secure settings and also disabled Gaming Optimization Service (GOS) via Alliance Sheild X, it has made a MASSIVE difference. This device's (SM-T307U) performance is being HEAVILY limited by software-based restrictions. Most of which can be disabled without root. I can go into more detail as to how ive sped up this device if anyone is interested.
NOTE - If someone has the ATT version and can drop the .IMG or Firmware .zip that'd be awesome.
Ill keep trying to find a way to root this device until i get a new one, if anyone else has any success, DM me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please share the mods/tweaks you've done?

I have one of these purely for its size, I travel over Europe and as the seating space is limited the smaller the better. I am running the Canadian Wind software but if anyone can give me a run through on disabling apps/services to speed up a bit that would be helpful.
I am going to buy the Lenovo Legion Y700 but only when a global version with LTE is available.
Cheers
Nick