Dual core is a little dated - even for web surfing.
I have an Asus MeMO. It’s basically a Nexus 7 but with a 10” screen. It’s about a generation old - uses a Tegra 3 quad core and the screen doesn’t have Retina-type resolution but it surfs with no problem, plays most video (using the free Mobi Player) and handles every game I’ve tried. I haven’t tried linking it to a mouse/keyboard but it’s supposed to allow it.
You really want to stay away from that tablet! The resolution of that screen is 800x480 pixels, and that is waaaay too low for a 9” tablet. I had that resolution on my old 3,7” phone, and even on that size it was a tad too low.
I have a lg g pad 8.3”, but i think that’s over your budget, and also it’s a bit too small.
You might want to try handling a cheap tablet if haven’t already. I bought one cheap from china 2.5 years ago, and it was so unstable and unrefined that i stopped using it after a while. Didn’t like the poor wifi-performance, the unexpected hangups, and the non-existent updates.
Tablets have moved forward since then, but you should be aware of some possible downsides of cheap tablets…
I don't know about 9"+ screens, but I just researched and bought a 7" Asus MeMOPad HD as "best bang for the buck with highest reviews". So far I'm loving it! So fast! Way faster than browsing on my work desktop! (Which is a Core i5 with 16GB Ram, dedicated videocard, & Win7 64bit!) I'd seriously consider the Asus!
It should work perfectly fine, as long as you don’t look at a more capable high end tablet, and see what you are missing. Low screen resolution (just 800x480), small internal storage (buy a 32 GB SDHC-card to compensate), and short battery life. Also it seems to be missing bluetooth. You should be able to attach a standard keyboard and mouse using an USB hub and adapters. Perhaps you could even access media stored on a USB hard drive, if the USB hub is powered?
With a slight exaguration it is like an incandescent flashlight from the previous century compared to a modern flashlight with XM-L2. The old flashlight also still works perfectly fine…
I have a Motorola Xoom (the very first Android tablet), and it is still very usable. 2 cores and 1280x720 screen size. I have to transcode some video to lower the bitrate, otherwise it won’t play, but it has bluetooth so I can get the sound out to real speakers without wires. Actually I am writing this answer on it, using the screen keyboard. I have full access to my NAS over wifi, so I have a few TB storage accessible, and can stream video and music. The built in battery is starting to loose capacity, so I only have around 5-6 hours use between charges now. Annoying. Used to be 10-12 hours, depending on what I do.
I considered upgrading when the latest Nexus 7 came out. But I’ll wait a few more months for the rumoured Nexus 8… :nerd_face:
And there are a lot of flashlight apps for Android. They turn on the LED for the camera flash. Not sure if your tablet has a flash. Might be a dealbreaker?
Personally I tend to stay away from tablets after having previously owned/used a Kindle Fire, Nexus 7, and ASUS Transformer Prime. I'm fairly satisfied in deeming tablets as situational devices meant more for play than work. Keyboards are lacking and the Transformer with the docking keyboard was annoyingly small and difficult to type with. Multi-tasking with several apps or windows is frustrating unless you have a full featured OS. While I can appreciate the convenience of watching a video on a tablet I just don't see the advantage over a laptop with a bigger screen or my desktop setup with a better screen and better sound system. I went on vacation with a tablet once and it was simply inconvenient to read and respond to emails while opening documents. Did I mention you'll never get all the fingerprints off?
My main uses for my tablet is surfing, mail, watching videos and, most importantly, reading ebooks. The reason I got my tablet was to use it as a ebook reader. The rest is a bonus.
Don’t fixate on a USB port unless you mean a standardized MicroUSB port for charging/data as most of the “quality” tablets now support OTG USB cables, aka MicroUSB to full size USB and work like normal. This option “should” still allow for a hub to be connected and use a mouse and keyboard. However there are Bluetooth keyboards so cheap that there really isn’t a need to have a connected one….and the mouse isn’t that great on a tablet. The OS doesn’t fully utilize it’s abilities.
I've got a single-core 7" tablet that was cheap ($60) two years ago when I bought it. Only 512MB of RAM... It works great for email, ebooking, and light web surfing and watching SD videos. A lot of games work as long as they aren't the newer 3D games...
I would recommend a dual core with a gig of RAM for anything newer though. They are getting cheap enough now....
Things to look for:
1. Full sized USB ports or USB otg. Lets you plug mouse, keyboard, and Flash Drives in.
2. Bluetooth (maybe). Let you tether to your stereo or wireless speakers.
3. GPS: I want this on my next tablet!
4. SD slot. The bane of the iPad which has none.
Keep in mind, basic micro/mini USB OTG will need an adapter to use with standard USB devices... DX or Amazon sells those cheap. I carry a large keychain full of flash drives with videos, movies, and cartoons with me when I travel.
I would highly recommend a Nook HD+, but only if you are willing to root it and upgrade the OS to a full version of KitKat. It has a beautiful 1920 x 1280 9” IPS LCD and is quite fast.
Other nice features:
Dual core processor with dedicated video acceleration
micro-SD slot
Bluetooth
The downside is a non standard charging port, but accessories are available for USB OTG and HDMI out using that port
You can get a Barnes and Noble refurbished one (read: like brand new in original box) for around $130 on ebay. At least that’s what I paid for mine.
I’ve had a few tablets, and this one is hard to beat for the money Hisense Sero Pro I’ve seen it mentioned here on the forum before. I’ve owned and used it pretty hard for about 6 months and am very happy with it. Quad core, GPS, bluetooth, HDMI output, micro SD card expansion and dual cameras. It’s been very highly reviewed, just google it. I paid $129, but even at $149 it’s a good deal.
I agree. I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 I believe and I cant stand using it. Its not that I dont use it, but I try not to. I certainly wont surf a forum on it, Id wait until I got to a laptop. The only thing that might make me replace it is if the PEEL remote app is any good, the Tab 2 does not have an IR blaster.
I actually picked up a nextbook 8. They had just been released at the time of the OP and walmart had them for like 70 bucks and I had a 50 dollar gift card.
I cant say I would recommend them though. They are ok for surfing the web, but the camera on them could not be worse. If the ONLY pictures you ever want to take are "people" pictures, like as in up close portraits they are great, but any other picture of landscape etc of any kind is impossible.
I was able to pull up netflix on it, but even with super hospital speed internet the picture seemed jumpy.
Oh well. I guess notebooks are like flashlights. Cheaper is not always better, and claims made on the box may or may not be true.
I love my G-Pad 8.3 and Optimus G, but I hate LG and their (Korea only and F* the rest of the world) software update and locked bootloader policy. The next time the midget up north launches missiles at the ocean, it would be a shame if one went off course and landed on LG corporate headquarters resulting in LG getting a change in management. 0:)
I have had a Nexus 7 first edition for about 2-3 years now. Great little device but certainly, a long way off replacing a laptop. For browsing, YouTube, email etc, its fine
if you saw the scrap pile of rca tablets here you wouldnt buy one.
rca is a bought name slapped on cheap junk just like westinghouse,polaroid,memorex,ect.
other than the annoying touchwiz junk on it our samsung galaxy tab at the shop has been good.and the fix for that is a usb cable,a copy of odin,and the rom of your choice.
