Android Tablet

[Kilmer]

Ok. My wife tells her boss I could "fix" her brand new el cheapo chinese tablet and get the Android Market working on it. Well I do. By luck I find a ROM that matches her new Tablet's brand new chipset and image the thing. This gets Google Play working for her kid.

Well that was kind of fun :-) So I am thinking about getting a tablet myself, but it just seems like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is the thing to get, but I am really not sure. I am guessing it will take a bit for the new Kindle Fire's firmware to be cracked. Also wondering about the new Nook's. The Nexus 7 is out because you cannot expand the memory. IMO 32gb is minimum for these toys.

So my question is has anyone bothered with this stuff for Android?

[Hyped]

Not me, but the Galaxy Note 10.1 looks pretty sweet...

[rjohmit]

I wouldn't get a Galaxy Tab 2 (I assume you're talking the 10.1). It's a thicker, heavier version of the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its inferior in terms of specs/features. You'd be better off getting an original GTab 10.1 for half the price.

I have an original GTab 10.1 (wifi only) and a GTab 7.7 (Verizon 4G). They're both dual-core chips...the 10.1 has a Tegra 2 while the 7.7 has Samsung's Exynos. I don't really get caught up in spec sheets. It doesn't bother me that they're "only" dual-core. I care more about real-world performance and my tabs do everything I need them to do and they're plenty fast and smooth.

If money's no object, I'd get the new Note 10.1. It has a quad-core Tegra 3 and some really cool features.

The Nexus 7 also doesn't have a rear-facing camera...nor does it support MHL (HDMI out).

[Kilmer]

I was looking at 7 inch tabs. My wife already has an iPad for surfing, I would just be getting a tab to play around with it and maybe let my 8 year old play games on it.

[rjohmit]

Ahh... Well then the GTab 2 is a good option. So is the GTab 7 Plus. Very similar in terms of specs so whichever is cheaper. The 7.7 is a sweet device with an amazing display. But its expensive.

The GTab 8.9 is a great compromise between size and portability.

[Kilmer]

Do you know if you can stream movies off of a usb drive on any of the choices? I could see us taking it on vacation, so having some way of streaming video other than connecting to a 4g account would be nice.

[rjohmit]

Do you know if you can stream movies off of a usb drive on any of the choices? I could see us taking it on vacation, so having some way of streaming video other than connecting to a 4g account would be nice.

Assuming you have a USB adapter (the Galaxy Tabs don't have USB ports), I can't imagine why not. But I've never done it, so I can't confirm. But as long as it can mount the drive, it should work.

But why not just throw the movies or whatever onto a microSD card and insert it into the tab?

[Kilmer]

Assuming you have a USB adapter (the Galaxy Tabs don't have USB ports), I can't imagine why not. But I've never done it, so I can't confirm. But as long as it can mount the drive, it should work.

But why not just throw the movies or whatever onto a microSD card and insert it into the tab?

The most these tabs seem to read is 32gb, so that limits the SD card. I am a little surprised the Galaxy tab does not have a mini USB. The Chinese Teclast tPad that I played with recently and got me interested in an Android tab had a Mini Usb port, so other than iPad, I assumed that was standard. I need to start eyeing this in the spec sheets.

But yea, for a trip you could have a couple SD cards and you would be fine.

[Fantomex]

I've got the Galaxy Tab 2 and absolutely love it. One of the coolest pieces of technology I've ever owned. Bought a 32GB microSD card for additional storage for like $10 on Amazon. Looking forward to upgrading to Jelly Bean later this year.

[Kilmer]

I've got the Galaxy Tab 2 and absolutely love it. One of the coolest pieces of technology I've ever owned. Bought a 32GB microSD card for additional storage for like $10 on Amazon. Looking forward to upgrading to Jelly Bean later this year.

Have you loaded custom firmware on it? Or do you just like what it is out of the box? I mean the Galaxy Tab's seem pretty open to begin with.

[Fantomex]

Have you loaded custom firmware on it? Or do you just like what it is out of the box? I mean the Galaxy Tab's seem pretty open to begin with.

Out of the box. I might play around with custom firmware at some point, but for now I'm enjoying it more than enough as is.

[rjohmit]

Have you loaded custom firmware on it? Or do you just like what it is out of the box? I mean the Galaxy Tab's seem pretty open to begin with.

I know you weren't addressing me but the popularity of Samsung's devices typically means they've got good dev support. If you're not familiar, XDA Developers is a place you want to check out. I'm sure there are ROMs for the Tab 2.

I'm a techie, but I personally keep mine stock. I don't have much time for playing with ROMs and stuff, and I can't afford to accidentally brick my devices.

With regards to the ports, I think people make too big a deal about it. My 32GB Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't have any ports (not even microSD) and I've never missed it....never once wished it had one. I have plenty of cloud storage and spend most of my time within range of a wifi connection. Having said that, some of these new, cheaper tabs only have like 8GB on board...that's a different story. With that little on-board, you gotta have a microSD slot (I'm looking at you, Nexus 7).

[Kilmer]

I only put a new ROM on the Teclast because the version it had would not work with Google Play, it just came with a Chinese market. While I like doing stuff like that, I can see no need to do it with a tablet designed for the American market other that just cause you can.

[Kilmer]

Well after all my research I have concluded that I want a Nexus 7 32gb. Since one is not available, I am going to wait out the rumors that they will release a 32gb version during the holiday's.

Really it came down to the Nexus 7 being the best all around screen quality and chip speed. The ONLY thing it lacks is memory. I bought my wife a 32gb Ipod Touch that I inherited when I then bought her a 32gb Ipad. I just cannot see having less memory. You have to manage the Video, you cannot go crazy, but it does not feel wasteful.

The Galaxy line was overly spec'd down to compete in the lower price range IMO, especially the screen. The 7.7 is the one to get in that line it seems and that is pricier than I need for my purposes.