[Tablet] Cheapest/Minimum device for 720p?

Author	All Replies
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	[Tablet] Cheapest/Minimum device for 720p? My wife will be traveling with my 5yo son on a 24h trip (3 flights). To help her keep him occupied, Im thinking of buying an android tablet because I know he'll go from watching movies to playing games (like he does on my iPhone). Money is tight, but I don't want to buy the cheapest 100$ tablet and end up with something useless after the trip. So here's what I want to expect from the tablet: - Size 7 inch - Playing 720p MP4 movies (I'd convert everything) - Play basic games like Angry Birds and tower defense - Can play youtube just find (720p if possible). - Has GPS (my wife could use it in the car) - Screen has a good angle of vision so people sitting side by side can watch movies. That's pretty much it. I don't mind if things take a bit of time to load, as long as basic 2d games aren't sluggish and 720p playback is smooth. The goal here is to find the cheapest device that can do these tasks. I don't want to be told to buy the Nexus 7 because it can do MORE and is futureproof. The tablet I will buy will probably end up being my son's "gameboy" most of the time.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 07:23:08 ·
Koil Premium join:2002-09-10 Irmo, SC kudos:1	I don't know enough about all the tablets out there, but isn't a Nex7 like $200-ish? If it already does all these things, I'd be surprised (and I could be...like I said, I dunno) to see if there is anything cheaper.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 07:52:31 ·
Snakeoil Ignore Button. The coward's feature. Premium join:2000-08-05 Mentor, OH kudos:1	reply to alkizmo Other then the Nexus, you have the Kindle fire, or the Nook. For something cheaper then those, I don't know, but maybe Big Lots might have something. But I don't know if anything below the price point of a kindle fire would have 720p.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 08:08:20 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	reply to alkizmo The problem with the nexus is the lack of memory slot. I'd need the 32gb version for all the movies and tv shows and that's 260+ shipping. The kindles are android based?
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 08:40:52 ·
SparkChaser Premium join:2000-06-06 Downingtown, PA kudos:3 1 edit	Nook has a memory slot, not sure about the Kindle. I don't know if either one has GPS. You better check out charging facilities for a 24 hr trip. Geez, I hate those.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 08:50:16 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	said by SparkChaser: You better check out charging facilities for a 24 hr trip. Geez, I hate those. The longest flight (16h) has USB and 120v receptacles in the seats (we know from experience, 100% certaiN). Then the airports have charging stations for keeping the battery full before boarding the shorter flights (2h). The cheapest nook I see is 200$. At that price I can get a Samsung Galaxy tab 2. How's that one in performance for 720p?
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 09:04:29 ·
PeteC2 Got Mouse? Premium,MVM join:2002-01-20 Bristol, CT kudos:6 Reviews: ·Comcast ·AT&T Yahoo	reply to alkizmo A couple of observations? The Galaxy Tab 7.0 IMHO is very disappointing as far as the screen goes. I would not recommend it for watching movies, it is a TFT screen, muddy to washed out colors, mediocre viewing angle. IMHO, an unhappy effort from Samsung, and its sales were predictably weak for a reason. In other areas of usage however, not a bad deal if you get it for approx. $179 (should be easy to find at that price now). The Nook HD 7" is a much better tablet in terms of hardware, but of course, it is a Nook, heavily altered android skin and somewhat restricted to Barnes and Nobles ecosystem. Great screen for movies, no problems with 720p at all, fine for basic/popular games, but again, there will not be as deep a catalog of games as a pure android device or apple. Should you ever opt to root it, I think that it would be a darn near ideal 7" tablet. There also are an Iconia, and Toshiba 7" tablets that are in the ballpark, but I have no first hand knowledge of them. I would absolutely-positively stay away from the generic 7" tablets out there, primarily because almost none of them have screens that are very movie-friendly, GPS, or battery life that is even close to decent. They can be fine "knock-around" devices, but forget even considering 720p movies/video. You might even consider the Kindle Fire...however of course no memory card slot or GPS. They do have a pretty good ecosystem and cloud storage, but of course that does little good when wifi is unavailable... -- Deeds, not words
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 09:35:00 ·

alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	Nice explanation Pete, Are there advantages of the Nook over the Nexus 7? At 200$, the nook doesn't seem to have much an advantage over the nexus 7's 16GB version (aside from the memory slot). Sure, the Nook 8GB is 20$ cheaper, but... that's 20$. More and more it seems like the Nexus is the contender if only 200$ tablets can play 720p.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 09:47:53 ·
AVD Respice, Adspice, Prospice Premium join:2003-02-06 Onion, NJ kudos:1	Can you root the nook? I know the last gen nook was very rootable.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 10:36:38 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	said by AVD: Can you root the nook? I know the last gen nook was very rootable. Seems like it, but it doesn't change the fact that it doesn't seem any cheaper than the Nexus 7, which is more powerful and has GPS.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 10:39:51 ·
SparkChaser Premium join:2000-06-06 Downingtown, PA kudos:3 Reviews: ·Verizon FiOS	reply to alkizmo I had the Nook tablet and it's decent but unless you root it, it's really locked in to B&N. I rooted mine but gave it to my grandson and bought the N7. The only I don't like on the N7 is the lack of a memory slot. There is a way for reading a USB stick so you can revert to that for storage.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 10:48:38 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1 1 edit	The N7 really looks like the winner. Nook & Fire have amazing screens it seem, but they lack GPS and need to be rooted (and they have weaker CPU/GPU?) Maybe I should splurge for the N7 HSPA version and give my iPhone to my wife. She'd gain a phone (She has very old dumb phone). Ugh edit -ah no wait it can only do phone via VoIP, not cell. God damnit.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 11:06:00 ·
PeteC2 Got Mouse? Premium,MVM join:2002-01-20 Bristol, CT kudos:6 Reviews: ·Comcast ·AT&T Yahoo	reply to alkizmo said by alkizmo: Nice explanation Pete, Are there advantages of the Nook over the Nexus 7? Only 2, but they may be important to you. 1. Memory slot 2. Although the N7's screen is very good, I would rate the Nooks even a bit better. Biggest negative for the Nook HD, from my point of view, is the OS. Unfortunately B&N really limits your flexibility as far as what you can run and download on the Nook. HD. -- Deeds, not words
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 12:45:35 ·
AVD Respice, Adspice, Prospice Premium join:2003-02-06 Onion, NJ kudos:1	reply to alkizmo note 2?
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 14:00:33 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	said by AVD: note 2? Budget says no. Plus, my wife says 10.1" is too big, yet she never said that to me before /rimshot.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 18:34:34 ·
J E F F Whatta Ya Think About Dat? Premium join:2004-04-01 Kitchener, ON kudos:1 Reviews: ·Rogers Portable .. ·WIND Mobile ·Rogers Hi-Speed ·magicjack.com	If it's for the kid, you might be able to get a 32GB PlayBook for $149...it does Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, etc., and will play almost all video formats. Well built too. -- If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 19:53:53 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	reply to alkizmo Effing A My wife threw a wrench in my research. She visited a store and saw the 7" and 10.1" models. She wants 10" Effing.... A Back to square -1 I wont disturb you guys with this anymore, you gave me enough insight.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-10 21:51:52 ·
J E F F Whatta Ya Think About Dat? Premium join:2004-04-01 Kitchener, ON kudos:1 Reviews: ·Rogers Portable .. ·WIND Mobile ·Rogers Hi-Speed ·magicjack.com	said by alkizmo: Effing A My wife threw a wrench in my research. She visited a store and saw the 7" and 10.1" models. She wants 10" Effing.... A Back to square -1 I wont disturb you guys with this anymore, you gave me enough insight. LOL! Women! You can't live with them, and you can't live with them...(sic) Let us know what you got, eh! -- If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-11 12:02:26 ·
AVD Respice, Adspice, Prospice Premium join:2003-02-06 Onion, NJ kudos:1	reply to alkizmo said by alkizmo: said by AVD: note 2? Budget says no. Plus, my wife says 10.1" is too big, yet she never said that to me before /rimshot. the phablet -- * seek help if having trouble coping --Standard disclaimers apply.--
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-11 14:53:42 ·
alkizmo join:2007-06-25 Pierrefonds, QC kudos:1	Yeah well I updated to say that she wants bigger than 7" But we're really on a budget. I found this tablet that's obviously not the same quality as other tablets. »www.marquispad.com/tablets/mp977/ But the overall reviews are pretty solid. For 200$ it seems pretty darn ideal. »www.amazon.com/Matsunichi-Marqui···08WXKYX0 It seems like it could do a good job as being a toss around tablet.
	to forum · permalink · 2013-01-11 16:13:19 ·

OS and Software > Android > [Tablet] Cheapest/Minimum device for 720p?