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One of the most popular items for holiday shopping this year is tablet computers. Manufacturers and sellers have jumped on the bandwagon this year to cash in on the popularity of the Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus, and hybrid reader / tablets like the Kindle Fire and Nook Color. A quick search turns up literally hundreds of devices ranging in price from about $50 on up, and B&M stores are pushing inexpensive low-end tablets in their Black Friday sales this year. Unfortunately, many of these budget offerings fall short in at least one, if not multiple, areas.
What can you expect from one of these low priced tablets, and what can you do to avoid getting stuck with a useless tablet / paperweight? Face it, when you're looking for a device for under $200, you're going to accept some compromises. So the first thing to ask yourself is - "What is most important to me, and what limitations can I live with?"
Under The Hood:
The current crop of sub-$200 tablets have one thing in common: they run Android OS. A lot of these run Android 2.x. Unless you are buying for a pre-teen, you'll want Android 4.0. And you'll need a processor with enough horsepower to run it - nothing less than 1 ghz. You won't find any 10" pads in this price range, so accept that you're going to get a 7" screen. Make sure it has a capacitive touchscreen. 4 gb of internal memory is what I would consider to be the minimum. If you spend time where you don't have wi-fi access, you should get more internal memory, or look for a device that has a slot for an SD card. Some of these devices also do not have a functional USB port - the Kindle, for example, only allows for charging and file transfer via USB. If you have big, clumsy fingers, it's nice to be able to plug in a USB keyboard into a functional USB port.
Features:
Many of these tablets don't have a camera or microphone. The Kindle Fire is one of them. So if you are planning to use Skype, check for these features. Some tablets also have an HDMI port so you can connect to your TV. This is a great feature if you want to watch something on the big screen. But beware - although you can hook up a device with 800x400 resolution to your 60" HDTV, it's not going to be pretty. If you want to use of this feature, look for resolution of about 1280x800.
Marketing:
One more thing to keep in mind is that the big players in tablets are trying to tie you to their ecosystem. Apple wants you to buy everything from their App Store and iTunes. Amazon has customized the Kindle Fire and readers to be tightly integrated with Amazon products. Nook wants you to buy from Barnes and Noble, and Google wants you to buy google.
Kindle Fire
I bought the original Kindle Fire for my daughter for her high school graduation. I loaded it up with essential apps and played with it for a week before I gave it to her. It's got a nice interface and runs smoothly - no hanging waiting for apps, the screen is responsive and while not HD it's quite adequate for the purpose it serves. It's lacking the camera and microphone that the new Kindle HD has, and thats a big minus for us. Since we're far away now, it would be nice to be able to use Skype to visit. The lack of HDMI out is not a problem for her, either. Someday, the fact that it has a limited memory and no way to expand it is going to be a problem. She also wishes she could add a keyboard to it. The original Fire has been replaced with a NEW Kindle Fire 7", 8 GB version for $159 that is faster, but does nothing to address these shortcomings. You may be able to find the original refurbished Kindle Fire at a bargain price.
Kindle Fire HD
The Kindle Fire HD 7". Here's nice 7" tablet with most of the shortcomings of the original Kindle Fire addressed. A camera and microphone. HDMI out @ 720p. A device that even iPad fans like. While there is still no functional USB port, it supports BlueTooth so you can attach a keyboard. Still no SD card slot, but I don't believe any Kindle will ever have one. At least it is now available with 16 or 32 gb. The screen is 1280x800, 10 point multi-touch. The Kindle Fire HD 16 gb is a bargain at $199, but I would spend the extra $50 and get the Kindle Fire HD 32 gb, $249.
Idolian IdolPad+
Here's where we get to check out the "no-name" tablets! I wanted to find the best deal I could get for $100, and this is what I found. The 7" Android 4.0 Idolian IdolPad for just $89. I added an SD card and a keyboard / case, and still was at about $100. First, the good stuff: it runs every app I've thrown at it, except HULU+. I suspect that it's a problem with the HULU+ app, it just won't install on "unsupported" devices. It has a functioning USB port, micro SD slot, and HDMI out. Netflix works great. The bad news? Judging from the reviews, quality is hit and miss. I'd suggest really playing it hard for the first month to see if it's a good unit. It's also got pretty poor battery life - about 4 hours with wi-fi on. Which brings me to - the charger. The IdolPad won't charge via USB, you have to drag the charger with you everywhere you go. And though it has HDMI out, it is only SD capable. The set-up screen has choices for resolution from 480p to 1080p, but the output is the same no matter what you choose. It's not an iPad killer. Not even close. But for the price, I can live with its shortcomings. I use it around the house as a reader, to surf the internet, get TV listings from TitanTV.com, and as a Roku remote. Some day I'll get another tablet, and pass this one down to the kids.
What can you expect from one of these low priced tablets, and what can you do to avoid getting stuck with a useless tablet / paperweight? Face it, when you're looking for a device for under $200, you're going to accept some compromises. So the first thing to ask yourself is - "What is most important to me, and what limitations can I live with?"
Under The Hood:
The current crop of sub-$200 tablets have one thing in common: they run Android OS. A lot of these run Android 2.x. Unless you are buying for a pre-teen, you'll want Android 4.0. And you'll need a processor with enough horsepower to run it - nothing less than 1 ghz. You won't find any 10" pads in this price range, so accept that you're going to get a 7" screen. Make sure it has a capacitive touchscreen. 4 gb of internal memory is what I would consider to be the minimum. If you spend time where you don't have wi-fi access, you should get more internal memory, or look for a device that has a slot for an SD card. Some of these devices also do not have a functional USB port - the Kindle, for example, only allows for charging and file transfer via USB. If you have big, clumsy fingers, it's nice to be able to plug in a USB keyboard into a functional USB port.
Features:
Many of these tablets don't have a camera or microphone. The Kindle Fire is one of them. So if you are planning to use Skype, check for these features. Some tablets also have an HDMI port so you can connect to your TV. This is a great feature if you want to watch something on the big screen. But beware - although you can hook up a device with 800x400 resolution to your 60" HDTV, it's not going to be pretty. If you want to use of this feature, look for resolution of about 1280x800.
Marketing:
One more thing to keep in mind is that the big players in tablets are trying to tie you to their ecosystem. Apple wants you to buy everything from their App Store and iTunes. Amazon has customized the Kindle Fire and readers to be tightly integrated with Amazon products. Nook wants you to buy from Barnes and Noble, and Google wants you to buy google.
Some examples:
Here are reviews of three budget tablets I own or have used, and strong and weak points of each.
Kindle Fire
I bought the original Kindle Fire for my daughter for her high school graduation. I loaded it up with essential apps and played with it for a week before I gave it to her. It's got a nice interface and runs smoothly - no hanging waiting for apps, the screen is responsive and while not HD it's quite adequate for the purpose it serves. It's lacking the camera and microphone that the new Kindle HD has, and thats a big minus for us. Since we're far away now, it would be nice to be able to use Skype to visit. The lack of HDMI out is not a problem for her, either. Someday, the fact that it has a limited memory and no way to expand it is going to be a problem. She also wishes she could add a keyboard to it. The original Fire has been replaced with a NEW Kindle Fire 7", 8 GB version for $159 that is faster, but does nothing to address these shortcomings. You may be able to find the original refurbished Kindle Fire at a bargain price.
Kindle Fire HD
The Kindle Fire HD 7". Here's nice 7" tablet with most of the shortcomings of the original Kindle Fire addressed. A camera and microphone. HDMI out @ 720p. A device that even iPad fans like. While there is still no functional USB port, it supports BlueTooth so you can attach a keyboard. Still no SD card slot, but I don't believe any Kindle will ever have one. At least it is now available with 16 or 32 gb. The screen is 1280x800, 10 point multi-touch. The Kindle Fire HD 16 gb is a bargain at $199, but I would spend the extra $50 and get the Kindle Fire HD 32 gb, $249.
Idolian IdolPad+
Here's where we get to check out the "no-name" tablets! I wanted to find the best deal I could get for $100, and this is what I found. The 7" Android 4.0 Idolian IdolPad for just $89. I added an SD card and a keyboard / case, and still was at about $100. First, the good stuff: it runs every app I've thrown at it, except HULU+. I suspect that it's a problem with the HULU+ app, it just won't install on "unsupported" devices. It has a functioning USB port, micro SD slot, and HDMI out. Netflix works great. The bad news? Judging from the reviews, quality is hit and miss. I'd suggest really playing it hard for the first month to see if it's a good unit. It's also got pretty poor battery life - about 4 hours with wi-fi on. Which brings me to - the charger. The IdolPad won't charge via USB, you have to drag the charger with you everywhere you go. And though it has HDMI out, it is only SD capable. The set-up screen has choices for resolution from 480p to 1080p, but the output is the same no matter what you choose. It's not an iPad killer. Not even close. But for the price, I can live with its shortcomings. I use it around the house as a reader, to surf the internet, get TV listings from TitanTV.com, and as a Roku remote. Some day I'll get another tablet, and pass this one down to the kids.
