Are the cheap Android 4 tablets OK or junk?

Forums › Android › Are the cheap Android 4 tablets OK or junk?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ... | 12

232 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#672016 13-Aug-2012 22:21

My work mate just got an ainol and its pretty good for what he paid. He's still laughing about it being pronounced anal and that after the anal elf the next model is the anal burning. (Yeah we are both 20 something going on 15)

For half the price of my nexus 7 his ainol certainly holds its own and he has already found a decent custom ROM that removed all the Chinese apps and under clocked it (apparently at 1.5ghz it can generate quite a bit of heat)
It also spoofs the market into thinking the device is a GSII or a Nexus 7 whichever fits best. I think the ROM is called Dark Elf

jtbthatsme

937 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 70

Trusted

#672036 13-Aug-2012 23:15

Did the OP state how old the child he's looking at buying for??? If not can we know as if we're talking super young as in maybe under 5 then I think something like one from the Fisher Price range or something similar could be a better idea. Although you're all saying this is good and that is good not many of you are even mentioning that this thread is about a childs tablet.

Personally some of the suggestions sound really good the Ainol seems to be well represented and I also believe the Huawei one is good too (from what I've read not tried one personally). If they're older children like 6 -10 then some of those would be worth looking into.

Once your child hits 10 you're better off getting them a netbook as a lot of schools are starting to have them as a required school item to work with once you hit college so you'll need to look into that and get them learning the basics for that side of thing.

Let us know what one you go with and your initial thoughts on it as I too have thought about a tablet for my oldest son (just turned 8) with exception that his 3 younger brothers may get jealous. This way it also frees up the kids pc for when they're all here wanting a go. Then again I may just load MAME onto that pc and satisfy there needs that way.

Lastly isn't it sad we now think about getting our kids gadgets too when back in the old days when we were children we'd go out to play lol.

PANiCnz

999 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 161

#672052 14-Aug-2012 07:17

If you're after a 10 inch model have a look for the YuanDao N101 some times sold as a Window N101.

Myself and a colleaguge from work just bought them and we are very impressed, build quality is top notch likewise performance.

Runs a dual core SoC with the same Mali GPU as the S3, IPS panel, all the good stuff for about $300 NZD delivered.

lchiu7

6521 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 543

Trusted

#672205 14-Aug-2012 12:30

Do they access the Play Store ok? What's the screen like ?

Thanks

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

lchiu7

6521 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 543

Trusted

#672273 14-Aug-2012 14:29

Slightly OT but relevant. I recently tried to send a cellphone to my daughter in the US as a fixed unit (Nexus S). I left the battery in because she needs a battery of course.Post asked me if there was a battery in it and not wanting to unpack it and remove the battery I said no. Also I had send another cellphone to the US about a month ago with no problems.

Well the phone came back to me from the Auckland Post centre. It had been opened and a note inserted saying they could not send a device overseas which has Lithium batteries in it. Not sure how they knew.

So if you are buying a tablet for overseas and you cannot remove the battery, then if you need to send it back for warranty repair you're going to have problems or cost since you will need to use Express Post.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

Linuxluver

5833 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1639

Trusted

Subscriber

#672290 14-Aug-2012 14:55

Asmodeus: Should these be avoided at all costs? Saw this one on Groupon (can't even tell brand)

http://www.grouponnz.co.nz/deals/groupon-getaways/BDirect/716237867?nlp=&CID=NZ_CRM_1_0_0_215&a=715828028

Wondered if they are OK for kids or non-tech people or are they just complete junk? Is 512MB memory just going to kill any experience you have with it? Camera is also crappy but for $189 can you really go wrong for kids, etc?

The description seems like a piss-take: "Tablets make us feel better by spreading healing ingredients through the bloodstream and giving motivational speeches each morning from the medicine cupboard."

Eh?

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Ramjet007

320 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 18

#672589 15-Aug-2012 06:13

I purchased a cheap and nasty one off trademe.
7? 1.5 MHz dual core (I?m picking its 750 x 2) android 4.0

Its battery life is not as good as my Galaxy S and doesn?t have much storage so I?m limited with what I can put on it (haven?t put a card in it yet). I only wanted something that I can check my email, sky, trademe, etc when my main PC isn?t on.
It?s not as responsive at the galaxy.

For $80 it does the job.

urban

487 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#672858 15-Aug-2012 14:43

I've got an Aurora II, and I love it! External SD, HDmi out... there's plenty to like!

Will definitely be checking out the next model up from that called the Flame which is due for release this month.

robocat

114 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#680162 1-Sep-2012 18:15

vexxxboy: This Tablet is getting good reviews and its cheap. http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/36760-review-the-ainol-aurora-ii-tablet-on-budget-china-nexus-7/

I just got the Aurora 2 from a drop-shipper - approx USD150 including shipping.

Pros:

Good CPU and GPU
Nice clear screen (1024x600 IPS). Looks especially good compared with a Novo Paladin!
Good CyanogenMod CM10 support haven't tried it yet, but will do). Ainol have put up their source code mods on their website recently (GPL).
HDMI out seems to work fine
OTG apparently allows plug in hard drives

Minuses:

Charging socket **failed** within 2 days - not due to misuse (USB charging still works but is very slow 0.5Amps).
Battery doesn't seem to last that long.
Apparently 1.5GHz runs hot (So far I have only run it at 1.2GHz - performance is fine).
Touch screen is workable, but not fantastic. Hopefully fiddling with build.prop, or upgrading to Jellybean will help.
Unlikely to get any support if
No bluetooth (apparently can use USB keyboards and mice, haven't tried it yet).
Although it has Google market, most apps don't "support this device". Need to root and change device in build.prop, or use DarkELf or similar custom ROM with device already changed.

kiwijunglist

2983 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 135

ID Verified

#680178 1-Sep-2012 18:55

If we could buy Nexus 7 for the US price of $199 ($250NZD) then it would be way better than all the cheap tablets. Maybe when availability goes up we will see in parallel imported for around $280-300NZ. The cheapest I've seen is $340 incl shipping from mobicity.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

robocat

114 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#680800 3-Sep-2012 12:57

kiwijunglist: If we could buy Nexus 7 for the US price of $199 ($250NZD) then it would be way better than all the cheap tablets. Maybe when availability goes up we will see in parallel imported for around $280-300NZ. ?The cheapest I've seen is $340 incl shipping from mobicity.

the nexus 7 is a great buy in my opinion - better getting that than something dodgy.

Does mobicity.co.nz actually have an NZ presence?

whois shows:

admin_contact_name: Glotech Services
admin_contact_address1: Rm A 18/F Greatmany Ctr 109-115 Queen\'s Rd EastWest End
admin_contact_address2: West End
admin_contact_city: Hong Kong

Looks like a drop-shipper with NZ tye-in for support... not worth the premium?

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

robocat

114 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#680808 3-Sep-2012 13:07

Ainol Novo-7 Aurora II update: now i have had it for a few days, I think the cost savings are not worth the risks. Not trash, but not quality.

I wouldn't recommend anyone buy an Ainol unless they can handle the frustration of stuff not working properly: WiFi keeps dropping, Android browser crashing (way more than iI have ever had on phones), touch isn't great, and WORST the power connector has stopped working (using USB works but is slow). I bought cheap through a drop-shipper so very unlikely to be able to return for fix (although I can probably fix this problem myself).

The Ainol is still fit for purpose I wanted it for - to build it into the front of a T-shirt :-)

lokhor

2858 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 171

Trusted

#680824 3-Sep-2012 13:32

The Ainol Flame looks quite promising

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

vexxxboy

4336 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2072

#680825 3-Sep-2012 13:32

robocat: Ainol Novo-7 Aurora II update: now i have had it for a few days, I think the cost savings are not worth the risks. Not trash, but not quality.

I wouldn't recommend anyone buy an Ainol unless they can handle the frustration of stuff not working properly: WiFi keeps dropping, Android browser crashing (way more than iI have ever had on phones), touch isn't great, and WORST the power connector has stopped working (using USB works but is slow). I bought cheap through a drop-shipper so very unlikely to be able to return for fix (although I can probably fix this problem myself).

The Ainol is still fit for purpose I wanted it for - to build it into the front of a T-shirt :-)

i have had one for 2-3 weeks and have had none of your problems, WIFI has never dropped,browser has never crashed and the charger that came with it is still working , i got it to play games which it does well and to use it to skype which it also does well and the bonus is watching movies , which i do when i have to wait for appointments etc, so im not sure i would get much more out of a nexus that would cost me $200 more

Common sense is not as common as you think.

robocat

114 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#680872 3-Sep-2012 14:55

@vexxxboy:

Yeah, well worth it if you are lucky and get one that works well. My anecdote is that there is a risk you might get a lemon... ie. if you can afford something better, spend the extra bucks IMHO.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ... | 12