which tablet ? (sub £200)

CSA · 20 May 2011 at 14:53

So i have a few quid spare this month and thought i may get a cheap tablet just to check em out

a quick google suggests a Advent Vega maybe the one to go for given the price range ?

Are there any others i should consider ? ,i want android and good wifi

Liquiduk · 20 May 2011 at 14:58

Wow... I thought we were talking about tables.

joey1211 · 20 May 2011 at 14:58

The Vega seems to be the one in this price bracket.

CSA · 20 May 2011 at 15:02

joey1211 said:
The Vega seems to be the one in this price bracket.

It seems theres a couple of down sides to the advent

1 its got no 3G , wont really matter for home wifi use will it ?

2 doesn't come natively with market place access you have to flash the device with a custom rom ?

not done this before so could be an issue for me

joey1211 · 20 May 2011 at 15:09

1. not for home wifi, no. You can probably add a dongle to it though, or tether it to a 3g phone.

2. Yes. The Modaco seems to be the most popular.

CSA · 20 May 2011 at 15:16

My blackberry has 3G so nps there

is modaco the name of the custom rom ?

joey1211 · 20 May 2011 at 15:19

http://android.modaco.com/

http://android.modaco.com/category/474/advent-vega-vega-modaco-com/

I was going to buy a vega from the ocuk forums, but it slipped through my fingers.

Masterdog · 20 May 2011 at 15:27

CSA said:
2 doesn't come natively with market place access you have to flash the device with a custom rom ?

Yes, but it's easy as pie. I'd never done it before either but it took about three minutes and was all automated. The Modaco forums will confuse you if you're like me tho, but don't get put off - it's actually simple

The only problem with them for me is that connecting to my TV via HDMI (which was one of the main reasons I wanted the Vega) produces no sound. Apparently it's a problem with Sony TVs, but it doesn't affect any of my other devices and is rather annoying :mad:

CSA · 20 May 2011 at 16:09

magic thanks for the info guys

masterdog do you find the 10" screen to big or just right for browsing ?

Brumboy · 20 May 2011 at 17:34

Advent Vega without a doubt, especially when it will get Honeycomb in a few weeks

When Honeycomb is 100% working then I'm going to buy one, £200 is a bargain!

Masterdog · 20 May 2011 at 17:42

Not sure

Sometimes I find it too big, sometimes I'm glad of the size. I haven't tried a 7in one tho, so I can't really compare them. I think overall tho I'm glad of the size, especially as I use it occasionally to watch telly on.

CSA · 20 May 2011 at 18:08

is honeycomb a new OS ?

@Masterdog , thanks for that ive been wondering if it would be too big for general web browsing but like you say i spose the size has it pros and cons

Morba · 21 May 2011 at 19:36

The vega is rubbish tbh. Ok I'm comparing it to an iPad but it simply is annoyingly rubbish.

sarge78 · 21 May 2011 at 19:59

^ So a £400 tablet is better than a £200 one?

I agree though, sounds like the OP would be better off a s/h iPad (or maybe a Galaxy tab?) The Vega is awesome source for hackers/modders/techies only.

Scrutinize · 21 May 2011 at 20:11

sarge78 said:
^ So a £400 tablet is better than a £200 one?

I agree though, sounds like the OP would be better off a s/h iPad (or maybe a Galaxy tab?) The Vega is awesome source for hackers/modders/techies only.

The problem is there is a price point at which these low end tablets do genuinely become pretty useless and non-functional for the money.

Not really a case of a £400 performs better than a £200 "shock horror"; but it just isn't worth spending £200 ish or less on one. Better off with a netbook. I looked at the Vega and came to this conclusion (esp with the screen), imo people seem to have to go out of their way to big it up and justify their purchase.

sarge78 · 21 May 2011 at 21:32

^ lol Vega owners need to 'big it up'?

It's just a tegra 2 tablet with a netbook grade screen, optimise/faff around with the OS yourself and it's just as useful as the rest, no?
Your not getting a high res 10" IPS for £200

titan13131 · 21 May 2011 at 21:52

Are nook colors any good? u can get a refurbished one for £166.51 from overstock.com.

Mr Paul · 21 May 2011 at 21:54

Yes they are, whack on a custom OS and your flying (IPS screen)

vail3r · 21 May 2011 at 22:33

Vega is pretty good for £200 IMO.

Screen is **** and it's useless out of the box but a few hours getting it sorted and I'm using it daily now.

Scrutinize · 22 May 2011 at 00:25

vail3r said:
Vega is pretty good for £200 IMO.

Screen is **** and it's useless out of the box but a few hours getting it sorted and I'm using it daily now.

Maybe I expect too much but as the screen is such a big / important part of these tablets I feel that a substandard screen really goes against it big time and is too much of a compromise.

Same principal as the HTC wildfire imo, great kit naff screen.

Though to be honest, I still don't see the real benefits of tablet over a decent 4" screen phone with hi res screen. Even worse imo are the wifi only tablets, which compared to a laptop / netbook have a fraction of the functionality. Maybe I don't wear enough tweed to appreciate the benefits of whipping a wifi tablet out in starbucks.