

Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a cheap Android tablet? - deutronium

I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend a cheap Android tablet around £50.<p>For instance: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-7-CAPACITIVE-MULTI-TOUCH-ANDROID-4-0-ALL-WINNER-A13-TABLET-PC-NETBOOK-EPAD-/400337692134?pt=UK_iPad_Tablets_eReaders&#38;hash=item5d35fc65e6<p>I only want to use it for things like checking my emails.
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simantel
I looked at some $100 Android tablets about a year ago, and all of them were
garbage. The Nexus 7 is the cheapest Android tablet I'd buy.

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deutronium
The Nexus 7 certainly seems impressive, I'm not looking to use for full video
etc. though.

By garbage, do you mean mainly in terms of things like screen res and low CPU
power?

I just found this for instance for £35
[http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321040730821?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX...](http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321040730821?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)

Which I'm sort of tempted by just for email.

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threedaymonk
It's not just the processing power that matters: battery life is really
important to making a tablet useful.

"Up to 6 hours" (as quoted for that Binatone) won't cut it, I don't think,
even though the hardware's otherwise well able to handle email and similar.
Unless you're really assiduous about plugging it in all the time you're not
using it, it'll be dead every time you pick it up!

Cheap tablets probably make excellent status boards, though, left plugged in
and running a browser.

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deutronium
Just found this interesting looking tablet:
[http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281048847748?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX...](http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281048847748?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)

It's 1024*600, with 8GB disk, 512MB RAM.

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Zigurd
Anything that runs Android 4.1 and comes with Google's apps (Maps, GMail, Play
Store, etc.) and has capacitive touch should be OK-ish.

You should be able to find a 7" tablet like that for the price you are looking
for, but they will be from obscure third tier OEMs like "YuanDao N12 Deluxe 7
Inch Android 4.1," or "Teclast P76e 7 Inch Android 4.1," to give two examples
I found. The screen resolution will be mediocre. Don't expect software
updates.

If you can afford it, buy a Nexus 7 instead. For twice the money you will get
a tablet that gets timely updates and that you will be happy with for at least
twice as long as a craptablet.

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speeder
I bought a no-name tablet in a e-bay clone here, it will arrive in some days.

It has the same specs as the one you posted a link, and the seller sold
several of them so far, and everyone is liking it, when it arrives I tell you
if it is good or not :)

I bought it on purpose, because it is cheap, and the seller was shipping it
with a cover with keyboard (and I want the tablet to read e-books and use
instant messengers and write e-mails, and I HATE, HATE, HATE touchscreens,
specially for typing).

Link of the one I bought:
[http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-459935513-tablet-
wifi...](http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-459935513-tablet-wifi-android-
teclado-capa-3g-frete-gratis-_JM)

------
mark01
Kindle fire hd

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threedaymonk
Not if you live in Belgium, though, as a family member discovered: the Amazon
App store isn't available there, for some obscure reason, which makes it hard
to get software on there. It's fine if you live in the US or UK, though.

(Does Google Play work in Belgium, incidentally?)

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speeder
Yes.

Amazon app store only work where amazon have real offices, that is US, UK,
Germany, Italy and Japan, I might be missing one or two...

This is very nice, because I am from Brazil, make kindle fire apps, and cannot
download my own apps...

