[Reefman]

Been looking for tablets for my 8 & 9 year olds and came across one for £70 with the following spec is it any good or a waste of money my budget is £100 each

This is the latest version and has an upgraded processor running at 800Mhz. It has Android 2.2 and supports flash 10.1 and Android Market - we have even installed Angry Birds, Facebook, Kindle and a handful of other useful apps to get you started. It now also comes with a UK charger - no adaptor needed.

The MG638 Android 2.2 Tablet Computer with vibrant 7” 800x480 display allows you to surf the web, check emails, watch movies, play games, listen to music... the list goes on and on. With inbuilt wi-fi for easy online access, the MG638 is an essential portable media device.

Weighing under 400g and measuring only 20x13x1.5cm the MG638 really is portable and convenient. It’s stylish ultra-slim design means you can take it anywhere and it is light and comfortable for you to hold.

Featuring a built in G-Sensor for automatic screen rotation, it has landscape/portrait functionality - when you turn the device, the G-Sensor will detect this and rotate the screen accordingly.

With a built-in 1.3MP forward facing camera (screen side) you can take photos with ease and capture videos with sound as it also features a built-in microphone.

Cheers

[c4rv]

I bother retyping everything but advent vega refurbished can be had for around £135. You would need to reflash the ROM (plenty of instructions online available)

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1555444

[Reefman]

Had a quick look but most are around £180 for refurbs

Is there anything wrong with the spec I've posted above - what makes the vega a better bet?

[c4rv]

at least double the processing power
10" screen instead of a 7"
Doesn't say but I suspect the one you mention has a resistive screen vs capacitive on the vega. Nothing fundamentally wrong with resistive, but capacitive is more sensitive and allows multi-touch.

[Reefman]

Cheers

Here's the full spec and the price is only £67

7-inch (16:9) TFT LCD resistance touch screen
• 800 x 480 pixels display resolution
• Android 2.2 operating system
• CPU: Via 8650 800MHz
• RAM: DDR2 256MB
• WiFi: 54Mbps 802.11B/G
• Lan: 10/100M Ethernet Access
• Built-in Micro-SD card slot - supports cards up to 32GB
• Built-in G-Sensor
• Supports external 3G device (compatible models - HUAWEI E220, E230, E169G, E160X and E1750)
• Built-in 1.3 megapixels digital camera
• Built-in 2GB flash
• Plays AVI，RM/ RMVB，FLV，MPG4 - 1，MPEG – 2 video format files
• Plays MP3，WMA，AAC，AC3，WAV audio format files
• Picture browsing of JPEG，BMP,GIF,PNG，TIFF format files
• Built-in 2400mAh Li-poly battery - Average battery life 2-3 hours
• 3.5mm earphone socket
• External RJ45 & 2x USB Ports
• Android keyboard and Google keyboard input
• Multi-language support

Where are the ones you mention for £130

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by Reefman

Cheers

Here's the full spec and the price is only £67

7-inch (16:9) TFT LCD resistance touch screen (resistive, not as good for playing games, or navigating the web, not bad for reading a book or watching a movie)
• 800 x 480 pixels display resolution (fairly low res, Galaxy Tab 7" has a 1024x600 resolution)
• Android 2.2 operating system (old version of Android)
• CPU: Via 8650 800MHz (pretty low processor speed)
• RAM: DDR2 256MB (not very much RAM so likely to slow down)
• WiFi: 54Mbps 802.11B/G (no wi-fi N, so older slower technology)
• Lan: 10/100M Ethernet Access
• Built-in Micro-SD card slot - supports cards up to 32GB
• Built-in G-Sensor
• Supports external 3G device (compatible models - HUAWEI E220, E230, E169G, E160X and E1750)
• Built-in 1.3 megapixels digital camera
• Built-in 2GB flash
• Plays AVI，RM/ RMVB，FLV，MPG4 - 1，MPEG – 2 video format files
• Plays MP3，WMA，AAC，AC3，WAV audio format files
• Picture browsing of JPEG，BMP,GIF,PNG，TIFF format files
• Built-in 2400mAh Li-poly battery - Average battery life 2-3 hours (rubbish battery life)
• 3.5mm earphone socket
• External RJ45 & 2x USB Ports
• Android keyboard and Google keyboard input
• Multi-language support

Where are the ones you mention for £130

I've added a few notes for you - see comments in brackets.

Basically, you're going to get what you pay for with an Android tablet. If you go for cheap, you'll get a substandard experience, cheap build quality, and it's unlikely to last very long.

Hope this helps.

[alanwarwic]

Above 'will browse the web, eventually'.

Its mainly all downhill after that.

[frailfury]

What's the point of an android tablet if you already have an android smartphone?!

[TabletPCExpert]

You may find some of the latest and cost effective Kids Tablets here- http://www.tabletpcexpert.co.uk/tag/kids-tablet/

[Reefman]

Originally Posted by frailfury

What's the point of an android tablet if you already have an android smartphone?!

I'm looking for one for my two boys aged 8 & as mentioned in my first post

[Biffo the Bear]

I don't see anything wrong with those specs if it's just for kids to mess around with.

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by Biffo the Bear

I don't see anything wrong with those specs if it's just for kids to mess around with.

Do you have any idea how demanding and tech savvy 8 year olds are these days?

[Biffo the Bear]

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

Do you have any idea how demanding and tech savvy 8 year olds are these days?

I wouldn't let an 8 year old near ANY piece of portable tech that was worth over £50, let alone £100!!

There's little point spending upwards of £200 on tablets that are, in the main, going to be used for Angry Birds and internet browsing.

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by Biffo the Bear

I wouldn't let an 8 year old near ANY piece of portable tech that was worth over £50, let alone £100!!

There's little point spending upwards of £200 on tablets that are, in the main, going to be used for Angry Birds and internet browsing.

I agree, but the point I was making is that this tablet is unlikely to have enough oomph for either internet browsing (for instance You Tube) or Angry Birds!

[Biffo the Bear]

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

I agree, but the point I was making is that this tablet is unlikely to have enough oomph for either internet browsing (for instance You Tube) or Angry Birds!

It should do, because the screen is lower res than most, so it doesn't need as much processing power.

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by Biffo the Bear

It should do, because the screen is lower res than most, so it doesn't need as much processing power.

Yes, but it's resistive, so for games isn't as good.

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Biffo the Bear

I wouldn't let an 8 year old near ANY piece of portable tech that was worth over £50, let alone £100!!

Why, both my 4 year old and 8 year old use my table without any issues. Of course you could get a £50 tablet but they will soon get bored of it being so slow, so you will have achieved your objective of them not playing with it.