[Bedsit Bob]

What's it worth, and what sort of things can you do with it?

My local Cash Generator has a used 7" MID Android Tablet.

It comes with a wallet type case, with a separate keyboard, which is the same size as the tablet, and fits in the case too.

They want £49-99 for it.

What exactly is it, and what sort of things can you do with it?

[slick1two]

Originally Posted by Bedsit Bob

What's it worth, and what sort of things can you do with it?

My local Cash Generator has a used 7" MID Android Tablet.

It comes with a wallet type case, with a separate keyboard, which is the same size as the tablet, and fits in the case too.

They want £49-99 for it.

What exactly is it, and what sort of things can you do with it?

It's one of those cheap Chinese made tablets that are pretty much non responsive to the touch. But I suppose you found that out when you Googled MID android tablet and looked at what model falls in to such a price range.

With regards to what it does a quick YouTube search would show one in operation.

[Bedsit Bob]

Originally Posted by slick1two

It's one of those cheap Chinese made tablets that are pretty much non responsive to the touch.

Would the keyboard not solve that problem?

But I suppose you found that out when you Googled MID android table

I didn't.

[JeffG1]

What's Cash Generator? Is that like eBay?

[Bedsit Bob]

It's a High Street store that buy and sells used items, as well as some new items, often end of line or stock clearance.

[JeffG1]

Oh right. Never heard of it.

[slick1two]

Originally Posted by Bedsit Bob

Would the keyboard not solve that problem?



I didn't.

Do you not think typing mid android tablet in to Google would be quicker than writing a post and waiting for a response here on DS?I'm sure your question would have been answered instantaneously with plenty of information reviews and videos?

Try it.

[pi r squared]

Originally Posted by Bedsit Bob

Would the keyboard not solve that problem?

The keyboard would solve the problem only for the bits that need a keyboard. If you think on a touch-screen phone or tablet, how often you touch the screen and how little of that is actually keyboard usage, an extrernal keyboard doesn't necessarily fix much. When you have to jab at the screen 28 times for it to register, you'll quickly discover why the original owner sold it to Cash Converters Seriously though, even at the price I would generally try to avoid resistive screens if you can.

[Bedsit Bob]

Originally Posted by pi r squared

If you think on a touch-screen phone or tablet, how often you touch the screen and how little of that is actually keyboard usage

Never having had a touch screen phone or a tablet, I'm in uncharted waters here.

Note to slick1two.

The reason I'm asking here, rather than Googling, is because, as stated above, I know nothing about touch-screen phones or tablets, so I was looking for info from people who actually use these things, on a day to day basis.

[slick1two]

Originally Posted by Bedsit Bob

Never having had a touch screen phone or a tablet, I'm in uncharted waters here.

Note to slick1two.

The reason I'm asking here, rather than Googling, is because, as stated above, I know nothing about touch-screen phones or tablets, so I was looking for info from people who actually use these things, on a day to day basis.

Ok I apologize if I may have come across harsh, but seriously there is an absolute wealth of information on the web regarding the tablet in question or tablets in general, using tablets, what they are for, the different sizes form factors available. Youtube will also bring you a whole host of videos on tablet PCs.

Basically speaking a tablet does not really replace a pc or laptop, due to various limitations. For example, you won't find a CD drive on a tablet, most won't allow you to connect to the internet with an internet cable either. They do not have a pc type keyboard so you are dependent on a keyboard that is on screen, not so comfortable to use or type out long documents with. So as a work pc, it does not replace.

The advantage a tablet has over a pc or laptop is portability. You can take it out with you without having any excess bulk. You will have a simplified UI and functionality is added by downloading applications from an application store located on the tablet by a press of a button.

Cheap doesn't always mean you'll get good performance, but it doesn't also mean you'll get bad performance for paying less. There may be certain things a cheaper tablet will do well, but in other cases not so well. Again it's why it's paramount to do as much research as you can on a particular tablet if you happen to find one at your desired price point.

You will find many tablets being reviewed on youtube by regular users or online review websites carrying out indepth reviews of a tablet. So if you enter the brand and model followed by the word review in to google you will more than likely come across some useful material which you can use as a guide, to help you weigh up the pros and cons of a particular model.

You do need to be careful though. There are many cheap chinese made tablets floating around, many which are using antiquated hardware and software which may appear good value but could well be lacking in build quality, performance and customer service (who do you contact if something is not quite right? Are they reachable by phone or email etc etc)

There are a current batch of chinese made tablets which do offer good performance and will not break the bank, usually up to around £120. Brands to look out for, Ainol, Ramos, Zenithink, Scroll offer pretty decent spec tablets, for just over the £100 mark.

What I will say to you to do first of all. Get familiar with the tablet, look up videos and read up a little before making any purchase. Ask yourself if you actually need one, what could you possibly do and cannot do with it. Remember it is a touch screen device, so you need to make sure the screen is as responsive as possible. If you ever see the word resistive to describe the screen tech, stay away from it. Always go for, funds permitting, a capacitive touch screen, as they tend to be far more responsive.

Also try to stay away from a tablet it if lists in it's specification VIA under CPU. They are pretty old and lack power. Many of the newer and better tablets use the ARM cortex CPUs, so look out for that when reading the spec sheets.

Good luck.

[c4rv]

I had a flytouch3 with a resistive screen and to be honest it was fine 90% of the time once you got use to it. Aside from game playing the way you use a tablet usually does not require too much screen interaction.

Saying that, I've had a look at the specification of that particular tablet and I would give it s miss.

As for what I use tablet for, from another post I did I was looking for something that I can,
- Watch videos, mainly in the car for kids
- At least 5 hours battery life
- e-mail, facebook, forum browsing, etc
- ereader, PDF and comic book support
- play games
- kids can use use educational android apps
- Basic web browsing
- At least some level of support for android market
- micro Sd support
- No requirement for 3G but must work with hot spot created by android phone

I now after have a Advent Vega (after my mrs managed to drop the flytouch down the stairs) which you can currently pick up on ebay for £130 inc 6 months warranty. This easily fulfils my requirements

[slick1two]

Originally Posted by c4rv

I had a flytouch3 with a resistive screen and to be honest it was fine 90% of the time once you got use to it. Aside from game playing the way you use a tablet usually does not require too much screen interaction.

Saying that, I've had a look at the specification of that particular tablet and I would give it s miss.

As for what I use tablet for, from another post I did I was looking for something that I can,
- Watch videos, mainly in the car for kids
- At least 5 hours battery life
- e-mail, facebook, forum browsing, etc
- ereader, PDF and comic book support
- play games
- kids can use use educational android apps
- Basic web browsing
- At least some level of support for android market
- micro Sd support
- No requirement for 3G but must work with hot spot created by android phone

I now after have a Advent Vega (after my mrs managed to drop the flytouch down the stairs) which you can currently pick up on ebay for £130 inc 6 months warranty. This easily fulfils my requirements

Just won an Advent Vega on ebay for £109. Owner says it's in great condition and pics seemed to suggest so. Thought I would take a chance with it, since i know there is a big modding community. What OS are you running on your vega at the moment?

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by slick1two

Just won an Advent Vega on ebay for £109. Owner says it's in great condition and pics seemed to suggest so. Thought I would take a chance with it, since i know there is a big modding community. What OS are you running on your vega at the moment?

vegacomb, i know there are newer mods out there but I've got it set up and it does everything I want it to do at the moment.

[johnny_t]

I bought my 11 year-old son one of these for Christmas, and he's thrilled with it - Does everything he needs to do on it.

However, I would say that the Cash Converters second-hand price isn't much better than you could find new ones on eBay with a bit of hunting...

[Stilian]

Here is another MID Android tablet. Probably they have some new models now, cause this one looks a bit outdated. I myself wouldn't invest in such tablet, though they are quite cheap. MID tablets are probably best used as toys... some games, music

[JasonWatkins]

Originally Posted by Stilian

MID tablets are probably best used as toys...

The tablet I got yesterday is a MID tablet, but would you consider these specs as "toy" worthy ?

CPU: All Winner A10, 1.2GHz;
GPU: Mali 400mhz
1024x768 5 Point Capacitive Touch Screen
HD and 3D Output via HDMI

It cost me £65 quid from China - i'm not particularly interested in the idea of tablets, but this seemed like the perfect compromise for the price.

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

The tablet I got yesterday is a MID tablet, but would you consider these specs as "toy" worthy ?

CPU: All Winner A10, 1.2GHz;
GPU: Mali 400mhz
1024x768 5 Point Capacitive Touch Screen
HD and 3D Output via HDMI

It cost me £65 quid from China - i'm not particularly interested in the idea of tablets, but this seemed like the perfect compromise for the price.

With the two Chinese Ainol tablets that I have had with a similar spec the main problem was the screen…neither was perfect when using it to swipe and type with…there were some new firmwares available that did help but it was never 100% quite right.

If the screen is responsive then it should be fine for you…if not you may struggle with it…the actual specs are fine.

£65 seems quite a lot when you are not really interested in one though!

[JasonWatkins]

Originally Posted by alan1302

£65 seems quite a lot when you are not really interested in one though!

There is that

And i suppose, if i'm brutally honest, me being me, i could still potentially sell this on in a few months if i find i don't use it. I only ordered it because i had had a minor "windfall" of sorts, and it was cheap enough with a good enough spec to take a chance on.

But then I wonder in a year or so, will we be seeing these MID tablets with dual and quad core chips ?. With the way technology advances all the time, i wouldn't be surprised to see it really.

[BrokenArrow]

Well it has a resistive display, which means you can you a pixel precise stylus.

That's a plus point in my book because I really don't like finger touch screens.

[NaturalDancer]

Originally Posted by slick1two

Do you not think typing mid android tablet in to Google would be quicker than writing a post and waiting for a response here on DS?I'm sure your question would have been answered instantaneously with plenty of information reviews and videos?

Try it.

People like to have advice from other 'friendly' people on forums who may have more experience than themselves and who may have actually used the product they're asking about even when you look at reviews of products they can still be pretty subjective. I do both personally - look online and ask on forums. But really your comments would almost negate the need for places like this.

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

But then I wonder in a year or so, will we be seeing these MID tablets with dual and quad core chips ?. With the way technology advances all the time, i wouldn't be surprised to see it really.

Dual ones are already available on the cheaper tablets - I had an Ainol Auroa II which had one and last time I looked they were around £90

[dadioflex]

Um. MID stands for mobile internet device. It's a pretty generic term.

[slick1two]

Originally Posted by NaturalDancer

People like to have advice from other 'friendly' people on forums who may have more experience than themselves and who may have actually used the product they're asking about even when you look at reviews of products they can still be pretty subjective. I do both personally - look online and ask on forums. But really your comments would almost negate the need for places like this.

You do realize that when something pops in your head simply typing it into Google is far far quicker than starting a thread and waiting for a response. All I did was point that out. Failing Google there are places like this but the opportunity wanted to know what a MID tablet was, he would have found the answer in a matter of seconds. So yeah I was being helpful and that means sometimes telling something like it is.

Sorry if you didn't like my approach but it is what it is.

[slick1two]

I also apologized in post 10 (You may have missed it) and offered some sound advice.