[zeldasmith]

Hi

I'm hoping someone might be able to help.

I'm looking to buy an android tablet. Looking to spend around £150 but maybe a bit more.

I'd ideally like a 10 inch tablet and I've heard that dual core processor would be something to look for (and capacitive touch screen).

The main uses would be internet surfing but I also want to be able to hook the tablet up to the TV to watch films (looking at a lovefilm subscription or something like that). That is a must!

Can anyone help with recommendations? I've looked online but my mind is melted by the different options out there : )

[cy_bones]

I think you'll struggle to find anything decent that matches your requirements and budget.
Do you have a shortlist or list of tablets you have considered?

[zeldasmith]

Thanks. I was looking at the Google Nexus 7 but read that you can't link it to the TV so that was out.

I don't really have a shortlist - wasn't sure where to start!

What would you say would be the cheapest one that you can link to the TV because that is an absolute must.

Thank you

[Josephinus]

I would say the Kindle HD Fire which has an HDMI port.

[zeldasmith]

Thanks Josephinius - I hadn't thought of the kindle fire. Will check it out and its capabilities!

[cy_bones]

I think it's all about compromise to get what you want for somewhere near your budget.

The Kindle Fire is a 7" tablet, not 10" but does have HDMI out and support for LoveFilm.

[zeldasmith]

Absolutely.

I'd love a bigger budget but to be honest the screen size I would compromise on in order to achieve what we need from the tablet itself.

You've all been really helpful. Many thanks!

[Magic Cottage]

I agree with other on this. At this budget the word is one which is usually to be heard on the Channel 4 programme, Location... Location and that is Compromise. The Compromise here is screen size. A decent 7" will be a much better bet than a poor 10"!

[zeldasmith]

Ha ha location location location. I can do compromise!

The next question is do I pay more for the HD version or save money and go with the straight Kindle Fire?

[Magic Cottage]

Personally, if the budget is there HD but this is a personal preference.

[paulbrock]

Do lovefilm allow you to use HDMI out? A lot of the TV apps (4OD, Sky Go) don't.

Alternately you may want to separate the two requirements.

Get something like a Roku for the streaming to TV (from £49.99), and then a tablet for your browsing.

http://www.roku.com/uk


Perhaps by the necessity of not being able to plug in my Nexus 7, but I don't like the idea of having to go over and plug in my tablet to the TV and then have no way of controlling it when sat back down again. Wireless solutions are the way forward Miracast is still in its infancy but should be supported by the Nexus range, there's also the Nexus Q (which was very expensive compared to the alternatives).

I definitely favour:

x plugged in to TV, tablet talks wirelessly to x

over

tablet plugged in to TV.

[Tassium]

As above, a wireless solution would be much better really.

Although how well these things work in practice I don't know.

Gadget X plugged into TV via HDMI, Tablet "talks" to Gadget X and tells it what to watch... fine in theory. Does it actually work though?

If it did it would be pushing the budget to get a decent tablet and gadget X for £150


Also does this sort of set-up allow to stream to the tablet instead of displaying on the TV?
Really handy to have that.

[Stuart_h]

Originally Posted by Tassium

As above, a wireless solution would be much better really.

Although how well these things work in practice I don't know.

Gadget X plugged into TV via HDMI, Tablet "talks" to Gadget X and tells it what to watch... fine in theory. Does it actually work though?

If it did it would be pushing the budget to get a decent tablet and gadget X for £150


Also does this sort of set-up allow to stream to the tablet instead of displaying on the TV?
Really handy to have that.

Skifta (android App) works pretty well at pushing stuff to a Smart TV wirelessly......

[TelevisionUser]

I would advise sticking with major brands and compromising on the screen size rather than go down the route of "el cheapo" brands that turn out to have reliability and construction issues. The only other piece of advice is to do an online search for user reviews of any tablet you are thinking of getting to weed out the turkeys.

[ssr]

Asus transformer TF101 would fit your bill exactly, slightly above budget but worth every penny, and when funds allow get the keyboard.I have two in my home.
http://www.studentcomputers.co.uk/As...oogle_shopping
£179.00 refurbished (these were £379.00 new)

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by ssr

Asus transformer TF101 would fit your bill exactly, slightly above budget but worth every penny, and when funds allow get the keyboard.I have two in my home.
http://www.studentcomputers.co.uk/As...oogle_shopping
£179.00 refurbished (these were £379.00 new)

amazing bit of kit and a great price even without the base unit.


The other option would potentially be samsung galaxy which has cash back on it but the specification is not as good as the transformer and its more expensive.

[gds1972]

How about this one it seems to have good reviews on the John Lewis site

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/versus-...46536-pdt.html
http://www.johnlewis.com/231888577/P...wcid=7x1415272

[TelevisionUser]

Originally Posted by ssr

Asus transformer TF101 would fit your bill exactly, slightly above budget but worth every penny, and when funds allow get the keyboard.I have two in my home.
http://www.studentcomputers.co.uk/As...oogle_shopping
£179.00 refurbished (these were £379.00 new)

Originally Posted by gds1972

How about this one it seems to have good reviews on the John Lewis site

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/versus-...46536-pdt.html
http://www.johnlewis.com/231888577/P...wcid=7x1415272

Asus, Kindle Fire and Samsung tablets get good user reviews, Versus ones get fairly good reviews and Yarvik Go Tabs get mediocre reviews so it's worth avoiding the last one (I've read some bad individual experiences). Places like Amazon UK, Reevoo and Argos are good for finding out what customers really think about a product.

[Rodney McKay]

Originally Posted by TelevisionUser

Asus, Kindle Fire and Samsung tablets get good user reviews, Versus ones get fairly good reviews and Yarvik Go Tabs get mediocre reviews so it's worth avoiding the last one (I've read some bad individual experiences). Places like Amazon UK, Reevoo and Argos are good for finding out what customers really think about a product.

The thing that annoys me is most of these cheaper tablets don't have GPS built in, which these days is really useful. I know some people will say they only use it at home, but if you go on the road or away and take the tablet with you having GPS and the ability to use location based services etc is really handy.

They stick GPS in the cheapest phones yet on tablets that cost twice as much, they don't.

Really bugs me which is why I'd never use one.

Anyone know if GPS Bluetooth dongles will work with these tablets?

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Rodney McKay

The thing that annoys me is most of these cheaper tablets don't have GPS built in, which these days is really useful. I know some people will say they only use it at home, but if you go on the road or away and take the tablet with you having GPS and the ability to use location based services etc is really handy.

They stick GPS in the cheapest phones yet on tablets that cost twice as much, they don't.

Really bugs me which is why I'd never use one.

Anyone know if GPS Bluetooth dongles will work with these tablets?

don't know about the samsung or fire but transformer has built in GPS. Most new tablets do.