[Daedroth]

I'm in a pickle. I don't know what tablet to go for as I'm now looking to get one, with a budget of £200. I like iOS, but I think even £320 for a refurbished iPad is a bit steep and out of my budget. So that's limiting me to Android based tablets, which I'm still not sure about.

Is a 7" screen too small to use in bed watching a TV programme on or Skyping? I'd like good battery life too.

How secure is Android? I'll want to get apps, but heard so many horror stories I'm not sure I want to link my bank details to it.

I've been looking at the following:

1) Google Nexus 7 - 7" screen yet had really good reviews and only £150.

2) Archos 9.8" Titanium - Not too sure about software/Android support and updates, build or screen quality and battery life.

Help?

[Function]

i bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10" from Argos Ebay Outlet for £200 a few weeks ago for my daughter.

She is more than impressed with it, charged up the battery twice in three weeks and she is on it every day for a few hours doing the usual browsing, video watching and playing games.

Comes with a 12 month warranty, and yes it's a refurb but the warranty gives you that safety net for up to a year and I would have thought any problems would crop up within that time.

They have more in stock, heres the link.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAMSUNG-GA...blets_eReaders

[flagpole]

re 7" tablets being too small to watch tv on.

my 7" tablet subtends a great angle than my 32" tv at their respective viewing distances.

[grassmarket]

Another advantage of a 10" screen - if you like downloadable comics, a 10" screen is perfect for reading a whole page - otherwise you are always scrolling back and forth. And the Kindle app now formats the screen into two pages in landscape mode on 10" screen, which is very easy to read.

[Tassium]

If anything a 7" screen is almost a bit large for video viewing.

---
Not often realised until a person gets a tablet, the screen quality is as important as anything else in the specification.

I don't know about Android security, I imagine it's terrible since Google have such a casual attitude to these things.

--------------
The 7" Blackberry Playbook is nice hardware (and very cheap, sub £100) but there is a limited selection of apps/games at the moment. Although that might change.

The screen is very nice and it supports iPlayer/Youtube. Not sure it supports Skype.

[alanwarwic]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

How secure is Android? I'll want to get apps, but heard so many horror stories I'm not sure I want to link my bank details to it.(

A majority of stories have been about the Apple store.
If paranoid or a bit clueless, an Orange cashcard or suchlike can be linked.

The Nexus 7 is 1280 x 800 but there are now plenty of lower resolution 1024x768 8" IPS tablets around at £100 or so.

The negative is that for £100 you seldom get GPS nor bluetooth. Though bluetooth is becoming more common too.
e.g. the Ployer Momo8 IPS has bluetooth, Flash and HDMI for about £100.
They claim the screen is an LG so one can slightly wonder if its from excess capacity from Ipad Mini production.

NB not all Amazon products are the same when multi sellers are shown. Its easy to get bitten by mis-selling.
Wifi is patchy, possibly due to not doing a work around for the metal chassis.

[paulbrock]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

Is a 7" screen too small to use in bed watching a TV programme on or Skyping? I'd like good battery life too.

Nope I use my Nexus 7 in bed with Netflix lots. picture quality is fab, screen size is fine.

How secure is Android? I'll want to get apps, but heard so many horror stories I'm not sure I want to link my bank details to it.

There is nothing insecure about Android. Banking apps have lots of checks and your details are probably at less risk than using internet banking on a PC browser. As long as you don't start installing stuff from obscure sites without checking it first, you'll be fine.

edit: ah, I guess you mean putting your bank details in to buying apps. I'm not aware of any security problems around this, you only put in your details (actually a debit/credit card, rather than bank details) in once, then its safely stored, no apps get any access to them. No different to adding your card to Amazon or itunes - besides which, the vast vast majority of useful apps are free (far more so than on Apple). I've probably bought no more than a dozen or so apps, most of which are high-end games.


More generally, the N7 is awesome. There's a reason why it wins so many awards, even beating the almighty ipad.

http://awards.t3.com/categories/tablet-of-the-year
http://www.stuff.tv/news/stuff-gadge...he-year-winner
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/12/gi...t-of-the-year/

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Tassium

I don't know about Android security, I imagine it's terrible since Google have such a casual attitude to these things.

Lol, how about you talk about something you actually know something about.

Originally Posted by Tassium

The 7" Blackberry Playbook is nice hardware (and very cheap, sub £100) but there is a limited selection of apps/games at the moment. Although that might change.

Apparently BB10 will make it way on to the playbook but from what I have seem its not going to make 1,000's of new apps available.

[Rodney McKay]

Originally Posted by Tassium

If anything a 7" screen is almost a bit large for video viewing.

---
Not often realised until a person gets a tablet, the screen quality is as important as anything else in the specification.

I don't know about Android security, I imagine it's terrible since Google have such a casual attitude to these things.

--------------
The 7" Blackberry Playbook is nice hardware (and very cheap, sub £100) but there is a limited selection of apps/games at the moment. Although that might change.

The screen is very nice and it supports iPlayer/Youtube. Not sure it supports Skype.

You can sideload Skype but I don't think the video part works (the text chat does I believe although I've not used it)

There is supposed to be a way of doing via this site (with video) but I don't bother with Skype do don't know how good it is.

https://imo.im/

[d'@ve]

duplicated.

[d'@ve]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

I'm in a pickle. I don't know what tablet to go for as I'm now looking to get one, with a budget of £200. I like iOS, but I think even £320 for a refurbished iPad is a bit steep and out of my budget. So that's limiting me to Android based tablets, which I'm still not sure about.

Is a 7" screen too small to use in bed watching a TV programme on or Skyping? I'd like good battery life too.

How secure is Android? I'll want to get apps, but heard so many horror stories I'm not sure I want to link my bank details to it.

I've been looking at the following:

1) Google Nexus 7 - 7" screen yet had really good reviews and only £150.

2) Archos 9.8" Titanium - Not too sure about software/Android support and updates, build or screen quality and battery life.

Help?

£64.98 for a basic 7 inch android at Novatech (can't link direct).
Novatech Scroll Plus - 7 Inch Tablet - Android 4.1

Plays online video and TV just fine and very watchable. You may need to use the charger more than on more expensive ones, though.

[TelevisionUser]

Originally Posted by flagpole

re 7" tablets being too small to watch tv on.

my 7" tablet subtends a great angle than my 32" tv at their respective viewing distances.

I've watched programmes on a 7ins tablet and it's been fine.

Irrespective of screen size, I'd suggest sticking to major reputable brands like Google, Kindle, Samsung and Apple because if you go below £100 then you're in the realm of turkey tablets like Joy Tab, Go Tab, etc. which have mixed reviews and reliability issues.

[Anika Hanson]

I think acer have a 7 inch tablet for £99. 7 inches is ok for watching videos. A bigger screen is better but it compromises portability. I've had 7 (nexus 7) 7.9 (ipad mini) and 10.1 (galaxy tab 2) inch tablets. I found that the iPad mini was the best overall. The screen is big enough and the device is still portable.

[Daedroth]

Thanks for the replies, they've been really helpful.

What is a 7" tablet like to share between 2 people watching a TV programme?

[Anika Hanson]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

Thanks for the replies, they've been really helpful.

What is a 7" tablet like to share between 2 people watching a TV programme?

The OH and I often watch sky news and YouTube videos together on the iPad mini which is a little bigger than 7 inches and it's fine.

[alanwarwic]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

What is a 7" tablet like to share between 2 people watching a TV programme?

Surely a 22 or 23" TV is a far better option.

[stud u like]

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

Surely a 22 or 23" TV is a far better option.

You can connect to a tv via hdmi.

[Rodney McKay]

Originally Posted by stud u like

You can connect to a tv via hdmi.

I don't think the Nexus has HDMI out does it?

[Daedroth]

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

Surely a 22 or 23" TV is a far better option.

We do have a TV in the bedroom but there is no aerial in there so we can't watch live TV. We can't get an aerial in because we are renting and setting up the laptop via vga and audio is a hassle.

How does the Archos Titanium 97 compare to other tablets?

[TelevisionUser]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

We do have a TV in the bedroom but there is no aerial in there so we can't watch live TV. We can't get an aerial in because we are renting and setting up the laptop via vga and audio is a hassle.

How does the Archos Titanium 97 compare to other tablets?

When thinking of any tablet, including mid range ones like Archos and Versus, the thing to do is to look at customer reviews on the likes of Amazon, Argos and Reevoo. I've found such guides to be very useful and they really can help avoid turkeys. Things that look too good to be true generally are.

[LostFool]

A 7" screen is just about perfect for watching at arm's length.

If I hold a tape measure at arms length and measure the apparent size of my 37" TV screen on the other size of the room it is exactly 7" on the diagonal. A 10" tablet is also heaver so may be uncomfortable to hold for long periods.

Lack of HDMI out on the Nexus doesn't bother me. There are plenty of media server apps which will stream video to your DNLA-enabled TV.

[NaturalDancer]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

We do have a TV in the bedroom but there is no aerial in there so we can't watch live TV. We can't get an aerial in because we are renting and setting up the laptop via vga and audio is a hassle.

How does the Archos Titanium 97 compare to other tablets?

Try an indoor aerial - they work fine even in my lounge. I've used one in the bedroom too.

[Daedroth]

Originally Posted by NaturalDancer

Try an indoor aerial - they work fine even in my lounge. I've used one in the bedroom too.

We did, but it didn't work at all. Not even a weak signal. But we're after a tablet anyway.

[Stilian]

There are already plenty of cheap Asian Android tablets but most of them aren't any good. There is UK company that imports quality mobile devices from China called Gemini devices. They have some very good and yet affordable tablets.
I would recommend the Gemini JoyTAB 9.7 REV2 tablet http://sveyo.com/2012/10/gemini-joyt...-specs-review/ which is a great value for money.
Another very good affordable tablet is the Sumvision Cyclone Titan which has even higher specs than the Gemini and costs around £150.

[paulbrock]

Originally Posted by Rodney McKay

I don't think the Nexus has HDMI out does it?

Correct. there are other ways though, mostly with an extra box attached to the telly.