Self-explanatory, really. :P B-Day's coming up soon and I'm strongly considering getting a decently-powered one (not to mention a tablet is the only likely pressie I can think of!) that'll be capable of running all the oodles of games and contagious plethora of Sega and Amiga emulators at full whack. :D Hopefully whatever I pick will still support my iControlPad - and that plenty of apps support it to begin with. Any suggestions?
Also backing up the Nexus train. Might want to hold off if you were scoping out the Nexus 7 though, apparently a new model of it is on the way in the next few months.
Depending on your budget, I agree that you're best off with the Nexus tablets. A lot of the cheaper (and a few not-so-cheap) tablets don't come with (legal) Google Play access. I picked up a Polaroid PTAB7XC when it was on sale at Kohl's last September. Not the biggest regret of my life, but it's easily in the top five. It barely works with the Amazon AppStore and the apps that I can get run like constipated dog shit. Actually Android (ICS) in general barely functions on it. I'm guaranteed to see the "Not Responding. Wait or Close?" dialog at least once any time I try to run a browser. TL;DR: Save up for a Nexus. If you see a Polaroid tablet RUN THE FUCK AWAY.
I'd vote for Nexus too, I'm pretty biased against the Samsung Galaxy Tab because they come into work fucked all the time. I swear half my job is fixing those bastards.
Depends for what you want it for. If you want a note taking tablet I suggest something like the Nexus 10 or Galaxy Tab 10.1. If not then get a Nexus 7.
Did a ton of research about a month ago, ended up going with the Nexus 7. It's a fucking awesome value, and I've been really happy with it. It's stock Android, no crap on top of it, really powerful... the camera sucks and the bezel isn't as thin as some, but for the price, it's still awesome. Emulated N64, GBA, and everything below that perfect too. I've got my PS3 controller synced to it. Also got addicted to Sonic Jump after I got it. BUT, there are rumors of a new model coming out in a few months, so it might be a good idea to wait for that.
I'd go with something from Samsung like Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 or maybe even something from the Nexus series of tablets. Though I suggest you keep the different screen sizes in mind, and maybe try them out and see what fits you the most. I, for one, like 10 inch and up tablets because of how much room you have.
Just an update: a Google Nexus 7 with 32GB and 3G has been acquired for my impending birthday. £239 was the cheapest it could be found. Fingers crossed it turns out to be a showstopper.
Nexus 7 is the tops. I'm a staunch advocate of the iPad, and the Nexus 7 provided a damn good argument for switching. £239 seems a bit pricey, but I guess that's for the 3G. I use wifi on mine. Enjoy!
I heard Android tablets are shit for making beats on though. Audio latency or something like that. Was that ever addressed for Android?
So, this thread sort of helped me decide on a Nexus 7. Finally saved up enough to justify buying a tablet PC and I jumped on the opportunity, went for the 16GB model. I'm waiting on it to be delivered via UPS currently (I hate Sundays), and I can't deny I'm feeling pretty excited. What I want to know is, what's the first thing I should do with it? Power-user mods, hidden features, stuff like that. I already have a bunch of games available from the Humble Android Bundles 3 and 4 respectively, which I originally got for the PC versions but now will be able to enjoy on the go. Also plan on grabbing Sonic CD as soon as possible.
Emulators! Besides emulators, there are many tweaks you can do and apps to install but most of those are all based on personal preference. You may want to root the device, but I don't really recommend that unles you know what you are doing and the risks involved.
Oh, I almost certainly plan on rooting the tablet, but preferably after I've done more research. I like to get the most out of any computer device I own, and there are just too many benefits that I can't ignore. Rooting doesn't seem quite as straightforward a process as soft-modding a PSP or Wii, but it can't be too far off. Still waiting on it to arrive though. ETA is tomorrow by end of day, but UPS tracking tells me it's sitting in Ohio (shipping to mid-Michigan) and hasn't moved since Saturday, whereas the package had made it all the way from the east coast in the previous 24 hours. I am not so good with patience.
As of yesterday, I am the lucky recipient of a Nexus 7 as well as a new Samsung Galaxy S4 phone (technically not a bday present, it just happened to arrive by mail on the same day). Double Android goodness ahoy! Just discovered though that the Nexus tablets don't actually include a MicroSD slot, so you can't use your MicroSD cards full of furry pr0n classic retro goodies straight off. It appears you will need to obtain a seperate USB OTG cable (these are dead cheap) and a USB card reader of your choice to get a connection between card and device. Particularly recommended for use is the Nexus Media Importer app, though this isn't free, so just a heads up. Does anyone know if most emulators will detect a MicroSD mounted in this manner, so I can run roms straight off of it?
Can't you just load the furry pr0n classic retro goodies onto the device? Mine's got 32GBs of RAM, and that's been more than sufficient for all my podcasts, games, pictures of sideboob, and music.
My Nexus 7 arrived yesterday as well. UPS guy left it on a fold-out chair on the front porch though, I have no idea when it actually arrived because those fuckers refuse to ring the doorbell ever. Anyway, got it all up and running. The first thing I did was buy Sonic CD. Also installed some of my Humble Bundle games. I too missed this when I was looking through the specs, kind of took it for granted that there'd be one. Not a deal-breaker, but it is kind of shitty. You'd think there would have been room in the budget for a micro-sd slot.
I was kinda hoping that I could just stick to organising my files on a MicroSD to save on faffing around with ways to access an Android filesystem. I doubt you can really do much in the way of rom-organising on a tablet without resorting to rooting the tablet, and I don't quite know if I should really jump into that sort of thing already. I mean, I'm still wondering whether to register the device first, my mum thought it might be a good idea in case I ever lose or break it.
I use an app called ES File System to activate a local FTP server on my tablet, then access that on my computer. It's super-simple. Just click a button, it activates the server and gives you the info, then you type that into an explorer window. Of course, you can also just plug it in via USB, and you'll get the same thing.
