Choosing low-budget tablet, questions

[benjalo]

I recently bought two Nintendo DSi systems for my young children, haven't yet used them, and then realized I could probably get a decent tablet that would do the same things (camera, games, a little browsing) without paying a fortune for every new game they want. They already play on my android phone constantly.

Budget - under $150

Would prefer but not must-have:
Android Market (or equivalent - many free/cheap apps)
Flash
Netflix/Hulu capable
touch screen (not needing stylus)
headphone jack
USB

Also, is this like with my phone - I can upgrade to new versions of Android as they come out?

Thanks very much for your help. I've done some exploring but so far I can't find anything that fits.
Amy

 

[evelien]

I'm afraid decent working flash and playable games do not fit your budget. I own a 150 euro tablet which is already more expensive (200$). I had to flash a custom rom just to get it working properly and no matter how manny people say they play angry birds on them, if you have to wait 5 seconds for the bird to reach the pig, it's not playing but waiting. I would suggest buying a Kindle Fire, which is 199$ and will do everything you ask for. It actually costs less then Amazon pays to produce them because they're counting on you to buy books /apps /music but naturally it's your choice to do so. The Barnes and Noble equivalent is basically the same, both price and specs.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[benjalo]

Thanks - this is really helpful. So, out of curiosity, if you can't really browse and you can't really play basic apps/games like angry birds, what could anyone actually do on a cheap tablet?

I hadn't really looked into the kindle - maybe I'll try that. If I end up paying a lot extra for games, I'd be no better off than with the ds systems.

 

[ZJE123]

Thanks - this is really helpful. So, out of curiosity, if you can't really browse and you can't really play basic apps/games like angry birds, what could anyone actually do on a cheap tablet?

I hadn't really looked into the kindle - maybe I'll try that. If I end up paying a lot extra for games, I'd be no better off than with the ds systems.

As far as I can tell from reviews (I don't own one) as for what you get for the price, the Kindle is the best Tablet out there in that price range. Of coarse you could try to find a cheap one on Black Friday that could be better, such as the Blackberry Playbook at Staples for the same price. But if that is not an option, spend the extra $50 and get the Fire, you won't regret it. Also, there may be other cheap tablets out there, but with the Fire, you will get a lot of support for it as well as a big community due to the popularity of Amazon.

 

[tuxseedo]

I`m also looking for a couple of cheap-ish Android tablets for my 11 & 14Yr olds to basically just play games and access the net.
They too have the DS`s/DSI`s as well as the 4th Gen Ipod`s so they have been using touchscreens in some manner before now.
As much as i`d like to get them Ipads i just cant justify the cost right now.

My own budget will stretch to about

 

[ZJE123]

I`m also looking for a couple of cheap-ish Android tablets for my 11 & 14Yr olds to basically just play games and access the net.
They too have the DS`s/DSI`s as well as the 4th Gen Ipod`s so they have been using touchscreens in some manner before now.
As much as i`d like to get them Ipads i just cant justify the cost right now.

My own budget will stretch to about

 

[tuxseedo]

I am unsure of $ to pounds conversion, but I know that 1 pound is more than $1 (since you are using pounds I'm assuming you live in England). First off, I would generally stay away from "unknown brands" selling on ebay. Here in the US, the Amazon Kindle Fire sells for $200, roughly 127 pounds. So if they sell the Fires in England, go for that. It would be perfect for what you want it to do (keep in mind it has no camera or sd card slot) Here in the US, we have an holiday Black Friday (I am unsure if you know of this but I thought I would mention it just in case, not to make it sound like I think you are stupid or anything in which many stores will highly discount prices on items. Maybe they have that in England? I am unsure but if it is, keep an eye out for some deals on tablets there, you may be able to find something better for the same price or a little more.

Thanks for reply ZJE123.
I was already a bit dubious about the Ebay offerings but either way i now need 3 tablets at around 7", 8" and 10" for 7, 11 & 18 Yr old`s respectively.

Had a hands on feel of the Advent Vega & the Archos 7 & 10 offerings although i`m still not entirely sure which to go for for each child.
Certainly been keeping an eye on Amazons Black Friday this week(no offence taken ) although nothing of note just yet.

The (re)search continues. :\

 

[ZJE123]

Thanks for reply ZJE123.
I was already a bit dubious about the Ebay offerings but either way i now need 3 tablets at around 7", 8" and 10" for 7, 11 & 18 Yr old`s respectively.

Had a hands on feel of the Advent Vega & the Archos 7 & 10 offerings although i`m still not entirely sure which to go for for each child.
Certainly been keeping an eye on Amazons Black Friday this week(no offence taken ) although nothing of note just yet.

The (re)search continues. :\

Did you find anything on Black Friday?

 

[tuxseedo]

Did you find anything on Black Friday?

Nothing of note on UK site but i ended up buying an Android 2.3, A820 Epad S5PV210 from Ebay for my 11Yr old and will possibly be buying the requested Dell Streak for my lad, who wants the 3g sim card ability as well as the better processor etc etc....although still leaves me to do all the damn researching for best features & value for money.
Just looking for a little cheap 7" thing for my youngest now.....i think.

 

[xmr405o]

The Coby Kryos and Archos Arnova series are probably the cheapest you can find for a tablet made by known tablet manufacturers. (Not so much the Coby but at least they are semi known for electronics)

I'm not saying they have the Android Market but I believe their our hacks and mods you can apply to these tablets...especially the Archos models.

Google around for cheap prices, I've seen these tablets go for about $99-$230 depending on the model.

 

[tuxseedo]

The Coby Kryos and Archos Arnova series are probably the cheapest you can find for a tablet made by known tablet manufacturers. (Not so much the Coby but at least they are semi known for electronics)

I'm not saying they have the Android Market but I believe their our hacks and mods you can apply to these tablets...especially the Archos models.

Google around for cheap prices, I've seen these tablets go for about $99-$230 depending on the model.

The Archos range were ones i was looking at but it`s just my 7Yr old left now i hope(if lad dont change mind) so as long as she can play games & read books etc the rest will be an added bonus.
Even the ability to root this last one is not so important as it`s only a kinda test tablet for her for now so she does not annoy her siblings for theirs, like she does with their netbooks & other gadgets & gizmo`s.