The Spam Thread!

[cpd2009]

Old Jasper is good for something at least.... his old hard drive. I finally got my BYTECC SmartDrive put together using his old 160gb IDE drive.

Jasper, as you probably already know by now, was my old Pentium III box that had Windows XP on it. He was replaced last year with Lilly.

Before Jasper, there was Hazel, my first 1ghz Pentium III computer. I got her back in January 2008 as the college was about to send her off to recycling, and I got the okay to take her with me.

In 2008, a 1ghz PIII was already outdated, but to me, it was a blessing. Before I got Hazel, I had Daffodil, with an even slower 500mhz and in the new age of YouTube and Web 2.0, she was beginning to show her age fast.

At the time I got Hazel, I was in my Linux phase, and I installed Linux on the new PIII box and it was blazing fast. Though not as fast as a brand new 2008 PC or Mac, the speed was still satisfying for me and I was able to enjoy most Web 2.0 sites and YouTube videos without many issues. I chose to name her Hazel because her namesake, Hazel the Squirrel from "My Friend Rabbit", was very cheerful and was quick at everything. If you want to know what Hazel looks like, look to the right of this post.

Though the original Hazel is long gone, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 will bear her name once more, because this upgrade is very similar.... from underpowered cheapo tablets to a fast dual-core tablet that can handle the programs I need to run.

[RAMChYLD]

Tired...

[cpd2009]

Posted from Safari after clearing out the cookies associated with this site. I may find any Incapsula ones too and remove them, but just by clearing out this site's cookies appears to have worked. Will it stick though?

Anyway... I need to find an excuse to purchase a low-end Android tablet along with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.

You see, as it's planned, Hazel would become the new tablet that gets the most attention as she will be numero uno. However, like David has done with Eve and Eva, I want to keep one of my older tablets on hand as a backup, and to satisfy my interests for the Rockchip/Allwinner tablets.

Obviously, I should keep one of my old tablets along, and I was going to, but to fall in line with Hazel and just for an excuse to have one of these tablets along for the ride, I want to get an Allwinner based tablet.

My Polaroid tablet has limited internal memory and glitchy software, while the Android 4.0 tablet has a problematic touch screen. So if I were to have a 2nd in command, it would have to be as close to Hazel as possible for an Allwinner based tablet....Capacitive screen and Android 4.0. And I think I may have found the perfect one...

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.digixmedia.com/en/Products/product_13.html">http://www.digixmedia.com/en/Products/product_13.html</a><!-- m -->

This particular tablet is on sale at both RadioShack and GameStop. GameStop will have it for only $79.

The company even has a downloadable tool to install Google Play, which is sketchy as it's unknown whether or not this device actually has Google approval. Even so, they provide easy instructions on using said tool to get Google Play on this tablet.

Here is the question I want to ask... should I get this tablet to go along with Hazel, or just keep my current Android 4.0 tablet around as a backup?

[RAMChYLD]

How about a third option - try to use the tool to install Google Play into the Android 4.0 tablet?

But seriously tho, if you're able to squeeze this one out after you get a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, go for it.

[cpd2009]

How about a third option - try to use the tool to install Google Play into the Android 4.0 tablet?

But seriously tho, if you're able to squeeze this one out after you get a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, go for it.

Installing Google Play on the Curtis Android 4.0 tablet may require the use of the Android SDK and command line. There are ready made packages out there that can install Google Play, and that tablet is already rooted somewhat, but I'm not keen on spending a few hours searching for a Google Play package that will work or mess around with a command line which could brick the cheap tablet if I'm not careful.


I appreciate what you and Blake have done in terms of recommending the Samsung GT2 for a new tablet. But do I really need it? Would that $79 tablet do just fine? I need help deciding this.

Whenever I go on a trip or to my college classes, I take Greta with me and I do most of my internet activities with her, finish schoolwork and play Windows-based casual games every now and then. I rarely use Greta while in a moving vehicle (out of fear of damaging her hard drive), and thus, a tablet computer is handy for such times. Primary tasks that my tablet PC would do is watch videos on an SD card or USB drive, view my screencap collections whenever necessary, and playing games such as Angry Birds. The Amazon AppStore, while limted, has allowed me to enjoy Angry Birds as well as several other popular apps. And if I need to access the internet really quick, I can just pull out said tablet and connect at a fast food joint or some other place with WiFi without digging out Greta.

I learned many great details about the Samsung GT2, which would make it a great $179 purchase, but since then, I learned some other not-so-great things about it. For example....the built in apps and OS use up nearly half of the 8gb internal memory, leaving behind only 4.6gb for installing apps. (I could root and get rid of all the preloaded apps, but I'm not the kind of person who roots tablets) And you can't move apps to an external SD card either. Google Play access is another plus, but then again, I already purchased a whole lot of apps from the Amazon AppStore. I can have the Amazon AppStore alongside Google Play on the Samsung, but it would seem odd and redundant to me if I had two popular app stores on it, especially if the Amazon store lags behind in updates.

The GameStop tablet will have a 1.2ghz processor, which happens to be an Allwinner A10 which in a Slatedroid.com review is recommended over the Rockchip processors due to overall speed and the inclusion of the Mali-400 GPU. Though the Allwinner is a typical China-made processor, the inclusion of the Mali-400 is a great choice as a similar Mali-400 is used in the Galaxy Tab 2 10'' model.

There is also a sense of being unique and different when using one of these low-end tablets. They may not have the top-of-the-line performance of an iPad or a Samsung GT2, but I sometimes strive to be different when it comes to technology. That is part of the reason why I use cheap $30 MP4 players over iPods. I want to stand out from the crowd that uses iPods or what other technology that is popular. I am fully aware of the benefits of using a name-brand tablet, and I am also aware of the limitations of using the cheap tablets as well, including possible risks such as poor battery life or a glitchy OS. But, if the cheapo tablet has decent battery life, an accurate capacitive touch screen, good stability, and the ability to run Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja without lag, then I am willing to live with those limitations. My Polaroid tablet proved that these tablets can have great build quality and good battery life. It just doesn't have a good build of Android.

[strike]Based on what is written above, such as what I use a tablet for, do I really need a Samsung GT2? Can I get by with a low-end $79 tablet? That is for me to decide, but I need help making that decision.[/strike]

EDIT: I crossed out the last question because I am now forced to come up with a plan B. This will be explained in the next post.

[cpd2009]

So close... yet so far.

Long story short....I won't have enough money to get the Samsung GT2. I nearly had enough, but I'm about six dollars away from the sale price. Even if I did have $177, I have to factor in our 6% sales tax which would push the cost to around $190 or so.

I have now devised a plan B. Based on my usage analysis of tablet computers, I have decided to just go the discount route for now and grab an affordable tablet. But I'm going to lay down some ground rules.

First rule is that the new tablet can't have a resistive touch screen. It must be capacitive. Second rule is that it needs to have 4gb or more internal storage.

As for possible tablets, I'm considering either the Menards 10'' Polaroid model (Android ICS, 1ghz CPU, 8gb internal storage, front and rear cameras, bundled HDMI cable) or that $79 tablet from GameStop.

Since these low-end tablets can have glaring flaws that are only discovered after using them awhile, I won't assign any name to them until I know for sure that the Android OS is stable, the battery life decent, the app compatibility is great, and the touch screen is responsive.

The Polaroid tablet has an advantage of being 10.1'', around the size of a real iPad and can be used with the Amazon AppStore, whereas the Digix $79 tablet has the advantage of installing Google Play from the manufacturers website.

As for Hazel? Well, I will keep her in mind if this next tablet I get doesn't live up to my expectations in regards to being low-end tablets. If that happens, I will go ahead and start saving up money next spring for a Toshiba Excite.

[huckleberrypie]

Yeah, capacitive screens are a lot better, although they can sometimes be prone to mis-firing, i.e. pointing on the wrong place. The Menads tablet seems legit - does that come with a capacitive touch panel?

[cpd2009]

Yeah, capacitive screens are a lot better, although they can sometimes be prone to mis-firing, i.e. pointing on the wrong place. The Menads tablet seems legit - does that come with a capacitive touch panel?

I believe so, as I found an instruction manual for that particular model, or one very similar to it and it indicated a capacitive screen. If the Menards model doesn't have one, then I will pass on it.

[RAMChYLD]

Well, Capacitive or not, the lack of Google Play is a deal breaker for me. The fact that Google Play detects the type of device you have doesn't help.

Besides, 4.7GB is plenty for an entry level Android device. For the records, ChaCha only has a paltry 128MB free!

[cpd2009]

Well, Capacitive or not, the lack of Google Play is a deal breaker for me.

Besides, 4.7GB is plenty for an entry level Android device. For the records, ChaCha only has a paltry 128MB free!

Well, you did say "Good luck living without Google Play." before you edited your message as I hit the quote button. The Amazon AppStore is not available down there...only Google Play, your only viable option. (there are others like SlideME or GetJar, but those aren't even as plentiful with quality apps as Amazon)

But if you read my message in full, I analyzed my needs, and thought about how I use my tablet. Based on that analysis and knowing full well of the limitations of a discount tablet, I am willing to live with said limitations as long as it lines up with the guidelines I outlined above.

This is not to say I will never get Hazel. Hazel is still a possibility if it turns out that I genuinely need a name-brand tablet. I use my current tablets casually, as Greta handles most of the internet or productivity load. Though the Samsung GT2 would be wonderful, I now think it may be a bit overkill for casual use.

As the YouTube user "MattsMacintosh" said... it's about identifying your needs, and finding a device that meets them. I did that today.

And no, the discount tablet won't be named Hazel. I am saving that name for the time when I need a name-brand tablet.

Let me make one thing clear....I am no cop out. I know I was talking enthusiastically about Hazel and the Samsung just two days ago, but soon, I was rethinking my idea. You see, I am learning on how to manage my money better, and part of that is thinking about future purchases and whether or not you actually need to buy that product. I determined that being a casual tablet user, a discount tablet will work if it meets my guidelines.

Besides, I ended up not having enough money to get the Samsung anyway, and for all I know, Kmart will probably have sold them all by the time I get there on Friday.