Tablets

[skb12172]

Oh and I still think a jailbroken Nook Color is the best bargain in tablets (Mel and I both have one). You can get the refurbs for under $100 and they run whatever ROM you want... But they are 7" only, and their hardware is pretty low spec; and of course you have to be tech savvy enough to flash the ROM. It's not hard, but you do need to be comfortable with it. The 7" nook 16gb has a GREAT screen, a faster processor and twice the RAM, at $200.

Please explain "Jailbroken." If I were looking for a tablet for reading books, watching Netflix, and reading TheGuncounter.com, would this be sufficient?

[Rumpshot]

Just ordered a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7). About $218 shipped, through Amazon. ETA Oct 5-11. Upgraded to Prime, mostly for the E-library.

[HTRN]

Please explain "Jailbroken."

Gaining root level access through various technical methods, something the manufacturers often don't want the consumers to have, because then you can access ALL of the technology on the machine, not just what the manufacturer want's you to have. In the case of the Nook, it's basically a somewhat crippled tablet pretending to be a e-reader as it comes from B&N. If you either root it, or better yet, install another, less hobbled OS, like Cyanogenmod, you can do far more than what was originally intended.

[MiddleAgedKen]

To their credit, B&N didn't have a herd of cattle when the Nook Color was first jailbroken; instead, they took advantage of the no-cost market research that landed in their laps. I have a Sony Reader Touch (not even Wi-Fi -- it's USB/card slot only), but the Nook reader app for Windows is one of the better PC reader applications going (I have it because I got a B&N gift card for my birthday in 2011 and bought a couple Nook books).

[skb12172]

Please explain "Jailbroken."

Gaining root level access through various technical methods, something the manufacturers often don't want the consumers to have, because then you can access ALL of the technology on the machine, not just what the manufacturer want's you to have. In the case of the Nook, it's basically a somewhat crippled tablet pretending to be a e-reader as it comes from B&N. If you either root it, or better yet, install another, less hobbled OS, like Cyanogenmod, you can do far more than what was originally intended.

What additional capabilities do you gain? Why did they hobble it in the first place?

[HTRN]

I'm not sure as to the "why" in the case of B&N, but because of the components they used, it was essentially a mid range performance tablet serving as a E-reader. I think in the case of Smartphones, the companies(both the manufacturer and the service provider) donw want the end user to have access for a variety of reasons, notably, they don't want them to be able to do things for free, that they charge extra for(notably tethering).

[Rich]

Please allow me to piggyback onto this thread.

I too have a hankering for a tablet type device. My budget will allow about $100, and I see some unfamiliar brand names on Amazon, plus Google and Android offerings that fit that price range. While either 7 or 10 inch will do, and I would like color, I can live with B/W. Primary use will be as a e-reader, I will also like some basic games (solitaire, chess, crosswords, and such), and references such as a dictionary, etc. Basically an external amusement and reference to use with the gray cells. Using a SD card as memory storage will also be good, as I have several 4GB ones laying about.

So, any recomendations out there for my $100?

[arctictom]

I have a Toshiba thrive and am indifferent about it , given that I would go with a Samsung 7 or 10" probably the 10" because I have a Samsung Note phone for super portable applications.

[Jered]

If you want to try a table out, you can always go to Costco, buy one, try if for a while, and then return it, and buy it cheaper somewhere else.

[mekender]

Keep in mind the Surface tablets and other Win 8 tablets are due out in about 3 weeks... Personally, I am stoked about them because of the level of compatibility with my already existing Windows systems.

That said, even if you dont like the idea of a Win 8 tablet, this release will drastically change the market.