Kindle fire or wait for Asus memo 370t? - Kindle Fire General

Which do you think?
Should I buy the kindle fire now?
Or should I wait for the amazing Asus memo 370t?
Is the kindle fire that customizable an fun/easy to hack?

P90 said:
Which do you think?
Should I buy the kindle fire now?
Or should I wait for the amazing Asus memo 370t?
Is the kindle fire that customizable an fun/easy to hack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kindle fire is all of the above. Though, I am excited for the memo 307t and do plan on buying it too, when it comes out.

Ok thank you. I think I'm planning on selling my book color and buying a kf. Can't wait!

Is there a release estimate on the memo? I'm very excited for it. I love the fire, but would kill for bluetooth. If I only had a front facing camera I would never need another device lol.

Haha no official release date but rumored around q3

I think I'm going to stick with the Fire. The Memo would be perfect if it had a digitizer w/stylus and a front facing camera, but honestly, without that it's "just another tablet" to me...and as you can see, I've gone through a lot of them. So basically, until they make a tablet that fits all my needs, I'm settled on this one.

What's a digitizer?

ExploreMN said:
I think I'm going to stick with the Fire. The Memo would be perfect if it had a digitizer w/stylus and a front facing camera, but honestly, without that it's "just another tablet" to me...and as you can see, I've gone through a lot of them. So basically, until they make a tablet that fits all my needs, I'm settled on this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Atmel is working on an active stylus product which would work with a chip that is already in the Transformer, just needs to be activated. I think the Transformer Prime has the same chip, both are a much larger form factor than the FF or the MeMo. Not sure if the MeMo has that chip though.
Found the video from Oct 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqVmPZcZ5RA

ExploreMN said:
I think I'm going to stick with the Fire. The Memo would be perfect if it had a digitizer w/stylus and a front facing camera, but honestly, without that it's "just another tablet" to me...and as you can see, I've gone through a lot of them. So basically, until they make a tablet that fits all my needs, I'm settled on this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the HTC Flyer/View? It has stylus and front/rear cameras. New deals are popping up on it all the time. Has a 1.5ghz single core processor, but seems snappier than my dual core tablets.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1020

P90 said:
Which do you think?
Should I buy the kindle fire now?
Or should I wait for the amazing Asus memo 370t?
Is the kindle fire that customizable an fun/easy to hack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never been much of a waiter.....hence the Kindle Fire...

I can't speak of other 'budget' e-reader/tablets, but I absolutely love my Kindle Fire. I finally took the plunge and rooted it and flashed CM7; it's amazing. Awesome device before, GREAT device now, IMO.
With that said, I would vote KF.

ChicagoGOBLUE said:
I can't speak of other 'budget' e-reader/tablets, but I absolutely love my Kindle Fire. I finally took the plunge and rooted it and flashed CM7; it's amazing. Awesome device before, GREAT device now, IMO.
With that said, I would vote KF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet! Is it hard to root? I am not tech friendly with hardly anything android.

P90 said:
Sweet! Is it hard to root? I am not tech friendly with hardly anything android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now? No. It should only take you a matter of minutes, IF you follow directions.

butterflygirl said:
Have you tried the HTC Flyer/View? It has stylus and front/rear cameras. New deals are popping up on it all the time. Has a 1.5ghz single core processor, but seems snappier than my dual core tablets.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1020
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone says you can find great deals on this one, but I missed the Best Buy closeout at $299 and I can't find the thing for less than $400 anywhere which, in my opinion, is way too much for the age of this tab. I'm thinking of the Memo 171 which is a dual core with stylus support and has a camera, but I'm not sure what the price will be or when it will be released. There is also rumor of a Galaxy Note 10" tablet too...which might be decent (thought I would prefer a 7" tablet).
LOL - I should have clicked your link first. $199 for a refurb...my finger is twitching over the "add to cart" button...

P90 said:
Sweet! Is it hard to root? I am not tech friendly with hardly anything android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think it was hard at all. I was pretty nervous at first but did enough reading on the subject that I was comfortable to give it a go. I have been jailbreaking iDevices for a few years now, but this is my first Android device, so I was afraid of the....unknown you could say.
But no, it's not hard to do and really only takes a few minutes once you have ADB up and running on your PC.
Before finding the latest and greatest Kindle Fire Utility, I was set to download BurritoRoot3 and go through the manual process. I downloaded/installed the Java Development Kit, downloaded/installed Android SDK Tools (I think this is for ADB), downloaded Superuser and BurritoRoot3, and ran through the driver installation so the Kindle could be recognized by the PC.
But then I found out about KFU .9.3 (I think that's the correct version), that installs just about everything for you (drivers, SU, BR3)!

ChicagoGOBLUE said:
But then I found out about KFU .9.3 (I think that's the correct version), that installs just about everything for you (drivers, SU, BR3)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea that utility is amazing. rooting the fire and installing twrp and a custom rom is very easy to do.
the asus memo looks pretty sweet and at a good price point for it. altho it looks like a giant phone, lol. if only it recieved calls...

skaroger867 said:
yea that utility is amazing. rooting the fire and installing twrp and a custom rom is very easy to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely is!
I have a question that maybe you can help me with, figured instead of creating a new thread:
I currently have CM7 SoS on my KF. Lets say I wanted to flash another custom ROM, do I have to do all the 'wipe' steps like I did from coming from stock?
I can't seem to find a definitive answer.

I would absolutely wait, The extra 512MB of ram, micro sd slot, better camera and cpu that's leagues better will make you kick yourself once it's out. I was thinking about the fire but as soon as I saw the memo 370t at CES for the price and specs I was sold, even if it was sold at $300 I think it would be a better investment.

I'm definitely getting the Asus Memo 370T when it's available for pre-order. Here are the known specs:
Operating System: Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor: nVidia Tegra 3 Quad Core processor
Memory: 1 GB
Storage: 16 or 32 GB
Display: 7" 1,280 x 800 LCD IPS screen
Camera: 8MP rear facing (sadly, no front facing, though)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microUSB, microHDMI, GPS
Price: Base model (16 GB) rumored to be $250.00. 32 GB model unknown as of this time.
Even though it's a bit on the smallish side for a tablet per se, it's still quite a device on the relatively cheap.

abarax said:
I'm definitely getting the Asus Memo 370T when it's available for pre-order. Here are the known specs:
Operating System: Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor: nVidia Tegra 3 Quad Core processor
Memory: 1 GB
Storage: 16 or 32 GB
Display: 7" 1,280 x 800 LCD IPS screen
Camera: 8MP rear facing (sadly, no front facing, though)Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microUSB, microHDMI, GPS
Price: Base model (16 GB) rumored to be $250.00. 32 GB model unknown as of this time.
Even though it's a bit on the smallish side for a tablet per se, it's still quite a device on the relatively cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, what were they thining there?

Related

What about the Lenovo Ideapad A1- also $199

The major selling point for the Kindle Fire is of course the price. Especially in this forum where all we really care about is the price and hardware so we can put custom ROMs on later.
So as i see it, they both have similar processors, the same amount of RAM and cost the same but the Ideapad has a bunch of other stuff- dual cameras, gps, bluetooth and a microsd slot.
so assuming both devices get rooted why would we choose the Fire over the Ideapad?
cant tell if the A1 has an IPS screen
specs show that the A1 has TI OMAP 3622, which isnt listed on the ti omap page, but the nc is 3621, so guessing its the same chip, @ 1ghz rather than 800mhz.
the A1 also has a smaller battery 3550 mAh vs 4000 mAh (11% smaller or about 7hrs, if NC has 8hr baseline)
so, guessing that if the A1 does have an IPS screen, it would have same performance to an O/C nook color, but with 1hr less battery life. with the NC2 coming out very soon, for the A1 to complete, guessing that sony will have to drop the price for the 16gb model to $200 to be competitive.
I have been wondering myself how this is all going to fall out.
Supposedly the ideapad may be a minimum 250$ for those of us living in the states with no SD card option.
While the kindle fire is nice.. 16 GB can feel small on a phone.. so I don't know if it is practical for a tab at all without SD card expansion.
If the roms maintain the silk browser and amazon storage.. it may be worth it.
The downsides to the Kindle I see are as follows.
1. lack of buttons.
2. any mods done may be more permanent since it is a more modified version of android.. So once it is rooted/romed.. I worry it may not be able to go "back to stock" which is a bit more damaging.
The only advantage to the kindle I see is the dual core processor..which by itself is sex/tempting..
But, honestly I don't see any other advantage unless the only reason you want a tablet is as an ereader in the first place (which is true of many people)
It does have an IPS display and from what i understand there are is an 8gb version for $200 that wont ship in the US and a 16gb for $250 that will (i didnt see anything about no sd slot in the 8gb version)
Maybe the release of the kindle fire will push lenovo to sell the $200 8gb version in the us.
actually the lack of button seems like a big deal. i mean, we can root it but how functional is android without the home and menu buttons?
IPS display, gorilla glass & price are the only positives.
Oh, one more, it will drive the price down on every other tablet except for the ipad.
ok to lack of hardware buttons Cm7 for the book puts an on screen section on the status bar for menu, back and search.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
The A1 has a single core CPU vs the dual core on the Kindle Fire. That's pretty big for me. I already have a Nook color and it can get a bit sluggish sometimes, even o/c to 1200.
I also have an NC, and it runs fine for what I use it for. I don't use widgets/apps that run continuously. It can play MKV/AVI movies OK at SD resolution, using QQPlayer.
The big question is how good is the KF as a modded device, and lack of an SD slot is a major bummer--not just for ease of modding, but also for storage expansion. 8GB (actually, 5GB) isn't a lot. The unrooted KF can get away with it, since it uses Amazon's cloud services. CM7 can't.
But the Lenovo A1 isn't in the equation, as you can already get the same (except cams & GPS) from the existing NC right now for $150. And the NC is already a CM-supported device, so you don't have to wait around a couple of months for it to get dev support. As for the missing features--cams, GPS, HDMI-out--you have to ask yourself what's important for your use. Those aren't important to me.
I'm looking forward to the NC2, which is rumored to have the same 4430 SoC. Hopefully, B&N will match the KF's $199 price, but if the NC2 is as moddable as the NC, at $250 it would still be a good deal for the SD slot.
I agree, NC is probably still a good deal than the A1. I had a nook color before, I liked it for a while but was disappointed that it didn't have a mic. and the speed was a little bit slow as well, even after OC. then, I sold it and got a 7 inch galaxy tab. I loved the tab a lot, it only costed me 260 (woot deal) and it came with everything and 99% of games and app worked fine after gingerbread upgrade. Then I was stupid enough to trade the tab with the 10.1 tab... the 10.1 tab was good and much faster than the 7 tab but too big and half of my apps didn't work.
Anyways, i am also looking for a 7-8 inches tablet.. I want a dual-core, gps, mic, sd-card, at least 8 hours battery life and under $350. mic and gps are must since I have many apps and games for my sons that they need mic and gps..
I am waiting for the galaxy 7+.. Any other idea?
Eh.. Maybe I will regret it later..
I really like the idea of "cheap, no frills" tabs.
I mean in my phone I get the idea.. GPS is nice since if I get lost odds are I will have my phone.
Bluetooth is nice since I'm using my phone anyway.
In a tablet device.. if I can get it cheaper without frills.. then so be it.
I'm really going back and forth both ways on the kindle fire. I may pick up one if I decide to hop on a tablet yet.
It really depends on whether or not the A1 comes out and what kind of reviews it gets.
I guess what we expect the tablet to do also plays into it a lot though. I mean, I just want a web browsing/manga reading device
I've been looking at these too. The IdeaPad is supposed to have a GPS, which is really nice. I'm not sure what the screen is going to be like.
Anyway, I think the Fire is going to appeal to the common man, but the IdeaPad is going to appeal more to the hacker. I'm shopping for my wife, so I'm suck in the middle.
Either way, I welcome the device. Android doesn't really have a main stream tablet. The Transformer is highly tech cool and the Galaxy 10 is pretty and refined, but nothing has really come along to put Android into the main stream tablet world. Sure it's most likely 2.3, but the Fire is going pull a ton of attention to the Android tablet world.
I think an unexplored angle is that it could even break into Apple's bread and butter iPod touch market. If game developers pick up on it, it becomes a very attractive touch competitor. Better browser, better CPU, better screen, same price. I'm sure it will run Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. In 6 months the reburbs will be $150, fairly close to the magic $100 disposable tech line.
israel102 said:
The major selling point for the Kindle Fire is of course the price. Especially in this forum where all we really care about is the price and hardware so we can put custom ROMs on later.
So as i see it, they both have similar processors, the same amount of RAM and cost the same but the Ideapad has a bunch of other stuff- dual cameras, gps, bluetooth and a microsd slot.
so assuming both devices get rooted why would we choose the Fire over the Ideapad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because of the integration with Amazon media services and their Cloud storage. I already have a Xoom 10.1 tablet so I'm not looking for the benefits of a tablet. The Fire will be a convenient device to read, email, watch an occasional movie and wait for the hackers to do their thing.
If I were buying a tablet it would not be a 7 inch one regardless of the capabilities.
1215kids said:
Because of the integration with Amazon media services and their Cloud storage. I already have a Xoom 10.1 tablet so I'm not looking for the benefits of a tablet. The Fire will be a convenient device to read, email, watch an occasional movie and wait for the hackers to do their thing.
If I were buying a tablet it would not be a 7 inch one regardless of the capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though I see the logic in the point you mention for your planned usage, I still do not see much point in a rooted Fire. Kind of a rat in the cage, due to the lack of storage expansion. Not to mention the Amazon interface and their closed app system would be compromised (not seeing Amazon letting that happen). In short, a person will have a few GB of space and that is it. Android market? What is the point? No room for apps & media
Seems the price is not worth the trade-offs, IMO.
I also have a KK which I paid $139 and for $60 more I will have a much more capable device. Also currently have 20gb of storage in the cloud that includes pics, docs, etc. plus the hundreds of songs. The music doesn't count against the 20gb.
My wife uses the KK exclusively.
Looks like the A1 is up on the Lenovo site, but at $229 for the 2GB model. The 16GB is $250.
Has anyone seen this for $199 anywhere?
The magic $199 price has me looking for a table to add as a remote control & some light couch surfing, emailing and occasional travel use. I like the fact that the Fire is dual core, but think the sd card, cameras and gps would be nice to have.
it was 199$ on the lenovo site for a while..
The release date has been pushed back twice already.
I am guessing they are selling well.
Its 229 and that's on SALE! It retails for 350!!! It also only has 2 gig internal. NO IPS, no dual core... same or worse RAM.... the only redeeming factor in my mind is that I think it has an expansion slot??? Also I don't like lenovo for bussiness or home..
s0m3f00l said:
Its 229 and that's on SALE! It retails for 350!!! It also only has 2 gig internal. NO IPS, no dual core... same or worse RAM.... the only redeeming factor in my mind is that I think it has an expansion slot??? Also I don't like lenovo for bussiness or home..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will probably always be "on sale".
What are the chances of an internal SD in the Fire?
There's bound to be a moderately simple way for Amazon to flash the thing, and I doubt it would take long to replicate once it's released.
Snow_fox said:
it was 199$ on the lenovo site for a while..
The release date has been pushed back twice already.
I am guessing they are selling well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that too... other colors were available at the time as well, now it is only Black or White.
Also, the employee discount is only $10, which seems odd, so that means $239 for me - but I am still not sold on it at that price. If I could have gotten the discount on the lower spec one priced @ $199, I prob would have bit.
Estimated ship date is 11/8, but the rep I am chatting with now claims it will ship before then.
He has also stated that it does not have Gorilla Glass (which I think I read elsewhere in this thread that it has).
ETA: the rep I am talking too also says that the A1 ships with android 3.1... and just offered it to me for $219.
ETA2: he backtracked on the 3.1, and is also unable to confirm the release of 2.3
ETA3: I ordered a white one @ the $219 price: bonus = Free Shipping!

Second thoughts?

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to post this under, seeing as I'm new to the XDA Developers community, but here goes nothing:
Has anyone else that has purchased an Kindle Fire been having second thoughts?
I think the main reason that I'm feeling this way is the whole thing feels sluggish, and the entire experience is frustrating. I did not buy the KF for a media consumption device; I bought it with the intention of rooting it, and having a $200 full-featured Android tablet, and having done so, something still feels off. It's extremely frustrating that I spent hours trying to get a custom wallpaper, and while I understand that it's a known-issue (So many threads made everyday...)
I played with my friends G2 today, which by no means is a new phone, and it (felt like), it kicked the KF's ass in speed. I just don't understand this at all. This (afaik) is a single core 800MHz device that feels more fluid than a 1GHz Dual Core. Is there something I'm missing?
Now, I'm new to Android, so I have absolutely no idea if this is a software issue that will get resolved (Honeycomb / Ice Cream Sandwich?), how long a wait that will be. (I understand that no one knows the answer to that.) Or... Is this just the hardware that $200 will buy you? I understand they're selling each KF at a loss, maybe I had higher expectations than I should have.
I noticed in a local Best Buy Black Friday ad, that the Acer Iconia 7" tablet will go on sale for $190, which has spurred thoughts of returning my KF, and purchasing the Iconia. Can anyone think of a good reason not to?
Please excuse my ignorance, I really am trying to learn something here. Will these issues improve with time, once custom ROMs start getting developed for the KF?
Thanks for reading. I appreciate any input, even if it's pointing out something I've missed. (Especially so.)
First off, welcome to the forums! and yeah, general is a pretty decent place for this sort of thing imo.
I think, if you're looking for a full featured android tablet for under $200, and are willing to brave the black friday madness to get it, then by all means, return your kindle and go for the Iconia. It's got better specs, cameras, honeycomb, etc - and lets face it, amazon designed the kindle to be just that, a kindle. Whatever android functionality we get past that should be looked at as a bonus to what was already there imo.
I've owned an asus transformer as my primary android tablet for close to 6months now, and got the kindle intending it to be mostly a device for media, so I was pleasantly surprised how well it did as an android tablet as well. I actually ended up falling in love with the size and ease of one-handed use of the 7" tablet, and am debating ditching the transformer and either going with just the kindle, or picking up a more powerful 7" tablet myself.
Don't get me wrong, I love the kindle and will definitely be hanging onto it - but one of the more main reasons I got it was it's integration to all of amazons media services.
I think you'll notice a considerable increase in speed and smoothness with the tegra 2 and more notably the 1gb of memory, especially if you root the iconia and install a more cut down rom.
The only thing I will say here is having used both the kindle and a 10" honeycomb tablet now... I'm not entirely sure how i'd like the honeycomb interface on a 7" tablet... it might almost feel too cluttered - but thats an ocd person with a very minimalist taste speaking.
Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.
I've seen quite a few complains about sluggish performance but I honestly haven't seen any of that after rooting and switching to go launcher. There was some noticible slow downs changing orientation of the device or just simply scrolling throught the carousel when I was using the stock launcher but that seems to be all gone now. Ive been playing Pandora while surfing on opera with several tabs open haven't seen any lag at all. Maybe im not stressing my tablet enought? Idk what other ppl do on it but coming from an ipad 1 im very satisified with my purchase . ICS is suppose to have similar ram usage to GB so I think the 512 ram should be suffice atleast for my usage.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Really appreciate the thought out reply.
I love the 7" form-factor myself; the only doubt that I'm having right now is battery life. It seems to be 5 hours of casual WiFi browsing, which is ridiculously low compared to the KF. The other features totally make it worth it. Mini-HDMI and Micro-SD would definitely be nice to have, as well as GPS? Jeez.
Edit: If I do return it, should I unroot it, is there a process to return it to factory settings?
Yeah, 5 hours battery life is a bit rough - although again to reference my experiences with the transformer, at least, a cut down Rom will likely help that a decent bit.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
If you return any tablet you've rooted by all mean unroot it. It not only helps if you get a clerk who knows what to look for (and refuses your return justifiably as rooting voids warranty) but also it's good form. It avoids "surprises" for whomever gets your tab afterwards.
Having owned the Iconia A100 for about 2 weeks before returning it (battery life, viewing angles, Acer possibly leaving tabs and lack of dev support) I must say it's a fine little tab. Only 8G internal but uSD offsets, 1GB RAM, quality build and reported ICS in January are real pluses. Price ($330) is steep but if you can get it on BF then do so.
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
BTW I would not count on HC or ICS for the KF. No reason for Amazon to do that as it doesn't add revenue to buying anything from Amazon. B&N only upped the NC to 2.2 Froyo after almost a year on 2.1 then stopped.
skeeterpro said:
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.
I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
I have to add that I tried quite a few devices before settling on my 7". I brought home a couple, the Iconia screen was just unacceptable period, the angle you will want to view it the most is the worst, every Iconia I've seen has this problem on both sides of the border. Not to mention not so great battery life although I did find it better than the reviews, and random FCs. I eventually settled on a Flyer and it's miles ahead of the Iconia, what a polished device, it just works, so smooth, has a really nice screen, and is solid built.
I'm here cause I'm looking at the KF myself for my kids, but it sounds like it will be more trouble than it's worth to get them working north of the border. I tried a Vox for a couple of days and it was just so buggy, slow and locked down.
bsoplinger said:
I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also considered the Flyer when I bought the A100. The digitizer for note taking attracted me but not paying upwards to $70-80 for the pen. No HC was a turn-off with little hope of upgrade. That plus a couple articles spectulating HTC getting out of the tab business broke the deal for me. But I have read that the Flyer is a serviceable device indeed!
---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 AM ----------
sgood1971 said:
Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!
To be completely honest, most of the things that I've noticed have performance issues are the Amazon-specific things -- the bottom buttons, the stock launcher, etc. In fact, everything else, now that I've rooted it, runs just fine even when I limit the processor to 600MHz per core.
I really am pretty sure the biggest performance thing is Amazon's modifications to the Android stuff. So, that *may* be fixed in upcoming updates. Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!
I've noticed intermittant sluggish performance only on Silk Browser. Using Opera Browser instead solves this and is much faster browsing experience.
skeeterpro said:
Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the link. I did indeed use the search, I always do. Unfortunately my search-foo must have been weak indeed today.
Thanks again.
mewshi said:
Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.
matt314159 said:
This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True enough but regardless keep your hopes and expectations realistic. Remember that this device was not designed to be an open android tablet. The overlay and mods from Amazon might be tough to completely delete or bypass. Could be wrong but even so it's a $200 device. It will only ever be that. Which is fine but it is what it is.
I own a flyer also and it is a great tablet. I also bought the Fire for what is was advertised for, media content from Amazon. I don't intend on rooting because I think it performs just fine as it is. For your kids, watching movies, games and reading, I think they would enjoy this 7 inch device.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using xda premium
After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.
xodlike said:
After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know.. display on that was one thing i never really thought about. heh.
At this point, I have to say the Fire is a keeper for me. What put it over the edge was that I was able to sideload the ereader.com app and read my books in full screen (I have been using this site for ebooks for more than a decade and probably have 200+ books in that library). The ereader app won't let me unlock my books on my Archos Honeycomb tablet and my HTC Flyer on Gingerbread will unlock the books, but the app is the screen size of a phone and I can't figure out how to make it bigger.
The Fire is the only device I can stream Amazon Instant Video without stuttering and allows me to use Netflix and Hulu too.
I've managed to sideload my manga reader apps and some other apps I love.
I can't plug a hard drive in, but I can stream with my Go Flex satellite.
Surfing isn't any better than any other device I own (maybe a little bit slower), but I can live with it for the other benefits.
Still not giving up my other tablets though
Expecting a "full featured" tablet from a $200 tablet is silly. The Kindle wasn't built to be a rooted device, it wasn't built to do all the things that Android tablets can do (GPS, bluetooth, video/voice calling, etc), it was built to be a media consumption device and a reader. It does both of those things well, and anything else it can do is just extra goodness. If you need more storage, GPS, bluetooth, or any of those other features... I'd recommend going with another tablet. You'll be spending more, but you get what you pay for.

7" Android 4 (ICS) tablet/16GB/capacative IPS screen/case/USB host cable - $139

I've bought a few tablets from this company and they're great. Cheap, work well, and the support is very good. The most recent tablet I got is the basically the same as this one: review here. But when I went to buy another for my brother they now include a case (neoprene), 8GB SanDisk microSD card and the tablet is laser etched with their logo on the back (looks pretty cool and is pretty subtle). I paid $10 more than the last tablet without the card or case - so $10 for an 8GB card and case is pretty good. All in all a great deal for the price. I've had a bunch of cheap tablets and these are by far the best. The metal housing is a nice touch and really makes them feel solid (and the wifi works great, doesn't seem to interfere). I also really like the fact they come rooted (don't even need superuser) and with a USB host cable (all tablets should include this). They ship really fast too, only took 2 days to get the first 2 tablets and 3 days for the last.
Here's the amazon link
Specs from Amazon:
~ Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS (4.0.3 is currently loaded)
~ 7" 800x480 capacitive 5 points-touch IPS screen
~ A10 ARM processor running at 1.2 GHz - 1.5GHz (1.29 is the fastest I've been able to run stably at)
~ 8GB internal storage + 8GB MicroSD card pre-installed (support up to 64GB)
~ 4-dimensional G-sensor Screen
~ 512MB DDR3 RAM
~ 0.3MP front camera
~ WiFi 802.11b/g (speeds up to 54mbs)
~ Google Play (formerly Google Market) installed
~ Flash 11.1 installed
Thats a good deal...but although it's up to date running the latest firmware where would you find any future development for the device? I ask if I were to buy one for myself (have a Kindle Fire) but I do know a few people that wouldn't mind a tablet like this Thanks for the find!
erad1 said:
Thats a good deal...but although it's up to date running the latest firmware where would you find any future development for the device? I ask if I were to buy one for myself (have a Kindle Fire) but I do know a few people that wouldn't mind a tablet like this Thanks for the find!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about future development but I'm sure there are people here working on it. The tablet is based of off the A10 platform as far as I know and as prices come down more people will be working on developing them further. For the price, it's by far the nicest "cheap" tablet I've had and I've tried a ton of other no name tabs - Aniol, Coby, PanDigital, Velocity, Superpad, etc., this one is by far the best...
Anyone else tried this tablet?
Is there another link to this product anywhere else? I am interested in buying it but amazon.com doesnt ship to Canada.
jonnyg1097 said:
Is there another link to this product anywhere else? I am interested in buying it but amazon.com doesnt ship to Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this as I wouldnt mind getting one for my 7yo.
This looks awesome but I can't find anything on (this) Magnus brand though...
(maybe they have some other cool tablets...)
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
dferrey said:
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some pretty good lowered tier tablets, like ainol. You just need to find the correct forums that has custom ROMs from developers.
slatedroid.com
tabletrepublic.com
best advice, is to research before you buy.
dferrey said:
I don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but I got a bad taste in my mouth when I purchased a PanDigital 7" tablet. The screen touch sensitivity was horrible. It was alternately slow to react and over sensitive. I had to return it.
My guess is not all have the same problem but without benefit of multiple honest reviews, I'm staying away from the lower tier of tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen on the one's I've received has been very responsive, pretty much on par with my Xoom (just a tad, and I mean milliseconds, slower to react).
Also, when I went to use a 64gb microsd it worked without a hitch. On my Xoom I had to reformat the card to get it to work. On the Magnus Tab it just worked...

Nook HD+ at Walmart & BestBuy - $149.00

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nook-HD-16GB/21907395
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Barnes+...7993&ci_src=11138&ref=39&CJPID=6146850&loc=01
xboxexpert said:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nook-HD-16GB/21907395
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Barnes+...7993&ci_src=11138&ref=39&CJPID=6146850&loc=01
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or you could go right to the source
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Also at Target for the same price.
I read this today and it got me thinking. I have a HTC flyer which is a single core 1.5ghz tablet running honeycomb. Is this tablet worth the purchase in comparison to a 3yr old tab?
mcord11758 said:
I read this today and it got me thinking. I have a HTC flyer which is a single core 1.5ghz tablet running honeycomb. Is this tablet worth the purchase in comparison to a 3yr old tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very subjective question with different answers.
Spec comparison here:
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/co...,Barnes---Noble-NOOK-HD/phones/7511,5339,7512
Yea I know just itching for a new device but not in the market for something expensive
mcord11758 said:
Yea I know just itching for a new device but not in the market for something expensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded my failing htc flyer for one of the HD+. I don't regret it one bit.
$145 for full HD screen is a steal. Battery life is better than the flyer was (even on GB).
Headphone sound quality is much much better than the flyer, mono external speaker is worse.
The only thing to realize is that the tablet is only really usable (for me) after rooting and installing cm10.1. But if I remember you from the flyer forums, this isn't a problem for you.
The barnes n noble modified OS, even with google play is clunky and slow.
mcord11758 said:
I read this today and it got me thinking. I have a HTC flyer which is a single core 1.5ghz tablet running honeycomb. Is this tablet worth the purchase in comparison to a 3yr old tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have the 32gb HTC Flyer. It is fast for a single core, built well and has a decent camera. The negatives compared to Nook:
Slower with 3d games
Slower for emulators
Display is dull and low res in comparison
Nook with Cm 10.1 is the better buy.
jamus28 said:
I just upgraded my failing htc flyer for one of the HD+. I don't regret it one bit.
$145 for full HD screen is a steal. Battery life is better than the flyer was (even on GB).
Headphone sound quality is much much better than the flyer, mono external speaker is worse.
The only thing to realize is that the tablet is only really usable (for me) after rooting and installing cm10.1. But if I remember you from the flyer forums, this isn't a problem for you.
The barnes n noble modified OS, even with google play is clunky and slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rushless said:
I still have the 32gb HTC Flyer. It is fast for a single core, built well and has a decent camera. The negatives compared to Nook:
Slower with 3d games
Slower for emulators
Display is dull and low res in comparison
Nook with Cm 10.1 is the better buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sold my Flyer tonight for $100, was looking for a little more but took what I could get. Going to head to a B&N and pick one of these up. something new to play with. just deciding if I should jump straight to emmc CM10.1 or start with the sd card first. thanks for the advice. will see you around
mcord11758 said:
sold my Flyer tonight for $100, was looking for a little more but took what I could get. Going to head to a B&N and pick one of these up. something new to play with. just deciding if I should jump straight to emmc CM10.1 or start with the sd card first. thanks for the advice. will see you around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you'll boot it up ..make sure you setup a B&N account before booting for 1st time,register with B&N (for the 1 yr warranty) upon 1st boot.
then after checking out the clunky stock rom( I allowed it to do the 2.1 ota update ..checked again ..saw it was still clunky )
Make your CWM boot microsd .. I followed " e.mote " s guide for dummies ( I used a Samsung 8gb class 6 that I'd last used to flash an evo3d with with the " leapinlar "s 4gb cwm boot image) Doing the 4gb cwm image will make a 4gb or greater show as a 4gb but this is easily sdformatter fixable once you've done your backups and moved them to a pc
" verygreen "'s emmc CM 10.1 it and gapps
.most likely won't never look back
.
Bokbokan's hybrid CWM
Got the hd+ a couple of days ago. Jumped on bokbokan's hybrid CWM and CM10.1 after registering with B&N.
Easiest install imaginable. Works flawlessly and cyanoboot for easy flipbacks to stock is great. Highly recommended
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2300132

New tablets from Asus

Asus is just about to release two new products, the "new Asus Transformer Pad" and the Fonepad 7.
I was surprised to see the Transformer using a Tegra chip, since it isn't a big deal against its competitor. Also, the camera has a lower resolution. The screen is really cool and the other props are great too. I think for now I'll stick with my TF300T. It still works without issues and Android 4.3 is rocking on here. But the Fonepad 7 have my attention. I wonder how does it go against the Nexus 7 with 3G.
What do you guys think?
joelalmeidaptg said:
Asus is just about to release two new products, the "new Asus Transformer Pad" and the Fonepad 7.
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new transformer (TF701T) is the successor to the TF700 (not the TF300). Looks like a substantial improvement in specs, and Tegra 4 is (supposed to be) considerably better than Tegra 3, multiple times faster both in CPU and GPU performance. But unknown how it fairs against the best of the current competition. Unfortunately, the Tegra 4 GPU is a little behind the times in terms of API support (still at DX 9 level, OpenGL ES 2), the Tegra 5 will fix that next year. This may, or may not, be important with some games and modern graphics-reliant apps.
I am not replacing my TF300 anytime soon either. It serves me fine still. Holding on until 2014...
YOU FORGOT THE ASUS BOOK TRIO!!!!!
Well I'm tempted because of the higher resolution and the better ppi but not sure just yet. Wanted to buy the new S Galaxy also so I'm taking a wait and see approach here.
Having said that, I would never pay more than 500 euro for my tablet the Trio while nice will for sure be too expensive. Not a big fan of Windows 8 and the ehole swipe gesture thing.
I will go with tf 701 for android or the asus taichi if you like windows.
frankgreimes said:
Well I'm tempted because of the higher resolution and the better ppi but not sure just yet. Wanted to buy the new S Galaxy also so I'm taking a wait and see approach here.
Having said that, I would never pay more than 500 euro for my tablet the Trio while nice will for sure be too expensive. Not a big fan of Windows 8 and the ehole swipe gesture thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The asus Trio isnt a tablet, so putting a 500 euro price on tablets doesnt make sense. Its an actual touch screen laptop, with an i7, that also just happens to have android. I for one cant wait. If its under 1000 USD Ill likely pick it up I love the look / design ( although it would likely never be undocked ).
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
pyraxiate said:
The asus Trio isnt a tablet, so putting a 500 euro price on tablets doesnt make sense. Its an actual touch screen laptop, with an i7, that also just happens to have android. I for one cant wait. If its under 1000 USD Ill likely pick it up I love the look / design ( although it would likely never be undocked ).
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand where you are coming from, but paying around 1000 USD for a small screen and underpowered ultrabook doesn't make sense to me, I know it will run smoothly and featuring an i7 is impressive but: the battery-life will also be a big factor.
I know it may be a personal preference but I'd rather have a 500 USD tablet and a 700 USD ultrabook.
frankgreimes said:
I understand where you are coming from, but paying around 1000 USD for a small screen and underpowered ultrabook doesn't make sense to me, I know it will run smoothly and featuring an i7 is impressive but: the battery-life will also be a big factor.
I know it may be a personal preference but I'd rather have a 500 USD tablet and a 700 USD ultrabook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to pick on you, but I hardly consider anything with an i7 underpowered. The intel atom processor only powers the android system. The battery life specs are listed for each on their own. When combined, they also add power to whichever system is on. Ive seen speculation of 16/18 hrs docked on the android side, and 7-10 hours running windows. This device has more much more power and features than a macbook air. Any 4th generation i7 touchscreen laptop wont be cheap my friend.
Personally I love my tf300t and replaced my horrible asus prime with it. I had an i7 macbook pro but a friend needed something decent, and I wasnt using it since the asus became my primary device ( aside from my phone...a note 2 ). I also have a custom built i7 3770k / 32gb ram desktop at home hooked up to 2 - 26" samsung screens. Thats where the bulk of my work takes place whem im home.
There are always times while im out that I wish I had a windows device with me for microsoft specific tasks. Since I always have my asus with me. Swapping the tf300 out for something like the trio would make perfect sense. I would still have the horsepower to edit / render video and run photoshop on the fly and still not have to be plugged in all day as Android would be the main system in use. Also its a pain going to the desktop in the basement anytime I needed to use odin / fastboot / adb, or need to do something light but in a hurry.
You are absolutely correct tho, its all a matter of personal opinion.
http://press.asus.com/events/asus-transformer-book-trio.php
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/asus-announces-the-transformer-book-trio-likens-it-to-a-laptop/
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
pyraxiate said:
Not to pick on you, but I hardly consider anything with an i7 underpowered. The intel atom processor only powers the android system. The battery life specs are listed for each on their own. When combined, they also add power to whichever system is on. Ive seen speculation of 16/18 hrs docked on the android side, and 7-10 hours running windows. This device has more much more power and features than a macbook air. Any 4th generation i7 touchscreen laptop wont be cheap my friend.
Personally I love my tf300t and replaced my horrible asus prime with it. I had an i7 macbook pro but a friend needed something decent, and I wasnt using it since the asus became my primary device ( aside from my phone...a note 2 ). I also have a custom built i7 3770k / 32gb ram desktop at home hooked up to 2 - 26" samsung screens. Thats where the bulk of my work takes place whem im home.
There are always times while im out that I wish I had a windows device with me for microsoft specific tasks. Since I always have my asus with me. Swapping the tf300 out for something like the trio would make perfect sense. I would still have the horsepower to edit / render video and run photoshop on the fly and still not have to be plugged in all day as Android would be the main system in use. Also its a pain going to the desktop in the basement anytime I needed to use odin / fastboot / adb, or need to do something light but in a hurry.
You are absolutely correct tho, its all a matter of personal opinion.
http://press.asus.com/events/asus-transformer-book-trio.php
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/asus-announces-the-transformer-book-trio-likens-it-to-a-laptop/
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called it underpowered compared to "only" ultra-books of the new generation. Since I will never use a laptop, ultrabook without a DVD or Blueray option the Macbook was never of any interest for me. I've had a Vaio for a few years, but the battery life sucked (2 hours!)
I am not going to judge the Trio before I've tested it, but I am just a bit skeptical if Asus or any manufacturer at this point can deliver the promised Windows & Android experience at a reasonable price with enough power. Sure, the specs and datasheets are looking fine but we'll see.
Feeling with you I know especially when it comes down to doing office stuff I'd love to have a real desktop instead of my tablet to work on.
For now I am very excited for the TF 701 and taking a wait and see approach with the Trio.
// Edit //
Forgot to mention, that running Windows 8 will also enable you to dualboot Linux Mint, Ubuntu so that's a great choice I didn't think off.
I added the more tabs to the list
frankgreimes said:
I called it underpowered compared to "only" ultra-books of the new generation. Since I will never use a laptop, ultrabook without a DVD or Blueray option the Macbook was never of any interest for me. I've had a Vaio for a few years, but the battery life sucked (2 hours!)
I am not going to judge the Trio before I've tested it, but I am just a bit skeptical if Asus or any manufacturer at this point can deliver the promised Windows & Android experience at a reasonable price with enough power. Sure, the specs and datasheets are looking fine but we'll see.
Feeling with you I know especially when it comes down to doing office stuff I'd love to have a real desktop instead of my tablet to work on.
For now I am very excited for the TF 701 and taking a wait and see approach with the Trio.
// Edit //
Forgot to mention, that running Windows 8 will also enable you to dualboot Linux Mint, Ubuntu so that's a great choice I didn't think off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait and see is exactly what im doing. I am also interested in the new Padfone. It looks like an awesome combination of tech, minus windows 8. I always use my tablet and phone together anyway. The fact that I could use the phone to power the Tablet and still have a keyboard dock... just awesome
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
pyraxiate said:
Wait and see is exactly what im doing. I am also interested in the new Padfone. It looks like an awesome combination of tech, minus windows 8. I always use my tablet and phone together anyway. The fact that I could use the phone to power the Tablet and still have a keyboard dock... just awesome
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like some of the ideas Asus has and how they are putting it together, been a fan of this company since building my first custom PC their mainboards are just the best bar none by far.
Would be awesome, if Asus could find a way to make the battery removable and expand the RAM.
for me too
frankgreimes said:
I really like some of the ideas Asus has and how they are putting it together, been a fan of this company since building my first custom PC their mainboards are just the best bar none by far.
Would be awesome, if Asus could find a way to make the battery removable and expand the RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good:
I added the video of the new thingy

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