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Hey guys, like i said in in the title (and having been on xda for a while) I hate myself for posting a "should i buy" thread, but i think i must have missed something.
As far as i see it the vega has pretty much the same spec as tablets double its price (thinking xoom / eee transforma) and yet the only difference i can see is the shipped android version and 1.2ghs processor vs 1.0ghz in the vega.
I have a HD2 and am happy flashing and running custom roms (running Android on my HD2) so as far as I see it i can get honeycomb flashed in the not too distant future when the boys finish the ROM build and just overclock to 1.4ghz and I am away.
And here in lies my question really, is the touchscreen nice to use? Whats the viewing angle like? HDMI out actually any good in the real world? Anyone use the tablet for work and not just media?
I would like to be able to use an openoffice / MS application on my tablet and if i could connect it up to projectors/tvs via hdmi for presentations and media that would be a real bonus - but only if it actually looks decent and works well.
Thanks for the time taken to read this, I am serious about buying but dont want to waste cash on the vega if people think the eee transforma would be more suitable.
Thanks;
Andy
is the touchscreen nice to use?
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Yes
Whats the viewing angle like?
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Not enough
HDMI out actually any good in the real world?
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Yes, it's good
I would like to be able to use an openoffice / MS application on my tablet and if i could connect it up to projectors/tvs via hdmi for presentations and media that would be a real bonus - but only if it actually looks decent and works well.
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There is no OO (or LibreOffice or MS office) at all/ There is Google Docs and Pixel Office
Thanks for such a quick reply. Google docs is fine i think but does it work offline on the tablet ok? Whats pixcel office like?
Battery life about as advertised (8hours)
Sorry for rippling questions in, i guess im just trying to work out what i would get extra for over twice the cash in a xoom / eee.
The key difference in price seems to be tied to screen quality and what the big names think they can get away with charging. Clearly the Motorola has a much better screen display than the Vega. However, for the price, the Vega is great for trying things out. There are a number of different user ROM's available and you can see how to push the technology without worrying about messing up your 'expensive' tablet. Also the Vega is UNBRICKABLE.
I use QuickOffice HD on the Vega and find it able to cope with MS Office 2010 Docs and Spreadsheets with no major issues.
I usee quickoffice works a treat also corvus and newbe5 have created a honeycomb port which is still in progress but something to look towards to if you buy one
Thanks for the answers guys. Im actually in a position to buy one vat free at the moment so with the latest dixons price thats £160 for a 10in tablet. Im kind of finding it hard to tell myself the xoom screen would be worth the extra £300 but you guys have the advent what do you think?
Also, whats the max internal storage i can get 16gb microsd? Will USB thumb drives autmount when inserted?
And can you charge the advent via usb?
(I should say im out of the uk at the moment hence why i cant see the advent but can get vat free - gives with one hand..)
Thanks
I have an old-batch Vega, with a worse screen, and I'm not unhappy with it (it can be testy, but it works). The new batch has better screens, more responsive, so the main qualm against the device is partially deflected. For 160 punds you cannot go wrong: it's a super-budget price for a quite capable tablet. Right now there are new smartphones which are not up to the horsepower of an Advent Vega. And if you overclock it... oh boy. 1,4 Ghz at your service. Believe me, the Advent Vega is a steal.
I am running with a 32GB Micro SDHC which I think is the max it can take. You need to get the system into USB Host mode, which needs some changes either to the stock rom, or use one of the very good alternate roms, if you want to plug a USB Stick onto it, but you shouldn't have the need.
I don't think the Xoom is worth the extra at the moment while I am still assessing whether the tablet is an indispensable device for daily use. I do use the Vega daily though and find the screen fine if a little tight on brightness and viewing angle.
There is an over-clock kernel available here now that also gets the Vega to out-perform the Xoom.
32gb would be perfect - and im pretty much mind made up.
Custom ROM
32GB Micro
Overclock to 1.2 as a starter for 10
Android 3 when the boys get round to finishing it.
Thanks for all of your help / comments
I´m sorry to borrow your topic but I´m also considering buying this device (or POV Mobii since they pretty much share the same hardware) and no doubt that all this replies help make me rest assured that this is the best low budget tablet around, however I just cannot find a way to order this to Portugal.
I tried Amazon (only shows POV Mobii and for 280 pounds (!) which makes me feel like i´m being robbed) Ebay and other known on-line shops to no success.
Can anyone tell me where can I order this device (and identical ones as told before) on-line within EU? The ones I come across with at Ebay are from UK and none of them ship to Portugal, which is a shame.
Although I have the possibility I refuse to pay 500€+ for a device that otherwise would cost half if there was none of this tablet hype thingy messing with the markets (Shame on you Mr. Jobs).
Any help is appreciated guys.
Thank you,
Mix
Hi Badmix.
You can try to order the PoV Mobii Tegra from Amazon.de .. I don't know about the shipping to Portugal, but the Price in DE is 280€. Just try it if the price is ok for you
best regards
£160 !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
JUST BUY it... just buy it now... don't waste the chance!!!
It's an absolutely steal!!!
32Gb - no problem (I have 16gb and don't use it all)
overclock? - Corvus 1.5Ghz done.
USB drive, mouse n keyboard? - custom kernel (needs reboot) or use the dock station (as I do)
BadMix said:
I´m sorry to borrow your topic but I´m also considering buying this device (or POV Mobii since they pretty much share the same hardware) and no doubt that all this replies help make me rest assured that this is the best low budget tablet around, however I just cannot find a way to order this to Portugal.
I tried Amazon (only shows POV Mobii and for 280 pounds (!) which makes me feel like i´m being robbed) Ebay and other known on-line shops to no success.
Can anyone tell me where can I order this device (and identical ones as told before) on-line within EU? The ones I come across with at Ebay are from UK and none of them ship to Portugal, which is a shame.
Although I have the possibility I refuse to pay 500€+ for a device that otherwise would cost half if there was none of this tablet hype thingy messing with the markets (Shame on you Mr. Jobs).
Any help is appreciated guys.
Thank you,
Mix
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If you are still unclear, Advent are a firm under the Currys/PCWorld brand and only operate in the UK.
If you can find someone who is willing to buy for you (for a 'fee' maybe), then that is prob the best way to go.
Hope this helps.
Thank you for the helpful replies.
I just ordered from a German shop the POV Mobii Tegra for 236£ (270€) and I am pretty sure that I could not have done a better deal for the amount of money i was willing to spend.
Next step: buying a decent case to give my new investment the biggest life spawn possible.
Cheers guys once again.
Mix
Anyone know where to get this less then £200 in the UK
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Ebay have a fair few if you want nearly new.
Other than that dixons group have the monopoly on this item sadly.
Okay thanks, another question that is keeping me from buying this is that I'm wondering whether the Vega has multitouch problems like the desire and nexus one, also has anyone played games like Nova and how does it run and is it playable with the multitouch.
Logseman said:
I have an old-batch Vega, with a worse screen
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Is there a way to tell whether a Vega is of the old or the new batch with the nicer screen?
Asking because there is a used one that I am considering.
Thank you!
Hello all. Got my tab today from ebay and have mixed feelings. First off, I like this tablet better than the xoom-hands down. However, I may have the glass seperation issue on the upper right corner, I hope it doesn't get any worse. Also, I cannot find the 3.1 update yet-can't even pick USA as a location to look for an update. Is this tablet worth keeping? I can't even install Google Voice. Your thoughts please.
Thank you for your honesty.
If you search hard enough on this forum you will find a HC-compatible GV app.
And I'm sure once the product goes retail you'll be able to get the 3.1 update (assuming that Samsung will have it ready as of 6/8).
Is it worth keeping? I think only you can answer that question.
There is a Voice function with search already in 3.0.1 on the 10.1. As to GV I thought that Goole were still working on a fully compatible version of GV.
I bought Toshiba Thrive yesterday from Bestbuy (yes, they have it in store, but currently it's not on display). So far it's looks and feel good, well other than the thickness and 1.6lb, but it does have lots option not available in other tabs yet (full hdmi, USB, micro usb and replaceable battery).
Currently I don't see any dedicated thread for this tab. I hope Devs show some love for this awesome tab from Toshiba.
Congrats for your purchase. I am also the one who is longing for a dedicated Xda forum for the Thrive/AT100. We need a community! Could you tell us more about the tablet you got please?
How is the screen?
OY! I ordered mine on 6/13 (First day to order) and I don't expect it for another two weeks!?!?!?
I purchased mine at Fry's today...after checking availability on their website (which shows 32BG model available). My store has the 16GB and 32GB versions in stock. No Toshiba tablet on display, fyi.
Ive got one on order but may try Frys today. This tablet needs some XDA love for sure!!
I'm experiencing a problem with the tablet's sleep mode. Sometimes, after a sleep mode of 15 minutes or more, I am not able to wake up the screen with a power-button quick press. I literally have to depress the power button until the tablet completely powers/shuts off and then depress the power button again to start up the tablet.
Same thing here. I don't really care for the launcher either. I tried ADW and it looked good but just not right. Yep, this thing needs to be Dev'd.
I contacted Toshiba Support and was told that they would try to fix the "sleep mode" issue with a future firmware update. Also, I set the tablet's alarm clock (for the next morning), and it didn't go off due to the sleep mode problem.
I like the Toshiba Thrive tablet, but this particular flaw is prompting me to return it to the store.
How I fixed My Toshiba Thrive sleep Issue
I had the same issue when the tablet went into sleep mode it wouldn't wake up it would just blink. In order to turn it back on I had to hold down the power button until it went off then restart it. I fixed it by taking out the battery plugging in the tablet turning it on with no battery, then i put the battery back in and unplugged the device while it was still on it immediately noticed the battery and the sleep problem stopped happening hope this helps.
Edit: I got my thrive early at best at the time this worked for a couple days but then the issue returned again i thought the update would help but I still had the same issue, but now more often.
I just picked up a Thrive at a local Best Buy yesterday. It's very nice so far. I have no sleep issues yet. We need a forum here for this beast.
Mine is on order from Toshiba - have to wait until next week for delivery - the benefits of ordering early.
But I want to add my request to the others for a dedicated forum here for the Thrive. It looks like lots of interesting dev can be done with it.
DiggerG said:
Mine is on order from Toshiba - have to wait until next week for delivery - the benefits of ordering early.
But I want to add my request to the others for a dedicated forum here for the Thrive. It looks like lots of interesting dev can be done with it.
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Me too, I don 't live in the US so I know little about BBuy or Amazon. I thought buying from Toshiba is like buying iproducts from Apple, which guarantees stock supply...sigh thats the way they treat their supporters. Still got a week to go!
krips2003 said:
I bought Toshiba Thrive yesterday from Bestbuy (yes, they have it in store, but currently it's not on display). So far it's looks and feel good, well other than the thickness and 1.6lb, but it does have lots option not available in other tabs yet (full hdmi, USB, micro usb and replaceable battery).
Currently I don't see any dedicated thread for this tab. I hope Devs show some love for this awesome tab from Toshiba.
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Quick question: Does the Thrive handle charging via USB or will it only chanrge through the poswer adaptor or docking station?
Thanks, ryanp0617, for the solution.
It can't be charged via USB.
Got my Thrive and it rocks! Just need to get it rooted! No problems with the sleep issue at all.
Please
I had originally sent an email requesting that a Thrive sub-forum be added. This was the reply I received.
On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 10:28 AM, hobbiteer wrote:
From: hobbiteer
Subject: new forum
Message Body:
Under Toshiba, would the addition of a sub-forum for the Thrive be something which could be created. It is a new tablet coming out July 1
--
This mail is sent via contact form on xda-developers http://www.xda-developers.com
Hi
I will copy your request to our official request list.
--
Regards
Mike Channon
Forum Admin
xda-developers.com
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I had also started a thread
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=15209389
Requesting the same thing. I've been drooling over this tablet since I got the Samsung 10.1. I loved the design of the original 10.1 but the new one annoyed me greatly. So now I am waiting for my Best Buy store to sell them to me. (I've asked, many times, they won't give it up before July 10) and Office Depot, while willing to sell to me, is locked out by their register system. So, I'm waiting. In the mean time, I would really really like a Sub-Forum for it as I have requested. And many others as well.
P.S. I see nothing about posting an email. This email was edited to redact any email address that showed. I saw no problem with it as it was a rather simple, and straight-forward email containing no other connotation. If I have violated a TOS please punish me and allow me to edit the post.
Battery life?
It might be to early to ask this, but what kind of battery life are you guys seeing?
I am getting 12+ hours with lots of usage or in sleep mode, never turning the tablet off.
But the ”sleep bug” got me last night, and now the back cover is not closing/sealing on the side with the power, volume, & WiFi buttons.
I am just coming off 2+ weeks of frustration with the Transformer Prime. I was lucky enough to get mine from Amazon so I returned for a full refund. Despite all the frustration, I realized that an android tablet is a handy gadget that I really would like to own. I am beginning the process of researching for my next purchase and now that I have dealt with Asus, I have a better idea of what I need to figure out before I make a purchase. I am looking into Acer and toshiba.
Can anyone who's owned an Acer tablet answer the following:
I have read Acer is coming out with the A700. Anyone have any thoughts on it?
Do Acer products typically have good quality? Do they last?
How is Acer's RMA process? Do they require you to pay for shipping if the problem is due to manufacturer defect?
Is Acer customer service easy to work with?
How frequent does Acer provide firmware updates?
As with all companies, the quality of the support depends entirely on which country you're in, as well as local legal requirements. Some countries have far better consumer protection than others (UK vs US, for example).
Updates are kinda hit and miss, Acer tend to lag behind some other OEM's.
I generally find build quality to be fairly good, certainly had no complaints on my two tabs.
The above post is exactly true in all ways.. Acer support in the us is outsourced. and that STINKS.. COMPUTER COMPANIES CAN LEAR FEW THINGS BY TALKING TO OR FALLOWING HP Support.. i send them a email of my issue. they call me within a few hours with a answer. I Had a issue with this notebook im typing on. It was a problem with compatibility with a win 7 update to usb. CAMERA ISSUE. A Microsoft tech called me on behalf of hp.. two days later they issued a global wide fix. apparently i was the first to have the issue . I was treated like a person with tech experience not like a dumb customer..
I TO LOVE MY A500. THERE UPDATES When we do get them seem to not break things as with other devices. And less over all issues. With that said who knows when or why they send them.. there is no logic to there update system. I Just wish they would give us the choice to unlock this device or not..
sorry for being so long winded
I found my A501 to be a near-perfect piece of hardware... My main criteria were UMTS and USB HID support, fastboot (for easy recovery if bricked) was a secondary criterion. This tab has all of these (I don't know of any others that do). Also, the device's shell is fairly robust (I have it with me at university almost every day)... The main point of criticism about the HW would be the somewhat weak WiFi antenna (though there's a good remedy for that, search the forum).
About the software... Acer tend to take their time to get things right on the first update, which means that they are somewhat slow to release updates. Then again, I'd rather have something that actually works later than something that doesn't work now...
Customer support is fairly expensive via phone (haven't tried the other options), but friendly and competent here in Germany... Way better than some others I had to deal with.
Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
I want to buy it, but i'd like to ask a few questions first.
First off. It advertises as a Honeycomb tablet. Will there be an OTA ICS update waiting for me when i set it up?
If so, How is ICS on this device? Is it buggy? does everything work? Or will i be constantly rooting/roming to get it to work properly?
If i have to root/rom, How is it? Easy? difficult? oneclick? I know my phone was a pain, but another one i did was a snap. Wanted to know how easy it is to rom this device?
How is video playback? One of the main things i wish to do is play movies/videos. mainly; Netflix, Streaming, and .avi and mp4's. How is playback? I can't stand choppy video or audio-lag. So this is pretty important to me.
Also, Some basic performance reviews would be great. not the main purpose of this thread, but hey, any information is helpful.
I was looking between this and the EeePad transformer. Basically within $20 of eachother.
Thank you.
FourForty said:
Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
I want to buy it, but i'd like to ask a few questions first.
First off. It advertises as a Honeycomb tablet. Will there be an OTA ICS update waiting for me when i set it up?
If so, How is ICS on this device? Is it buggy? does everything work? Or will i be constantly rooting/roming to get it to work properly?
If i have to root/rom, How is it? Easy? difficult? oneclick? I know my phone was a pain, but another one i did was a snap. Wanted to know how easy it is to rom this device?
How is video playback? One of the main things i wish to do is play movies/videos. mainly; Netflix, Streaming, and .avi and mp4's. How is playback? I can't stand choppy video or audio-lag. So this is pretty important to me.
Also, Some basic performance reviews would be great. not the main purpose of this thread, but hey, any information is helpful.
I was looking between this and the EeePad transformer. Basically within $20 of eachother.
Thank you.
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depending where you live you will most likely have ics waiting for you most places have it now ics runs nicely hadn't had any bugs with it so far the video playback is great the only time it starts to lag for me is when 1080p is being streamed to a TV ......rooting and romming is easy enough after root flashing custom roms is about 3 clicks from cmw lol rooting i cant say now i mine was rooted before ics but there's lots of tutorials performance wise it can be over clocked to about 1.5ghz but even not over clocked i hadn't found a game that will make it lag yet even N.O.V.A 3 with its online multi player and sweet graphics xD
Its not all amazing though there are some problems
1.some tablets don't have the best wifi saying even in the same room as the router they get one block of signal i think to be an old Gen problem though....i have surprisingly great wifi connection????
2.The Video recording is TERRIBLE on honeycomb not the video but the sound is all congested and gross,but if you do update it there has been BIG improvements with ics
3.does not like Bluetooth headsets with a mic input it will pair but not connect with most of them ,but some still work xD...
One more thing there is also built in GPS not needing wifi and great for gaming and modding so i think...external 3g Hawaii usb adapter have had success working micro sd works up to 64gb and external hard rive up to 2tb xD good luck hope this helped
FourForty said:
Hello, I've been tablet shopping and i found an A500 for $300 refurb. Best deal i can find around.
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You can beat that price easily. The last one I bought was auction style and got it for $210 shipped. It was the 8gb version. The 16gb can be had for a little more than that if you don't mind playing the auction game. Personally, I'd never pay more than $250 shipped for a refurb. I expect the refurbs to get to the ~$200 price point by the end of the summer.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...+a500&LH_FS=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15&_osacat=171485
As far as the rest... What Gears said.
Thank you both for the replies.
The WiFi connection concerns me a bit. But not a deal-breaker for sure.
Glad to hear video playback is good. As that's most likely going to be my main use of this tablet.
I don't use bluetooth headsets, so not too worried about that.
As for beating the price. Here in Canada, That's literally the best price i could find. Newegg.ca has it for $268. so after tax/fees, it's $301.
I'm not a fan of buying used electronics off ebay. Too much risk. and a boat load of hassle with returns/paypal. well, almost all are final sales. And i don't want to get screwed.
At least with sites such as newegg i get a warranty.
Even with that being said. I used your link and found one on ebay. Currently winning at $122. But with 6-days left. I doubt it will be a good deal. my max is $225, so we'll see how long that lasts.
FourForty said:
Thank you both for the replies.
The WiFi connection concerns me a bit. But not a deal-breaker for sure.
Glad to hear video playback is good. As that's most likely going to be my main use of this tablet.
I don't use bluetooth headsets, so not too worried about that.
As for beating the price. Here in Canada, That's literally the best price i could find. Newegg.ca has it for $268. so after tax/fees, it's $301.
I'm not a fan of buying used electronics off ebay. Too much risk. and a boat load of hassle with returns/paypal. well, almost all are final sales. And i don't want to get screwed.
At least with sites such as newegg i get a warranty.
Even with that being said. I used your link and found one on ebay. Currently winning at $122. But with 6-days left. I doubt it will be a good deal. my max is $225, so we'll see how long that lasts.
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FYI & I don't know if they are available in Canada, but a friend & I each picked up refurbished a500s from the referenced "Official Acer Store" on eBay. They came with a 90 day warranty. It was about 4 months ago and they were $267US then. Upon receipt both appeared to be brand new. Mine has had absolutlely no issues. My friend's developed a couple of horizontal colored lines after about 3 weeks. The Acer Store folks quickly arranged for a prepaid return and sent him another immaculate appearing unit in about a week. It has been flawless. None of the 3 units had any difficulty with Timmy Dean's v3.2.1, HC downgrade , the ICS OTA, or bootloader or ROM mods. Whatever you decide, goodluck. The a500 is a super piece of hardware and these forums are a goldmine of information and hours of reading pleasure!
I bought mine around valentines day off eBay for $280 refurbished, a 16gb version. Got the square trade warranty for $40. The tablet was fine for about a week and then my screen started coming up along the top/bottom edges. So I shipped it back. The second one has had no problem. I rooted, installed recovery, custom rom, and backed up on the first one. When my 2nd tablet came I was able to just root, install recovery and recover from my SD backup with no problem.
I love this tablet! Personally, I choose it over the Asus ones that were out at the time I got mine. From what I've heard, the Asus and other tablets don't allow a constant HDMI out like the Acer. They only utilize it when an app calls it. That could have been a stock rom issue, but even then if u have a newer tf101 u can't unlock it like its older model. As stated above, all games run flawlessly. I can play Shadow Gun then load up GTA3 and switch between the two without either game lagging.
You'll be happy with your purchase after the first minute of playing with the Iconia.
Sent from my Iconia A500 using XDA
WiFi works quite well under Gentoo for me. On Honeycomb, it was sightly buggy at times. The changes in ICS seem to have gotten rid of this issue, for me at least.
apapousek said:
WiFi works quite well under Gentoo for me. On Honeycomb, it was sightly buggy at times. The changes in ICS seem to have gotten rid of this issue, for me at least.
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Agreed i havnt had any wifi issues at all since ics
what specifically do you want to do with a tablet? That should help narrow your search , do you need root? do you need custom roms or is the stock fine? are you into testing? If your squeamish about "tech" stuff ,root /rom wont be your thing ,the stock roms offer alot in these tabs ,just having ICS doesnt ensure you anything over HC , most people have this problem about worrying about updates , getting antsy over it , if you go custom rom it all depends on what your comfortable with , you might change the rom daily ,or you might be totally satisfied ,I have a Windows phone 7 that has a custom rom I installed back in december , havent changed a thing since , On my Acer I couldnt tell where I was a week ago ,everything gets changed between a few days to a week !
Read the dev section , anything by skrillax ,civato ,vache,blkthdr (thor if you can find it) and Moscow desire to name a few and you'll be on the right track and as civato says "dont be a chicken, just do it" otherwise stay stock and wait for Acer............
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