Looking for a Jelly Bean Tablet - Page 3

I've never messed with a retail one but I've never noticed an "drag" to it nor any lift in the screen or washed out colors...

Also have to remember this is a $200 device...

i wouldnt mind minor lift ..but these lifts often result in cracked screen without actual physical damage

Nexus 7 is the best you can probably get. Either that or Nexus 10.1" as you mentioned.

Actually atm there is three very similar tablets in the roughly same price ballpark for the 7'' 1280x800 IPS, these are the Nexus 7, Amazon kindle fire and Ainol 7 Flame/Fire models. The first two seem to be very cloud oriented (small internal memory, no SD slot) while the last one is more traditional. BTW with an custom ROM you can turn your Novo 7 Fire into a "Nexus 7" with SD and HDMI by just making the google store think you its nexus 7, dunno, however, if you get also the cloud that way. Novo Fire is as low as 150$ online while the other two are usually available between ~ 200 - 275 $.

The difference is that,

1) Amazon Kindle Fire: Bootloader unlocked. Not a "Android certified" device. It uses Android but doesn't utilize Google Apps. It also uses the Amazon App Store which isn't as good as Google Play Store by any means, so why should I invest into the Amazon App Store when I can get the same app on the Play Store and have faster updates? Plus, I won't support locked bootloaders.
http://phandroid.com/2012/09/17/latest-kindle-fire-devices-have-high-security-bootloader-workaround-methods-may-be-tricky/

2) Never even heard of this tablet and won't bother to look it up as it is not very popular. Why would I get this tablet compared to a Nexus 7 when it is a Google Nexus device with updates coming directly from Google? It got 4.1.2 yesterday. My Galaxy Nexus already has 4.1.2 whereas the majority of Android users are still on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.X).

16GB is being replaced by 32GB Nexus 7's. Don't even get started with custom ROMs when it comes to a Nexus device. Nexus 7 is already a very popular device to hack and mod simply because it is a Nexus device. A no named device (in this case Novo 7 Fire) cannot compare to development of a Nexus device, fact.

Interested in this discussion...looking for the final word on the OP if he went for the N7...

The main reasons to get this device over the nexus 7 would be (1) ~ 25% cheaper; (2) has mSD slot for up to 64 GB extra storage (3) has the mHDMI slot so you can watch stuff from your TV if you want to.

Ofc if you can live fine without SD and HDMI and the 25% price difference is not significant to you then Nexus 7 will have better support. Nexus 7 has also some features that lack in the novo 7, like the aGPS and google cloud. There is pretty good comparison table in these forums comparing the most popular 7'' tablets - http://www.overclock.net/t/1286810/comparison-of-best-7-tablets/50#post_18329734 For me the Ainol 7 fire seems better value, but thats subjective. Let me list what I got for about the same price as Nexus 7 -
(1) Ainol Novo 7'' Fire tablet (148$ with free shipping)
(2) Holux M-1000C bluetooth GPS logger (~40$) - can be used standalone and log up to 200 000 waypoints and/or can provide GPS coordinates over bluetooth.
(3) External 5V 5000mAh battery, 80-Key QWERTY Wired Keyboard w/ Protective Leather Case for 7~8" Tablet PC - Coffee, Micro USB 5-Pin Male to USB Female Adapter, Gold Plated Stretchable 1080P Mini HDMI M-M Shielded Connection Cable, HDMI/F to DVI 24+5/M Adapter, DVI 24+1/F to VGA/M Adapter, VGA F-F Gender Changer, USB 2.0 4-Port HUB (~55$)

That out of the way I do expect that I have to fiddle substantially more with my tablet to get it all functional and the way I like while the Nexus 7 would have been better experience "right out of the box".

1) $199 as a starting price up to $249 for a Nexus 7 with updates coming STRAIGHT FROM GOOGLE with HUGE development support from XDA because its a Nexus device... paying 25% more is worth it.
microSD: You don't need to store your whole multimedia on your tablet, it's unnecessary. You can use the cloud, local cache, etc. 32GB is replacing 16GB http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/10/10/nexus-7-32gb-may-replace-16gb-version-and-android-4-1-2-released/ -- 32GB is sufficient enough without microSD. 8GB are for people who use the device as a reading device with minimal videoviewing.

It's like saying.... you're going to get a Samsung/HTC/Motorola device versus a brand that is not very popular. You get more out of the non popular brand but long term, Nexus devices are highly supported throughout the community. Plus Nexus 7 is using Tegra 3 (Quad-Core) vs Dual-Core
http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs vs http://ipadalternative.com/high-end-tablet-pcs/119-ainol-novo-7-flame-dual-core-android-403-ics-16gb-1280800px-dual-camera.html
Tegra 3 CPU & GPU > Novo 7.. specs indicate, Add up to 32GB via micro sd card... so I'm unsure if 64GB is allowed or 32GB is cap.

CyanogenMod is also fully supported on Nexus 7. Google updates binaries and kernel sources right away -- a more compatible ROM and less buggy. That list you posted is a guy's opinion, just like yours and I. Google is also releasing a $99 tablet later this year rumored.

Nexus 7 is a better value, ~25% more expensive as you mentioned.... for a QUAD CORE. There's no point in getting a tablet without proper support from the manufacturer & community. The dev community for that tablet isn't even on XDA (doesn't have a forum)

.... not to mention, the OP did say "looking for Jelly Bean" tablet. Not ICS. Sure you can custom ROM and flash a Jelly Bean build when it comes out. But you know what? Android 4.2 is around the corner, Nexus 7 will have it right away and custom ROMs for that will be out asap; whereas, the Novo 7 may struggle to get a 100% working ROM day one. Quad core as I mentioned previously, Nexus 7 has more "long-term life" and overall a better investment.
Edited by zephiK - 10/10/12 at 3:19am

Thats subjective. As far as I have seen for many people the SD card slots seems to be rather important as while cloud is nice many people use their tablets in a way that makes it hard to connect to a cloud (say, watching a movie in metro). As far as the list I linked goes, I did not see anything subjective in it - there are just numbers side by side comparing the currently popular 7'' tablets. As far as custom ROM's go these exist to some degree to all these tablets in the list as far as I'm aware.

Anyway, as what is "best" is subjective I think its best to just agree to disagree on this subject. Nexus 7 is obviously working out very well for you.

I was in here just to point out to the OP some additional possibilities in addition to Nexus 7 and I'm quite sure the OP is quite capable of making up his mind based on what he is needing and thinking thats important in a tablet.

32GB is more than sufficient to put your movies on without expandable memory. The Nexus 7 has WAY more ROMs and support from the development, you don't get this because you aren't aware of XDA fully. Anyone coming from XDA forums knows that Nexus devices are known for developer support from many many many ROM creators and it has official support from the CyanogenMod team.

Not everybody wants to root and flash custom ROMs, just because its for you doesn't mean its for someone else. Out of the box, the Nexus 7 is a great device for $199-$249 for a Tegra 3 Quad-core.
OP wants Jelly Bean, not ICS. You shouldn't have to go through the process of possibly bricking your new device to get to Jelly bean.

And no, Nexus 7 is not working out very well for me at all because I don't have the device. Just because I'm recommending the device to OP doesn't mean I have to own it but as an active user of the XDA forums and on top of my knowledge in terms of mobile devices--Nexus 7 is the best 7" tablet down and various tech blogs incl. Engadget, Verge, and many more also recommend it. It's hard not to when you're getting a quad-core processor with direct updates from Google. That's a sell. $99 nexus tablet later this year from Google? hands down, Google is changing the game when it comes to prices for specifications.

Your decision to recommend OP a tablet that is unknown on Ice Cream Sandwich and have to go through tweaking your device fully just to get to Jelly Bean. What about Android 4.2? What happens then? How long will that take for that tablet get 4.2? Will it be fully functional? Will drivers work?

Google Nexus 7:
- Android 4.2 right away (Received 4.1.2 yesterday)
- Binaries released asap
- Kernel sources asap
- NVIDIA Tegra 3 Open Source of platform
- CyanogenMod 10, AOKP support
- Great kernel developer support such as Trinity.
- Overclock to 2.0 GHz ( http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-7-2ghz-overclock-delivers-benchmark-crushing-tablet-27243969/ )
- $199 - $249 // 16GB replaced by 32GB supposedly.
.... and more.

OP can decide what tablet he wants to get. I'm done here, I made my point.
Edited by zephiK - 10/10/12 at 3:35am