New tablet. 7" or 10"? To root or not to root?

[dkperez]

I have a Nook Color that I rooted into a Nook Tablet. I succeeded, but it was time consuming and painful. So, I'd prefer not to have to root again...
Anyhow, the Nook has been damaged so I'm looking for a new tablet.

I"ve read a couple topics in here. This WON'T be my only machine, or the one I have to do my surfing or editing, or whatever on. I have a dual-30" desktop and a 17" laptop for all that stuff. This is for portability, reading, and convenience.

I'd like to be able to load whatever I want on it... Preferably natively - not side-loading and kludging it. Coolreader, Moonreader, Aldiko, Kindle reader, etc. As well as whatever apps I need - whether it's an ephemeris or Angry Birds, or whatever I'm looking for.

I'll be using it for reading, and some music and/or Internet radio. So far, I haven't been watching movies on the Nook.

I'd LIKE a 10" tablet, but I'm curious whether the advantage of more screen space outweighs the extra weight and clumsiness. Also, if I"m reading on a 10", do I just get a lot more lines if in portrait at the same font size, or do I just get bitter type and need to go to landscape mode with two pages? And how's the quality of I go to 2 pages?

I'm not an Apple fan, so not much interested in the iPad. And I'm hopeless with my wife's Blackberry, so if their tablets are like their phones I'll stay away from those. I like the Nook HD+ or equivalent Fire, but again, I'm back to rooting.

So, do I stay at 7" or go to 10"? Do I go for a Nexus or is there some better, equally cost effective option? Is the Nook HD or HD+ or equivalent Kindle the best bang for the buck or is the Nexus better for what I do? Is there some other option I haven't considered yet?

[ficbot]

I have a full-sized tablet I got because at the time, it was the only kind available. I use it as a laptop replacement for work and I need the full size due to giving presentations on it. But if it were just for my personal use, I prefer the form factor of the smaller ones. I used my tablet a lot this summer and started getting wrist problems from its weight. For extended period use, I like the smaller form factor better.

As for low-cost and hackable, how about the Kobo Arc? Put something like Go Launcher on it to get rid of all the Kobo widgets, and then it will look just like the Nexus, only about $70 cheaper.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by dkperez

I have a Nook Color that I rooted into a Nook Tablet. I succeeded, but it was time consuming and painful. So, I'd prefer not to have to root again...
Anyhow, the Nook has been damaged so I'm looking for a new tablet.

I"ve read a couple topics in here. This WON'T be my only machine, or the one I have to do my surfing or editing, or whatever on. I have a dual-30" desktop and a 17" laptop for all that stuff. This is for portability, reading, and convenience.

I'd like to be able to load whatever I want on it... Preferably natively - not side-loading and kludging it. Coolreader, Moonreader, Aldiko, Kindle reader, etc. As well as whatever apps I need - whether it's an ephemeris or Angry Birds, or whatever I'm looking for.

I'll be using it for reading, and some music and/or Internet radio. So far, I haven't been watching movies on the Nook.

I'd LIKE a 10" tablet, but I'm curious whether the advantage of more screen space outweighs the extra weight and clumsiness. Also, if I"m reading on a 10", do I just get a lot more lines if in portrait at the same font size, or do I just get bitter type and need to go to landscape mode with two pages? And how's the quality of I go to 2 pages?

I'm not an Apple fan, so not much interested in the iPad. And I'm hopeless with my wife's Blackberry, so if their tablets are like their phones I'll stay away from those. I like the Nook HD+ or equivalent Fire, but again, I'm back to rooting.

So, do I stay at 7" or go to 10"? Do I go for a Nexus or is there some better, equally cost effective option? Is the Nook HD or HD+ or equivalent Kindle the best bang for the buck or is the Nexus better for what I do? Is there some other option I haven't considered yet?

As an example: You don't have to root Kindle Fire HD, to get the apps onto it.
You just can sideload the apps without need to root.
I've briefly tested nook and Kobo for example on Kindle Fire HD.
So, to answer your first question: Lot can be done on most tablets without root.

7" or 10" is way more difficult to answer.
Personally, I've started with "the big ones": Kindle DX, iRex 1000. Than iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v and so on.
But in the meantime I've switched to the smaller ones.
Simple explanation: A few years ago, when in a different job, I've read lots of technical and legal documents. Those PDFs had been DIN A4 and had lots of diagrams, formulas and other complicated formatting issues. I couldn't read those documents adequately on readers/tablets significantly smaller than the original paper format (DIN A4).
But now, I don't need these kinds of documents anymore.
The stuff I'm reading now is of way simpler structure. So 6" or 7" is absolutely okay.
I'm still using my Kindle DX, but way less often then 2 years ago.
So: What kind of documents do you read? I guess, that's the key question re. display size.

Re. brands:
In my opinion, there's not much of a difference between Kindle Fire HD, nook HD, Nexus 7 and Galaxy Tab 2 for example. If you shop for bargain tablets, you get what you pay for. Personally, I prefer Kindle HD and Nexus 7 over the others. nook HD is a bit of a disappointment re. build quality. On the other hand it has the best display...
I'm not a Samsung fan, hate their permanent scanning of the SD cards for new media content. And App2SD doesn't work as intended on Galaxy Note.
Still: All 4 of them are close to each other.

There might be an alternative:
Personally, I love BlackBerry PlayBook.
In my opinion, it looks and feels way more "valuable" than the "bargain tablets".
I love the display and I'M fine with the processor and performance over all. You easily can sideload Android apps onto it, again without any hacking. The Android emulator is an official implementation of BlackBerry and performs surprisingly well. So you can read Kindle, Kobo, nook, Zinio and others on PlayBook. And it may be even cheaper than the others...And the OS is still phantastic...

[Sregener]

Having used a 1st generation iPad, and now a Nexus 7, I prefer the smaller size for most things. For games which require some precision in pointing, the iPad is nicer. But the weight and the now-slow processor drove me from the iPad. The Nexus is fast, reliable, and has more pixels in a smaller screen space.

In most reading apps, you can choose font sizes, and a smaller font means more text on the screen. Ultimately, I chose a font size that is roughly the same in actual size as what I read with on the iPad, so I get a lot less text on each page, but the font is crisper thanks to the higher resolution.

I'm not sure how an Arc is $70 cheaper than a Nexus. The 16GB Nexus 7 is $199. The 32GB is $249. Seems the same price. But if you're looking for an open tablet, either the Nexus or the Arc would be a good choice.

I was uncertain about the 7" size until I looked at one in a store. I decided the weight savings was worth it - the Nexus is incredibly light, which makes it very comfortable to hold for long periods of time, even with the added weight of a case. The iPad required me to rest it on my leg to use it for any length of time.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by Sregener

I'm not sure how an Arc is $70 cheaper than a Nexus. The 16GB Nexus 7 is $199. The 32GB is $249. Seems the same price. But if you're looking for an open tablet, either the Nexus or the Arc would be a good choice.

You're right, the Nexus' price came down, here anyways, the Arc is now only $10 cheaper. One way that it is different though is that the Arc offers a 64 gb version at $299; the Nexus doesn't offer larger than 32 gb .

[Asawi]

For reading 7" is a lot more convenient, in my opinion.

Google Nexus 7 is really hard to beat when it comes to bang for bucks!

Having said that, I got two 16GB Nook Tablets to prepare for friends last week. Bought for around $120 each. Rooting them really couldn't be easier! Burn a SD card, pop it in, reboot, a couple of clicks and you're done! I even did the repartioning to 8GB data them myself. If I can do it anyone can! I still run stock on one of them but with the rooting I can install Google apps and sideload whatever I want. The other I run CM10 from an sd card. That is really easy to do as well, but not really "necessary". I only did that for fun...

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Asawi

For reading 7" is a lot more convenient, in my opinion.

Google Nexus 7 is really hard to beat when it comes to bang for bucks!

Agreed, for reading 7" is much better than 10". The only exception would be technical documents, which are usually PDFs which wouldn't render that well on 7".

And if you don't want to mess with the device (rooting, installing a separate ROM and such), a Nexus 7 is your best bet.

[frahse]

I have always preferred the standard paper back form which is just between the 6" Keyboard Kindle and the 7" tablet and lighter than either. The fingers of one hand easily hold the book open and with only a slight twist of the wrist you can see either page.

[dkperez]

Thanks for all the replies. The consensus appears to be that if I'm PRIMARILY going to be reading, a 7" tablet is better. I like the idea of a 10", but weight and convenience is a factor. I don't play games on the tablet - with the possible exception of something trivial like Angry Birds, so that's not a factor.

I DO use the thing for displaying images conveniently without having to drag along my laptop, so a decent screen is nice...

Sounds like the Nexus 7 would be good. Unfortunately, as near as I can tell, there doesn't appear to be a 32GB Nexus 7 anywhere on the planet that isn't being offered at some ridiculous premium. Office Depot was SUPPOSED to have them Friday for $229, but if they actually had any they sold them long before I was aware of them. And as far as I can tell, the Arc isn't even available in the U.S.

So, I'll just have to keep an eye out for a while. I figure somebody will get a bunch of 32GB units and put 'em on sale in the next month or so.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by dkperez

Sounds like the Nexus 7 would be good. Unfortunately, as near as I can tell, there doesn't appear to be a 32GB Nexus 7 anywhere on the planet that isn't being offered at some ridiculous premium. Office Depot was SUPPOSED to have them Friday for $229, but if they actually had any they sold them long before I was aware of them. And as far as I can tell, the Arc isn't even available in the U.S.

So, I'll just have to keep an eye out for a while. I figure somebody will get a bunch of 32GB units and put 'em on sale in the next month or so.

Sorry you missed the offer. Mine should arrive tomorrow.

Something else to consider -- today only, the 2nd gen Kindle Fire is selling for $129 ($30 off).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by dkperez

Thanks for all the replies. The consensus appears to be that if I'm PRIMARILY going to be reading, a 7" tablet is better.

Depends WHAT you're reading. For fiction, yes, a 7" display is good. But for technical PDFs, journal articles, etc, a 10" is essential.

[frahse]

dkperez

Some people have the 16GB Nexus for $199 now. At the beginning, only a 8GB was available for that price. I agree with you, 32GB is a minimum for there is no SD/MMC memory card slot.
For that alone, I would recommend a Samsung tablet to you. They are not trying to tie you up in the web of some cloud somewhere. There is also Lenovo.

[faithbw]

I've been playing with my mom's Samsung Galaxy Tab II, which she brought during Black Friday, and it is great! The screen is the perfect size for reading e-books (I read one on it). The HD screen is also good for viewing streaming videos from YouTube and other sites. I also downloaded some games on it and they look good as well. Since it runs Android, my mom can download apps from Google's Play store.

My mother was able to purchase an 8GB one for $179.00 from Best Buy. I'm not sure if the price has gone back up now that Black Friday is over. It also has a microSD card slot so if she ever runs out of space, she can insert an microSD card and expand it. I've been really impressed with it and now I am considering purchasing a tablet myself.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by faithbw

I've been playing with my mom's Samsung Galaxy Tab II, which she brought during Black Friday, and it is great! The screen is the perfect size for reading e-books (I read one on it). The HD screen is also good for viewing streaming videos from YouTube and other sites. I also downloaded some games on it and they look good as well. Since it runs Android, my mom can download apps from Google's Play store.

My mother was able to purchase an 8GB one for $179.00 from Best Buy. I'm not sure if the price has gone back up now that Black Friday is over. It also has a microSD card slot so if she ever runs out of space, she can insert an microSD card and expand it. I've been really impressed with it and now I am considering purchasing a tablet myself.

Prices have gone back up to $250 in many stores. Office Depot is selling it for $200 for CM and Samsung has it selling for $180.

I rain checked two at Costco for possible gifts.

Oh, and it doesn't have an HD screen. It has a lower resolution. The same as the first Kindle Fire.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Prices have gone back up to $250 in many stores. Office Depot is selling it for $200 for CM and Samsung has it selling for $180.

I rain checked two at Costco for possible gifts.

Oh, and it doesn't have an HD screen. It has a lower resolution. The same as the first Kindle Fire.

You're correct! It has HD playback but the screen itself is not HD.