Topic: 7" HP tablet $100

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

While a bunch of mid-to-low range hardware is never that exciting, one way to catch our attention is to release a tablet at a super-low price. With the HP 7 Plus, the company is looking to do just that. The 7-inch tablet is only $100.

For $100, you can't expect much of the spec sheet. The HP 7 Plus has a 7-inch 1024x600 IPS display, a 1GHz quad-core Cortex A7 processor (made by a company called "Allwinner"), 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n, a microSD slot, and a 2800 mAh battery. The biggest downside HP could have fixed at this price point is the software: it's only running Android 4.2.2. Android versions are free, HP.

There's also no mention of Bluetooth or GPS, and the bezels look huge—but hey, it's $100.

[Corbomite]

Sounds perfect for surfing the web and using for some extra storage. I wonder how upgradable the OS will be.

[knightstorm]

I've never really been one for ipad/droid tablets.  They're too big to have the portability of a PDA, but they lack the ability to run regular PC programs.

[Nemesis]

I use my 7" Nexus (better resolution than my 27" desktop monitor) to read E-Books and view movies.  I also use it to play "sound effects" (train noises so far) when riding my E-Bike on "shared use" paths with pedestrians and other non cyclists.  Seems some get annoyed if I don't blow my horn and others get annoyed if i do.  The sound effects amuse them instead of annoying them. 

I do like the Android feature where you can set your headphone volumes separately from your built in speaker volume. 

[knightstorm]

With the potential exception of the sound effects (speaker size), you haven't really described anything that could be done on a PDA or smart phone.

[Nemesis]

Do PDAs actually exist as a for sale item any more?  I have an old one and the screen is too small for (320x480) enough data or movie clarity for my eyes.  A 7" tablet has the screen size and resolution (1920x1200) to be used for them.  I also don't own or want a cell phone of any type.  The speakers are external blue tooth (didn't mention that). 

[knightstorm]

There are IOS and android devices that are PDAs in everything but name.  IE. the Ipod Touch, and the Samsung Galaxy player.

[Nemesis]

What is a tablet but a grown up PDA?

[knightstorm]

What is a tablet but a grown up PDA?

Which is exactly what I've been saying.  I don't like Droid tablets/Ipads because I don't think the added screen size justifies the loss of portability.

[Nemesis]

Screen resolution and size makes it more readable without constant scrolling and allows seeing of details in video more easy than on the miniature screens you prefer.  These make the size convenient for me.  It also mostly replaces the paperback book(s) I'd normally be carrying and is about the same size but thinner so it isn't anything extra for me. 

[knightstorm]

Screen resolution and size makes it more readable without constant scrolling and allows seeing of details in video more easy than on the miniature screens you prefer.  These make the size convenient for me.  It also mostly replaces the paperback book(s) I'd normally be carrying and is about the same size but thinner so it isn't anything extra for me.

Those issues never really bothered me.  I replaced physical newspapers with news downloaded onto a pda over ten years ago.  In addition to being cheaper, it had the added advantage of me not elbowing the person sitting next to me on the bus whenever I turned the page.   I wouldn't be opposed to a tablet that could run pc programs instead of being an oversized pda.

[Nemesis]

By then you have added a keyboard and pointing device and made a netbook at twice the weight.

[knightstorm]

pointing device.

Like a touch screen?

By then you have added a keyboard.

But I'd leave the keyboard at home if I didn't need it.

made a netbook at twice the weight.

Which would still be miniscule, and would be irrelevant since I'm still dealing with something that's too large to fit in my pocket anyway.

[Nemesis]

I find that on many apps the buttons are too small for my fingers to reliably control.  Also trying to reliably mark a section of a document is an issue followed by making the commands to copy/delete it for example without removing the highlighting you just did. 

Usable keyboard about the size/bulk of the tablet.  Result a clumsy hybrid that tries to be two different types of machine.  Might work better if it could boot into two different OS's, one for tablet function and another for netbook.  I have both machines and carry whichever suits my needs.  My 7" tablet fits in my jacket pocket just like my pocket books would. 

My only problem is I carry my netbook in a "cooler bag" and I have had cops stop when seeing me with the bag using the computer to make sure I wasn't also having a beer in a public unlicensed place.  Personally I don't drink and don't think the mere act of having such a drink in a public place is a problem.  Public drunkenness would be a different issue. 

[knightstorm]

I don't really have experience with Tablet keyboards, although I would research them before I plunked down money.  That said, it can't be that bad.  Folding PDA keyboards have been around for a long time.  Unfolded, they are actually larger than a netbook keyboard.