Android tablets?

[ffutures]

Welcome to the latest installment of "Marcus wants a supercomputer in his pocket for 50p..."

Currently I own two Windows CE PDAs which for one reason or another I'm not making much use of:

An HP Jornada 728 - nice pocket PC with a good keyboard but not a lot of software, and the weird screen resolution (640 x 240) means that that you can't see a lot of text while typing / reading. It's OK for notes but I'm not really using it seriously. WiFi but seriously unreliable, especially when connecting to new networks.

A no-name 5" tablet - works, but I seem to be using it more to play games than anything else. Wifi works much better but a low-res screen makes for eye strain. It's seriously difficult to install software because of weird design decisions, and bottom line, I simply don't like it much.

So I'm thinking in terms of selling both of them and going for something like a 7" Android tablet - yes, I know certain people think a 7" iPad is on the way, but I probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

So - bearing in mind that I probably don't want to use this as a phone, much more as a WiFi web browser / notepad / ebook reader, is this a good idea or is android more trouble than its worth.

What I definitely need

• WiFi
• good web browser, preferably with ability to show YouTube etc.
• ebook reader with multiple formats including mobi, pdf, etc.
• word processor with some ability to save files locally (I don't trust clouds)
• A GOOD onscreen keyboard, plus the ability to use a real keyboard.
• Ability to use USB memory sticks
• Reasonable battery life
• A few good games e.g. sudoku, bejewelled, spider solitaire

Is this asking for the moon, or are there tablets around that might meet my needs? Preferably low priced, e.g. I notice Morgans have something for £72 but the battery life is a little short. I probably need to sort this fast because the price of 2nd-hand Windows CE kit is falling fast and I'd hope to recoup some of the cost by selling the old stuff.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I've been watching, and no signs of ipad beaters yet, and I won't have another OS in my life.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Am I to infer that all your current computers run Android?

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

(Also, I would expect that in your life so far, you have used a large number of operating systems. What kind of trauma-- or perhaps ennui?-- has led you to say "and I won't have another OS in my life?")

[nojay.livejournal.com]

I think it's more that they don't want to keep on hopping between different OSes and GUIs; I'm comfortably esconced with Windows for example and have disconcerting problems using Mac or Linux-based systems because my fingers don't work right. Other folks I know are Mac-heads and can't cope with a two-button mouse but refuse to give up two-finger trackpad gestures.

iOS is actually nothing like OS/X under the hood but it looks and behaves similarly (gestures, shinies etc.). Ditto for WinMobile 7 and Win7 hence the tempttation for folks to stick with one interface and one OS (sort of).

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm best with windows, use OS/X enough that I'm more or less used to it, and have endless trouble with very similar operations on Ubuntu. For three superficially similar interfaces there are a LOT of annoying small differences!

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

I use all three on a daily basis, and from what I can see they're dovetailing.

I'm not sure how long Mac OS X has supported multiple button mice, but it has been awhile. The default Mac mouse now don't have buttons on top (crass!) but if you click on the right side it does different things (that you can customize).

Of course, the top of that mouse is also a touch pad ;-)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I've used a two button mouse on the ibook since 10.3

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Just grinding me down. I wouldn't mind new OS if they abandoned old ones (Aix, I'm looking at you...)

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

YET another. Currently Aix, RHEL 4, Ubuntu 10.10, Android, Windows XP and Maemo!