Android Tablets

I have enjoyed my Acer Iconia A100 tablet. A few weeks ago, my friends the DeSmets bought a pair of HipStreet Auroras on sale and I helped them set them up. Each of them cost less than 1/3 of what I paid for my Iconia, and they seemed like nice machines.

Then my daughter Evelyn bought an inexpensive HipStreet Flare 9" tablet and I helped her to set it up.

Then my Iconia died three months after the warranty expired. Some online research indicated that this was a known problem. Something called an EMMC chip on the motherboard fails. Acer Support was very helpful and shipped it to their shop for free and I was really relieved. It arrived back about a week later with a new motherboard, and it worked for an hour or two. Now it will boot but will not unlock. And Acer Support automatically redirects my calls to a paid repair facility. Darn! If you are considering buying a new tablet, I would suggest that you avoid the Acer Iconia A100. There are better machines for a lot less money.

Last night my friend Ron, phoned for help, and I talked him through the steps of installing some apps he wanted on his new Samsung Galaxy. 

I have been considering buying one of the 7" tablets for around $100, maybe an Auroroa. But Andrew suggested I wait a little while for a new tablet from Asus. He expects it to sell for about $140, and to be a much better tablet than the cheap models. We shall see. I have been disappointed by the short life span of my Iconia tablet. In my experience, computer technology tends to last and last. But obviously that is not always the case. And paying more doesn't guarantee a more dependable machine.