Tablets Anyone here having android tablet for more than a year?

[srkmish]

I would really like to buy the new Xperia z due to its lightweight nature, however i see threads full of user complaints after a while using android tablets i.e nexus 7 ( Gets laggy after some months). On the contrary , i see very positive reviews of ipads as the first generation is still going strong for many people.

I would ideally like the tablet to last 3-5 years. In general, how would you rate the performance of android tablets after a long time of usage?

 

[kevinof]

My kids have an asus transformer (the tf101 original!). It's still going strong since early 2011 and gets used every day. It's had to be fixed once by Asus but this was because the kids abused it and kept dropping it. The top left corner was coming away from the back and the power button wouldn't work as a result. No fault of Asus- blame my kids. It takes a lot of punishment.

Apart from that it's been great. Can't remember what version of android is on it now but doesn't seem to matter. The apps they kids want all seem to be there.

 

[Jessica Lares]

We have two Kindle Fires in our house. The 1st gen is about to turn two in November, and the HD will be one in December.

You can't clear the cache on these devices except on an app by app basis, nor does it seem to do it in the backend. So I suggest to people to install a recovery like ClockworkMod or TWRP just for that reason. Clear the cache partition, and the lag is gone again. You don't need to install a custom ROM, but it's nice to have there in the back to deal with the lag.

The Kindles themselves work fine. The 1st gen is in a case and has for the most part always been in one. I don't see them getting replaced for at least 5 more years since they're used for mostly web browsing, Netflix, and a little game playing. My dad and brother aren't really big on the whole tablet ecosystem. So until they break, they're staying in use.

 

[viskon]

I have an HP Touchpad, which though technically is not an Android tablet, has been running Cyanogenmod ever since the first beta, two years ago . Currently on CM10.1. Can't say I have experienced too much lag. It has been perfect for Web surfing, general reading and games.

 

[srkmish]

Great to see android tablets with good durability. However, the Xperia z is overpriced here in India. Maybe I should wait for some more time before deciding ipad 4 vs Xperia z tablet

 

[TacticalDesire]

I can assure you the Nexus 7 isn't any laggier than the 1st gen iPad. The 1st gen is a miserable experience. As for other android tablets. The higher end ones are still going strong.

 

[Assault]

Nexus 7 here. Not a single issue to report in the last year and its actually going faster than when I bought it. Currently over-clocked to 1.5ghz and utilizing all 4 cores of the Tegra 3 tablet. I use it every day for several hours up to around 8-9 hours before it dies. I also use it as my portable gaming and work rig. Wireless BT foldable hard keyboard, wireless mouse and wireless PS3 controller.
If this tablet was gonna fail, it would have done it by now, because this tablet takes abuse every single day.

 

[adder7712]

It's odd that the Nexus 7 would get laggy after a while. In most cases, it remains snappy and gets constant updates from Google due to its Nexus status.

 

[Hastings101]

I've had a Nexus 7 since a little after it released (so not quite a year I guess) and it hasn't slowed down at all.

I'd recommend an iPad or an iPad Mini if you want apps. I just use my tablet for browsing and movies so it's great for me - Android destroys iOS for web browsing - but the app selection is junk.

 

[blackhand1001]

The nexus 10 doesn't have any lag issues. It also has extremely fast flash storage which can be there culprit for lag. Its over 100MB/s which is unheard of in an arm based device. Most do around 15-30MB/s. The exynos 5250 in it is extremely fast. It still has the best sunspider scores of any arm device. Under 500ms.

 

[Assault]

I've had a Nexus 7 since a little after it released (so not quite a year I guess) and it hasn't slowed down at all.

I'd recommend an iPad or an iPad Mini if you want apps. I just use my tablet for browsing and movies so it's great for me - Android destroys iOS for web browsing - but the app selection is junk.

Nexus 7 scales phone apps without issue, so not sure what you are talking about? If you had said a Nexus 10 didn't have a lot of tablet specific apps, I would understand. But not the 7. In fact, there are twice as many apps that will work with the Nexus 7 than the are iPad specific apps, simply for this reason.

 

[Hastings101]

Nexus 7 scales phone apps without issue, so not sure what you are talking about? If you had said a Nexus 10 didn't have a lot of tablet specific apps, I would understand. But not the 7. In fact, there are twice as many apps that will work with the Nexus 7 than the are iPad specific apps, simply for this reason.

I'm not talking about how many there are. In my experience iOS has far higher quality games and apps than my Nexus 7/Android does. Looking through the Play Store there are only a few games that go beyond the general freemium junk style. Nothing I've found so far on Android matches games like Infinity Blade Series, Baldur's Gate EE etc.

It's not a huge deal for me because I don't really use many apps on my Tablet or my Smartphone but if I was an app addict or mobile gamer it'd be pretty lame.

 

[Assault]

I'm not talking about how many there are. In my experience iOS has far higher quality games and apps than my Nexus 7/Android does. Looking through the Play Store there are only a few games that go beyond the general freemium junk style. Nothing I've found so far on Android matches games like Infinity Blade Series, Baldur's Gate EE etc.

It's not a huge deal for me because I don't really use many apps on my Tablet or my Smartphone but if I was an app addict or mobile gamer it'd be pretty lame.

I really don't get why anyone believes Infinity Blade is great. It is a swipe, repeat, swipe, limited movement game. Nice graphics don't make up for piss poor gaming or lack of a "real controller". Sorry, but swiping and tapping on glass is a crappy way to play any type of FPS or action/open world type game. Wild Blood (available on both iOS and Android) is 10x better than Infinity Blade. And with a PS3 controller, games like Modern Combat, Dead Trigger, Shadowgun, COD: BOZ, etc are played the way they should be. And of course, all those Nintendo and PS1 titles can be played as they should be... with a controller.

As for Baldur's Gate, you might want to read the latest news. You won't find it in the app store anymore, so you might want to scratch it off your list. Here is a statement made 3 days ago:
"Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition has been removed from sale on Beamdog’s Store and the App Store, and in a post on its website, Beamdog boss Trent Oster said the sequel can’t be released at present.

“We recently removed Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition from sale on Beamdog and the Apple App Store. We’ve taken this step at our publishing partner’s request as we attempt to resolve a number of contractual issues,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, until this matter is resolved, we are unable to release the latest Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition patch or Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for Android. This also prevents the launch of Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. I sincerely apologize to the series’ fans and promise we are working diligently to remedy the situation.”

Beamdog is unable to shed any light on what caused the dispute, or give an ETA on when it might be resolved."

 

[Hastings101]

Snippitysnip

I don't mind swiping around or find it repetitive, it's just the same on most console games; spamming L2-R1 or some random symbol over and over on a controller instead of swiping on a screen. I didn't mind the controls or gameplay of Infinity Blade, I thought it was fun. Also, that's too bad about Baldur's Gate, it was a blast on my Friend's iPad. My "list" will live without it though , it was just the most recent big iOS game I could think of since I haven't owned an iOS device since January.

Anyway, my experience is that I have found more high-quality games on iOS (well-made, decent budget, nice graphics etc.). So, my opinion is that if someone is really interested in playing games on their tablet/phone or having a selection of nice apps that they get an iProduct.