# I Need an Inexpensive 7 inch Tablet



## gman (Jan 12, 2012)

I would like buy an inexpensive (cheap!) 7 inch wi-fi tablet for e-mail and web surfing only. I do not need music, e-books, games, apps or a camera. No frills...

I really need to spend the least amount of money possible for something barebones that will surf the web with adequate speed.

Please tell me what I should be looking for. Seems that Android 3 is the way to go???

The research has been very tedious. Can someone please help me?

Thanks!


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Depends what you mean by cheap. You can get a Coby for under $100.00, but it runs Gingerbread (2.3). A Kindle will set you back $199.00 and although I didn't care for it, many folks really like it, and of course, Amazon has great tech support. Nook is coming out with a $199 tablet later this year to compete with the Kindle. 

If you are looking for a Honeycomb 3.2 tablet, then you'll probably have to go over $200.00 unless you find a reconditioned one. 

I ended up getting a 10" Acer Iconia refurbished from walmart.com for $278.00. It came with 3.2 and will be upgraded to ICS 4.0 in April.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

If android 3 is a requirement then you not talking cheap, Figure $175 minimum and if your going to go that high might as well get a nook.


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## gman (Jan 12, 2012)

Is Gingerbread adequate for web surfing, or do I really need Android 3?


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Big Lots has had a couple of android on sale in the $80 - $120 range. Dunno much more about them than that.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I'm no expert by any means, but I understand that Gingerbread is fine for internet/ e-mail, etc. 

Here is a brief synopsis of the differences:




> Froyo
> Version 2.2 is otherwise known as Froyo. This update enabled data on a phone to be deleted from a remote location by restoring the phone to its factory settings, allowing you to protect personal information in the event that your phone was lost or stolen. Froyo was the first Android version to support mobile hot spot capabilities that allowed you to share your phone's Internet connection with up to eight other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
> 
> Gingerbread
> ...


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I have no experience with these things, too small for tired old eyes. But I did read some about them while back out of curiosity. Some of the Honeycomb models are powerful enough they can be upgraded to ice cream sandwich (Android 4.x) though this may make them run slower. I would get something that can run Android 4 if I were going to keep it any time at all.

Depends how much of a gambler you are, but you can probably find cheap one with 3.2 on ebay. Some folk are selling them already upgraded to 4.0. And some now come with 4.x from factory. Me, I'd look for a 10 inch with most powerful specs I could find for the cheapest price I could find, no matter which version of Android comes with it. It will be powerful enough you can upgrade if necessary. Buy the cheapest least powerful you can find and you wont be happy in year or two. And do your google homework and find out what others thought of particular model you are interested in. Yes even the generic ones if you look close to the ad, you can find the manufacturer and model number. Android is the operating system, not the manufacturer of the tablet.


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## gman (Jan 12, 2012)

Thanks to all for the good information thus far.

It appears that the Gingerbread version is adequate for web surfing.

Maybe others can confirm.

Thanks again!


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