Need advice in choosing a tablet

[toylas]

Dear all,

Need:
I've been thinking of buying a tablet for a few months now. At first I was going to wait until mid 2011 when they have the right implementation of Gingerbread in tablets but I think my present needs require a tablet for convenience. My biggest need is to be able to carry the research papers and research books with me instead of carrying a few hundred pages of print-outs and books and be able to read them easily. Having done a lot of reading on this forum as well as other online websites, I have decided to go for a relatively cheap tablet now and get a decent one next year when hopefully I'd have graduated and will have a real job (**crosses fingers**).

Choices
I'm thinking of getting either the Archos 7" 8G model or the ZT180 10" Model.

Questions
1) How much of a difference does it make when reading a pdf on a 7" vs. a 10"?
I know it's subjective but still do you think it's worth spending ~$50 more on the 10" for reading pdfs (especially research papers)? I have some inclination for the 10" screen but then the 8G inbuilt memory, better battery life and $60 less price (a big factor for a broke student like me) from a US seller are positive points for the Archos 7.

2) Where would you buy them? I think from my reading here it seems like JT is the only reliable chinese seller. But has anyone had trouble with customs etc. in the US? Amazon has the Archos 7" for ~$190 and the Zenithink US people have the ZT180+8G microSD for $250 Do you think it's worth buying from them rather than the long wait and possible hassles with customs?

3) Any other good choice for the same price?

Any help in making a decision would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot!
T

 

[ArthurIhde]

i will choose ZT180 10"

 

[Dvalin21]

You want to go with the zenithink for the time being, and i would go with a us seller that gives a 1 year warranty. If not, go here Chinese seller but with US support ZT-180-102 PAD 10.2 inch TFT Android 2.1

 

[Martimus]

Personally I'd say none of the above! Wait a month or two and get one of the newer mainstream tablets. The Zenithink is a decent tablet but it will require lots of tweaking.

 

[RoboMonkey]

Get a kindle if you're doing mostly text or PDF. I have a iPad and kindle and I'll take my kindle with me over the iPad when I'm doing book reading. My EVO goes with me all the time.

 

[dbpaddler]

I'd get a nook color for $250. Better screen and res than the archos, plus it'll get rooted and the flood gates will open as it becomes a full fledged android device with a capacitive screen unlike the archos 7.

 

[Rjennings]

Im also searching for a decent alternative(and cheaper) to the ipad, (i hate anything apple), seems like theres not much out there to choose from right now except for the chinese stuff on ebay is the ZT-180 a decent enough pad to surf the internet with? Also, where can u get one from a U.S. dealer?

 

[RoboMonkey]

You can surf the web on a Kindle.

 

[Martimus]

Im also searching for a decent alternative(and cheaper) to the ipad, (i hate anything apple), seems like theres not much out there to choose from right now except for the chinese stuff on ebay is the ZT-180 a decent enough pad to surf the internet with? Also, where can u get one from a U.S. dealer?

Assuming things stabilize with the vendor you should be able to get ZT-180's in the U.S. from zenithink.us. That said there've been a couple reports of issues with zenothink.us.

 

[slbailey1]

I suggest the Kindle. You can also get the ViewSonic GTab from Sears or any of the other cheap tablets from Kmart, Target, and Toys-R-Us.

 

[Rjennings]

Found this website with alot of good options/alternatives to the ipad. i would like to have the ipad (i hate apple) but 500 bucks is alot of money, apple is really proud of thier stuff, i would much rather have a 10" android based quality pad than an ipad, did i mention i hate apple? Buy China wholesale Google Android 2.1 & 2.2 Series- China Electronics Wholesale, bulk wholesale

 

[dbpaddler]

Thinking about it, I'd actually go with the baic kindle or nook since reading is the main goal. Plus they are sub $150 now.

 

[JohnTitlow]

I think what you need is a e-reader not a tablet. This article will helpful to you. How to choose an e-reader or tablet for the holidays , As you enjoy reading, I'm glad to share those free ePub format e-book to you.
Top 10 Best Free eBooks for iPad on iBooks Store | iFunia iPad Column