cheap wi-fi only 7in tablet for email/skype?

I just learned there are actually 7 inch tablets under $100 with Android 4.0or better which I would only keep in the car and use for email/skype/web surf in restaurants with wi-fi.
I do not need a smartphone,and I for sure do not want to pay $70 a month for it with required data plan.I have a laptop for everything that needs bigger screen/apps/video/music etc and a cheap prepaid phone for $100/year for the rare emergency phone call I might need to make while on the road.(I made maybe 8 calls all year on it)
Am I wrong?
Does the brand matter much?

I went down this path and bought an Ainol Novo from newegg.com. Unfortunately the screen broke during shipping and the Mrs. decided she wanted a 10" screen. Ended up with a refurb Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet that I stumbled upon.

But yeah, I am convinced you can get a cheapo no-name Chinese tablet that will run Android just fine for ~$100.

I have a Kindle Fire hacked to the Android OS through Team Kang.

It is a great tool.
edit: no camera, no skype

If the unit does not break then the biggest issue will be how often and if the tablet would have software updates. The better known name brand companies tablets are likely to be offered upgrades to the OS, or have 3rd party upgrades that could be used to gain some more features. The lesser known companies are probably just slapping their name and logo on a unit and have little or no knowledge of the Android OS development.

I see the 7" tablets for less than $100 retail and on sale at much less than that. 7" is probably just fine for email and basic surfing. However if you are surfing on public unsecure WIfi make sure you protect yourself by using the secure login (https) versions of web sites and never trust plain text login and password.

I bought a cheap Aigopad 7" tablet in Bangkok for ~$100 and had nothing but issues with the piece of crap. The tablet would constantly freeze, reboot, or do other wierd things. Then trying to get support from the company was a huge headache because their north american office wasn't really set up for support yet. I did manage to get new firmware eventually but it only marginally helped things.

Personally I would stay away from the uber cheap tablets after my experiences.

I have a Nexus 7, well worth the price, rarely even turn on my laptop anymore. Just got a new Android update Sunday and the thing runs even better now. Customer service makes up for added cost

32GB playbook from Thesource.ca in Canada for $150

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Originally Posted by Clerkick

I have a Nexus 7, well worth the price, rarely even turn on my laptop anymore. Just got a new Android update Sunday and the thing runs even better now. Customer service makes up for added cost

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I too have one of these. Unless I absolutely need my MacBook when I travel, I take this. It is money.

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Originally Posted by Bobcat Sig

I too have one of these. Unless I absolutely need my MacBook when I travel, I take this. It is money.

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+2

abcdefg

I bought the Nexus 7 and I think $199 is a great deal. The updates in the last 3 months have been consistently helpful, and I've noticed a speed increase. Graphics are very impressive.

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Originally Posted by skiitsbetter

32GB playbook from Thesource.ca in Canada for $150

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$118 at Staples right now, but I don't think they have Skype for the Playbook's OS.

My buddy has the Nexus 7 and loves it.

I just saw this lenovo A2107 for $149. It's a name brand so it shouldn't be total junk like mystery cheap units and it has GPS built it - I'm not sure where the GPS gets maps from.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-pla-_-NA-_-NA

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clerkick

I have a Nexus 7, well worth the price, rarely even turn on my laptop anymore. Just got a new Android update Sunday and the thing runs even better now. Customer service makes up for added cost

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I was going to buy a tablet although I don't 'need' one. I want one more for convenience and letting my kids play some learning games (occasionally, until the learn not to destroy everything, which may take until they turn 18 and we ship them out). I didn't want to drop more than ~$200 and came across this Android in a 9.7" (preferred size):
http://www.flsuperstore.com/tablets/...ablet-ics.html

anyone have any insight on these or other 'no-brand' Androids? Any idea if these update ala Nexus tablets? I suspect at this price I have to update manually.

I suspect that going with a no-name brand would result in few/no updates since there's really no incentive for them to do it. Fortunately the update situation with Tablets is better than android phones since there's no carrier bullshit middleman, but if you want the latest updates going with the Nexus is the best bet.

I have a Nexus 7 and love it - it's totally replaced my old shitty laptop for everything that doesn't involve typing a lot. Would definitely recommend it and it's a pretty damn good deal especially when compared to the iPad mini.

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Originally Posted by Arcsim

I suspect that going with a no-name brand would result in few/no updates since there's really no incentive for them to do it. Fortunately the update situation with Tablets is better than android phones since there's no carrier bullshit middleman, but if you want the latest updates going with the Nexus is the best bet.

I have a Nexus 7 and love it - it's totally replaced my old shitty laptop for everything that doesn't involve typing a lot. Would definitely recommend it and it's a pretty damn good deal especially when compared to the iPad mini.

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I've been thinking about the updates more & more; I really never update my laptop running Windows 7 Pro, why would I update the Tablet any more? The tablet can be updated but I need to go the the manu website for d/loads and do it myself.

I did look hard at the Nexus 7, but decide that it was too small. I wanted something bigger. I'd take the Nexus 10 in a heartbeat, but way too expensive.

Updates are great. 4.2 was a huge improvement over 4.1, mainly because of the swipe keyboard but also a bunch of other things, and on the N7 you got it straight away.

Another vote here for the N7 - bought one for my father-in-law for xmas and he is really happy with it