Should I keep my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8-inch Wifi? Any better & cheaper models?

[akoubu.9a]

I received a brand new 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. It's the WiFi model (no slot for a SIM card) and has 16 GB storage.

Should I keep it? Is there a tablet with same or better specs that has the same or lower price?

[tgalati4]

iPad Mini Retina display is quite sexy. You have to live inside the Garden of Apple--no venturing outside, no exposure to the unpleasant things in life. The Apple App store charges you every time you sneeze when using the iPad.

Use the Tab4 for a few weeks and tell us what you like and don't like about it.

My understanding (as echoed by Leo LaPorte the Tech Guy) is that the Samsung software generally sucks and is getting more invasive. Dump it and replace with Google or other Android equivalents. I see a trend with Samsung trying to set up their own App Store and trying to create a Samsung App ecosystem. So far, it needs work.

[akoubu.9a]

tglati, thanks for your comment. I appreciate especially what you had to say about Samsung software.

I love Apple's user-friendliness, but I think I'll stay away from Apple tablets for now. Because of the apps all costing money, and being locked into their garden.

I don't want to open the Tab4 box yet, as a never-opened box fetches a higher sell price.

[tgalati4]

For $50 you can buy a used Barnes and Nobel NOOK Color and put Android on it and have a cheap tablet. No camera, no microphone, good for reading and light browsing. That's the cheapest tablet that I have seen. I've had mine for a few years now. If I had to buy a tablet today, it would be a Samsung Tab4. I would play with the Samsung apps for a while just to see how they are.

[leclerc65]

If you sell it at a loss, then buy a new one, I don't think it's worth it.
I own a lot of 'toys' - desktops, netbooks (running XP, Win7, Win8, Linux) , iPad , mini iPad, chromebook - and recently acquired a Moto G phone.
After getting used to that phone, I regret to spend so much for the PAD's though. But Samsung's are pretty expensive too, and I found that Android apps are
buggy in comparison to Apple's ones.

[akoubu.9a]

tgalati4, thanks for the suggestion on B&N tablets. Which year of the Nook color do you recommend?

leclerc, I got this Tab as a gift.

[tgalati4]

I don't remember when I bought it--at least 2 years ago. But here are some links:

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/turn-your-nook-color-or-nook-tablet-into-an-android-4-1-tablet/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-color/development

80% of the tablet experience for $50. A new 8" Tab4 is about $250. Movie watching is definitely better on the Tab4, but you can still watch Youtube videos and read Flipboard magazines on the Nook.

[akoubu.9a]

I don't remember when I bought it--at least 2 years ago. But here are some links:

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/turn-your-nook-color-or-nook-tablet-into-an-android-4-1-tablet/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-color/development

80% of the tablet experience for $50. A new 8" Tab4 is about $250. Movie watching is definitely better on the Tab4, but you can still watch Youtube videos and read Flipboard magazines on the Nook.

Thanks, tgalati. An 80% tablet experience for $50 sounds really good! And I don't plan to watch movies on the tablet anyway, maybe the ocassional Youtube video.

I see that the Nook Color was replaced with Nook HD and Nook HD+. May I ask why you didn't recommend the Nook HD or HD+?

[tgalati4]

I don't know how easy it is to install Android on the HD or HD+. Plus, they removed the SD card slot, so it's difficult to expand the memory and experiment with different OS's. The HD's are better for watching video. The Nook Color plays Angry Birds just fine. So it really depends on what you use it for. For me, I read a lot of Kobo books on my Nook. It's good to use with WiFi Analyzer to troubleshoot wireless network issues. I use google talk/hangout, DAAP media player, ES file manager, JuiceSSH for monitoring remote servers, KUSC for classical music, Evernote, Nook books, Dolphin browser, gmail, flipboard, freenas control, Opera Mini, pandora.

You can run linux on it, although I have not installed it. I'm happy with the Cyanogenmod 7.2.0 (Nov 2012), Android 2.3.7 (gingerbread). You can run Ice Cream Sandwich as well. I've just stuck with what works. Most google play apps work. There are some limitations: 512 MB RAM, ArmA7, kernel 2.6.32, but battery life is good and the screen is decent.

Kit Kat (http://www.cnet.com/news/android-4-4-kitkat-now-available-for-nook-owners/)seems to be available.

I would spend the time to upgrade if my current install gets trashed. If I was starting fresh, then I would put on the latest, but research what works and what doesn't first.

Here's a nice review: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2013/09/22/the-quiet-reassessment-of-the-nook-hd-and-nook-hd-android-tablets/