Android Pad: Got one yet?

[StereoInstaller1]

So I keep reading about Android pads, how cool and cheap they are.

I have a nav system in my E30, I have the Pioneer AVIC F500BT tucked in front of the ashtray. It is cool and all, but I am NOT happy with it.

I want better, I want something upgradeable, more customizable, more storage, bigger, etc.

I want actual turn by turn nav with an external antenna, WiFi, Air Card or tether capable, Bluetooth with external mic and competent audio output. Lightning fast boot is also necessary, plus some kind of auto dimming (10" screen in the dash? Yeah, dimming is mandatory), all kinds of crap.

So, who has any experience with these? Hell, there are plenty around for like $200. I can feed the audio into an Audiocontrol Three.1 and then to my amps, so audio is no worries, but I know nothing about what these things can and cannot do.

Input, please!
Luke

[nouseforaname]

for smart phones, andriod is generally way more 'the shit' in every conceivable way than anything apple or anyone else has done. but you have to install things here and there and generally monkey with it yourself most of the time. whereas ipads are a fucking cool, but closed environment (remember how back in the day, aol looked so damn cool?)

i've got a buddy here at work that's got a droid pad. he usually does mega research on shit, so i'll find out which one he has and why.

[nouseforaname]

okay, i was wrong. my buddy doesn't have one.

doesn't sound like they have access to the droid marketplace yet, which i think means they're a pretty closed environment for now as well. and some models are still only resistive touch screens and not capacitive. that's big sucky. sounds like they're capable surfing tools, but not really all that versatile yet. the samsung galaxy line looks cool when it comes.

final word my buddy said, when something really does challenge the ipad's capabilities, you'll know it.

[Tuanies]

It will be a while until good non-Carrier optimized Android tablets hit the market.

Android as it stands is a clusterfuck. Great for phones that don't do much, but when it comes to a tablet, it isn't so good.

There's just too much carrier optimizations going on with Android tablets. Apple got it right with iOS, they're in control of everything, which works out better for customers, instead of this crap like the Samsung Fascinate on Verizon uses Bing default for search, you have crap like HTC Sense UI and Motoblur baked into the factory software.

Hell the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet for the US market will be without voice capabilities, even if its on a carrier, unlike the European version where you can do voice with a headset.

Unfortunately, the iPad is the best tablet available right now for a solid app store, apps and just overall use.

Android tablets are still a toy, and the ones that are available right now are Chinese knockoff with no access to the marketplace. The only one that seems decent is the Velocity Micro Cruz, but even then, I have little hopes for Android tablets -- you have to hack it to get any use out of it.

[E30Nova]

HTC Sense UI is awesome. Haters Gonna Hate.

[nouseforaname]

HTC Sense UI is awesome. Haters Gonna Hate.

unless i'm missing something, that's a phone. luke's looking for a droid pad.

[Atreus]

wait until android is past 2.1 or w/e software they're on. It is in no way ready for a tablet, and that type of OS if you ask me.

Its the shit, for phones, but thats all....

For Now.

[SoEm0]

The market for tablets will be flooded come 2011. Yeah android isn't "optimized" for the tablets, they have even stated that. However the next edition will be. Hell you will even have a shot at blackberry tablet next year too, if that is your sort of thing.


ohh yeah and sense is pretty cool but is not without its faults.

[OrdnanceCorp]

Luke, I too am thinking the same.
As long as you Root the android device to have superuser you can do a whole lot with android. I am right now considering the Archos 70 7in tablet. I have no idea how to intergrate it into the HU yet except through 3.5 to RCA? Check it out if you want something soon.
Otherwise Honeycomb Android for tablets is out and I was kinda waiting for it to come on the Archos 70 but who knows when.

[nrubenstein]

Android tablets still kind of suck. The Xoom is the first thing that vaguely resembles a decent attempt, but it's still just not great. (The Samsung Tab is a UI disaster of epic proportions. Talk about wretched.)

There are all kinds of interesting things that, well, just aren't shipping yet.

And you pretty much want to stay away from the cheap android tablets. They are cheap without even the benefit of economies of scale, so they suck even harder than everything else.

Right now, I don't know that there is anything worth bothering with. Much as I like my iPad, I'd say the size is probably not right and the lack of real turn by turn nav makes it less appealing as a car computer. You need to keep waiting.

[OrdnanceCorp]

I guess it depends on it intended use. I agree they are still kinda lacking. I am looking for only a few things: Google maps/Nav, Internet browser radio and wifi/bluetooth to tether from my phone. I think alot will do those basic things. I am not sure there is any options out there for external GPS antennas to add to tablets?