[ale] possibility of a non Android Linux tablet

[Ron Frazier (ALE)]

Hi guys,

I just recently bought a Pandigital SuperNova tablet for $ 200 from Best 
Buy, kept it a couple of days, and returned it.  I don't really have $ 
300 - $ 500 to spend on a tablet.  It's actually a really cool device, 
with a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 4 GB of shared storage.  It 
has an 8" capacitive touch screen, SD card slot, USB host capability, 
HDMI out, wifi, bluetooth, and dual cameras.  It's pretty snappy to run 
and plays video on Youtube well and displays web pages well when you add 
the Dolphin web browser.  I really liked it, BUT ...  I was really 
annoyed by the fact that it is running Android Gingerbread 2.3, will 
probably never be updated, and doesn't have the Android market place.  
It has Getjar, and I installed Amazon market.  However, you still have 
only about 1/10 the selection of applications that you would with the 
Android market place.  I was particularly bothered by the fact that I 
could not install Firefox, nor the Barnes and Noble Nook program without 
having access to the Android market place.  It has a built in BN app, 
but it's not the same thing.  I could potentially root it and install 
the Android market place, and it may be possible to install the Android 
market place without rooting it.  However, it would become more obsolete 
over time and possibly more subject to viruses.  Also, every time there 
was a firmware update from Pandigital, I would be worried about the hack 
failing.  In the end, I decided to return it.

I'm wondering if you guys know of any similarly priced alternatives that 
are running Android 3.2 Honeycomb or Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich.  In 
terms of screen size, I don't really need 10".  I think 8" is about the 
biggest thing I can thumb type on when it's in landscape mode.  It's 
also a nice size to carry around, but still big enough to read the print 
on the screen without a microscope.

I was also disappointed in some ways with Android, although I didn't get 
to play with it too long.  For example, though, you can't even print 
from your applications without adding a $ 13 specialized app from the 
app store.

I was also wondering if anyone knows of a solid Linux tablet that's not 
Android.  That would give me more of the features I'm used too and more 
traditional applications.  I don't want to primarily use the tablet for 
content production, but I want it to be able to run my same (or 
equivalent) applications when I need them and I'm out and about.  I want 
to be able to attach a keyboard and mouse and do real work on it if 
needed.  Most of the time, though, I'd use it for content consumption.  
It would strictly be a backup computer for when I'm away from my desk.  
I may consider a netbook, if there's nothing really in the tablet 
space.  It looks like non Android Linux tablets aren't really there yet, 
but maybe you guys know of some.  I'd like to see Ubuntu or Debian 
running on a tablet.  The CPU's and memory are certainly powerful enough 
for some versions of Linux.

I've only just begun research into non Android Linux tablets, but I ran 
across this link which looks interesting.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/spark-the-first-free-software-linux-tablet-is-on-its-way/10255

Sincerely,

Ron


-- 

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Ron Frazier

770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
linuxdude AT c3energy.com