# 2014 Android rooted cheap tablet recommendations



## drmike

My kick about beater Droid phone committed suicide the other day.  Purely for wifi use...  Leaving me contemplating moving over to a more modern Android tablet instead.

Looking for recommendations for Android tablets that use 4.x OS, have bluetooth, have wifi (they all do I think) and comes rooted (tired of fussing with stuff).  Looking for something "cheap" / "affordable".  Should support bluetooth tethering of keyboard/mouse/etc. when/if I need it.  Heck, keyboard is welcomed already.

Someone have something that fits the bill?   Need not be some sexy popular beast with 4 cores and a fancy manufacturer.  Prefer cheap since these get used as beaters, dropped, splashed, etc.


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## GIANT_CRAB

Nexus 10?

Don't go for Nexus 7 btw, Asus tablet hardware is terrible, their routers are okay though.


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## drmike

But the Nexus 10 is nowhere near cheap.  Crazy what some folks spend on these toys...

I was a restaurant yesterday and a whole table of 20-somethings talking about how nearly each and everyone one of them drowned/destroyed a smartphone.  Typical pedestrian stuff - death by drowning being the most common cause of death.


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## NodePacket

This is a rather different recommendation, but have you checked Craigslist? I have been using the Samsung Galaxy Victory and have dropped it so many times, dropped in water once, and it's been to hell and back and works like a champ still. It's quite affordable as well.


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## drmike

Samsung Galaxy Victory - looks to be rolled out with an Android 2.x OS... not rooted either is it?


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## WebSearchingPro

I actually downgraded to a stupidphone about a week ago to thwart the tracking efforts of Google and the NSA.


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## drmike

WebSearchingPro said:


> I actually downgraded to a stupidphone about a week ago to thwart the tracking efforts of Google and the NSA.


I am with you on that... Phone is purely wifi-only and disconnected from the borg and filtered on the LAN in ongoing effort to detect leakage   I just use these phones and tablets when untethering from the desk. Notifications mainly.

My out of the house emergency phone is indeed a dumb phone


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## Ishaq

iNSA 4.


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## WebSearchingPro

Ishaq said:


> iNSA 4.


I like how the iNSA5 have a fingerprint uploader built into them. You get fingerprinted before you are old enough to get ID


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## Neo

Nexus 7 with 8gig Wifi?


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## Aldryic C'boas

I have one of these, and while it hasn't replaced my netbook fully (there are some things Android just can't do), it works great for a light-use platform: http://www.asus.com/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_TF300T/

Picked mine up (tablet and keyboard) for about 240$ refurb'd.  They pop up on www.woot.com every now and then in the 200-350$ range, depending on model.  It doesn't come rooted, but the process is pretty easy.


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## willie

1. I've never heard of any Android tablet, cheap or otherwise, coming pre-rooted.  Can anyone give an example?

2. The current Nexus 7 hardware seems really nice from everything I can tell.

3. However I'm scared to run Android in general.  Leaving aside NSA tracking, there is also GSA (Google Security Agency) tracking which is every bit as bad.  Plus the tracking by all the Ferengi-developed apps.  A lot of those tablets can run Ubuntu but Canonical has turned into a Google wannabe, so (while the situation is nowhere near as bad yet) I'm squeamish towards Ubunto too.

So whatever tablet I got, I wouldn't root it and keep running Android.  I'd instead trash Android altogether and run Debian on it.  Some of them can do that.  Also, older Archos tablets had an Angstrom distribution available directly from Archos.

How useful this is, I guess, depends on what you want to do with the tablet.  If you basically just want a small X terminal with some Posix and related tools (ssh client and so forth), then you can do fine with Debian on a tablet.  If you want all that "cloud" spyware then Android has a wider selection.

I have a Nokia N9 (Maemo) smartphone though I haven't been using it.  Its successor Jolla also looks potentially interesting as an alternative to 'roid rage.


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## drmike

I am holding on waiting for Ubuntu to roll their mobile phone/OS/tablet....

I am not sold on the whole app world, but are some good ones out there.   Clearly a tablet with Linux and not Android would be awesome and less paranoid about.  Not perfect, just better.


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## Aldryic C'boas

drmike said:


> I am holding on waiting for Ubuntu to roll their mobile phone/OS/tablet....


I thought privacy minded folks were bailing Ubuntu due to the 'cloud' data gathering?


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## drmike

True about Ubuntu 

Last time I installed it, found the desktop indexing files and some new functionality that crossed the creepy level.  But they'll claim that's a feature for new fangled desktop layer they don't write... Blah.

Yeah their deals with Amazon and probably Google raise flags too.

Do I trust them more?  By a slim bit.  Apple + Google are already proven loser government collaborators.  

Android I only sort of care about since everyone and their mother supports it and software galora.  Few apps I use.  Most are crap though.


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## drmike

Aldryic C said:


> I have one of these, and while it hasn't replaced my netbook fully (there are some things Android just can't do), it works great for a light-use platform: http://www.asus.com/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_TF300T/


That Asus transformer looks pretty darn cool.

Does it come rooted/unlocked?


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## Aldryic C'boas

drmike said:


> That Asus transformer looks pretty darn cool.
> 
> Does it come rooted/unlocked?


Sadly no.. but you can unlock it without needing to install anything, and rooting is a simple, straightforward process (place specifically named file on microsd, boot into 'recovery' by holding down a button, let it do the rest).  Not counting the time to actually download the files needed (the 'recovery' file, and the desired ROM) - it took all of 10-15 minutes tops to do both mine and my wife's.

My one biggest gripe is that it becomes annoying when viewing certain websites, as an Android browser (regardless of actual display size) will either keep defaulting to 'mobile view', or refuse to properly understand percentages, leaving you with about 1/10th of the page offscreen.  Granted, that might be fixed by now, but I haven't been arsed to update Firefox on this thing in some time.


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## Lucashayes

drmike said:


> That Asus transformer looks pretty darn cool.
> 
> Does it come rooted/unlocked?


Almost no android tablet (including the cheap Chinese ones) come rooted. But on most, including the transformer its just a matter of plugging it in and running a few commands.

Also if the tf300 is a bit much for you look at a used/refurb tf101. A little less in the specs department but there are some very good ICS roms for it so you're not stuck in the stoneage.


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## drmike

The Asus Transformers are pretty nice piece of kit.   Pretty impressed with them   Like the keyboard / dock ready made for them.

Definitely a short listed consideration.   I like Asus in general.  Have an old beater netbook that was even set on fire that keeps going


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## Coastercraze

ASUS has their newer MeMo pad series too, though not sure how good that is vs the Transformer series.

I have a Kindle Fire HDX myself and can install just about anything on it. Though, that's more of a media consumption device than a tech tool.


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## Dylan

The 2013 Nexus 7 is fantastic and the price is unbeatable. And Asus tablet hardware is far from terrible.

You're not going to find anything that comes rooted unless you buy used, but rooting the N7 is as easy as plugging it in and running the Nexus Root Toolkit


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## spry

Personally, I use Asus MeMO Pad 7 and Nexus 7. Can't really complain with that kinda 'affordable' price tags. I'm satisfied to say the least.

Yes, most tablets that I came across, does not come rooted out-of-the-box. It isn't a hard one to root it either, considering there are a number of third-party software's and documentations/tutorials which are easily available via the WWW.

However, if you are considering 'rooting' the device after purchase, one will have to keep in mind that the warranty will/might go void [drawback]. I assume this is a global practice by various manufacturers. I could be wrong though.


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## joepie91

WebSearchingPro said:


> I actually downgraded to a stupidphone about a week ago to thwart the tracking efforts of Google and the NSA.


There has been talk for a while, of newer brickphones coming with always-on eavesdropping functionality. Seems plausible, given recent revelations... especially since these phones are popular as "burnphones".


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## nunim

You really can't go wrong with a Nexus 7, you can find first gen's on sale for pretty cheap but I would probably spring for the 2013 version as it's worth it for the true HD screen.


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## willie

First gen Nexus 7 screen has high enough resolution for its size (and my eyesight, ymmv).  Main attraction of 2013 version for me is the higher res camera.


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## MCH-Phil

I had a Motorola Xoom until it was left in a window and it rained.  Who would expect it to rain in the desert.  Meh.  Though on point, it is / was a great tablet.  Even for it's age.  I know you don't want much as far as having to root / etc.  I wouldn't suggest one unless you are willing to, though it's very easy.  Xoom was a great device and last I checked is still developed for in the Android community.  Which is good, if you like your privacy etc.

Personally before purchasing an Android device, I will check xda and see what the developers are saying about the device.  I'm a little picky though, if a dev has an issue... Whats to say one day I might go back down that road, again.  I don't like hack-y android on my devices.

I also feel the need to add a disclaimer saying I absolutely <3 Motorola devices.


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## talktosandy

am using iball slide. 8 gb internal memory, 1gb ram, 1ghz processor working fine for me.


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## Dylan

willie said:


> First gen Nexus 7 screen has high enough resolution for its size (and my eyesight, ymmv).  Main attraction of 2013 version for me is the higher res camera.


I felt that way too as a first-gen Nexus 7 owner... until I got the second-gen one and used it for a while. It's so much easier and more comfortable to read text for an extended period of time on the higher-res screen. I don't think you can really appreciate the difference on your eyes until you use the new one for a while and then try going back to the old. The original is by no means bad, but the screen difference is night and day.


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## Sardonik

It requires a small bit of futzing around, but the Nook HD+ give pretty good bang for the buck at $150. Buy the download version of the N2A card for $20, slap that onto a cheap microSD card, boot from said microSD card and you've got a nice 8.9" CyanogenMod based tablet with root.

If you feel like fiddling, the instructions for installing CM yourself are Googleable and get you access to the latest version with ease.

The Nook HD+ has middle to low end specs, but the screen is superb and it's very light, even in a book - style case. Worth looking at if the 7" nexus is too small for you.


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## drmike

Nook HD+ ... 

Would that be booting the OS from the microSD then?   How does that perform?  Have a similar hack with a Barnes and Noble model and it sucks / slow booting / running like that.


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## MCH-Phil

Booting off an SD card is going to be largely dependent on the speed of the card.  SD cards are rated and have classes.  Higher class = faster min. write speed.  Also, the device accessing the SD card may only be able to access it at a certain speed.  Do you know what class your card is?  Most have them printed on the card.  Sometimes a number, circled.


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