[From Jim, Space Systems engineer in Calif, USA] I keep reading about all of these $500 tablets that are coming out, but it was difficult to decide if it's worth investing in one. The on-contract models are cheaper, but I don't want to buy into a data-plan since I already have one with my phone. I don't want to buy one of the "Walgreens" tablets since they have horrible screens, a slow processor, and usually run an older OS. Enter the Archos 70! You can get one from Amazon for $275. It has a nice 7-inch capacitive-multitouch screen, and it's sporting Android 2.2 (Froyo) with a solid 1GHZ processor. Since it has everything for a cheap price, we took the plunge and bought one. You can get the Google Apps by installing "ARCTools" from the built-in Appslib marketplace (unlike the Nook, no rooting is required). You can tether to your phone's data and GPS connection. As one of the lightest 7-inch tablets, it's perfect for eBook reading (Nook, Kindle, Google eBooks). It supports multiple video formats to entertain our kids. Since we installed the Google Apps, we also have a plethora of games and apps to burn time with (I'm a fan of the Worms game by Team17). The verdict? We may not "need" a tablet...but it would be truly difficult to give it up! It's worth it just for the NewsRob app when I'm grabbing my morning news. If you're not sure if a tablet will work for you, I suggest starting cheap and grabbing the Archos70 or Archos101 before you get one of the premium tablets. Why pay more than what a netbook costs for something that may be less useful to you? Got to love PalmAddicts for its diversity. I have Symbian, Palm, iOS, and Android devices, and this site covers them all!
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