Thinking of buying a tablet

It's funny, when the boys were turning 10 they got a GBA.  When the girls turned 10 I was all ready to get them a 3DS (they had almost enough in their accounts).  But they held out.  Didn't want to spend that much.  Now, a little over 6 months later they've got their hearts set on getting a tablet.

Before we start, I'm not getting them iPads.  No way.  Not even if they could afford them.  Way too expensive (remember, we're talking about 10-year-olds).  So Android it is.  What are the must-have features, which ones can you do without, etc.  My budget is $200 (or as close as I can get to $200).

Some specific questions:

I'm thinking not less than 8GB, but how important is base memory when you can always get a 32 GB micro-SD card for far less than it would be to go from an 8GB pad to a 16 GB one?  What is the main difference between on-board flash and removable cards?

How important is the rear-facing camera?  I'm thinking there would be some games they could not do without it.  Most in this price range don't have one (only have a front-facing one for Skype), but a few do.

I really think bluetooth is important, but is it really?  Other than getting wireless headphones, what else would be missing if there was no bluetooth?

How important is the resolution of the front-facing camera.  There is an Acer for $180 (PM to $175 at BB) that has 16 GB, bluetooth, *and front-and-rear cameras, but the front one is only 0.3 MP.  Other than skype, what would you do with the front facing camera?  This tab has a 5MP rear camera which is very rare in this price range.

By the way, this is the one I'm leaning toward: [url-http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/985095-REG/acer_nt_l1caa_001_16gb_iconia_a1_8.html]Acer Iconia A1[/url]

It's a multi-touch 8" screen with 1024x768 resolution, 1GB RAM and 16GB flash, bluetooth & wifi, front 0.3MP and rear 5MP camera (captures 1080p 30 fps video).  I read one review where the guy said the 1024x768 screen wasn't as crisp as he'd like and colors were washed out.  Honestly, I don't understand people any more.  At that price range was he expecting a Pioneer Elite Plasma experience?

It's $180 at B&H, and $230 at BB.  There is a slight difference in the description -- the BB one says Android 4.2, while at B&H it says 4.1.  Pretty sure for the girls this wouldn't matter at all; would prefer 4.2, obviously, but more concerned BB won't price match.

Thoughts?

Get a 16GB google nexus 7. Trust me. I've compared dozens of these a few months ago.

http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-7/

"The Nexus 7’s razor-sharp full-HD screen, silky smooth performance, meager weight, and affordable price make it the best tablet value on the market."

The only problem is there's no micro SD support, but I don't see what you're gonna store in a tablet anyway.

There are quite a few different ones to choose from. At B&H they have a 16 GB for $175 and a 32 GB one for $200 (these are the older models -- the newer ones add a SnapDragon CPU, higher-res screen, rear camera).

So the question is how important is a rear-facing camera? If I was getting this for myself, I'd probably go for the Nexus, but then I would also go for the SnapDragon and higher res screen (which would also then come with a rear camera), and that would take me out of the $200 price range.

For the girls I think the 8" screen (versus 7") and the rear camera will be more important than the higher resolution (1024 x 768 is still pretty good). There are some apps/games that need that camera (to say nothing of taking pictures/videos).

Great. Now *I* want one, too.

I guess this means the search is on for a sale of one of the newer ones. The 16GB model is $230 at B&H (available in 3 days). The FS/BB web sites don't even have this product yet, so I have no idea what I'd get with price matching, but it's not going to be $200.

I guess if your kids are obsessed with Instagram or that kind of thing, a rear camera would be good. I can't help you with games though, I never play games on tablets/cellphones

LeKing wrote:I guess if your kids are obsessed with Instagram or that kind of thing, a rear camera would be good. I can't help you with games though, I never play games on tablets/cellphones

How come?

spader wrote:

LeKing wrote:I guess if your kids are obsessed with Instagram or that kind of thing, a rear camera would be good. I can't help you with games though, I never play games on tablets/cellphones

How come?

I already waste enough time on my PS3, plus it drains the battery life

LeKing wrote:I guess if your kids are obsessed with Instagram or that kind of thing, a rear camera would be good. I can't help you with games though, I never play games on tablets/cellphones

I don't think I'd be OK with Instagram -- isn't that for posting pictures of yourself? They're 10. No, they're obsessed with something called Video Star (Apple product); there are similar apps for Android. Then, of course, there's the apps where you take a picture and manipulate it -- like stretching someone's nose or chin, enlarging their eyes or ears.

By the way, do any of them come with a Netflix app? Or will I have to use the browser, and in that case, are there issues with flash (I think Netflix online uses flash)?

There's a netflix app for most android devices on the Google Play Store.

Dang it, all the researching makes me want to get one for myself. I should have known better. And now the girls are on my case -- can we get one today? how about tomorrow? I usually take quite a bit of time to research before I buy electronics.

Oh, also found out that, apparently, BB/FS won't PM B&H because they are in the US.

You can get a nice Coby or Polaroid tablet for about 100 bucks or less.

SeawaySensFan wrote:You can get a nice Coby or Polaroid tablet for about 100 bucks or less.

Wouldn't even have to stoop that low -- I could get a halfway decent Asus for $99.  It just doesn't have bluetooth (which they won't really care about), or a rear-facing camera (this they *will* care about).

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:You can get a nice Coby or Polaroid tablet for about 100 bucks or less.

Wouldn't even have to stoop that low -- I could get a halfway decent Asus for $99.  It just doesn't have bluetooth (which they won't really care about), or a rear-facing camera (this they *will* care about).

OK so a Coby or Polaroid must be 50 bucks or less.

Buying*