Android tablets still struggling

How long have we been screaming for a cheaper, quality Android tablet? Glad to hear the vendors are finally getting with the program. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing what Google and ASUS bring to market. While I enjoy my Kindle Fire for consuming Amazon media content, I'd love a 7" device that has access to the entire Android ecosystem. I'd love one, but I'm not willing to pay $350-$400 for one. If Google's tablet launches at $199 I'm all over it.

And then there's the other bad news. Newzoo [via Venturebeat] published a report pointing out that in the mobile gaming space, iOS users spend five times as much as Android users.

I'm calling that bad news for Android just because it isn't the kind of figure that's going to get an iOS app developer to decide to port to Android.

As an Android fan, I keep waiting for the OS to "turn the corner" so to speak, but I have to admit I'm starting to get worried. When Windows 8 tablets start hitting the market I don't think they're going to make things any easier for Android. The iPad is entrenched and I can't help but think that if Windows 8 steals market share from anywhere, it's going to be from Android.

Newzoo's CEO Peter Warman attributes the discrepancy to the fact that iOS owners have to have a credit card tied to their account, making it easy and seamless to purchase the apps themselves, or more importantly in-app purchases (91% of the cash spend on gaming is spent on in-app purchases, Newzoo says).

Of course it's also tempting to spin this as evidence that Android users have more important things to do with their time than play games all day!! Kidding aside, if mobile gaming is important to you then you've probably already decided that iOS is your mobile platform of choice. To some extent pointing out that people spend more money on iOS games than Android games is the same as pointing out that people spend more money on Windows games than on OS X games: obviously the platform with the larger library and stronger developer support is going to account for more sales.

I found this statement surprising. I have a credit card tied to my Android account and assumed most people did, but perhaps not. Plus I can easily purchase an app from a web browser and have it automatically download to my device which is something iOS lacks, to the best of my knowledge. I actually find the purchasing process easier on Android than on iOS, but that's actual app purchasing; I don't do much in-app buying. Maybe that's the difference?

7-Inch Tablet Android 2.1 by SVP

7-Inch Tablet Android 2.1 by SVP Avarage Customer Rating :   Features  Technical Details Customer Reviews Android 2.1 with 7" (800*480 pixels)Touch Panel Wifi IEEE Tablet PC Internal Memory : DDR2 256MB/ 2GB MLC;External Memory : Micro SD card (up to 16GB) Support lots of Video & Audio format; Video:(Full HD, MOV / MP4/ AVI / MPG / WMV ); Audio:(MP3 / WAV / WMA / AAC / AAC+ ) Support lots of office software:Word Viewer; Excel Viewer ; Powerpoint Viewer; PDF Viewer; Imager Viewer; Microsoft Wordpad;(Please note that Android marketplace is not included)

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Some Customer Reviews for 7-Inch Tablet Android 2.1 by SVP "It's cheap, and strong, sometimes will cause system down when searching for the wireless network, a little slow... Read more" "I have really enjoyed this tablet. I bought it to use as an ereader, but haven't been able to do that. I can't get the ereader to down load the ereader android, but I know it can be done so I will keep trying to I figure it out. But I use it all the time for other things. My husband calls it my big cell phone, because  Read more. "

Android 2.1 connects to the world though the touch of a fingertip. The TPC7901 Tablet is a powerful and flexible Internet and Entertainment solution that features a generous 7" screen with intuitive touchscreen controls powered by the Android 2.1 operating system. Browse the web wirelessly or enjoy media on a sleek and stylish media device. Playing videos, photos, music, and more in the comfort of your living room when connected to your TV via HDMI. The TPC7901 has 2GB of built-in internal memory and features a microSD card slot for upgrading the capacity to up to 16GB...

VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi

	VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi - VTAB1008 Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Android 2.3 operating system, 1 GHz Processor. 512 MB Mmemory, 4 GB (2 GB user accessible), microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. 8-inch LED-backlit LCD with multi-touch capabilities. Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Front-facing VGA camera (30 fps). 1.2 pounds.
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Some Customer Reviews for VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi - VTAB1008 "I love this "fipad". Im pretty tech, but i didn't want to go and spend 300 to 700 dollars on a tablet..." "I don't think any tablet will ever completely replace a PC (laptop or desktop) but I find the Vizio tablet quite capable..." "I bought this from Costco at under 200 bucks, so it should be a good deal, considering it has an integrated GPS (Kindle Fire and Nook do not!)..." "This tablet is awful. i thought i was making the correct move by buying this over the kindle fire, boy was i wrong!! ..." "This morning as always for 9 months turned on tablet to start reading; before my eyes screen cracks all the way accross..."

Keep entertainment freedom at your fingertips with the 8-inch VIZIO Tablet (VTAB1008), which delivers movies, TV shows, and music in a thin, ultra-light design. Access hundreds of thousands of apps from the Android Market, and smoothly multi-task between browser and apps. Connect to your wireless network via ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11n) and even use the tablet as a universal remote control with the integrated IR blaster.

Coby Kyros 8-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Touchscreen Tablet

Coby Kyros 8-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Touchscreen Tablet - MID8125-4G (Black) Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Browse the web, watch Youtube videos, checking e-mail, and much more with Android 2.3 8 inch LCD intuitive touchscreen with built-in front-facing camera and microphone High-speed 1 GHz processor, connect to the Internet wirelessly with high-speed networking support (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g) AppsLib marketplace - download and enjoy popular applications and games Plays popular video, music, and photo formats

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Some Customer Reviews for Coby Kyros 8-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Touchscreen Tablet - MID8125-4G (Black) "I was very disappointed in this tablet. It is very slow and not user-friendly like I had hoped..." "If you are looking for a toy for a kid maybe its help. But it does not have quality, its a sensible plastic and the touchscreen its horrible..." "I use a lot of Google Market apps and Firefox! The reviews said it was easy to download some of these apps but I had no Luck! ..." "This tablet is well worth the money if you have the time an patience to make some changes to it. If you don't know how to root a tablet, I am not sure this tablet is for you..." "I purchased the Kyros Coby 7020 tablet. For people who do not know much about programming applications, this tablet is complicated because according to the tablet, the android..."

Browse the web, watch videos on Youtube, check e-mail, and more on a generous 8 inch LCD screen. Intuitive touchscreen controls powered by Android OS 2.3 high-speed 1 GHz processor. Connect to the Internet wirelessly with high-speed networking support (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g) Download and enjoy popular apps and games from the AppsLib marketplace. Plays popular video, music, and photo formats...

Acer Iconia TAB A100-07U08U 7-Inch Tablet

Acer Iconia TAB A100-07U08U 7-Inch Tablet (8GB) Avarage Customer Rating :   Features The Acer Iconia Tab A100 is designed to enrich your mobile life with its compact 7" size that easily fits in your pocket 1GB DDR2 Memory The latest build of Android Honeycomb operating system provides enhanced audio Enjoy face-to-face video chats and more with the 5MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing camera 8GB internal storage

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Some Customer Reviews for Acer Iconia TAB A100-07U08U 7-Inch Tablet (8GB) "Does everything you could ever want. chugs through youtube HD videos and high profile HD content with no issues..." "After several weeks of reseach, I selected this tablet to buy. When I started my research before Christmas, I wanted a 7" tablet, not a 10" and soon discovered that both Acer and..." "After doing A LOT of online review with regards to tablets (and I have read weeks worth) I decided to go with this Acer..." "I have read review after review of oh how horrible this tablet is because of different looks and such..."

Creative ZiiO 8 GB 7-Inch Android 2.1 Wireless Entertainment Tablet

	Creative ZiiO 8 GB 7-Inch Android 2.1 Wireless Entertainment Tablet (White) Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Android 2.1 , ZMS-08 8 GB of memory 7-inch screen (480 x 800 pixels) offers a sharp color display WiFi 802.11 b/g, front facing camera 14.1 oz
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Some Customer Reviews for Creative ZiiO 8 GB 7-Inch Android 2.1 Wireless Entertainment Tablet (White) "I have had my ZiiO for a while, and I absolutely love it. I am a creative fan though, and get all of my electronics from them; they've never let me down..." "I ordered this 8gb 7 inch Ziio about a month ago. I received it very fast from the seller and had no troubles..." "I purchased this thinking it was a good price , the tablet is nice but I couldn't get it to play Yahoo videos and this was the first drawback..." "I actually won this tablet through my sales job. I was thinking on buying an Ipad 2 but found out I won another type of tablet instead..." "I was motivated to buy the ZiiO 8GB Android tablet because the price was much better than the more famous brands..."

REVIEW: Enjoy exceptional wireless audio playback for all your music, movies, and games with the ZiiO 7-Inch Wireless Entertainment Tablet from Creative. The compact touch-screen tablet not only offers convenient mobile computing, but it also lets you stream lossless audio to Bluetooth-compatible wireless speaker systems or headphones. It features a vivid 7-inch color display as well as an HDMI-out for enjoying movies on a big-screen HDTV. It also offers 8 GB of memory and an SD expansion slot for storing all your favorite media content. The tablet runs on the Android operating system and features built-in Wi-Fi capability. It also includes Pure Android Audio for easy management of paired wireless audio devices.

VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi

	VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi - VTAB1008 Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Android 2.3 operating system, 1 GHz Processor. 512 MB Mmemory, 4 GB (2 GB user accessible), microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. 8-inch LED-backlit LCD with multi-touch capabilities. Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Front-facing VGA camera (30 fps). 1.2 pounds.
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Some Customer Reviews for VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet with WiFi - VTAB1008 "I don't think any tablet will ever completely replace a PC (laptop or desktop) but I find the Vizio tablet quite capable..." "I bought this from Costco at under 200 bucks, so it should be a good deal, considering it has an integrated GPS (Kindle Fire and Nook do not!)..." "This tablet is awful. i thought i was making the correct move by buying this over the kindle fire, boy was i wrong!! ..." "This morning as always for 9 months turned on tablet to start reading; before my eyes screen cracks all the way accross..." "This was such a shame, because I really love this tablet...but the port for the charger is bad designing..."

Keep entertainment freedom at your fingertips with the 8-inch VIZIO Tablet (VTAB1008), which delivers movies, TV shows, and music in a thin, ultra-light design. Access hundreds of thousands of apps from the Android Market, and smoothly multi-task between browser and apps. Connect to your wireless network via ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11n) and even use the tablet as a universal remote control with the integrated IR blaster.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-B1

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-B1 32GB 10.1-Inch Tablet (Tablet Only) Avarage Customer Rating :   Features 10.1 Inch WSVGA (1280×800) IPS Capacitive LED Touchscreen Android 3.2 Operating System 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 1 slot, 1GB Max Stereo Speakers; Internal Microphone; Mic-In/Headphone-Out Combo Jack 40-Pin Docking Port for Optional Keyboard/Docking Station (Model Name: TF101 DOCKING) Which Provides Up To 6.5 Additional Hours of Battery Life

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Some Customer Reviews for ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-B1 32GB 10.1-Inch Tablet (Tablet Only) "My tablet won't wake up on power button if battery level < 60% ..." "I've had a 32gb Transformer and dock for almost a year. During that time I've had to rma it 4 times because of a broken power button, a dock that would not hold a charge, and..." "My tablet didn't work properly from the beginning. The tablet wouldn't turn on after the third or fourth time..." "I got this for my birthday back in Oct 2011 and have been using it daily since then. I love the fact that with the dock and I can connect a full USB keyboard and wireless mouse..."

Lenovo Ideapad A1 22282MU 7-Inch Tablet

	Lenovo Ideapad A1 22282MU 7-Inch Tablet (Black) Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Texas Instruments OMAP 3622 (1GHz) 16GB SSD; 512 MB LPDDR2 600MHz Dual camera 0.3/3.0 MP 7.0" SD LED Glare Multi-touch with integrated camera 1024x600 Android 2.3 Operating System
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Some Customer Reviews for Lenovo Ideapad A1 22282MU 7-Inch Tablet (Black) "My 9 year old daughter recently bought the Lenovo Ideapad A1, which we ordered directly from the Lenovo website..." "I bought the Lenovo after I accidently dropped my son's tablet that I bought him for christmas. The first tablet was a viewsonic and I thought it was a great purchase for my son..." "Given the price of the A1, it is a great value. When compared to other devices of similar size/price, the Ideapad has much better options..." "This is a great basic Android product. Some of the latest versions of apps that need Honeycomb to run are not compatible, but the apps that I have loaded so far that are listed..." "Wifi cuts off every 30 sec, called Lenovo (didn't buy from amazon wasn't in stock around xmas) tech support, they told me to wait for an update and they couldn't take it back, 2..."

Velocity Micro Cruz Reader 7" Color Tablet

Velocity Micro Cruz Reader 7" Color Tablet 2GB Touchscreen 256 MB RAM w/ Android 2.0 R102 Avarage Customer Rating :   Features Velocity Micro Cruz Reader R102 256MB 7-inch Touchscreen EBook Reader General Features: Black color 7-inch resistive touchscreen display 800 x 600 resolution Google Android 2.0 (Eclair) pre-installed 256 MB RAM 256 MB internal storage SD/SDHC memory card slot Mini-USB 2.0 interface Integrated IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Built-in speakers

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Some Customer Reviews for Velocity Micro Cruz Reader 7" Color Tablet 2GB Touchscreen 256 MB RAM w/ Android 2.0 R102 "This is an ereader and it is great for that. All of these people giving it negative reviews are expecting a tablet for under a 100 dollars and it's just not going to happen..." "I had to return it for a refund. I would not recomend it but who knows I might have got the only bad one..." "We have an Ipad and also Kindle Fire tablet and I purchased this ereader because I wanted to try out a Cruz and see what I could buy for this price..." "The only reason I gave this product 2 stars is because my 6 year old twins like it, but often complain about it not "working right", it freezes alot and is very limited to apps..."