Ro@chIT Blog

Link: http://www.lightinthebox.com/c/android-tablets_4781?currency=GBP&sort=4a

If like me you're desperate to get your hands on an iPad or a Galaxy tablet but taking that final step and clicking on 'PayNow' would mean your kids have to go without a few meals then I may have found the answer!

www.lightinthebox.com - are a china-based online retailer selling everything from furniture & clothes to wedding accessories and mobile phones. But the section of their site we're interested in is: Electronics.

In this section there is a massive selection of Android 2.1 & 2.2 based tablet PCs for cheap! Prices start at £65, with the majority of the tablets priced at about £100. Obviously these aren't going to be able to compete with the iPad & iPad 2 in terms of performance but looking at the spec listed they have the same finctionality and connectivity coupled with the great accessibility of the Android operating system.

I have a HTC Wildfire. It's a low-end smart phone that has the same features and finctionality as a HTC desire or an iPhone but at a slightly slower speed and maybe lower resolution. This is what these tablets will be like. Great for browsing the Internet, updating Twitter and Blogs, viewing photos and maybe even watching movies - which let's face it is what the majority of us are looking for. What you won't be able to do is edit HD videos or play the latest High Definition online game - who cares?

The most important thing to remember when buying an Android-based device is that it must have access to the Google Android marketplace to be able to download the latest apps. Other proprietary app stores exist but they do not have the support or contributors that the Google one does and you could end up missing out on that latest killer app.

I can't vouch for the delivery or customer service performance of the LightintheBox web site but from what I have seen it is a much better option than eBay.

Hopefully I will treat myself to one of these little tablets of fun and post a review within the next month or so...