Thoughts on Creative Ziio 7-inch Tablet??

[aj.bb.fanatic]

Hi! I'm considering getting a Creative Ziio 7-inch tablet (8gb) as a gift for someone who needs a basic tablet for:
internet browsing
ebooks (free and purchased ones)
photo and video capture and viewing

I'm working with a certain budget for the item. I came across the Ziio, and found that it may well be the right tablet to purchase as a gift.

Question: Is it something you would recommend given my need? I would appreciate reading your comments/insights on the Ziio. If you happen to own 1 or more, I'd be happy to find out your experience with it/them.

Thanks!

[Karmaloop]

What's your budget and how much does it cost? From what I read, it has a resistive screen which kinda sucks.

Why not get the Kindle Fire? It has no camera, but I doubt the camera on Ziio is any good (probably VGA at the most).

[aj.bb.fanatic]

I see. I'm looking at $100-$200. Kindle Fire is at $199, while this one is about $140.
First choice was actually Kindle Fire but I realized it may be limited to only content purchased (esp. e-books) from Amazon. Same thing with music and videos. The Ziio got me thinking because it's on Android (older but still better than the very limited version, according to reviews I read, on the Kindle Fire), and connectivity (hdmi, bluetooth, micro-usb) and expansion capability (microSD up to 32Gb).
Also, the camera is also somewhat a requirement as this will be used for casual photo taking as well.
About the resistive touchscreen, I'm in the dark when it comes to that. I don't know the difference between all these touchscreen types. Why isn't it any good? Also, what type is?

[Karmaloop]

A traditional resistive touch screen does not work well with fingers and doesn't support multi-touch. It works bests with a stylus. A capactive (ones on most smartphones/tablets) supports multi touch and works best with fingers.

The thing about the Ziio is that it has no Android Market access, so Amazon's ecosystem is actually better than what you'd get with the Ziio. You could always install the Amazon Appstore onto the Ziio, but you'd have to find a way to get the Kindle/Nook/Kobo (the Kobo and Nook apps are available on GetJar, as well as a lot of other free apps - highly recommended if you get the Ziio) apps to serve the e-reader purpose. I guess if you don't mind the resistive touch screen and are willing to tinker a little to get a decent experience for books and other content, it's a good buy.

Edit: Have you considered the Ainol Novo 7? It has everything you're looking for and ICS. The software on it is in beta right now, just thought it should be mentioned.

http://androidadvices.com/ainol-novo...blet-99-china/

[Xopher]

There is also the Lenovo IdeaPad and the Acer Iconia Tab A100. Both are 7" tablets (I think both run Honeycomb). Searching for deals on them can find prices around the $250 range. They aren't in the sub $200 range, but considering they are full tablets with gApps, they look like a good option.

My wife was interested in the Kindle Fire. After doing some research, I ended up getting the Acer Iconia. Best Buy had them for $189 on Black Friday. From everything I've seen, it was a much better choice over the Fire.

Sent from my gTablet using Tapatalk.

[Karmaloop]

Here's another option.

ViewSonic ViewPad e70: Android 4.0 tablet for just $169 - Liliputing

[aj.bb.fanatic]

Thanks for sharing your ideas. They were all very helpful.
I went with the Ziio, but I may just well consider your other suggestions for future purchases.
Thanks again!

[aj.bb.fanatic]

Update:

I already gifted the Creative Ziio 7". It was well received. I played around with it and saw what you all meant. Yes, the resistive touch screen can take some getting used to (especially if you're already familiar with capacitive touch screens). The sound is great, clear, and crisp. Yes, the Ziio Store is quite limited in the number of apps available. Also, the Creative Ziio Space (which also lists the free apps made available for the Ziio) wasn't too impressive, since some of the apps seemed to be built for phones (i.e. screen not fully maximized). Another thing I noticed, when I tried installing some free apps from Ziio Space, is that the webpage with the app details really strained my eyes -- not sure if it was the webpages themselves or the screen. Lastly, the speed at which it performs certain tasks is a bit slow. File transfers seem to be quick, but apps that require processing had some lag.
About ebook reader apps, I was surprised to find (pre-installed) Ziio Academy which is Creative's own eBook reader. The overall interface and experience is quite good, and more importantly, it allowed importing of non-protected ebooks.
All in all, for the price, I still think it's a fairly decent tablet.
And it helped that you guys provided valuable inputs (as well as options). Thanks again!

[Karmaloop]

You're welcome. Glad you're happy with the device.