And isn't slow as all heck. :)

you want to make sure if you get a larger size from say 8" up you get a good resolution screen or else it will be fuzzy looking, you do not want the 800x600 resolutions, under 8" that resolution is not too bad.
Yes you can find them in the 7-8 inch range in that range you want to try to get the later versions of android on them though go for only Android 3.2 or 4.0-4.1 and the better the processor the better it will run.
I saw recently that the Vizio vtab that I have was on sale at a few places for under $150.
I would not hesitate to go with a refurb on a tablet I did and have had zero problems.
VIZIO 8" Tablet with WiFi - VTAB1008
that is it at walmart but it can be found for much less than that, I know costco has it for around $189

you can find lots of them like these
LCD Capacitive Touch Screen 7 Inch Tablet PC - Android 4.0

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" Tablet, ARM Cortex A8 (1.0GHz), 16GB microSD, 3G/Sprint, Android 2.2 - Refurbished
this one should be able to upgrade to a later android version.

Android 4.0 (ICS) MID 9" Capacitive Touch Screen Wifi Webcam G-sensor HDMI 3D, 1GB DDR RAM, 8GB

I think this is a great price for this 10" and it has good specs.
KOCASO M1052S 10.1" Android 4.0 20GB Tablet PC All Winner A10 Cotex A8 1.2GHz 1GB RAM

Android 4.0 ICS Zenithink C91 MID 10" Capacitive TouchScreen Wi-Fi G-sensor Tablet PC 8GB

this is a good place to look
Android Tablet Bay - Global Online Shopping for Android Tablet PC, Android Phone - androidtabletbay.com

and you can look at some of the android forums for the various brands of tablets to see what is being said about them. There are just tons of them, some known brands some not, for that price point it really doesn't matter if it is a known brand you will probably get a lot more in a not known.

Ainol
you can search around for these Ainol tablets they are very impressive for the price and have good reviews at the forums.

That gives you something to look at and consider.
the word you were looking for was capacitive screen you also want it to say multi touch and IPS is really good.

Hi Raven, thank you.

The Vizio that you have... can you use it with Netflix?

You mean stream netflix using my wifi router to the Vizio? I would think so . I don't use netflix but I have watched other tv and movie sites on it.

Yes it does support it and hulu plus according to this article

Here is a link that might be useful: Vizio Vtab

Raven - Thanks, I appreciate your help.

Could you tell me what you think are the pros and cons of the Vizio.

I wish I could think of good questions to ask but I have no knowledge of what all a tablet can, will, or is suppose to do. LOL
The difference between a netbook and a notebook is over my head, too.
Do I want a netbook instead of a tablet?
Does a netbook do much more than what a tablet is capable?
It's so overwhelming to research these subjects!

A good tablet can do many of the things that a computer can do. The biggest limiting factors are screen size, the lack of a physical keyboard, and relatively anemic processors. On the plus side the are great for general browsing, email, social media, and games because you can take them anywhere and hold one in your hands comfortably.

So called Netbooks are a budget conscious laptop. They sacrifice processor speed, memory, storage capacity for a lower price. Like tablets, they excel at "casual" use and offer a physical keyboard.

Call me an Apple fanboy, but if you want a tablet, buy a iPad. Yes, they are expensive, so save your pennies. But there's a reason that Apple has sold 84 million of them, probably more than the next 10 competitor combined. I don't know anyone who owns one who does it love it and I don't know anyone who can't use one, including, as I've said many times before, a young man with Downs Syndrome.

I would LOVE an iPad but I would never pay big bucks for a toy just for myself. :)

Wow great price on the 10" xoom it is a refurb but really awesome price.
It should be fully upgradable to android 4 or newer. With the dual core tegra processor. And it's the 32gb one too. Sooo tempting.
If you want a name brand, 10"for under $200 I would sure be looking hard at this motorola xoom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Xoom $189 free ship

RC Have you had any dealings with the Blackberry Playbook..there are some decent prices with the 16GB and the 32GB models..7" screen, decent processor, memory...Just wondering if you know or not..is there any external difference between a 16 or 32 if one should try and pick up a lightly used one on Kijiji..wondering if one could try and pawn off a 16 for a 32..any telltale markings you know of on the case??

Found out thru a blackberry forum, that on the lower left corner of the device it is marked either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB

For the OP - I suggest you stick to a known brand name for your tablet, and as others have said, you should have good choices in this price range. There are a lot of knock-offs in the market of dubious quality, spend your money wisely.

mike,

You're not alone, the world is full of Apple fanboys. For good reason. No company comes close to Apple in making technology cool and easy to use. They do it over and over again with product after product.

One compromise that results is that their products and software are inflexible. They decide that a given function or piece of software needs to work in one particular way, and that's that. No alternatives, no choices. If their predetermined approach doesn't suit you, too bad.

I don't putter or play with the stuff that I have, but the inflexibility drives me nuts. We've had various Apple products in the house over the years. The quality has been no better on average than other stuff, so it's not like the premium prices are because of premium value. Maybe my experiences have been unrepresentative, but I personally do prefer non-Apple products. I know that puts me into a minority group.

I have never had any dealing with blackberry playbook sorry.

I have never been able to get past the high cost of the Apple brand and the proprietary bs.

RC.. dont know if the second part of your post was for Mike or me..Blackberry is not associated with Apple..completely different company RIM (Research in Motion) Canadian company but the blackberry products (phones too) are sold worldwide..check out the product line and see what you think..32GBs are running slightly less than $200 and the 64s are about $250

Thanks a lot guys.

Raven - one thing you suggested to me was about resolution and those specs for the motorola did not list them.

The price went up since you posted that link. It's $220 now. LOL

snidely - you might be right since I'm so totally clueless. At least a brand name has some sort of reputation to uphold.

Sorry, my brain must have been on overload after doing all that reading. :)

The 10.1-inch display delivers console-like gaming performance on its 1280 x 800-pixel display.

I think I'll come back in a few weeks and see if you guys still think this tablet may be a good option. Also, would you buy the warranty?

And also, generally are all tablets charged by USB? And are those USB to AC adapters good to use?

All of mine have a wall plug in as well as usb. I have never bought an extra warranty.

I am familiar with the blackberry devices and Rim but I have never had one in my hands.

I think Vizio products are well thought of and most provide good value for money.

The RIM tablet got decent reviews. The company, however, is a sinking ship (because their main Blackberry product line is dying in the marketplace). They've already discontinued one tablet model, and the inventory of available apps is small and unlikely to grow. If you buy a RIM tablet, it's likely the tablet will outlive the company that produced it. I've owned BBs, they were ok in their day, but today's Droid and Iphone competitors are vastly superior.

Wall plugs and USB charging are essentially the same. Sometimes a wall connection will supply slightly more wattage (and so may result in a quicker charge), but devices don't care what they're plugged into. Use whatever comes in the box.

I agree, extended warranties are wasted money with electronic devices. If it lives past the manufacturer's warranty period that you get for free, it'll likely last through any extended period too. The money you save by not buying extended warranties will pay for the odd item that dies prematurely.

The reason why apple has sold so many is that there were none so to speak. Then when they really went big people tried to get in on it. The problem is that what Johnny has, Billy has to get, so Billy buys an ipad whether it's better or not. Ipads are over priced and that's all there is to it. I would never buy an apple product and won't miss a beat.

If Tim Cook is to be believed, 91% of tablet traffic on the web comes from an iPad. Maybe that's because folks need to follow the crowd or maybe it's because it's an incredible product. Most likely it is a combination of both but in any case Apple deserves some credit for creating a product with such market dominance.

Apple products are expensive but value is in the eye of the beholder. Obviously 17 million people this year thought that an iPad was a better value than the competition.

And that's fine. I have hundreds of dollars that they don't.