Android Tablets

[Ed Law]

We use bluetooth to transfer data between tablets. Works very well.

[dcarr]

Don't end up with a junky Android tablet that will be unbearably slow and see limited manufacturer support and updates.

This Asus model is essentially a re-launch of the Nexus 7 from 2012, and it's gotten good reviews from AnandTech and others.

http://www.amazon.com/MeMOPad-HD-7-I.../dp/B00E0EY7Z6

You could also look for refurbished or open box Nexus 7's (2012 edition), they should hit that price point or lower.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Someone told me recently you can get one through Walmart for $69 using the internet shopping and have it shipped to a store.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Someone told me recently you can get one through Walmart for $69 using the internet shopping and have it shipped to a store.

Not the Nexus 7 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nextbook-7...vices/22127002)

[solopilot]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Someone told me recently you can get one through Walmart for $69 using the internet shopping and have it shipped to a store.

Perhaps it was me?
Walmart: XELIO 7" Tablet With 4GB Memory, currently $44
I bought this, installed Google Play (get com.android.vending-4.1.6.apk).
Works fine. The screen resolution is not great, but great deal for $44.
No Work: Vibrate, compass
Works: GPS, WiFi, Accelerometer, everything else...

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by solopilot

Perhaps it was me?
Walmart: XELIO 7" Tablet With 4GB Memory, currently $44
I bought this, installed Google Play (get com.android.vending-4.1.6.apk).
Works fine. The screen resolution is not great, but great deal for $44.
No Work: Vibrate, compass
Works: GPS, WiFi, Accelerometer, everything else...

How does it feel quality-wise?

[solopilot]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

How does it feel quality-wise?

It's not iPhone quality. But it is better than $44 quality.
The biggest complaint is the screen and that the touch-pad registration is slightly off. You need to touch a bit higher than you expect. I guess I got used to that. Battery life seems OK. I can download files to it via USB, though I can't use it for Android development (driver issue.)

Walmart has smaller Android devices for $35. I'll evaluate one shortly. We are considering buying a bunch of them for a judge & RI app. Pls check it out at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...om.pejaver.gms

Login using demo : demo Comments welcome

[jgustafson6156]

Originally Posted by Ed Law

We use Bluetooth to transfer data between tablets. Works very well.

Bluetooth isn't allowed at competitions ether.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by jgustafson6156

Bluetooth isn't allowed at competitions ether.

I'm not sure where you're getting this from. Can you cite the rule?

I know they prohibit bluetooth on the robots and operator console, but in the arena I believe they only prohibit wifi networks.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by jgustafson6156

Bluetooth isn't allowed at competitions ether.

False. All past rules have specified wireless devices following the 802.11 standard to be disallowed, but Bluetooth and zigbee follow the 802.15 specification.

[donald_pinckney]

OP: For ideas for implementing your scouting system, you might want to checkout the post and whitepaper Team 1678 has on this thread:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=118980

We used 8 Trio Stealth Pro 7' tablets for our system and they worked kind-of ok. They functioned mostly as we expected, but you get what you pay for with Android tablets under $100. They did not support Bluetooth, which was a disappointment, but they DID support USB ethernet, which we used at the Sacramento regional. I would not recommend using USB ethernet though: it seemed somewhat unreliable and a real mess with cords. At this point in time, I would recommend increasing budget a bit to $150 per tablet, and purchasing ASUS MeMOPad HD 7s
They are pretty much just marked down previous-gen Nexus 7s, and from what I can tell the gain in quality from cheap less than $100 to $150 makes a world of difference.

At least that was my / our teams experience, maybe it will be different for you.

Good luck!

[protoserge]

I might as well plug our Android app. It is available on Google Play here. Check it out and see if it is a useful tool for you. We welcome any feedback!

We will be instituting a new app for next year's game. We will be releasing a video/series that describes the features of next year's app.

[hardcopi]

We stored all the data on the tablets then synced them off site. At St Louis we synced them using the bus' wifi. The other option that we are looking at this year is using an ad hoc wifi network on a laptop that will gather the data. We can just run them out to the parking lot turn on the wifi ad-hoc network and sync the data up. Not ideal, but it worked really well last year.

[Barry Bonzack]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

I'm not sure where you're getting this from. Can you cite the rule?

I know they prohibit bluetooth on the robots and operator console, but in the arena I believe they only prohibit wifi networks.

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

False. All past rules have specified wireless devices following the 802.11 standard to be disallowed, but Bluetooth and zigbee follow the 802.15 specification.

I can cite this.

In St. Louis the FRC field next to the FTC fields had to shut down all wifi AND bluetooth devices because they were causing major problems with connection. At FTC competitions we require all forms of transmission from devices to be turned off, and request all phones be put in airplane mode. At the Florida FTC Championship, we had to delay the finals match because a handheld gaming system was causing interference.

The result, the field crew now has scanners, and volunteers are sent into the stands to locate where there interference is coming from, and request the device be turned off. If the interference comes from and the stands of FRC field, they must comply too.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Barry Bonzack

I can cite this.

In St. Louis the FRC field next to the FTC fields had to shut down all wifi AND bluetooth devices because they were causing major problems with connection. At FTC competitions we require all forms of transmission from devices to be turned off, and request all phones be put in airplane mode. At the Florida FTC Championship, we had to delay the finals match because a handheld gaming system was causing interference.

The result, the field crew now has scanners, and volunteers are sent into the stands to locate where there interference is coming from, and request the device be turned off. If the interference comes from and the stands of FRC field, they must comply too.

You didn't cite a rule, you cited an anecdote. It'd be great if someone could point out the related rule as I'm not seeing it.