The boys got D2 pads (http://d2pad.info) for Hanukah. Here's a 250 word long review of this 7" Android tablet.
I've never owned an Android tablet of my own, so I don't have much to compare against. The experience so far recommends it as a handy adjunct to a full-size computer for some tasks, and it makes me more confident in my hunch that an Android phone is going to be my next phone.
We ran into problems charging one of the devices, but helpful tech support fixed it. The D2 pad would not charge with the provided wall adapter, but it did charge just fine using a USB cable. I can't explain why.
The devices don't support the Google Play store. I find myself mostly using the Amazon App Store, which appears to be a credible alternative. I'm sticking to free apps for the moment; the favorite so far is Swype, an alternative keyboard.
The camera on the device grainy even in good light, and it takes crappy photos in low light. It would be fine for a low resolution video chat.
The touch screen is surprisingly good for such an inexpensive device. On one of the two units, we found that there was a small defect where it appeared that one corner of the screen was being pressed down on continuously; that seems to have gone away.
I wish the device allowed true multiple user operations. #2 son is getting tired of having my Google calendar alerts show up on his screen.
UPDATE:
One of the pads now has a cracked screen, after someone got a bit frustrated with it. It still functions just fine. The funky defect on the corner of the screen never really did go away.
The Android operating system environment gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from the more vigorous user of the system, who is looking forward to the day when he gets better hardware to work with. He's showed me all sorts of fun things including an Android based remote control for Youtube.
The boys are getting used to seeing Papa's Twitter show up from time to time on their screens, and #1 son is looking forward to the day when he's old enough to get his own Twitter account.
