I have been looking to get an Android tablet to keep in the truck to use. I have never owned an android product so I am looking for opinions on the pricing and capabilities of this one. Link
The price seems right I just want to be sure it has everything I need to load and run torque pro and other OBD II apps.
I am far from and expert with this type of technology so, if this one doesn't fit the bill or there is a better option available I am open to suggestions.

Thanks

 

It does everything you need it to, but it's like a placemark until you get a nice dash unit with Android Auto. Don't expect a $36 tablet to be a speed demon, but it's a lot better than many others in the price range - many don't have Bluetooth or SD cards. Since this has an SD card, that is a good indicator the tablet is OTG (On The Go) ready. What this does for you is with enough adapters, you can add peripherals like thermal cam and a GPS antenna.

 

That's what I was thinking as far as the place holder, as I have been following the 2din HU thread as well. What would I be looking for (besides price) if I wanted a faster one. Would the speed of this unit cause any issues running torque pro?

 

It will run Torque Pro just fine. The main issue will be getting to Torque Pro. It won't be a 2-minute process like the earlier cheap tablets, but don't expect it to be instantaneous or robust like a higher-end unit.

 

Well, I've been told that I'm not very patient, so perhaps I should be looking at a more robust tablet. Is your tablet 7" or is it larger than that?

 

Rich is using a 7" Nexus (I think that is the name) I also am using a 7" tablet by RCA, while mine isn't top of the line (RCA Voyager) it works well enough for torque I am planning on a head unit upgrade, but for now this works

 

Thanks Jaime, that's good info! Do you have any issues with it being too slow on start up?

 

Define "start up" are we referring to the tablet start from cold? Tablet start from sleep/wake, programme start? Starting of the truck and torque connection to truck?

If tablet start from cold yes it takes too long but I can deal with that for what it offers me in terms of trouble shooting

 

Here is the one I am using for Torque Pro. No issues with it at all.
Android Tablet

 

Screenshot of Torque Pro running on Android Tablet

 

Well that's a great question, all the options didn't occur to me.

Looking at the video Rich posted above it, appeared to me he powered up the tablet, started the app, turned on the ignition and waited for the app to connect to the truck, then started the engine. I'm not sure if that was a cold startup, or if the tablet was asleep and he woke it up. I'm assuming his sequence was; sleep/wake, start the app, connect to truck, then start the engine. Considering that sequence, how does the startup of the RCA unit compare time wise would be a better question.

His took about 13 seconds to get hooked up and running, if the bargain unit took 4 times as long I could certainly live with that.(still under a minute) Now if it was 2 or 3 minute wait, I think I would get tired of that. The wait would get old quick every time I got in the truck to go if I were using it for the OBD II gauges, and I would likely not use it all the time.

 

My sequence was about as fast as it gets - the tablet was asleep and I just woke it up. If I were to fire it up from off, I think that takes about a minute.

Now... my old "carputer" (netbook) with Windows 7 Home and an Atom processor for AE - I can measure that bootup and connection with a calendar.

 

I just typically leave the tablet asleep, and just start the truck as normal, the tablet usually auto connects with in a short time usually on average 30 seconds to a minute that may be in part due to me leaving torque running and just putting the tablet to sleep while torque is still "on" (the tablet usually stays connected to the charger anyways)

 

Thanks for all the info, that seems more than fast enough for me, especially considering the price.

Time to pull the trigger and send a round down range!

 

It took me 13 seconds to read and absorb the significance of all the data presented in ZooDad's screen shot. I wonder how many cars I can hit in 13 seconds?