[carboy]

My sister got an MiPad a few months back. It's not a bad tablet but there are some things to keep in mind.

- It's not a typical Android tablet. It's highly customised - far more customised than something like the HTC Sense UI etc. It's somewhere in between iOS and Android.

- Though the spec says 2 GB, you should assume it's performance is like a typical Android tablet of 1 GB (or even less). At least 1 GB of memory is consumed by MIUI - I had to disable and change several settings to make it perform like a 1 GB tablet.

- I found the touch screen a little less sensitive than say a Nexus 2012 tablet.

- They may be a few bugs - for eg. when the facebook app runs on MIUI - couple of things which work on a regular Android tablet don't work on a MiPad.

And I have upgraded to MIUI7.

Overall - I would say it's an OK purchase - most of the other tablets in that range are also pretty old. I couldn't find many other new tablets in the 10K range.

[Sherlocked]

Originally Posted by carboy

My sister got an MiPad a few months back. It's not a bad tablet but there are some things to keep in mind.
.

Thanks carboy for sharing your impressions! Highly appreciated!
But when you say the performance is like a typical 1gb tab, do you mean that it lags/hangs a lot? I ask because my dad won't do much of a multitasking but it shouldn't lag like web browsing should be smooth. Though he won't open many tabs simultaneously.

[Shankyz]

So the screen of my Nexus 7 2013 tablet got broken today, any suggestions on screen replacement costs and reliable vendor in Delhi or Noida. It's the one made by Asus, so their service center is the other option I have.

Depending on the screen replacement cost I will decide whether to go for it or get a new tablet even.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

But when you say the performance is like a typical 1gb tab, do you mean that it lags/hangs a lot? I ask because my dad won't do much of a multitasking but it shouldn't lag like web browsing should be smooth. Though he won't open many tabs simultaneously.

Sorry for the late reply. No, even 1 GB tabs are good enough for that - so shouldn't be a problem.

[carboy]

I have a Dell Venue 7 which is very buggy. Is there any other ROM/Cyanogenmod I can flash it with to make it more usable. Dell is no longer updating it.

[hothatchaway]

I have a Nexus 7 2012 model with Android version 4.2.1 and have the following questions regarding it

Is there an app via which I can access and edit MS Office files like word, PPT, Excel etc? Tried downloading the MS Excel app but getting a message that my device isnt compatible, is it because of the Android version its running? Can I download at least the Kitkat version, if yes from where?

Is there a data cable available for Nexus 7 which has a micro USB at both ends? The one that comes with the device has a regular 2.0 at one end. Looking for a cable which can help connect a smartphone for eg to the tablet.

TIA

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

I have a Nexus 7 2012 model with Android version 4.2.1 and have the following questions regarding it

Is there an app via which I can access and edit MS Office files like word, PPT, Excel etc? Tried downloading the MS Excel app but getting a message that my device isnt compatible, is it because of the Android version its running? Can I download at least the Kitkat version, if yes from where?

Is there a data cable available for Nexus 7 which has a micro USB at both ends? The one that comes with the device has a regular 2.0 at one end. Looking for a cable which can help connect a smartphone for eg to the tablet.

TIA

I also have the same tablet but the hardware is so old it has become virtually unusable and hangs a lot. I updated it as far as marshmallow but kit kat seems the best bet on it so I'm currently using cm11 snapshot based on KitKat . You could try to upgrade it via system updates(settings /about tablet/updates) but I would not recommend anything above KitKat 4.4 for the old hardware. You can also try using wps office or officesuite. In case they are incompatible you can always find the apk file for an older version.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by bullrun87

I also have the same tablet but the hardware is so old it has become virtually unusable and hangs a lot. I updated it as far as marshmallow but kit kat seems the best bet on it so I'm currently using cm11 snapshot based on KitKat . You could try to upgrade it via system updates(settings /about tablet/updates) but I would not recommend anything above KitKat 4.4 for the old hardware. You can also try using wps office or officesuite. In case they are incompatible you can always find the apk file for an older version.

Thanks, was able to upgrade the android version to Kitkat and was able to download the MS Office apps from play store.

Any pointers on - 'Is there a data cable available for Nexus 7 which has a micro USB at both ends?'

Also, is there was way to connect my Seagate External hard disk directly to the tablet? The HDD data cable has a 2.0 USB at the other end while the Nexus needs a micro USB

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Any pointers on - 'Is there a data cable available for Nexus 7 which has a micro USB at both ends?'

What you need is an OTG cable.
I don't think Nexus 7 has native OTG support. Your luck will depend on the ROM you are running. And you may have to play around with different file manager apps depending on the HDD file format. My Nexus 7 2012 running on Android 4.4.4 and ES File Explorer is not able to read from a 2TB HDD formatted with exFAT.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

What you need is an OTG cable.
I don't think Nexus 7 has native OTG support. Your luck will depend on the ROM you are running. And you may have to play around with different file manager apps depending on the HDD file format. My Nexus 7 2012 running on Android 4.4.4 and ES File Explorer is not able to read from a 2TB HDD formatted with exFAT.

Thanks, can you pls recommend an OTG cable? There are many on Amazon and not sure which one to order and the Croma store was out of stock. I need to be able to connect to my Seagate HDD and a Lumia 520.

Sorry am not conversant with anything which needs more than plugging something in! Are you saying that the Nexus tab wont be able to detect and read a Seagate HDD? I have just updated the tab with Android Kitkat but havent connected the HDD to the tablet yet as the OTG is yet to be bought. Any app from the Play store which can help?

TIA

[lordvader]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Thanks, can you pls recommend an OTG cable? There are many on Amazon and not sure which one to order and the Croma store was out of stock. I need to be able to connect to my Seagate HDD and a Lumia 520.

Sorry am not conversant with anything which needs more than plugging something in! Are you saying that the Nexus tab wont be able to detect and read a Seagate HDD? I have just updated the tab with Android Kitkat but havent connected the HDD to the tablet yet as the OTG is yet to be bought. Any app from the Play store which can help?

TIA

I doubt if you can use an external hard drive. N7 would not be able to power up the hard drive. I remember trying to use a 500GB hard drive and it just won't show up in the file explorer. USBs are your best bet and they are also hit and miss.

My guess is that what you are trying to do with MS office on N7 may be a very long shot.

[carboy]

How would an Apple Mini 2 compare to a comparable Android Tablet? In terms of speed, smoothness etc?

My sister's piece of crap 4 month old Mi Pad is acting up & she wants a new tablet. She has earlier used a Nexus 2012 (a very good tablet) and Dell Venue 7 (bad but not as bad as the MiPad).

I am wondering if the Apple Mini 2 would be a good buy for her or should I go for some Android tablet. She not a technical person at all. She has never used a Mac, or an iPhone or an Apple tablet.

Is the Mini2 VFM?

[lordvader]

Originally Posted by carboy

How would an Apple Mini 2 compare to a comparable Android Tablet? In terms of speed, smoothness etc?
I am wondering if the Apple Mini 2 would be a good buy for her or should I go for some Android tablet. She not a technical person at all. She has never used a Mac, or an iPhone or an Apple tablet.

Is the Mini2 VFM?

Not sure about iPad. For Android, you can look at Nexus 2013. Or maybe the upcoming tablet pixel

[carboy]

Originally Posted by lordvader

Not sure about iPad. For Android, you can look at Nexus 2013. Or maybe the upcoming tablet pixel

I think Pixel C is going to be very expensive - 40-50K. If they got a new Nexus 7, it would be great.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by carboy

I wouldn't recommend the Mi Tab. MIUI may be ok on a phone but on a tablet used heavily, it's just not convenient.

One more strike against the Mi Pad - Chromecast doesn't install on it. A tablet to be avoided for so many reasons.