[Steeeve]

I'm going to purchase a tablet tonight, I'm just not sure which one.My options are the cheap and ever so moddable Eken M001, which I gather the majority of the forum users here own.I found it here:http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39169~r.53733725For $99.90 w/free shipping.The slightly larger M003, which appears to not be any quicker, here:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EKEN-M003-MIN-8-inch-Android1-6-PC-UMPC-MID-Netbook-/170494495052?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item27b243894c#ht_5421wt_911From Singapore, for $115 w/free shipping.And the Firstview 7" w/webcam tablet, from here:http://www.merimobiles.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MERI0437&CartID=1For $129.99 with roughly $25 shipping, but it will be here in a week. Note this.I can spend about $150, I would certainly be willing to attempt to update the firmware of any of these devices, and would feel semi-comfortable doing so.I like the price of the M001, the size of M003, and the webcam of the Firstview. If anyone out there owns any of these guys, let me know how they operate, how comfortable you felt using them, and which you would recommend for a person who has no current pc or cell phone of his own.I guess the main bullet point is that I'm looking for advice on which one to get.

 

[Steeeve]

Oh, and I really like the usb ports. A lot.

 

[Steeeve]

I ended up going with the M003 for the usb ports, and the slightly larger screen.

 

[xaueious]

you should have waited. bad call on the eken.

 

[Steeeve]

Why is that?

 

[Mp4]

I would not say bad call, personally I have the M001 and the Irobot. And i use the eken alot more. It really does have a great form factor.

 

[Mp4]

also if you check the m003 boards they have managed to port the moo1 firmware over to the m003. which means you can use our modded firmware.

 

[Steeeve]

So, what all entails with modding the firmware? Does it make it a little snappier, or can I do things I otherwise wouldn't be able to do?

 

[Mp4]

Steeeve can I call you steeeve, this whole forum is dedicated to modding and making this devices better . not always faster but def better. Spend some time on the M003 board since that's the device you bought and just go through some of the post . Once you have specific questions that you cant find the answers to then you post. the best advice i can give is read , read and then readPS: before my m001 (slatedroid) showed up I had already download the software and had it waiting on a sd card ;D

 

[pphilipp]

[quote author=Mp4doggie link=topic=588.msg4931#msg4931 date=1275646001]PS: before my m001 (slatedroid) showed up I had already download the software and had it waiting on a sd card ;D[/quote]Yep, I did the same thing. The update makes it so much better. No comparison really... and after a few days I loaded the most current ECOTOX modification. It was only at that point that I started to enjoy the device!!

 

[Mike]

[quote author=Steeeve link=topic=588.msg4929#msg4929 date=1275645590]So, what all entails with modding the firmware? Does it make it a little snappier, or can I do things I otherwise wouldn't be able to do?[/quote]The default Chinese firmware is full of crapware (ie. unwanted programs) and bottlenecks due to the poor optimization and the rush to production. As a result the device will run like crap out of the box. By updating it with the custom firmware it will improve the speed and responsiveness of the device as well as allowing you to use various features which aren't present in the official firmware (such as hopefully the Android Market in the future).I hope you enjoy your stay on the forums

 

[Steeeve]

I'm certainly enjoying my stay so far. So, I was under the impression that only the M001 had a firmware update? Also, I do not currently own any SD cards.Thirdly, I'm not sure I'm sure what I bought. I got this: 8" Touch Screen TFT LCD Google Android 1.6 Tablet PC w/ WiFi - White (533MHz) from here : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39448This is the Eken M003, yes? Assuming it is, what will I need to do when I remove it from the box in order to update the firmware?

 

[Mike]

[quote author=Steeeve link=topic=588.msg4940#msg4940 date=1275647148]I'm certainly enjoying my stay so far. So, I was under the impression that only the M001 had a firmware update? Also, I do not currently own any SD cards.Thirdly, I'm not sure I'm sure what I bought. I got this: 8" Touch Screen TFT LCD Google Android 1.6 Tablet PC w/ WiFi - White (533MHz) from here : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39448This is the Eken M003, yes? Assuming it is, what will I need to do when I remove it from the box in order to update the firmware?[/quote]Yep that is the M003 which interestingly has the same internals as the M001. I'm pretty sure someone has managed to port over the custom M001 firmware to the M003 - check the M003 board.

 

[Steeeve]

Aye, I did, it looks as though it's still fairly experimental, and that there's something to do with the possibility of the battery overheating because of the M001 settings.No offense to y'all, you're great and all, but I'll wait until someone with a M003 and the first Eken Upgrade/source does some stuff.After that, consider me a guinea pig.

 

[Asure]

[quote author=Mp4doggie link=topic=588.msg4922#msg4922 date=1275644458]also if you check the m003 boards they have managed to port the moo1 firmware over to the m003. which means you can use our modded firmware.[/quote]Uhm no. People flashed this by accident or on purpose (the 1.7.2 version isn't clear on what board it is for).It screws up the buttons & battery life/charging etc.Nothing is ported yet. Eken (or anyone else) hasn't release any updates to play around with.This hardware = too slow. Wait for next generation (arm11 based etc.)..

 

[Steeeve]

I already purchased the M003. Odds of some sort of stable firmware for the M003 in the future? 75%? Less?