Another new tablet
The battery on my last year's seven inch tablet (jelly bean 4.2.1) is running out of puff, so I thought I'd better get a new one.
This time it cost a mere 40 quid for a 4.2.2 tablet which is perfectly acceptable.There were a few bugs to overcome, the default page kept resetting to a chinese search engine, avg told me it had been rooted, and play store refuses to provide my usual apps.
The default page problem was easy to fix, I tried alternative browsers and found Dolphin suits me. To get home screen links I have to copy from Dolphin and paste in the resident browser, infrequently so not a problem.
Rooted? Dunno, but perhaps that's why Play Store offers me phone apps in portrait style rather than wide-screen landscape tablet apps. Not a problem, I simply use links to desktop sites instead.
The really good news is that it has a separate charger input, and a real full-size usb host socket, which means I can hook in peripherals at will whilst still charging if necessary. I use a two-channel wireless dongle to connect kb and mouse, and I have a teeny 4-way hub for when I want these plus mem stick for photo work.
I still have the old tablet with very short battery life, it is handy to have a second machine for occasional use or longer term swipe-only use with mains connected.
Though there have been issues to surmount, I would still go for cheap machines because I can afford a new one each year instead of being tied into a clunky great iPad or whatever running last year's software.