My "Scan My Tesla" package arrived this week but I have no experience with Android tablets. The only requirements I'm thinking about: Most recent Bluetooth version - for full speed CANBUS traffic Small enough to fit in center section or mounted on sun screen or by driver side, "A" pillar Reasonably recent Android version (want to avoid Amazon limits) Do the tablet makers release an Android version unique to their hardware? Large, 128 GB, SD card capable For storage, are Android tablets tolerant of wide temperature variations as found in a car? Suggestions on Android tablet mounts (i.e., photos would help)? Right now, I'm thinking of Costco or Best Buy because of their reasonable return policies. Walmart is possible but not high on my preferred list. Given Amazon seems to 'corral' their software, I'm not impressed ... open source should be open to any software store. With Black Friday coming next week, preliminary 'window shopping' suggests ~$140 or less. Are there any "do not touch" models to avoid? Thanks, Bob Wilson
BestBuy has the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" for $120. Runs Android version 9 (10 is the most recent), Bluetooth version 4.2. Takes SD card to supplement built-in 32 Gb storage.
Avoid Amazon Fire tablets. They are based on Android, but are significantly different from standard Android.
Any decent (meaning anything costing more then $100) Android tablet in the market should have this spec. Anything costing less than $100, and there are a lot of them, is a crapshoot. There are some decent cheap ones that will work for many application, but some that are just a crap. As far as the Android versions is concerned, yes the tablet makers release an Android version unique to the devise, and some companies are better than others for OTA updating. If you want to be current with update, you need to pick the device that get frequent update. If you can live with smaller screen, using older Pixel phones from Google maybe an idea. Being from Google, they get the quickest updates of all Android devices. Google just stopped supporting the original Pixel and Pixel XL phone updates, so the lowest cost Pixel phone from Google that still get updates is currently Pixel 2, or you may do better with Pixel 3a. Unfortunately, those phones do not support SD card memory expansion, so that maybe a problem. It's same as any phone or any other electrical devices. I would not mount it on the dash where it gets direct sun and get baked. Using high quality "extreme" condition rated SD card may help, but emmc flash memory on the tablet probably fail before SD card. Never used mount in my car. I can't help you with this. Best Buy is OK, but I would think any reputable on-line store would be fine. Yes, if you want to stay with pure Android, Amazon Fire is not what you want, but buying from Amazon is fine most of the time. Staying with 8", Lenovo Tab4, Samsung Galaxy Tab A, ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 are good bet for your budget. As long as you stay away from sub $100 no name tablet made in China, you should be OK.
TL;DR +1 to the above advise. Avoid No-names and Fire. Walmart and BB both will mail them out for free. Also look at Amazon - who tends to price match. My Pick: Tab A --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow. This is a strange turn of events.... ME recommending a Droid to a normally IOS only person.... All things considered, at your price point I'd use the Galaxy Tab A: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) specs - PhoneArena Downsides: * A lot of bloatware. * No flash for the rear camera - although you're probably not going to use it in that role. * BT 4.2 instead of 5.0 - but I'm also betting that you're not going to find a tablet with Bluetooth 5.0 at your price point and I'm thinking that whatever a "Scan My Tesla" package is.....the hardware in the latest Galaxy will have more than enough grunt to drive it. I'm thinking that it's more of a range thing than a throughput thing. Bluetooth 5 versus Bluetooth 4.2, what’s the difference? Your iPhone 7 has BT 4.2 and, like my work phone (7+) it's more than adequate. Upsides: * Horsepower * IOS build quality - although given my recent experiences, that MAY not be much of a recommendation. * A real warranty from a real manufacturer * Market penetration. There are a lot of Tabs out there, so it's going to be easier to get answers to a "How Do I...." question on the Interwebs. * 8" from factor is probably a good fit for your application. Geezer friendly screen size while being manageable in a small to medium sedan. I'm a little curious ..... Why not get a used Mini? Refurbished iPad | Back Market (EDIT) Never mind. I read your storage requirements....AND as noted below the app isn't available in a "For Dummies" version.
Found a Samsung, 10.1", TAB A, 128GB, running Android 9, $199. This looks to be a turn-key solution with a high enough version to last a few years. They have a smaller, 8" tablet running Android 7.1 with an option of upgrading to 8.1 after the sale. Although initially cheaper, I'd have to add an SD card and still go through the Android upgrade and still be older than 8.1. Bob Wilson
I picked up an used Samsung Galaxy Tab E8 off of Ebay to run Hybrid Assistant in my Prime. Here's my setup: This "suction to the windshield" mount is the best option I've found. I tried a couple "attach to the dash" mounts, but I couldn't get them to both stick to the dash while holding the tablet's weight. As for longevity, heat is the death of electronics. I leave this tablet in the car 100% of the time so I expect it to die (hence buying used). So far its lasted since February, but it does give a warning that it stops charging if it gets either too hot or too cold.
