I am looking for a cheap, small tablet and I was considering the shield tablet, as even if it is old it seems to be the best in the category. I just want to replace my original nexus 7, but haven't found a replacement in that category. Some have bad screens, some have litle ram, some have bad processors or they are too expensive.
I was very disappointed that ne New (as in 2016) Nexus7 rumours never materialized.
I have one (the original), and it is a fine tablet. It's got some nice features (ie the stylus, used it a ton to take notes in school), has some nice gaming perks, and it is all around a solid choice. The thing I will say is that it has never been a "great" experience for me, in the sense of the fluidity of a new nexus or Samsung, however it consistently has been updated and has been a good, reliable experience. I still do think it has remained a decent performer even this much time since I have gotten it, and the battery life has improved with new versions of Android. I have to say that NVidia beat my expectations here, and all around it is a good experience for me. I think you wouldn't regret picking one up, and the 8" screen size was a nice change for a minimal tablet size increase.
I wonder why and how does this merit an article? The market share of this product is almost non-existent. IMO AT should really label PAID PUBLICATIONS.
Just to be clear, this isn't an ad. If it were, it would be very clearly labeled as such. In fact the FCC mandates it, which is why the ad boxes are labeled as they are.
I wrote about this because I thought that it was interesting that NVIDIA will likely be the only vendor to release Android Nougat for an ARMv7 Cortex-A15 device. Everything else that has received it has been ARMv8 of some kind.
I don't think advertisements and paid publications are technically or even legally identical. Also paid publications do not necessary require payment on a per-publication basis, it can just as well be more of a "subscription" kind of thing.
I found the article interesting for the very reason Ryan mentioned. Also, I feel it makes sense to call out OEMs who do a good job providing long term support for their products. As a reader, I would like to know which OEMs provide continued support for their products so I can make a more informed decision the next time i'm in market for a tablet.
I'd say nvidia's commitment to future support for this product is it is like the only one for that platform. It is easy to support a single product, it is that much more complex to provide support for dozens of products.
So as a reader, you might want to look at the platform with the least design wins, which sounds silly, since they only fail to win designs because of their qualities. Getting stuck on android 7 rather than android 6 isn't really as beneficial as you might believe. Also, there is community support, which IMO has been actually better than what OEMs are willing to provide - longer support, more features, more customization options, no bloatware.
Yeah, it's disappointing that the Android tablet market remains underwhelming. I'd love to see another Nexus tablet this year, one with modern hardware, a high-quality display, and an affordable price tag ($400 or less).
I'm a little bit afraid to buy the Shield Tablet now that it's 3 years old, but I think nVidia has convinced me that they are one of the few other than Google that will do proper updates. If they relese any new tablets I'm in, and I also plan to buy the Shield TV soon.
Why worry when its the only game in town? I cant remember the last serious premium Android tablet review that wasn't a silly money tech experiment by Google.
Nvidia was coming out with a new tablet based on the X1 (it even has FCC certs), but they cancelled it at the last minute and has reportedly shut down their tablet development unfortunately. I've been waiting for new models too. The only thing new in this size class with decent specs right now is the Huawei MediaPad M3.
I remember thinking when the K1 first came out that I'd wait for them to rev it to Maxwell, and then get that one -- since Maxwell had much better perf/Watt compared to Kepler... but alas... the rest is history.
I was also recently looking at the Huawei M3 8.4", but apparently it is missing US FCC certification on the 5GHz Wi-Fi, so without doing some sort of unofficial unlock it'd be 2.4GHz-only which is a dealbreaker for me.
I'm also considering the Asus ZenPad 3S 10.
I'm currently traveling and my tablet search is on hold which is probably for the better until MWC.
It's been a great experience for me overall, but somehow I either forgot about a major event or managed to crack/deeply scratch the screen way more easily than expected.
Performance has been great, this update was smooth, battery life is solid, audio is excellent (speakers are excellent and headphone out is excellent), the dedicated mini-HDMI is nice, mSD card reader performance has been excellent, and wireless range and speed are solid.
Unsure of other characteristics you're curious about, but it's delivered with the normal tablet use case. Can't vouch for the Nvidia GameStream feature, as I dislike using console controllers and haven't tried it.
If you're anything like me (a moderate to heavy Netflix/Amazon/YouTube streamer + a big local NAS/SMB-based media library), I hope you will be as pleased with the Shield TV as I've been. Tip: for local library, I highly recommend SPMC (an Android-specific Kodi build).
All of that, and as an added bonus I finally got to do this to my old physically and emotionally abusive WDTVs:
"...Android tablet sales outside of the “portable TV” segment have taken a beating."
It utterly bewilders me that this is the state of affairs at this late date in the evolution of tablets.
If Android implemented a native file manager, SMB client, real 3rd-party app support, and real external display support, in a 10-12" form factor, I hypothesize that could potentially be as disruptive as Apple's original iPad. Such a device would replace the majority of what I require an x64-based computer for, and 98-100% of what I require a laptop for.
There was one that almost did the job, the Asus Transformer Prime, I used mine to death almost. It still functions as an e-reader but not much else as it is soooo slow. I used it on my daily commute by train to work, watched tons of movies and tv episodes on it, at home the hdmi (mini) out worked a treat on my TV, having two memory card slots was also a boon. Just a pity it has never been updated properly, a modern version of the Prime would be bloomin' marvellous.
It is great to see Nvidia still committed to updating their line of tablet and Shield TV. However, I think the 2GB on the tablet will start to take its tool with newer OS version. This is because if you look at the Android mobile phone market, manufacturers are stuffing their phones with crazy amount of memory. The OS and apps are spoilt for the plentiful memory and likely to be less optimized for device with low amount of ram.
Just to be clear, this is a solid piece of kit which has been supported throughout its life, a battery problem meaning a complete no quibble exchange of tablet and thoroughly supported with O/S upgrades, up till now. I bought the LTE version, with wi-fi and Bluetooth. Mine has an internal capacity of 32GB, external SD card support of 128GB, USB 2.0, stereo headphone jack with microphone support and mini HDMI, it supports a stylus which I use constantly. The processor is a quad core A15 processor with 2GB ram and the display is driven by a Nvidia Tegra K1 GPU. It has front facing speakers! I was really waiting for the Nexus 9, but its lack of all round features (e.g. No SD slot) when it finally arrived, and the price, lead me to look elsewhere until I found the NVidia Shield. I've found it a tough little tablet that has served so well since I bought it that I fear the day that I'll need replacing. I doubt that I'll get the comprehensive features like this tablet ever again. Its the best tablet I've ever had, a good all-rounder, the Samsung's and the Nexus's of this world have all failed on me after a short time compared to the Shield. The Shield is tough I have it with me every day, oh yes, you can play games on it but I use it for personal and business. Although now perhaps a little long in the tooth, I'm happy that NVidia continue to support it. Its nice to see a manufacturer not pandering to built in obsolescence. :) Its just brilliant, feeling like a fanboy.
I need help too reboot and reinstall it from the factory reboot when it's been Encrypted and I do not remember the the password and it is lack off drivers, for making a reset ore a reboot... Men can any one help me!??? 😉
I need help too reboot and reinstall it from the factory reboot when it's been Encrypted and I do not remember the the password and it is lack off drivers, for making a reset ore a reboot... Men can any one help me!??? 😉
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valinor89 - Saturday, February 11, 2017 - link
I am looking for a cheap, small tablet and I was considering the shield tablet, as even if it is old it seems to be the best in the category. I just want to replace my original nexus 7, but haven't found a replacement in that category.Some have bad screens, some have litle ram, some have bad processors or they are too expensive.
I was very disappointed that ne New (as in 2016) Nexus7 rumours never materialized.
jtflynnz - Saturday, February 11, 2017 - link
I have one (the original), and it is a fine tablet. It's got some nice features (ie the stylus, used it a ton to take notes in school), has some nice gaming perks, and it is all around a solid choice. The thing I will say is that it has never been a "great" experience for me, in the sense of the fluidity of a new nexus or Samsung, however it consistently has been updated and has been a good, reliable experience. I still do think it has remained a decent performer even this much time since I have gotten it, and the battery life has improved with new versions of Android. I have to say that NVidia beat my expectations here, and all around it is a good experience for me. I think you wouldn't regret picking one up, and the 8" screen size was a nice change for a minimal tablet size increase.ddriver - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
I wonder why and how does this merit an article? The market share of this product is almost non-existent. IMO AT should really label PAID PUBLICATIONS.Ryan Smith - Tuesday, February 14, 2017 - link
Just to be clear, this isn't an ad. If it were, it would be very clearly labeled as such. In fact the FCC mandates it, which is why the ad boxes are labeled as they are.I wrote about this because I thought that it was interesting that NVIDIA will likely be the only vendor to release Android Nougat for an ARMv7 Cortex-A15 device. Everything else that has received it has been ARMv8 of some kind.
ddriver - Tuesday, February 14, 2017 - link
I don't think advertisements and paid publications are technically or even legally identical. Also paid publications do not necessary require payment on a per-publication basis, it can just as well be more of a "subscription" kind of thing.varad - Tuesday, February 14, 2017 - link
I found the article interesting for the very reason Ryan mentioned. Also, I feel it makes sense to call out OEMs who do a good job providing long term support for their products. As a reader, I would like to know which OEMs provide continued support for their products so I can make a more informed decision the next time i'm in market for a tablet.ddriver - Thursday, February 16, 2017 - link
I'd say nvidia's commitment to future support for this product is it is like the only one for that platform. It is easy to support a single product, it is that much more complex to provide support for dozens of products.So as a reader, you might want to look at the platform with the least design wins, which sounds silly, since they only fail to win designs because of their qualities. Getting stuck on android 7 rather than android 6 isn't really as beneficial as you might believe. Also, there is community support, which IMO has been actually better than what OEMs are willing to provide - longer support, more features, more customization options, no bloatware.
Gothmoth - Thursday, March 23, 2017 - link
maybe where you live ddriver. but i know at least 10 persons who own this tablet.more than any other brand the shield is loved here.
Stochastic - Saturday, February 11, 2017 - link
Yeah, it's disappointing that the Android tablet market remains underwhelming. I'd love to see another Nexus tablet this year, one with modern hardware, a high-quality display, and an affordable price tag ($400 or less).pixelstuff - Saturday, February 11, 2017 - link
I'm a little bit afraid to buy the Shield Tablet now that it's 3 years old, but I think nVidia has convinced me that they are one of the few other than Google that will do proper updates. If they relese any new tablets I'm in, and I also plan to buy the Shield TV soon.jabber - Saturday, February 11, 2017 - link
Why worry when its the only game in town? I cant remember the last serious premium Android tablet review that wasn't a silly money tech experiment by Google.frodesky - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Nvidia was coming out with a new tablet based on the X1 (it even has FCC certs), but they cancelled it at the last minute and has reportedly shut down their tablet development unfortunately. I've been waiting for new models too. The only thing new in this size class with decent specs right now is the Huawei MediaPad M3.MrCommunistGen - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
I remember thinking when the K1 first came out that I'd wait for them to rev it to Maxwell, and then get that one -- since Maxwell had much better perf/Watt compared to Kepler... but alas... the rest is history.I was also recently looking at the Huawei M3 8.4", but apparently it is missing US FCC certification on the 5GHz Wi-Fi, so without doing some sort of unofficial unlock it'd be 2.4GHz-only which is a dealbreaker for me.
I'm also considering the Asus ZenPad 3S 10.
I'm currently traveling and my tablet search is on hold which is probably for the better until MWC.
ckbryant - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Nintendo made them sign non-compete clause for switch.StevoLincolnite - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Need a decent 10" Android tablet. Aluminium body. Modern SoC, running Android 7.0.Why are they non-existent? :(
Agent_007 - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Galaxy Tab S3 will be the next hight end tablet. And it should be released during MWC.jabber - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
They are non-existent due to it not being 2012 anymore. The tablet craze is very over.Michael Bay - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Android anything is never decent. And tables are largely dead as a category, even for monstrosities like Samsung.lmcd - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
With a comment like that, the only question I have is what company do you shill for?Michael Bay - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
My own, doofus!iamlilysdad - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
Aren't you describing the Pixel C?lmcd - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
It's been a great experience for me overall, but somehow I either forgot about a major event or managed to crack/deeply scratch the screen way more easily than expected.Performance has been great, this update was smooth, battery life is solid, audio is excellent (speakers are excellent and headphone out is excellent), the dedicated mini-HDMI is nice, mSD card reader performance has been excellent, and wireless range and speed are solid.
Unsure of other characteristics you're curious about, but it's delivered with the normal tablet use case. Can't vouch for the Nvidia GameStream feature, as I dislike using console controllers and haven't tried it.
jsntech - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
If you're anything like me (a moderate to heavy Netflix/Amazon/YouTube streamer + a big local NAS/SMB-based media library), I hope you will be as pleased with the Shield TV as I've been. Tip: for local library, I highly recommend SPMC (an Android-specific Kodi build).All of that, and as an added bonus I finally got to do this to my old physically and emotionally abusive WDTVs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.
jsntech - Sunday, February 12, 2017 - link
"...Android tablet sales outside of the “portable TV” segment have taken a beating."It utterly bewilders me that this is the state of affairs at this late date in the evolution of tablets.
If Android implemented a native file manager, SMB client, real 3rd-party app support, and real external display support, in a 10-12" form factor, I hypothesize that could potentially be as disruptive as Apple's original iPad. Such a device would replace the majority of what I require an x64-based computer for, and 98-100% of what I require a laptop for.
nitram_tpr - Monday, February 13, 2017 - link
There was one that almost did the job, the Asus Transformer Prime, I used mine to death almost. It still functions as an e-reader but not much else as it is soooo slow. I used it on my daily commute by train to work, watched tons of movies and tv episodes on it, at home the hdmi (mini) out worked a treat on my TV, having two memory card slots was also a boon. Just a pity it has never been updated properly, a modern version of the Prime would be bloomin' marvellous.trulyuncouth - Tuesday, February 14, 2017 - link
The Windows transformers are a good stand-in. They also open up steam streaming which works better than you'd expect.watzupken - Friday, February 17, 2017 - link
It is great to see Nvidia still committed to updating their line of tablet and Shield TV. However, I think the 2GB on the tablet will start to take its tool with newer OS version. This is because if you look at the Android mobile phone market, manufacturers are stuffing their phones with crazy amount of memory. The OS and apps are spoilt for the plentiful memory and likely to be less optimized for device with low amount of ram.run4all - Sunday, February 19, 2017 - link
Just to be clear, this is a solid piece of kit which has been supported throughout its life, a battery problem meaning a complete no quibble exchange of tablet and thoroughly supported with O/S upgrades, up till now. I bought the LTE version, with wi-fi and Bluetooth. Mine has an internal capacity of 32GB, external SD card support of 128GB, USB 2.0, stereo headphone jack with microphone support and mini HDMI, it supports a stylus which I use constantly. The processor is a quad core A15 processor with 2GB ram and the display is driven by a Nvidia Tegra K1 GPU. It has front facing speakers!I was really waiting for the Nexus 9, but its lack of all round features (e.g. No SD slot) when it finally arrived, and the price, lead me to look elsewhere until I found the NVidia Shield.
I've found it a tough little tablet that has served so well since I bought it that I fear the day that I'll need replacing. I doubt that I'll get the comprehensive features like this tablet ever again.
Its the best tablet I've ever had, a good all-rounder, the Samsung's and the Nexus's of this world have all failed on me after a short time compared to the Shield. The Shield is tough I have it with me every day, oh yes, you can play games on it but I use it for personal and business. Although now perhaps a little long in the tooth, I'm happy that NVidia continue to support it. Its nice to see a manufacturer not pandering to built in obsolescence. :) Its just brilliant, feeling like a fanboy.
DjCmK - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link
I need help too reboot and reinstall it from the factory reboot when it's been Encrypted and I do not remember the the password and it is lack off drivers, for making a reset ore a reboot... Men can any one help me!??? 😉DjCmK - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link
I need help too reboot and reinstall it from the factory reboot when it's been Encrypted and I do not remember the the password and it is lack off drivers, for making a reset ore a reboot... Men can any one help me!??? 😉