Is there a decent tablet out there for under $100?

Nothing for iTunes as it’s hard to find anything (except accessories) with an Apple logo for under $400. Then again, the only free apps on iTunes are mostly crippleware demos of paid software whereas over half the stuff on Google Play (~57% last I checked) is either free or FREE.

Personally, I have an old Nook Color (before the Nook Tablet, way before the HD) that I installed CyanogenMod on and turned into a $99 Android Tablet. That route is a little tricky for a non-techie as flashing a ROM isn’t for the faint of heart, but it gave me a good idea of how the Nook series is. The build quality is good, it’s fairly rugged, and the hardware has overall impressed me considering the price. I would buy another Nook if I were in the market as they have earned my trust.

The new Nook HD has full support for the Google Play market out of the box (something the old Nook Color lacked, hence why I flashed the ROM, and something the Kindle series lacks entirely) and has far better specs than my old NC, which wasn’t sluggish anyways. The downside there is it’s a little more than your stated budget; they run around $129.

Still, once you get under $100 you run into a lot of cut corners. One of the most common is using a resistive screen instead of a capacitive one; a capacitive screen can be used with a light touch while many resistive screens require enough pressure that I’m always afraid I’ll crack the glass.

I would spend the extra $30 and go with the Nook HD.

yes…
ASUS ME172V-A1 7” Tablet 16GB
Plenty in this range.

Listen to @jerv. Man knows his shit.

Also, I was going to suggest the nook, too. Planning to get one for my son.

The Asus was an “also-ran”, but lower specs for a comparable price along with my lack of experience with Asus compared to B&N made me lean Nook. Still, not a bad recommendation.

Nook HD for $130 is hard to beat.

Under $100 for a good, new tablet? No way. You get what you pay for, which in the world of tablets would be an expensive paperweight.

That being said, you can get gently used Kindle Fire tablets from Amazon.com for around $80. I absolutely loved my Kindle Fire and played with it all the time until my crazy friend bought me an iPad for no reason. My husband now plays with the Fire tablet all the time.

Our seven year old daughter liked my Fire so much that she asked for her own last Christmas. She hasn’t lost interest in it yet, and can easily navigate from books to games to movies.

Yes… if you don’t mind getting a used one from E-Bay.

@WillWorkForChocolate Are those able to get to Google Play, or are they still locked into the Amazon App Store where nearly nothing is free? As mentioned previously, that is why I won’t even consider a Kindle.

I’m not sure, I’ve never tried to get Google Play. But I found quite a few good free apps and lots of free or 99 cent books.

This is a good question. I have an original issue Toshiba Thrive (10” tablet) that I bought just when it was released a couple years ago. It works fine, but compared to what is out there today, it is heavy, it is slow, and it’s running several versions behind in Android, which means I can’t run some of the latest stuff.

On the other hand, I’m not going to spend $350 on a new Android tablet. And I will NEVER buy Apple.

So I’m going to check into the Asus.

@jerv , yeah rooting a nook is better. Don’t have to root a $100 asus though.

I agree that the Nook is a fine device. In case it’s of concern to you, though, I should mention that sales of the Nook have been disappointing and B&N has been considering dropping the line. And B&N itself is in financial trouble.

Even so, it’s possible that another company may buy the Nook line from B&N.