
Tablets are a slowly dying form factor, but for many, a cheap tablet is a fantastic option for getting things done on the go or just consuming media. Not everyone wants to spend hundreds on a tablet, though.
About a year ago, Amazon stepped in to fix that problem by debuting a 7-inch Android tablet that cost just $50, and wasn’t just total crap. However, there were still some big caveats aside from the specs. The tablet ran fine and the software was OK, but its performance degraded over time and the lack of the Google Play Store was a pain.
Then, things all changed when Barnes and Noble, seemingly out of thin air, introduced the NOOK 7, another small Android tablet with Google Play, decent specs, and a price tag of just $50. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks testing it out, and I’ve been pretty impressed.
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