I bought a new tablet on Friday night. Well, I say "new", of course I mean "used". But it's new to me. I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy Tab A6 10.1, but I noticed that the Tab E with a 9.6" display was cheaper.
I noticed that one chap had listed a Tab E for £79.99, and he claimed it was only a month old. I was sorely tempted, but he ended the auction early and I thought I'd missed out. In fact, he'd relisted it at £99.99, which was too much for me. If I was going to spend that much, I would have bought the Tab A. But there was a further twist: he ended the auction again, and relisted the tablet with an SD card included. By this time I'd decided that if he relisted it at £79.99, I would buy it. Later on Friday evening it disappeared from the listings again, and I followed him as a seller so that I would get notifications if he listed anything else.
I was heading to bed when I noticed that the tablet had again been relisted, this time without the SD card, but at the original price of £79.99. Considering that these tablets sell for £150 in Currys, I reckoned that if the tablet was only one month old, this had to be a good deal. So I put a bid in at £75, which he didn't respond to, and then I went up to the Buy It Now price of £79.99. Since I'd decided to buy it, I didn't want to lose it.
I'm hoping that the internal gyroscopes and key entry are more responsive than on this Lenovo Tab 8 (2). I can expand the memory beyond the provided 8gb, which is a bit paltry if I'm honest, but Samsung do have a good reputation when it comes to usable tablets. And although the PPI (pixels per inch) stat is the same on both tablets, I'm hoping that the display on the Tab E will be better. I guess we'll find out on Wednesday, when I'm hoping it'll get delivered.
There'll be another update shortly after that, I expect...
TTFN.
Showing posts with label eBay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eBay. Show all posts
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Monday, September 26, 2016
Sunday 16-09-25
Yesterday I spent most of the day nursing a hangover. We were at a house party on Saturday, raising money for Macmillan cancer support, and I drank more than I should have done. I am okay when drinking at home, because I can keep a track of how much I have had, but when I am out and people keep on topping up my glass I tend to lose track and end up overdoing it. At least, that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I had listed a bureau on eBay and it had sold, the auction finished on Saturday. Obviously, because it was a heavy bit of furniture, I advertised it as "collection only", and I was surprised to find that the woman who bought it was coming all the way from Portsmouth. She came and picked it up at midday, and as it turned out she was combining the collection with other errands, so it all turned out well.
TW & I were talking and we couldn't remember where we got the bureau from, nor whether we paid for it. So the £21 we got for it was a welcome bonus. And as it is near the end of the month, the cash injection was most welcome. I'd like to think that we are in a decluttering phase, but I think that there is still more stuff coming into the house than leaving it. Especially comics...
Later on, I packed up twelve comics - two mini-series of six issues each, which I did quite well on. Considering I sold one set as used, I only "lost" £2.30, or looking at it differently, it only cost me that much to read them. The other set I sold as new, since I had only opened them in order to board them, and I actually made a few pounds on them, I sold them for more than I paid for them. Which doesn't happen very often, so that was nice. I don't trade in comics to make money, but I have a bookcase full upstairs, as well as a number of boxes around, and they are now starting to spill out onto the floor. My intention is to read them and get rid; I've got several hundred pounds tied up in those comics and it would be nice to realise a portion of that, as well as make some space in the house. Those comics were posted this morning.
I've started reading Fight Club #2 by Chuck Palahniuk, which is in comic book format. It's a ten issue run, and some of the artwork is just stunning. The story is a bit weird to start with, and it is a bit confusing when Tyler Durden re-emerges, and Sebastian is also in the frame, since I thought they were the same person, but I might need to revisit the story to see exactly where my confusion is... I shall try to sell that as well, when I've finished it, and if I can stay focused, that should be by the end of the week. We'll see.
I had listed a bureau on eBay and it had sold, the auction finished on Saturday. Obviously, because it was a heavy bit of furniture, I advertised it as "collection only", and I was surprised to find that the woman who bought it was coming all the way from Portsmouth. She came and picked it up at midday, and as it turned out she was combining the collection with other errands, so it all turned out well.
TW & I were talking and we couldn't remember where we got the bureau from, nor whether we paid for it. So the £21 we got for it was a welcome bonus. And as it is near the end of the month, the cash injection was most welcome. I'd like to think that we are in a decluttering phase, but I think that there is still more stuff coming into the house than leaving it. Especially comics...
Later on, I packed up twelve comics - two mini-series of six issues each, which I did quite well on. Considering I sold one set as used, I only "lost" £2.30, or looking at it differently, it only cost me that much to read them. The other set I sold as new, since I had only opened them in order to board them, and I actually made a few pounds on them, I sold them for more than I paid for them. Which doesn't happen very often, so that was nice. I don't trade in comics to make money, but I have a bookcase full upstairs, as well as a number of boxes around, and they are now starting to spill out onto the floor. My intention is to read them and get rid; I've got several hundred pounds tied up in those comics and it would be nice to realise a portion of that, as well as make some space in the house. Those comics were posted this morning.
I've started reading Fight Club #2 by Chuck Palahniuk, which is in comic book format. It's a ten issue run, and some of the artwork is just stunning. The story is a bit weird to start with, and it is a bit confusing when Tyler Durden re-emerges, and Sebastian is also in the frame, since I thought they were the same person, but I might need to revisit the story to see exactly where my confusion is... I shall try to sell that as well, when I've finished it, and if I can stay focused, that should be by the end of the week. We'll see.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
My New Old Chromebook (Toshiba this time)
So I picked up a faulty Toshiba Chromebook (CB30-B-103) off of eBay for £27. Unfortunately it had no power supply and the screen was cracked. When it arrived I switched it on briefly and it seemed to be okay, but it switched off pretty quickly because it was not charged. I did ask the seller if the unit would come with a charger and he advised "yes", but then followed up stating that this was an error and the unit came as was with no added parts.
So I had to buy a charger separately, which was £11 (£10.99) with free postage. That took a few more days to turn up than expected, but it seems to work well. As it is an after-sales charger, though, I am not intending to leave it unattended in case there is any issue with it.
Then I cast the screen to the TV so that I could check that the Chromebook worked, and it seemed to be fine, so I decided to invest in a new display. The new display arrived yesterday, but I was watching cricket in Hove last night and so I saved the pleasure of fixing the unit until this morning.
I unpacked the new display and got my set of small screwdrivers out, and got to work. It's pretty easy to remove the bezel, since it is plastic, and there were two screws at the bottom which also needed to be removed. I'd watched a tutorial on YouTube and so I was comfortable removing the four screws holding the display in place, and detaching the display wire. I'd also followed almost exactly the same procedure with a Samsung Chromebook and my trusty Acer C720.
Now I can play with it for a while and see whether I want to keep it or sell it on; I guess I will need to compare it with the Acer C720 and see which I prefer.
So I had to buy a charger separately, which was £11 (£10.99) with free postage. That took a few more days to turn up than expected, but it seems to work well. As it is an after-sales charger, though, I am not intending to leave it unattended in case there is any issue with it.
Then I cast the screen to the TV so that I could check that the Chromebook worked, and it seemed to be fine, so I decided to invest in a new display. The new display arrived yesterday, but I was watching cricket in Hove last night and so I saved the pleasure of fixing the unit until this morning.
 |
| Before |
I unpacked the new display and got my set of small screwdrivers out, and got to work. It's pretty easy to remove the bezel, since it is plastic, and there were two screws at the bottom which also needed to be removed. I'd watched a tutorial on YouTube and so I was comfortable removing the four screws holding the display in place, and detaching the display wire. I'd also followed almost exactly the same procedure with a Samsung Chromebook and my trusty Acer C720.
The tricky part was reattaching the lower part of the bezel, I had to remove and retry several times. I compared the old display to the new display, and the part of the board under the display was much more rigidly held in place on the original display. So anyway, I got it reattached, the bottom of the bezel could be more secure, but I am using the Chromebook now to write this post. The display was £32.31, with free postage, and so for the grand sum of £76 (oh. Was it that much?) I have a working Toshiba Chromebook 2, which I am quite happy with. Looking on eBay I can't see working versions of these type selling for much less than £90, so I have saved a few pounds and improved my display replacement skills - to be fair, I just like playing about with these things a bit, and display replacement is well within my comfort zone. If you watch the YouTube tutorial, it is as easy as unscrewing a couple of screws and then attaching the new display to the video cable:
 |
| After |
Now I can play with it for a while and see whether I want to keep it or sell it on; I guess I will need to compare it with the Acer C720 and see which I prefer.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Sunday 16-05-15 Decluttering Part I - Girls' Clothes for Sale
So today I have spent a fair amount of time photographing girls' clothes in order to list them on eBay. There are a fair few quality items that my girls have worn and loved, and these still have plenty of life left in them - good old Boden! (for the most part).
If you are at all interested, here is the link.
If you are at all interested, here is the link.
Tuesday, May 03, 2016
Tuesday 16-05-03
Today I mostly felt quite chipper, despite overdoing it slightly yesterday. But what else are spring bank holidays for, except spending time with friends and over-indulging?
We had quite an active weekend, considering how inactive I would be, given half a chance... We mooched around Worthing on Friday, and had lunch out at Street Thai. Saturday afternoon we promenaded along the seafront with my sister who is over temporarily from Singapore, it was good to see her.
Sunday we spent the morning in Eartham Woods, and yesterday was spent in Sullington Wood - when I wasn't sipping wine in the kitchen...
I packed up my Huawei MediaPad this evening as I've sold it on eBay. I hope the new owner likes it, it's a nice piece of kit. I got a Lenovo 8" tablet as a sort of upgrade (it was going cheap on eBay and I put in a speculative bid, and accidentally won...), and I can't justify having two tablets. I may rationalise our chromebooks too; we have two and we don't really need both. The older one might be worth £15 or so.
TTFN.
We had quite an active weekend, considering how inactive I would be, given half a chance... We mooched around Worthing on Friday, and had lunch out at Street Thai. Saturday afternoon we promenaded along the seafront with my sister who is over temporarily from Singapore, it was good to see her.
Sunday we spent the morning in Eartham Woods, and yesterday was spent in Sullington Wood - when I wasn't sipping wine in the kitchen...
I packed up my Huawei MediaPad this evening as I've sold it on eBay. I hope the new owner likes it, it's a nice piece of kit. I got a Lenovo 8" tablet as a sort of upgrade (it was going cheap on eBay and I put in a speculative bid, and accidentally won...), and I can't justify having two tablets. I may rationalise our chromebooks too; we have two and we don't really need both. The older one might be worth £15 or so.
TTFN.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
eBay Rogue Sellers
Not a consumer advisory posting, merely an indication of how single-minded and irritable I can get.
You've probably guessed or inferred by now that I am a neophile. I love looking at and acquiring new things. I keep this manageable (mostly) by looking on eBay, lots. My favourite category, of course, is "Tablets and eReaders" - I keep thinking that surrounding myself with new tech toys will make me happy. Of course, what I am beginning to realise is that it's not actually having these devices, it's what you do with them. It's how you use them, they should be enablers, not items to be admired in their own right. In fact, they should be unobtrusive. So when my Chromebook freezes and needs to be restarted, that is a fail. But the situation we find ourselves in today is a combination of the consumerist culture we live in, and the beatification of new tech products; so we think that acquiring new tech will save our (basically empty and meaningless) lives, as well as proving to our peers that we are doing well for ourselves - we must therefore be happier and more content.
Anyway, there is a seller on eBay who sells hundreds of tablet cases. He/she (hereafter referred to as "they") must have some sort of automated program, because within seconds, the pages of the "tablet / eReader" category are flooded with adverts for these cases.
My problem, or issue with this, is that there is a perfectly good category in which tablet cases should be advertised. And that category, surprisingly, is "tablets & eReaders Accessories".
When I want to get vaguely aroused by looking at new Amazon Kindles and the latest Samsung eight inch tablets, and iPads that are completely out of my price range, I don't want to have to scroll past pages and pages of adverts for cases for said tablets.
So this morning I reported one case per page that I had to scroll through. I'm not sure that will have any effect whatsoever, but I must have scrolled through 12 pages of the "tablets / eReaders" category and I probably saw about three tablets. The rest of the listed items were cases sold by Ecell Accessorize. So eBay now have 12 reports of items for incorrect listing. I expect no-one ever normally looks at those reports, but I am hoping that the volume of reports might indicate that something is amiss.
Either that, or they will think that I have a personal vendatta against this seller and they will dismiss my reports as the twisted ravings of a bitter and spurned madman.
Let's see if the process works...
You've probably guessed or inferred by now that I am a neophile. I love looking at and acquiring new things. I keep this manageable (mostly) by looking on eBay, lots. My favourite category, of course, is "Tablets and eReaders" - I keep thinking that surrounding myself with new tech toys will make me happy. Of course, what I am beginning to realise is that it's not actually having these devices, it's what you do with them. It's how you use them, they should be enablers, not items to be admired in their own right. In fact, they should be unobtrusive. So when my Chromebook freezes and needs to be restarted, that is a fail. But the situation we find ourselves in today is a combination of the consumerist culture we live in, and the beatification of new tech products; so we think that acquiring new tech will save our (basically empty and meaningless) lives, as well as proving to our peers that we are doing well for ourselves - we must therefore be happier and more content.
Anyway, there is a seller on eBay who sells hundreds of tablet cases. He/she (hereafter referred to as "they") must have some sort of automated program, because within seconds, the pages of the "tablet / eReader" category are flooded with adverts for these cases.
My problem, or issue with this, is that there is a perfectly good category in which tablet cases should be advertised. And that category, surprisingly, is "tablets & eReaders Accessories".
When I want to get vaguely aroused by looking at new Amazon Kindles and the latest Samsung eight inch tablets, and iPads that are completely out of my price range, I don't want to have to scroll past pages and pages of adverts for cases for said tablets.
So this morning I reported one case per page that I had to scroll through. I'm not sure that will have any effect whatsoever, but I must have scrolled through 12 pages of the "tablets / eReaders" category and I probably saw about three tablets. The rest of the listed items were cases sold by Ecell Accessorize. So eBay now have 12 reports of items for incorrect listing. I expect no-one ever normally looks at those reports, but I am hoping that the volume of reports might indicate that something is amiss.
Either that, or they will think that I have a personal vendatta against this seller and they will dismiss my reports as the twisted ravings of a bitter and spurned madman.
Let's see if the process works...
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Saturday 14-07-19 eBay Disputes
I don't use eBay that much, mostly to sell unwanted (but pristine) comics, and to buy some cheap electronics. I managed to get a lovely Barnes & Noble HD+ 9" tablet for under £100, which I was very pleased with, although I got stung on p&p charges :( But those fade in the memory over time and I am able to enjoy the tablet.
You may have noticed by now that I love a bit of technology. I was counting up the number of electronic devices I own the other day, or actually that exist in the house, and we arrived at the following answer:
HP Laptop - 15" running Vista, due for replacement
Samsung Netbook - 10.1" running Linux Mint
Samsung Chromebook - 10.1"
Barnes & Noble HD+ 9"
CnM 7" tablet
Nexus 7 tablet
Samsung Tab Original 7"
Barnes & Noble Simple Touch e-reader
HTC One X
I did buy a 'broken' Samsung Tab 2 cheaply off eBay, all it needed was a factory reset, then I decided that I didn't need it so I sold it on eBay, again, and made a few pounds. The trouble is, though, that eBay and PayPal fees eat into any small profits, and in the end it ends up costing money rather than being a benefit.
The one tablet I'd not tried was an Amazon Fire. So I bought one which was again sold as 'not working'. It switched on, but didn't get past the initial power-up screen. I thought that maybe I could do something following an XDA script, and possibly recover it? So unfortunately I didn't get it to work, and relisted it on eBay as 'spares or repair', and that's where the disputes bit comes in.
I was quite pleased with the price that the device sold for, but then the buyer started asking questions about the device. I had described my attempt to replace the bootloader, and I had also included the fact that I had taken the back off and tried to repair it. Admittedly, the focus of that was that I had damaged the edges of the Fire, but the information was there. I had also advised that returns would not be accepted as the device was described as not working.
So, the buyer's first gambit was that it wasn't the type of Kindle Fire he was looking for. I asked what his intentions were, and he advised he was thinking of returning it, which came as a surprise to me, as this was the first I'd heard. Then he claimed that I'd interfered with the tablet and it was not as described. At no point did he actually ask for a refund, and I think he was hoping that I would offer one. Unfortunately I had listed the item as 'no returns', so I wasn't going to offer voluntarily. And now there is a case open against me, because apparently the item is 'not as described'.
I think he was hoping that he would be able to plug the device in and get it to work, in a similar manner to the method I had employed with the Samsung tablet earlier. Unfortunately that wasn't the case; as I'd described in the sale, the device was completely unresponsive. And now the buyer is trying to back out of the sale, claiming it was not as described. And that's just part of the problem with culture today, in my opinion; no-one is willing to take responsibility for their actions.
If the buyer had asked for a refund, I would have considered it, which is the strange thing. If he'd said that actually he hadn't read the description, that he had made a mistake, I would probably have (reluctantly) refunded him. After all, I would then have to relist the device, or contact the 2nd highest bidder and offer the tablet to them. But I cannot accept that the device was 'not as described', I spent a lot of time ensuring that the description gave any reader fair warning of what to expect. And so we have come to an impasse. I rejected his claim, because in my opinion it is as described, and the buyer hasn't actually asked directly for a refund. Of course, we are now past the point where that kind of request might be accepted. So it is now 'sub judice' with eBay and we are waiting for their adjudication. We'll see how that goes.
This is all of course the turn of events from my point of view, and actual facts and happenings may have occurred differently in reality.
You may have noticed by now that I love a bit of technology. I was counting up the number of electronic devices I own the other day, or actually that exist in the house, and we arrived at the following answer:
HP Laptop - 15" running Vista, due for replacement
Samsung Netbook - 10.1" running Linux Mint
Samsung Chromebook - 10.1"
Barnes & Noble HD+ 9"
CnM 7" tablet
Nexus 7 tablet
Samsung Tab Original 7"
Barnes & Noble Simple Touch e-reader
HTC One X
I did buy a 'broken' Samsung Tab 2 cheaply off eBay, all it needed was a factory reset, then I decided that I didn't need it so I sold it on eBay, again, and made a few pounds. The trouble is, though, that eBay and PayPal fees eat into any small profits, and in the end it ends up costing money rather than being a benefit.
The one tablet I'd not tried was an Amazon Fire. So I bought one which was again sold as 'not working'. It switched on, but didn't get past the initial power-up screen. I thought that maybe I could do something following an XDA script, and possibly recover it? So unfortunately I didn't get it to work, and relisted it on eBay as 'spares or repair', and that's where the disputes bit comes in.
I was quite pleased with the price that the device sold for, but then the buyer started asking questions about the device. I had described my attempt to replace the bootloader, and I had also included the fact that I had taken the back off and tried to repair it. Admittedly, the focus of that was that I had damaged the edges of the Fire, but the information was there. I had also advised that returns would not be accepted as the device was described as not working.
So, the buyer's first gambit was that it wasn't the type of Kindle Fire he was looking for. I asked what his intentions were, and he advised he was thinking of returning it, which came as a surprise to me, as this was the first I'd heard. Then he claimed that I'd interfered with the tablet and it was not as described. At no point did he actually ask for a refund, and I think he was hoping that I would offer one. Unfortunately I had listed the item as 'no returns', so I wasn't going to offer voluntarily. And now there is a case open against me, because apparently the item is 'not as described'.
I think he was hoping that he would be able to plug the device in and get it to work, in a similar manner to the method I had employed with the Samsung tablet earlier. Unfortunately that wasn't the case; as I'd described in the sale, the device was completely unresponsive. And now the buyer is trying to back out of the sale, claiming it was not as described. And that's just part of the problem with culture today, in my opinion; no-one is willing to take responsibility for their actions.
If the buyer had asked for a refund, I would have considered it, which is the strange thing. If he'd said that actually he hadn't read the description, that he had made a mistake, I would probably have (reluctantly) refunded him. After all, I would then have to relist the device, or contact the 2nd highest bidder and offer the tablet to them. But I cannot accept that the device was 'not as described', I spent a lot of time ensuring that the description gave any reader fair warning of what to expect. And so we have come to an impasse. I rejected his claim, because in my opinion it is as described, and the buyer hasn't actually asked directly for a refund. Of course, we are now past the point where that kind of request might be accepted. So it is now 'sub judice' with eBay and we are waiting for their adjudication. We'll see how that goes.
This is all of course the turn of events from my point of view, and actual facts and happenings may have occurred differently in reality.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
So I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 from eBay. It's not like we don't have enough tablets in the house, but this was a proper bargain. The seller described the tablet as 'not working', but in the description she went on to say that the tab was locked because a family member had set a lock code and forgotten what the code was.
Now, you and I know that if you forget your lock code, you can factory reset your device (if it is Android) by pressing a combination of the power key and one or more of the volume keys. So, as the tab was on eBay for less than £20, and the postage was £7 (or £6.95), I put in a bid of £33.75. I knew that would take me over the £40 mark, but I thought that would be an okay price for me. Please remember, I am a skinflint and we already have several tablets in the house, so it was an impulse bid and I would not regret losing the auction if the price went above £40 (incl. postage).
Actually, at this stage let's take a small detour and list the tablets we have / had....
Firstly I started with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, the original. I used it as a phone for a while, because it has 3G capabilities. And while my HOX was being repaired recently, I went back to using it. God, it's cumbersome! But a great little device.
Then when the Blackberry Playbook started tumbling in price, I bought one of those. I think it was £129 for a 64gb 1080p 7" device. It had a very nice screen, and I used to watch TV shows on it while commuting to work. Unfortunately the design flaw in the Playbook was that you could put the USB cable into the socket either way, and if you put it in the wrong way, you could damage the socket. Guess what I did? Unintentionally, of course... Luckily I had taken out insurance from Currys, and so they replaced it with a 1st generation Nexus 7. Then I think we bought a no-brand tablet for Daughter #2 for Christmas.
I also bought a Nook Simple Touch when they were being sold off dirt cheap, and then became interested in the Nook HD 32gb when they were being sold off cheap. I managed to get one of those off eBay for £87 or so (the P&P was unreasonable though :) ).
Next I bought a broken Blackberry Playbook for £21 but couldn't get it to work, so I sold it for £25, and now I bid on the Tab 2 7.0.
So for a while the bid was sitting at £16.70 or so, then it rose to £33, just shy of my limit. I hmmed and hawed and upped my max bid to £38.25. With the postage that would have been just over £45. But as it happened, no one else put a bid in, and so I got it for £33 +£7 postage.
So it turned up yesterday and I spent most of last night trying to reset it, The problem was (and this wasn't mentioned in the eBay description) that even when the power cable was unplugged, the device thought it was charging. When it was plugged in, the red 'x' showed in the battery, but it was charging. When I unplugged it and switched it off, if I pressed the power button the screen showed the charging animation. The state of the phone (that it thought it was charging) was preventing me from booting into Recovery and resetting the tab. But I scored a breakthrough, and realised that if I unplugged the charger from the wall but left it plugged into the tab, it could work... And so it did, I was able to reset the device. So I had a working Tab 2 7.0 for £40 including postage.
Then, unfortunately I noticed that the issue with the battery was persisting; that when I was charging it, the red 'x' was on display, and when it was unplugged it thought it was charging. But I noticed that there was a software update available, which would take the device up to 4.2.2 from 4.1.1; would that fix the issue? I was thinking that if the update didn't fix it, I could always put it back on eBay as 'not working', but aim to make a small profit.
As it was, the update did work, the tab is now running Jelly Bean and the battery issue appears to be fixed. So that is a result - perseverence pays off :) .
Now though, I am in a quandary, as She is expecting me to sell one of the tabs we've got in the house.
I am not losing the Nook 8.9", nor am I losing the Nexus 7. So it's down to either the OG (Original Gangsta) Samsung Tab or the Tab 2 7.0. And to be fair, the Tab 2 7.0 is really nice.
I've hacked around with the OG Tab, it's running 4.2 as well, I believe, but I think I will sell that one. I see that they go for about £100 on eBay, even £75 would be okay I guess. We'll have to wait and see, though. I know that until recently I had kept the box it came in, but I suspect I've thrown it away in the moves in and out of the loft, and so I'll have to take a hit on that. It does have a lovely case though... I'll let you know how it goes.
Now, you and I know that if you forget your lock code, you can factory reset your device (if it is Android) by pressing a combination of the power key and one or more of the volume keys. So, as the tab was on eBay for less than £20, and the postage was £7 (or £6.95), I put in a bid of £33.75. I knew that would take me over the £40 mark, but I thought that would be an okay price for me. Please remember, I am a skinflint and we already have several tablets in the house, so it was an impulse bid and I would not regret losing the auction if the price went above £40 (incl. postage).
Actually, at this stage let's take a small detour and list the tablets we have / had....
Firstly I started with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, the original. I used it as a phone for a while, because it has 3G capabilities. And while my HOX was being repaired recently, I went back to using it. God, it's cumbersome! But a great little device.
Then when the Blackberry Playbook started tumbling in price, I bought one of those. I think it was £129 for a 64gb 1080p 7" device. It had a very nice screen, and I used to watch TV shows on it while commuting to work. Unfortunately the design flaw in the Playbook was that you could put the USB cable into the socket either way, and if you put it in the wrong way, you could damage the socket. Guess what I did? Unintentionally, of course... Luckily I had taken out insurance from Currys, and so they replaced it with a 1st generation Nexus 7. Then I think we bought a no-brand tablet for Daughter #2 for Christmas.
I also bought a Nook Simple Touch when they were being sold off dirt cheap, and then became interested in the Nook HD 32gb when they were being sold off cheap. I managed to get one of those off eBay for £87 or so (the P&P was unreasonable though :) ).
Next I bought a broken Blackberry Playbook for £21 but couldn't get it to work, so I sold it for £25, and now I bid on the Tab 2 7.0.
So for a while the bid was sitting at £16.70 or so, then it rose to £33, just shy of my limit. I hmmed and hawed and upped my max bid to £38.25. With the postage that would have been just over £45. But as it happened, no one else put a bid in, and so I got it for £33 +£7 postage.
So it turned up yesterday and I spent most of last night trying to reset it, The problem was (and this wasn't mentioned in the eBay description) that even when the power cable was unplugged, the device thought it was charging. When it was plugged in, the red 'x' showed in the battery, but it was charging. When I unplugged it and switched it off, if I pressed the power button the screen showed the charging animation. The state of the phone (that it thought it was charging) was preventing me from booting into Recovery and resetting the tab. But I scored a breakthrough, and realised that if I unplugged the charger from the wall but left it plugged into the tab, it could work... And so it did, I was able to reset the device. So I had a working Tab 2 7.0 for £40 including postage.
Then, unfortunately I noticed that the issue with the battery was persisting; that when I was charging it, the red 'x' was on display, and when it was unplugged it thought it was charging. But I noticed that there was a software update available, which would take the device up to 4.2.2 from 4.1.1; would that fix the issue? I was thinking that if the update didn't fix it, I could always put it back on eBay as 'not working', but aim to make a small profit.
As it was, the update did work, the tab is now running Jelly Bean and the battery issue appears to be fixed. So that is a result - perseverence pays off :) .
Now though, I am in a quandary, as She is expecting me to sell one of the tabs we've got in the house.
I am not losing the Nook 8.9", nor am I losing the Nexus 7. So it's down to either the OG (Original Gangsta) Samsung Tab or the Tab 2 7.0. And to be fair, the Tab 2 7.0 is really nice.
I've hacked around with the OG Tab, it's running 4.2 as well, I believe, but I think I will sell that one. I see that they go for about £100 on eBay, even £75 would be okay I guess. We'll have to wait and see, though. I know that until recently I had kept the box it came in, but I suspect I've thrown it away in the moves in and out of the loft, and so I'll have to take a hit on that. It does have a lovely case though... I'll let you know how it goes.
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