When I started the Android Digital Readout project
my only tablet was a rooted B&N Nook Color. At that time it was
one of the few tablets that could be had for under $300, but it came
with a few limitations. First of all, it required rooting to be
usable, which voided the warranty etc. Second, the Bluetooth was
included “by accident”. While Bluetooth was a part of the
wireless chip, the feature was not fully implemented on the hardware
level, and was lacking an antenna. This reduced the range to a few
feet at most. Finally, even the custom ROMs only went up to Android
v2.3 [Gingerbread]. There is nothing inherently wrong with this
particular version, but Honeycomb (3.0) and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)
have much better tablet support.
. None of the local stores
carried any cases that looked remotely rugged. Online, though, there
are several cases that looked promising, ranging from $10 for a
generic silicone case to $70 for a top-of-the line Otterbox. At the
end I took a bit of a shot in the dark and ordered one of the Gumdrop
Drop Tech cases four around $60.