Recommend me a tablet

These are the form factors I'm stoked for. Been waiting for an ultrabook style pc with a screen that can pop off and serve as a nice big tablet. Looking forward to playing tons of old point-and-click adventure games on it.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/30/h...
http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/s...
http://gdgt.com/asus/vivo/tab/

If any of these pan out on pricing/performance I'm thinking of replacing my laptop with one of these "slatebooks" and replacing my iPad 1 with the iPad mini (if it's real). Same amount of gadgets. Far more versatility.

Samsung might have nailed it with the C (700t1c) version of the Series 7 due out Oct. 26.

I was initially confused because there was a series seven floating around in 2011 (700t1a). It had generally good reception, but some quality issues, which made me avoid it, with no Canadian retailers to take back to if I got one of the units with the fabrication quality issues. The bezel was separating somehow.

This one popped back up after a tech expo in Germany Aug 30 2012. Looks like they've gone a little thicker (thin was probably the cause of the bezel issues), and taken full advantage of both the laptop and tablet form factors. Wacom digitzer with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity.

I wait.

Soon!

I really wanted the Latitude ST to be the right device, fanless with a 10" decent resolution screen and a deal through Dell Outlet, but the digitizer is by N-trig, driver support for its other components under Windows 8 is an unknown, and it is only fast enough to keep up with OneNote 2010, not the newer version. I'm looking at all these Windows 8 Pro tablets coming down the pipeline and shaking my head at the price tags because no one who's not already in the PC tablet market will give them a second look.

Got a TF300 from Amazon Warehouse. For $50 more than a basic Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 I figured what the hell. I can see how it's a budget option compared to its big brother, but it feels sturdy and zippy. Not that I'm running anything too intensive.

Paired it with a fantastic Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, and together with Kingsoft Office I actually think I could replace my netbook for my next backpacking trip.

If only I could get this supposedly Android 3.1+ compatible DVD drive working. Always a good thing in countries with crappy internet but plentiful DVD bootlegs.

Only thing is, Jelly Bean has lots of neat little updates, but I feel like everything was actually smoother before I upgraded. And it annoys me how the new Google Play Music doesn't have the repeat/shuffle buttons unless you're viewing an individual song, not a playlist. That's just f*cking dumb.

It's also hard finding a application locker that can't simply be stopped from the task manager.

My family plans to pick up a tablet for my retirement age mom this xmas. She is a technophobe, and a laptop is almost too much for her to deal with. Our thoughts are that an easy, touchscreen interface that can give her direct access to her email, facebook, pictures, and music is just what she needs.

My dad has a ipod/itunes account for his music, and the kids generally have ipads for easy Facetime access, but otherwise my parents aren't wedded to the apple platform. Is there any reason to look at anything other than an ipad?

Bullion Cube wrote:

Is there any reason to look at anything other than an ipad?

Not for the scenario you've described.

Rezzy wrote:
Bullion Cube wrote:

Is there any reason to look at anything other than an ipad?

Not for the scenario you've described.

QFT. I have both an ipad and an android tablet (asus transformer prime), paid for through work technology grants. Personally, I prefer the transformer and the android ecosystem, but the scenario you describe sounds custom built for Apple. The ipad is a great solution in this case and I'd wager there is a great possibility that facetime will become a killer family communication app.

In the market for a budget tablet. Not looking at Apple, since my wife has an Ipad.

Anyone have a Playbook? The price is right, seems like a solid piece of hardware and I understand you can run Android apps on it.

That or a Nexus 7, but that is about $100 more.

The kindle fire hd is a better piece of hardware than the nexus. You cant easily play with it but it is a great device. I would say that it is a lot like an ipad in that there is no flexibility to the os unless rooted. It is also cheaper than the nexus at the same specs

EvilHomer3k wrote:

The kindle fire hd is a better piece of hardware than the nexus. You cant easily play with it but it is a great device.

Sure you can. Best Buy stocks them.

Kurrelgyre wrote:
EvilHomer3k wrote:

The kindle fire hd is a better piece of hardware than the nexus. You cant easily play with it but it is a great device.

Sure you can. Best Buy stocks them.

I think he meant tinker with the the OS and stuff.

TigerBill wrote:
Kurrelgyre wrote:
EvilHomer3k wrote:

The kindle fire hd is a better piece of hardware than the nexus. You cant easily play with it but it is a great device.

Sure you can. Best Buy stocks them.

I think he meant tinker with the the OS and stuff.

This. If you want to play with the OS the Nexus is much much better.

I love my nexus 7. I use it every day.

From what I was reading, those new Kindle Fires are distressingly locked down. Probably not a good choice.

unntrlaffinity wrote:

Got a TF300 from Amazon Warehouse. For $50 more than a basic Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 I figured what the hell. I can see how it's a budget option compared to its big brother, but it feels sturdy and zippy. Not that I'm running anything too intensive.

Paired it with a fantastic Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, and together with Kingsoft Office I actually think I could replace my netbook for my next backpacking trip.

If only I could get this supposedly Android 3.1+ compatible DVD drive working. Always a good thing in countries with crappy internet but plentiful DVD bootlegs.

Only thing is, Jelly Bean has lots of neat little updates, but I feel like everything was actually smoother before I upgraded. And it annoys me how the new Google Play Music doesn't have the repeat/shuffle buttons unless you're viewing an individual song, not a playlist. That's just f*cking dumb.

It's also hard finding a application locker that can't simply be stopped from the task manager.

Yeah the gf picked up one of these with the dock and it's a great device. Frankly I prefer it to the ipad we have in the house. The only issue I have with it is because it's Asus's own custom build of Jelly Bean some apps (Plants vs Zombies HD for one) won't work which is annoying

DanB wrote:
unntrlaffinity wrote:

Got a TF300 from Amazon Warehouse. For $50 more than a basic Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 I figured what the hell. I can see how it's a budget option compared to its big brother, but it feels sturdy and zippy. Not that I'm running anything too intensive.

Paired it with a fantastic Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, and together with Kingsoft Office I actually think I could replace my netbook for my next backpacking trip.

If only I could get this supposedly Android 3.1+ compatible DVD drive working. Always a good thing in countries with crappy internet but plentiful DVD bootlegs.

Only thing is, Jelly Bean has lots of neat little updates, but I feel like everything was actually smoother before I upgraded. And it annoys me how the new Google Play Music doesn't have the repeat/shuffle buttons unless you're viewing an individual song, not a playlist. That's just f*cking dumb.

It's also hard finding a application locker that can't simply be stopped from the task manager.

Yeah the gf picked up one of these with the dock and it's a great device. Frankly I prefer it to the ipad we have in the house. The only issue I have with it is because it's Asus's own custom build of Jelly Bean some apps (Plants vs Zombies HD for one) won't work which is annoying

Another +1 for the dock. The keyboard is less excellent than my Apple bluetooth keyboard, but the extra battery, sd slot, and especially USB flash drive slot are AWESOME!

For anyone curious the Kindle Fire HD can be paired with the Apple bluetooth keyboard which is fairly awesome.

Okay, I need your help: I'm seriously considering biting the bullet and investing in a full-size tablet. (The primary use will be reading magazines which is why, based on my research, I don't think the Nexus 7 will be ideal.) Other than apps, is there a reason to go with the iPad over one of the Transformers or the Galaxy Note I've been eyeing that - at least in my region - are a good chunk less expensive?

My primary uses for the thing will be reading e-magazines (which admittedly will probably be better supported on the ipad) or PDFs, watching video content during commutes and performing basic productivity tasks, the latter of which has the Note appealing to me. I won't be reading books as I already have a Kindle for that purpose. I might play games or something on it, but that won't be a major concern.

I'm only hesitant on the ipad because:

1) While I'm not aggressively Anti-Apple or anything, I have been using their products off and on for well over a decade, and always come away with a sour experience. I just don't like the way they design things. Granted, haven't used anything of theirs recently other than iTunes which I also don't care for, but that always is in the back of my mind.

2) I own an Android phone so I'm already invested in that ecosystem. In terms of the phone, I've never seen a game on the ipad that made me jealous, nor an app that didn't have something comparable on the Google Play store.

If I'm just an ignorant ass and should pick up the ipad, feel free to come out and say that as well.

Also, I live in Canada, so the Kindle Fire is not an option for me.

I find android is a much, much better environment for light productivity tasks. The ipad is much more of a media consumption device. Others may feel differently

Well, the high-res display on the iPad should be much nicer to read on. 264ppi isn't truly magazine quality, but since each pixel can make any color, as opposed to magazines' use of just a few inks and dithering, it should end up looking surprisingly good, something like three times that resolution for color images.

I haven't used a Nexus 7, but the quality of the display is likely to be very similar to the LCD you're presumably on right now, just smaller. I definitely prefer reading text on an e-ink display. That's rotten for anything but sequential text, so you wouldn't want that. An iPad 2, though, should get pretty close to that quality level, in full color, with fast refreshes.

I own quite a few tabets: iPad 2 (previously iPad 1), Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and also a Kindle e-reader. My favorite is still the iPad 2, not because of the Apple ecosystem but simply because of the screen. I read a lot of comic books, magazines, and watch a lot of video and the screen on the iPad 2 is far better than anything else. I've got my eye on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" but if I was going to get another tablet it would probably be the new iPad for the retina display. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an intriguing device because of the wacom S-pen but since it doesn't have an HD display, that's a deal breaker for me.

I've got a Transformer Prime and an Ipad 2. Both have their strengths, but I prefer the Transformer in most situations. The biggest neg is likely the screen dimensions. The iPad feels better in my hands in a way that is hard to quantify. On the other hand, I keep the Transformer in its keyboard dock most of the time, only separating them to read in bed. If I had to choose one the Transformer wins.

I did some searching this morning on tablets and am leaning towards the Google Nexus 7 for a tablet. I have an old-school Nook (did Kindle bypass the Nook while I wasn't watching?) for reading, so I'm looking for something to be more productive, surf the internet, watch videos, etc. And I'm not spending a bunch of money on an I-Pad, so is there any reason not to get the Nexus 7 or is there a reason to pick up a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet instead? Would love some input on any other options.

Well, I'm pretty sure I saw something about a 3G-equipped Nexus tablet in the pipeline, so if that's of any interest, you might want to hold off a while yet.

I believe the N7 is also going to phase the 8gb out and replace it with the 16 at the same price point. If the Nook HD can be rooted and have cyanogen mod or at least the google play store and a launcher it looks like a nice system. That 1440x900 resolution would be pretty nice. Given that you already have a Nook I would look pretty seriously at the Nook HD. If you are heavily into the Amazon ecosystem the Fire HD is a very nice choice (but it looks like you have a Nook). I like my Fire HD quite a bit and it competes very well with the N7. I don't think any one of them is a bad choice. For me, the Fire HD hit the right combination of price, ecosystem (already a prime member and have kindle apps for phones/ipad), hardware specs, and usability. I don't have much of an investment in the Google play store (last android phone was the Nexus One) and have never purchased any e-books for Barnes and Noble.

I haven't had hands on with the Nook HD, but the Nook Tablets feel awful in the hands. They perform well, look good, but I can't get past the super cheap, flimsy feel of them. If you're fine with that, game on though. The N7 and the older kindle fires feel awesome though.

I just saw that Google is coming out with a 10 inch Nexus soon and this has me in a quandry. I love my iPad - but mostly because of the size. I had planned on upgrading to a new iPad in the spring but I love my Android phone. I even bought an N7 when they came out - but I sold it because I couldn't stand the smaller size compared to the iPad. A 10" Nexus removes that problem.

What should I buy in the spring?

farley3k wrote:

What should I buy in the spring?

Might want to wait to decide: My sources say that Apple is due to announce a major update to the iPad line this spring.

Spoiler:

I don't have sources.

Edit: If/When my iPad2 dies I will be facing the same issue. I have lots of apps tied up in Apple space, but that screen looks gorgeous and I'm digging the front facing speakers (if that's what they are). Real advice: Wait and see. My guess is that the competition in the tablet space is just getting started. Christmas is going to be fun!

farley3k wrote:

I just saw that Google is coming out with a 10 inch Nexus soon and this has me in a quandry. I love my iPad - but mostly because of the size. I had planned on upgrading to a new iPad in the spring but I love my Android phone. I even bought an N7 when they came out - but I sold it because I couldn't stand the smaller size compared to the iPad. A 10" Nexus removes that problem.

What should I buy in the spring?

Will you be happy with just one ecosystem? I don't believe you will.

Possibly not but the upgrade cycle is easier to swallow at the lower price. Although to be fair Apple stuff holds its value better than almost anything else.