OT: Advice on Tablet PC's (Android, etc.)

[Requiem]

Hey guys,

Six months ago I bought myself a MacAir and I love it, but I am interested in in a tablet PC.

An iPad seems like a logical thing, but I'm open to other ideas. Price range up to $500. Thanks.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Hey guys,

Six months ago I bought myself a MacAir and I love it, but I am interested in in a tablet PC.

An iPad seems like a logical thing, but I'm open to other ideas. Price range up to $500. Thanks.

We picked up my wife a Samsung Galaxy Note back on the 1st. I thought it would be too large to be used as a phone/lugging it around all the time. I've since changed my mind. It is pretty much awesome. The "smart stylus" is fantastic, once you get used to the functionality of it. Battery time was a bit of a pain, but once we picked up a better battery on Amazon, that is no longer an issue. She has had an iPad for the last two years and now she hardly touches it. Oh yeah, the "Vehicle Kit" from Samsung is the bomb. Plug the Note in and it automatically goes to "Auto Mode". Voice talk App control for everything, turn by turn directions, and Bluetooth connectivity to the audio system. We've both been pretty floored by how well everything works, and being compatable with Android's new OS "Ice Cream Sandwich" coming out later this spring or early summer (supposed to have voice command/assistant to rival "Siri" from Apple), we feel like it shouldn't end up being "old technology" overnight. I have a Galaxy S2 Skyrocket that I'm probably going to take back and exchange for one as it is looking like the Skyrocket was just an interim solution for the various carriers 4G LTE networks. Very limited support and accessories available from Samsung with a rumored Galaxy S3 that will have an HD display and built to take full advantage of "Ice Cream". Get a case for one (we picked up the "Active Combo with kickstand" from Seidio as Otterbox has no plans to produce one), it adds to the size and heft of the Note, but in this case that is not a bad thing. It does feel like you've got a shingle on the side of your head when using it as a phone, but get a bluetooth headset and that issue goes away. It really isn't that big a deal anyway. Good luck with the search. We spent about 6 month figuring out what we were buying, just wish I'd have picked up the Note from the get go. You can find them for around $250 + or - $50 on the web, or in stores if you want the ease of support/warranty. Good luck on your decision, and let us know what you decide to do/how you like your choice.

[Rigs11]

get an ipad. apple has sold millions for a reason.simple to use, they just work.

[snowspot66]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Hey guys,

Six months ago I bought myself a MacAir and I love it, but I am interested in in a tablet PC.

An iPad seems like a logical thing, but I'm open to other ideas. Price range up to $500. Thanks.

Asus Transformer Prime. It's one of the, if not the, very best tablets available.

[snowspot66]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

get an ipad. apple has sold millions for a reason.simple to use, they just work.

Except with Flash.

[Chris]

I give you credit for not keeping your brain on autopilot and thinking "Apple Apple Apple". That said, I don't own a tablet so I can't say.

[Aftermath]

Originally Posted by snowspot66

Asus Transformer Prime. It's one of the, if not the, very best tablets available.

Except for the shell around it. Blocks wifi signal and gps. It works fine 10ft from router but once you go 15ft or more its embarrassingly slow. Do a speedtest if you don't believe me, and they actually removed gps from the specifications.
I was so excited for that tablet I got it the day it came out, returned it 2 weeks later and just bought the new ipad. The new ipad is the best thing I've owned.

[Blart]

What do you want to use it for?

[snowspot66]

Originally Posted by Aftermath

Except for the shell around it. Blocks wifi signal and gps. It works fine 10ft from router but once you go 15ft or more its embarrassingly slow. Do a speedtest if you don't believe me, and they actually removed gps from the specifications.
I was so excited for that tablet I got it the day it came out, returned it 2 weeks later and just bought the new ipad. The new ipad is the best thing I've owned.

No I'm aware of it. The next iteration of the Prime will fix the issue.

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by Chris

I give you credit for not keeping your brain on autopilot and thinking "Apple Apple Apple". That said, I don't own a tablet so I can't say.

I started out on a Tandy 386 and grew up on Windows machines my whole life owning or building over 10 machines. I've always had Apple's to play with in our school district, (mainly for video/graphics editing in HS) and didn't think much of them back when. My brain has never been on auto-pilot. I just was interested in something new and thought the Air fit the bill for what I wanted to help do.

I went with the Air because the applications and software. It's a powerhouse and can do what I like to do and it's as light as a feather. The mobility is awesome and it's a portable studio for me with Garage Band. If I ever visit friends who are throwing down jams and want to record something, it's that easy to take with me.

I think it is a unique investment that will get multiple year shelf life and in the sixth months I've had the device, it has already paid for itself.

I'm looking for a tablet for multiple reasons, some of them with some business interest in mind in regards to point of sale transactions, document and data mobility. I also enjoy a mobile life style and like to be out and about but still connected to things that are of interest or matter to me, whether I'm traveling, camping/hiking or what not. (And while I get good battery life on my Air, I'm looking for something that may get a little bit longer. I also am extremely interested in getting a tablet as a device that can be charged through solar power.)

I have a phone that has HP WebOS, and isn't a true "smart" phone and am not interested in getting a baller phone.

All and all, I'm just interested. It's just a way of creating something useful for myself moving forward.

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by snowspot66

Asus Transformer Prime. It's one of the, if not the, very best tablets available.

This 100%

[Chris]

I had an IBM as a child, grew up on macs, then switched to PC as a teenager. I much prefer the flexibility of Windows, though I now own a MBP because I record music (Ableton) and got suckered into it.

As for the power, you're going to want to look at cases. I knew they had some for phones but just did a search and found this:

http://www.gizmag.com/solar-spark-tablet-case/17775/

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by Chris

I had an IBM as a child, grew up on macs, then switched to PC as a teenager. I much prefer the flexibility of Windows, though I now own a MBP because I record music (Ableton) and got suckered into it.

As for the power, you're going to want to look at cases. I knew they had some for phones but just did a search and found this:

http://www.gizmag.com/solar-spark-tablet-case/17775/

That's pretty sick dude. I've found some other things that are universal, well -- do phones, tablets, etc. Thanks again.

[Boobs McGee]

My boss just gave me an ipad 2 about two weeks ago...pretty impressive little piece of technology. This is my first tablet, but teamed with my portable BOSE soundlink, it does just about everything I want it to. I went for the non 3g one, as I can turn my rooted evo into a hotspot, so didn't spring for the upgraded ipad.

So far, for all of my basic uses, it really is tremendous. Calendar's great, music is wonderful, web browsing is fantastic, the portability is outstanding, battery life is a LOT longer than I would've expected. The only qualm I have (and I haven't checked into a fix yet), is that I can't upload movies onto it that I've downloaded (that aren't from the itunes store). No way in hell I'm spending the money to buy movies from the store that I already own. Seeing as this is my first piece of Apple technology (besides an ipod or two), I might be missing the boat on something.


Kind of hard to have an objective view (since I haven't owned or used any other tablets), but this thing is pretty epic.

[Houshyamama]

Just got an iPad 1 64GB wifi. First apple product I've ever owned, love it so far. In fact I'm posting from it. Just get an iPad, it's the real deal.

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by Requiem

I started out on a Tandy 386 and grew up on Windows machines my whole life owning or building over 10 machines. I've always had Apple's to play with in our school district, (mainly for video/graphics editing in HS) and didn't think much of them back when. My brain has never been on auto-pilot. I just was interested in something new and thought the Air fit the bill for what I wanted to help do.

I went with the Air because the applications and software. It's a powerhouse and can do what I like to do and it's as light as a feather. The mobility is awesome and it's a portable studio for me with Garage Band. If I ever visit friends who are throwing down jams and want to record something, it's that easy to take with me.

I think it is a unique investment that will get multiple year shelf life and in the sixth months I've had the device, it has already paid for itself.

I'm looking for a tablet for multiple reasons, some of them with some business interest in mind in regards to point of sale transactions, document and data mobility. I also enjoy a mobile life style and like to be out and about but still connected to things that are of interest or matter to me, whether I'm traveling, camping/hiking or what not. (And while I get good battery life on my Air, I'm looking for something that may get a little bit longer. I also am extremely interested in getting a tablet as a device that can be charged through solar power.)

I have a phone that has HP WebOS, and isn't a true "smart" phone and am not interested in getting a baller phone.

All and all, I'm just interested. It's just a way of creating something useful for myself moving forward.

I would think having a iphone would be more mobile and provide you the same functionality. They have adapters to do POS from the iphone. It is amazing how much you can get done on a smart phone, I still don't see the need for a tablet, laptop and smartphone.

If I were young again I would put the $500 in a Roth account and use your Air and phone instead.

[BroncoBen]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Hey guys,

Six months ago I bought myself a MacAir and I love it, but I am interested in in a tablet PC.

An iPad seems like a logical thing, but I'm open to other ideas. Price range up to $500. Thanks.

Depends on what you want to do with the device, the Kindle Fire $199 is great for surfing the Interwebs and reading ebooks. Some of the apps you can download are pretty good, but you are limited.

You can do more with the IPad, but its way more expensive. I think it starts out at $499 for the lower end device. Lot more apps to work with, this is where you may want to get a more expensive device so you have room for these apps.

Have fun..

[sirhcyennek81]

I'm deciding between a kindle fire or an apple Ipad. Since I already have an ipod-touch...do I want to spend another $500 for a bigger version of it?

...

[El Guapo]

I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 about six months back and absolutely love it. It does everything the crapPad does and more. See: It (or its apps) are not restricted by the manufacturer.

Note: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 will be available May 4th http://www.samsung.com/global/micros...html?type=find

While they have not considered the Tab 2 in their reviews, pcmag.com did rate the Asus Transformer Prime as the best tablet available.

Originally Posted by Rigs11

get an ipad. apple has sold millions for a reason.simple to use, they just work.

They have sold "millions" cause people are retarded sheep.

[sirhcyennek81]

Originally Posted by El Guapo

They have sold "millions" cause people are retarded sheep.

It would be funny if sheep are really geniuses, but have the appearance of small brained farm animals to fool mankind before they attack and eat us all.

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by sirhcyennek81

It would be funny if sheep are really geniuses, but have the appearance of small brained farm animals to fool mankind before they attack and eat us all.

[img=http:/w/s10.postimage.org/o0abhvuwl/Blacksheep_poster.jpg]

[sirhcyennek81]

Originally Posted by DBroncos4life

[img=http:/w/s10.postimage.org/o0abhvuwl/Blacksheep_poster.jpg]

I've seen that horrible movie. And why I believe its going to happen.

[snowspot66]

Originally Posted by Boobs McGee

The only qualm I have (and I haven't checked into a fix yet), is that I can't upload movies onto it that I've downloaded (that aren't from the itunes store). No way in hell I'm spending the money to buy movies from the store that I already own.

Their product may not come with a contract but you're pretty much exclusively locked in to what they offer. Unless you don't mind breaking your warranty in which case I guess you can do whatever the tech geniuses of the world come up with.

[baja]

My iPad is perfectly good but I bought the new one last week for the voice command and the new camera and the retina screen. O and now I can listen to music in stereo ;-)

[Requiem]

The Kindle Fire seems like an interesting device. Thanks for letting me know on some stuff guys and other general advice.