I want a tablet

midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi(> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

An Android tablet, I think. Something with good resolution, decent storage, great performance, available to buy on Amazon, and preferably under $600. I've never shopped for one before, and the only two that I know anything about are the Nexus 7 (which has been recommended to me by a few people) and the Galaxy Tab 3 (thought I don't actually know anything about it besides knowing I've had good luck with Galaxy Note phones). It's time for me to get in on the ultra-portable non-phone computing fad, so help me out here.

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian

    Nexus 7, Nexus 10 or one of the Asus Transformer.

    Reasons: cost, performance, low/no bloat.

    midga
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian

    7" tablets fit comfortably in a cargo pocket. +1 for Nexus 7.

    midga
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian

    I have the 2012 version of the Nexus 7, and it's awesome. Well worth it to get any Google-branded device.

    midga
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian

    +1 for Nexus 7, but I would definitely go for the updated one... my original N7 is getting a bit sluggish.

    midga
  • What do you want to use it for?

    midga
  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    Tabletty...stuff... Probably a lot of games and Netflix. Maybe some document editing and definitely a crapton of web browsing. Really, I don't know what all a tablet is good for, and finding out is part of this. I'm hoping it's going to be able to replace me taking a personal laptop along with my business laptop on business trips.

    Something that worrys me about the Nexus 7 is screen size versus a 10". I know for this I'm just going to have to go to the Best(lol)Buy and feel a few up, but I'd also love to hear any opinions regarding 7" (or similar) vs 10" (or similar) tablets. I've also heard that, while it has no SD card slot, using a USB drive with a micro adapter is a thing. Anything I should be aware of with that?

  • BlueTattooBlueTattoo Boatbuilder Houston, TX Icrontian

    My wife has had a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for about a year. She bought it over others for the stylus and for being able to have two apps on the screen at once. I’m not sure how much she uses those two features, but she really loves the tablet. The size is right. It’s great to be able to add a micro SD card. We take extra movies on trips.

    She started using it as an ebook reader and for email then Netflix and Pandora. She keeps finding functions and adding apps. It will connect to her job through a Citrix client. Although real work is too hard (she could add a BT keyboard), it works for emergencies.

    She has just discovered the world of podcasting and how easy it is on the tablet. Her phone wasn’t very good at it.

    You can try to figure what you will use it for, but that will just be the start.

    midga
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian

    For reading, you're going to almost certainly prefer a 7". For movies and stuff, the smaller size is a minor issue for me comparatively; it still has a fantastic resolution, and given that it's smaller, you're more willing to hold it. Rumors are swirling of a refresh of/replacement for the Nexus 10, so if the new N7 doesn't feel perfect when you check it out, look more into the rumors and see if you want to wait for the 10.

    midga
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian

    Worth noting, full page view of D&D books on a 7" tablet is sub-optimal. If you want to display books with really big pages, you need a larger screen.

    midga
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian

    For me, the 7-8" range is optimal (inb4 giggity) because it is easier for me to hold one-handed while interacting with the interface. I find the reading experience to be solid on that size screen, though most long-form reading takes place on my Kobo because eInk > LCD for books... I don't read anything like D&D books though, so I can't speak to that. Web browsing is solid for 99% of sites I visit, Netflix works well on that screen size imo, though I can definitely understand why some people would go with a 10" for watching movies.

    Really, if you ask me, it comes down to how you're going to use it. Are you going to carry it around a lot and hold it up for long periods of time? Then you probably want a smaller tablet as it will be easier to transport and hold. This is why I chose the N7 over the N10, as I knew I'd be taking it into the data center with me frequently. Are you more likely to just have it in your bag and use it on a table, your lap, or generally only hold it up off a surface for short periods of time? Then you may want the extra screen space that a larger tablet provides.

    midga
  • CrazyJoeCrazyJoe Winter Springs, FL Icrontian

    +1 for the Galaxy Note 8. I bought one for school use and I carry it around with me all day long every day. It's fantastic.

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian

    @ardichoke said:
    For me, the 7-8" range is optimal (inb4 giggity) because it is easier for me to hold one-handed while...

    Hmmmmmmm?

    ardichoketrooster89
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian

    I'm going to go out on a limb, here and say something you (might) need to hear: you don't need a tablet.

    I was once like you, heady with the dreams I could realize if only I had a tablet. No longer would I take a laptop to meetings! I would enjoy TV and my tablet simultaneously! I would read books on it! Netflix! Think of all the things I could be doing if only I had a magical tabletfriend to help me do them!

    But then I got a smartphone. A smartphone with a big enough screen. And big enough became "good enough." The tablet never did pan out as a laptop replacement, and I found that I preferred to have a light laptop on m lap while watching TV.

    Your own hesitance suggests to me that you're not convinced, and have come to us for convincing:

    Tabletty...stuff... Probably a lot of games and Netflix.

    But I'll tell you, a game on a tablet isn't much different that a game on a larger phone. And neither of those experiences are super worthwhile when you have a gaming PC. And Netflix isn't really much better on a tablet versus a phone, in my estimation. Hell, holding a tablet up in bed is less convenient than holding a smaller/lighter phone.

    Indeed, after trying my hand at 2-3 different tablets over the years, I came to the realization that I was just using it as a stopgap solution for a time when my phone wasn't up to snuff. Now I can never think of a time when I go "gee, I wish I had a tablet."

    midgaBasilardichoke
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    I agree. I used a nook color for about year before I had a smartphone. It sat unused and dusty after I did get my first smartphone and bought a nexus 7 with the intention of getting back into a tablet but it hasn't panned out. Luckily, I should be able to use it for a totally different purpose (replacing the head unit in my car, connecting to phone wifi for google maps and music streaming).

  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    That's a good point. I really wouldn't use it for book reading. I love my e-ink Kindle. There's a few apps I use that I think would be better served by a tablet than my Note 2 (FLStudio Mobile and AutoCad, for instance). My thought was to move away from using my phone for browsing and gaming and stuff (all the apps I use are starting to really hit the battery and internal storage hard, and that's me trying to go easy on it), and also mostly replace my rather aged netbook that I've been traveling with lately (partially through the use of a bluetooth keyboard). It might be a better idea to just hold off and get a good new phone (buying outright, instead of AT&T contracting), but even the Note 2 often seems way too small for all the non-phone functions.

    But you're right, I'm not entirely convinced. I have almost no experience with a tablet at all, so there's no way I could possibly know whether it's the right call. That said, I don't know that I've come to y'all for convincing so much as guidance on a good choice for conducting the experiment. But that is definitely a good point to consider, and I very much appreciate the insight. It might be a better call to just forget it for a while until the technology has changed significantly (cause even the top-of-the-line on the market is still not really as good as an actual computer). Dunno. I'll keep thinking and considering input.

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    I could lend you my nexus 7 for a trial period if you like, since I've got no immediate need to do that conversion project.

    midgaSignalBlueTattooBasil
  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    That would be pretty badass. I'm gonna head down to Box Buy after work and check out what they've got, and if it passes that phase then I'll totally take you up on that.

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian

    I've owned 5 or so tablets. I only use the N7 on a trans-Atlantic flight if they happen to not have a single movie I want to watch. That hasn't happened in a long time.

    That said, I'm pleased I've had the experience I've had, because it's put me in a position to be an expert in a niche area in my job that nobody else can manage, so I've got that going for me. Thrax is right, though... I rarely find a meaningful use for it in everyday life, at least at the moment.

    midga
  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    OBeo got my hands on a few tablets.

    I loved the Note 10.1, but it's also hueg, and using it for extended periods or trying to cart it around everywhere would be inconvenient and tiring. So, 10+ inch for home and creative use, but not what I'm looking for.

    The Nexus 7 wasn't bad. It was, in fact, quite a bit larger than I thought it'd be. It was hard to get a really good feel for it with the corded doofer on the back, though.

    Overall I liked the feel of Android OS on a tablet tons better than on a phone. So, yeah. Thinking I might do it.

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    Assuming you mean run a trial with mine, PM me your address and I'll get it out this week.

    midga
  • BandrikBandrik Elkhart, IN Icrontian
    edited April 2014

    I have a few tablets. A collection even: 7" Nexus 7 (2012) and Acer A100, Samsung Note 3 ("fablet"), 10" iPad 1 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014). Here's my thoughts.

    Size, aka Fablet vs 7" vs 10": I have all 3. I'm with Thrax, I use my Samsung Note 3 more than the 7" ones. Especially for gaming and reading in bed. Fits the hand well, resolution is still 1080p. The Nexus 7 is still good though, priced right, and feels like reading a paperback sized book. 10" are good for full-size reading like web pages and PDFs like D & D books. Video playback feels the same for me, I just "focus more" on the smaller devices.

    Nexus 7 definitely has plus in the "pure android experience" category. Add the features you want, get none of the crap you don't. And the price is right.

    Note 10.1 is amazing. I just picked one up. It's like my Note 3 that I really like, but bigger with more resolution. The S-pen is amazing, and I picked up a true Wacom pen for it as well as another official Samsung that has an eraser (flip it around to erase with a secondary cap tip). As for Samsung bloat, I don't find Touchwiz to be really all that bad or slow. Without even rooting you can just get another launcher (Apex or Nova recommended), and then hide the apps you don't use. Or root and uninstall them.

    iPads are... well, they're nice. I like them. My parents like theirs. But... Apple. And iOS continues to feel more and more dated to me.

    End of the day, pick the one you're most comfortable with, and for what you want it for. Also troll websites like woot for refurbished ones. They frequently have had both Nexus 7s and the Note 10.1 2014's at 1/2 to 1/3 current prices.

  • BandrikBandrik Elkhart, IN Icrontian

    Speak of the devil. Woot is having a sale on Tablets right now. Of note is the Nexus 7 32GB (Gen 2) and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. Worth a peek, but shop around.

    midga
  • d3k0yd3k0y Loveland, OH Icrontian

    Speaking of the devil. Have any of you guys had any issues with Factory Refurb/Recondition? My ASUS Transformer tf300 kind of dove off a cliff, not sure if it was a legitimate issue, or because it was a refurb.

    The issue is that the thing just stopped charging. I updated the tablet to 4.2 (I think), after which it stopped. I can only trickle charge the thing for 10 hours to get it to even turn on. Powering it off might say it is a 80% battery, turning it off and on again after 2 minutes and it will say it has 1% battery life, for the next 7 hours of use. I kind of just gave up on it. I wanted to put a ROM on there and see if it was a firmware issue, but from what I have seen I need like 7 different programs in order to get one on there.

  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    @d3k0y I've noticed that problem with a lot of refurbed battery-using devices. I assume it's an issue with them not actually replacing the battery when they do the refurbishing.

  • d3k0yd3k0y Loveland, OH Icrontian

    I wonder how hard it would be to take the battery out myself...

  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian

    I'd be willing to bet the hardest part would be getting the thing apart intact.

  • d3k0yd3k0y Loveland, OH Icrontian

    Probably. Aside from the battery issue, I was really enjoying the Transformer. I use a Nexus 7 (1st gen?) at work, and I really like it except for the lack of a rear facing camera.

    midga
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