Recommend Me a Tablet!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Recommend Me a Tablet!

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Also as evidenced by this discussion the hardware in 10" Android tablets is just not up to snuff. Maybe a new N10 will be nice but there's really no telling what it will have or when it will come out.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2013 00:59

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:20

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

The Nexus 7 is a great tablet but if you really want it mostly for reading, you might want to check out the Kindle HDX too. Its UI is very much tailored for reading, but the downside is that it's not as nice as the N7 for basically anything else. The 7" is only $180 too--though again, I would really only choose it if you're really sure you'll use it for reading 90% of the time.

Edit: Oh, I see you're considering the HDX. Well, yeah, basically what I said above. 9 times out of 10 I'd recommend the N7 over the HDX, but it is nice for reading books purchased off Amazon.

waffle fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Dec 3, 2013

# ¿ Dec 3, 2013 05:54

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Doctor rear end in a top hat posted:

Most people might not need to, but probably 80% of people in real life that have asked me about tablets because they are interested in them say that they want to use Office. I tell them that they don't really want to do that and they should just get a computer if they want to do computer stuff.

While a lot of those people are suited for laptops, I think the Win8 tablets can be a pretty nice hybrid, as long as you're happy with a laptop that can act like a tablet, rather than the other way around.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2013 04:53

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

git clone trooper posted:

Why should someone buy a windows tablet over a nexus or ipad with a keyboard case?

To me, it's more if you're considering a nexus or ipad with a keyboard case, then you need a laptop. Android and iOS are very very bad for the sort of work you're probably doing with a keyboard dock, unless it's literally just note-taking for brief periods. Most people who want this want a thin and light laptop instead, but the Win8 tablets with a dock are a decent option (and will be even better once a T100-like tablet with a better keyboard comes out).

It's really hard for me to ever recommend a nexus or ipad with a keyboard case over a laptop, if that keyboard case is necessary for what you want to do on the tablet. On the other hand, while for many the laptop is still better, the Win8 tablets with a keyboard dock are at least a reasonable alternative.

The space the Win8 tablets occupy isn't the same as Android and iOS, I think. Android and iOS are tablets, Win8 tablets are more like "laptops that can function as tablets occasionally". But, there are a decent number of people who actually want that and not just a tablet. They are pretty decent laptops though, I am surprised at how great Bay Trail is and how serviceable Win8 is with only 2GB RAM.

waffle fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Dec 6, 2013

# ¿ Dec 6, 2013 19:12

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Bung Harmer posted:

iPad Air. Hands down the best tablet you can get right now.

Yep, that. Alternately the iPad Mini 2 is a good choice and is $100 cheaper. I prefer a <10" tablet if I'm also carrying a laptop since I like reading PDFs one-handed on an 8" tablet over a 10" one, but that's up to your husband's preference and how often he'd have both the tablet and laptop

# ¿ Dec 9, 2013 21:23

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Christoff posted:

Didn't see the new thread. How's the TF701? Wish the TF200 dock would work with it. I'll probably wait until the next version of the transformer to upgrade.

The TF701 is pretty okay but I think most people considering the Transformer series should consider the Win8.1 tablets, since wanting a keyboard dock often means wanting to multitask, do work, and have access to Office as well. If you want the TF701 for other reasons or if you absolutely want Android I do think waiting is probably not a bad idea, though--the TF701 comes with Tegra 4 which is not a great chip, especially compared to the S800.

waffle fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Dec 13, 2013

# ¿ Dec 13, 2013 21:10

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Christoff posted:

I was under the impression all those microsoft tablets weren't received well and Windows 8 was poo poo? I've never used one but they just haven't seemed real popular with the tablet crowd. Too many android fans? I mean I don't need a keyboard at all but it is a nice feature to have around when you need more battery life, etc. I'm in no rush to upgrade so don't mind waiting. I'm sure there will be an update in the not-so-distant future.

It's definitely hit-or-miss, and definitely something people should try out for themselves before buying one. That said there are plenty of people (including myself) who like Win8 in a tablet interface, if the tablet is being used for work-related activity.

But, since you say you don't need a keyboard, you just want one, Android (or better, iOS) is going to be better for you than Win8. The TF701 is fine but not great--the new iPads or the iPad 4 are much better, and you can still have a keyboard with a BT keyboard.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2013 21:56

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

WYA posted:

I got a Galaxy note 10.1 for Christmas but people here say its garbage?

Did you get the 2014 or the old one? The 2014 is pretty decent, the old one is not so good. At the end of the day, though, there are no really good 10" Android tablets--the Nexus 10 is very slow nowadays. But, if you like it, that's good enough, right?

# ¿ Dec 25, 2013 23:49

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

halokiller posted:

The ASUS Transformer T100 can be had for $300-$350 and is probably the best 10' tablet around its price range. It also runs full Windows 8 instead of the gimped version. Downside is that since it's Windows, app support is anemic (though as you mentioned, shouldn't be a big issue for you).

The big downside for Larrymer is that the T100's screen is not great and it is really low resolution (which is a big downside for videos). For 10", the pickings are very slim at that price point, though, so it would be a fine choice given the alternatives. If you want something smaller, the Nexus 7 has a fantastic screen and the 32GB one is in your price range.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2013 23:45

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Foil posted:

I own a Nexus 7 and a T100, the T100 is okay but I can't recommend it to anyone other than someone that wants a netbook replacement that can double as a bad tablet. The screen is awful and its just not that powerful. Whats the point of having a device that is bad at running the programs designed for its architecture? For the same 400$ you can get a near top of the line android tablet, or a refurb ipad. I also wouldn't recommend the Nexus 7 to Larrymer due to the lack of SD slot. Its great for streaming but really doesn't have enough space for local videos.

My current everything tablet is a Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 2014 edition. I like the stylus support and the thing just feels great. Too bad its way to expensive for what it is, but I needed one for a test device.

You're right that the T100 is really not a good choice--I just can't really think of any decent 10" tablets that are <$300. The Tab 3 10.1 is $400 and is pretty meh, and the Note 10.1 2014, while a pretty solid tablet, is $550.

Outside of the microSD thing, though, the N7 is amazing, and I similarly can't think of any tablets that even come close for video-watching for under $300. Maybe the Kindle Fire HDX, but I don't think that has a microSD slot either..

VVV Oh, good call. I'd weigh an awesome screen but no SD vs. meh screen and SD and choose between the Note 7 and the Nexus 7. The Note 7 is a good alternative.

waffle fucked around with this message at 00:07 on Dec 27, 2013

# ¿ Dec 26, 2013 23:59

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

MrBishop posted:

I see some negativity towards the Samsung Note 10.1 2014 model, mainly because of the high price. I'm looking for a 10" tablet, and have the opportunity to pick up a 16GB model for $435. Is the general consensus that this is a good price point for the hardware, or would I probably be better off paying a little extra for the iPad Air?

Worth noting that the SPen is not a big selling point for me, but I am motivated a bit by the expandable memory.

For tablets, iOS is much, much better than Android because of the sheer number of good tablet-optimized apps. Absolutely go iPad Air if you can afford it. The Note 2014 is a good tablet and 435 is a decent price, you'd likely be happy with it, but the iPad will be a much better experience than it.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2013 18:17

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Beautiful Princess posted:

I currently own a HTC One and love my phone but I'm looking at getting a tablet and I want a 10" tablet. It seems that apple is the only name in larger tablets and has the better apps anyways. Is it really that bad owning devices that are on different operating systems? I'm not particular in terms of which OS I use.

It's really not a big deal, most of the big iOS/Android apps work cross-platform.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2014 04:27

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Rent posted:

Bing search is awesome

I have literally never heard anyone say these words before

to beautiful princess: while there are some nice aspects of 8.1 and it's possible you'd like it better than iOS and Android for a tablet, most people will prefer iOS' simplicity, stability, and appstore given how most people use tablets--if you're seriously considering a Win8 tablet, definitely try one out first next to other tablets. Otherwise just get the iPad you were looking at.

waffle fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jan 2, 2014

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 01:57

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Endless Mike posted:

If you're actively killing apps on a tablet, you're downloading bad apps. iOS, Windows, and Android are all very good at managing memory.

I know iOS and Android are (hence why iOS/Android makes it more difficult to close apps--you shouldn't do it), does Windows 8 do the same thing? It would make sense for the apps, but it doesn't close old programs opened in Desktop mode if you start running out of memory, and I don't know how different the memory management is for apps and desktop programs.

waffle fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Jan 2, 2014

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 03:06

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

KungPowAction posted:

I'm thinking of getting a tablet for math research. In my dream world, I'd like to manage and read PDFs, do hand-written annotation of PDFs or write notes side-by-side (marking up a paper I'm reading), and also write and manage hand-written notes and diagrams in general.

Syncing/searching/tagging would be excellent as well, so I'm looking for a mix of stylus support and app support for those use cases. Price isn't much of an issue.

It seems like for stylus work the Galaxy Note is the only game in town, and it's also uniformly trashed in this thread. Is there a good alternative?

The Galaxy Note gets poo poo on because of TouchWiz and because they're overpriced for what they are. If you're looking at the 2014 edition it's pretty good if you're willing to pay for it and you don't hate TouchWiz. I would just try it out, and if you like it, get it, regardless of what most of the advice here says.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2014 06:08

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

I don't get why some of you all don't want Win8 to be mentioned in this thread. It's nowhere close to Android or iOS for the needs of most people who want a tablet for casual use, but there is actually a sizable niche I think it fills, for people who basically want laptop functionality in a tablet form factor, and don't care too much about most of the typical advantages of Android/iOS. Generally these are people who want it for work-related things rather than for the home, which is different from most tablet users, but these people definitely exist.

VV Oh, well, if that's the case, sorry to point you out because I am a dumbass, Geirskogul, but it still holds for other folks.

waffle fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Jan 7, 2014

# ¿ Jan 7, 2014 20:32

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Just Meat posted:

What tablets should I look at if I'm looking for a premium tablet that's not an iPad, since my wife has one and I want something different. I've looked at a surface pro 2 so far, it's pretty neat. I have basically a large work/education stipend to spend on such things before middle of 2013 and I don't currently have a tablet. I'm a physician but I like something that's portable, honestly I'll use it to mainly check emails, watch twitch, and read reddit. Battery life would be important.

Do you want it to be different towards a specific end, or do you just want something different just to try something different? The Android tablets provide a different but fundamentally similar experience (though there aren't many great tablets that are also a decent value except the Nexus 7--the Note 10.1 2014 is nice and fast though expensive and has TouchWiz, depending on how much you care about that), while the Surface Pro provides a fundamentally different experience, being much more work and multitasking-friendly, while being generally less portable and quick to use.

If it's mostly Twitch-watching, email-reading, and web browsing you want to do, iPad/Android is probably the way to go. If you want to do doctor stuff on it, then the SP2 might be what you want, though it's not as nice to use for simple tasks.

waffle fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Jan 8, 2014

# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 21:35

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Larrymer posted:

So I did some quick review readings and bought a ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 (saw the thread in coupons and deals for it for $258 on amazon for the 32gb version). Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be a terrible decision but it seems to check all the boxes that I was looking for.

It should be fine, though I suspect it might choke on 1080p video and be a bit stuttery when opening large apps. I doubt you'll think it's terrible by any means, though.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 22:49

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Is $230 for the Nexus 7 more than you were looking? That's probably as cheap as you can go without compromising something. Cheaper than that, you could look at a used 2012 Nexus 7 or the Hisense Sero 7 Pro. I really would not look at anything cheaper than that though. I don't know if there is any way to do DOSBox on Android though, and even if so, it'll be a true pain in the rear end without a keyboard. You may also just consider getting a cheap laptop again.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2014 04:23

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

If she needs a laptop first then she probably needs to get a laptop. Maybe the Yoga 11S? The T100 is pretty ok but she should get a mouse with it because the trackpad is loving terrible

# ¿ Jan 26, 2014 02:47

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

For what it's worth, I've never heard of the 2013 N7 having battery issues (though granted I haven't really been reading the Android tablet thread--this is more personal experience and having read reviews of it).

# ¿ Jan 26, 2014 19:46

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Hammer Floyd posted:

Any reason why I shouldn't get an Xperia tablet?

Cost but if you're fine with the price they're probably the best non-nexus tablets out there

# ¿ Feb 9, 2014 01:10

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

You could probably find a used 2012 N7 for $100. But, maybe you should just look for a cheap used laptop on Craiglist or something?

# ¿ Feb 20, 2014 05:05

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

midnightclimax posted:

So I recently took a look at a 7 inch Samsung tablet, but didn't really enjoy reading PDFs*. At what size does reading PDFs become bearable, or can I pretty much scratch that idea (for now)?

* zooming around and magnifying

I think the iPad Mini is the best sub-10" tablet for it--its aspect ratio matches a piece of paper so it ends up being much better than the standard Android aspect ratio without any wasted black space. Other than that any reasonably light 10" tablet is good.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2014 19:16

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

MrNemo posted:

Current rumour is that Google is launching a new 8.9" tablet that may or may not replace the Nexus 10. If you really want stock it may be worth waiting since that's not going to be a huge amount off the 10". If you want one now, a lot of people do really love the Note line so I think Touchwiz has improved quite a bit.

Any rumors of new Google tablets that are larger than the N7 are unsubstantiated enough, and the tablet itself far enough away even if it's true (probably at least 4-6 months) that I'd just make a decision between iPad and the other Android tablets out there and not wait on these rumors to pan out--you'll almost certainly be waiting much longer than you expect. That said, the Note line really is pretty decent if you're OK with touchwiz.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 01:47

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Sheep-Goats posted:

Do either of them do tables? I'm a tables fiend.

Office Mobile is free on Android and iPad now. It's much better than Google Docs (I can't speak for iWork), because it doesn't require turning doc files into google docs (which works very poorly for .docx/xlsx etc), and has much better functionality. That said, for saving, it requires that you use SkyDrive.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 07:12

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

MikeJF posted:

My understanding is that Office for iPad requires a 365 subscription to edit.

Office Mobile for Android and iPhone are free from that restriction but are small-screen applications and much less functional. We'll probably see an Android tablet version of Office for iPad in the near future with the same Office 365 requirement.

Oh, my bad, you're right. That being said even the small-screen Office Mobile is better than Android office apps in my experience, since they are so buggy and often don't work with anything but the simplest word/excel documents. Google Docs works without a problem (though feature-light) but requires that you upload and convert files to Google Docs, which is an annoying extra step.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 17:16

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

JayKay posted:

My mom is still using a Palm Touchpad that's running Android. I would like to bring her into more modern times and upgrade her tablet. She mostly uses her Touchpad for Mystery Manor () but also for surfing and reading e-books. It would be nice for her to get something that would be conducive to Skype video chat and able to stream shows from the major networks.

I would like to keep her on Android (I think the e-book app her library uses is Android only) but I'd also consider the Dell Venue Pro 8 as I love mine and it would also allow her to retire her old Acer Netbook. On the other hand, I could give her my DVP8 and I could upgrade myself to something else.

I think anything out there would be an huge improvement over her Touchpad, but is there anything specific I should be looking at?

I would suggest against a W8.1 tablet. There are way fewer apps, the DV8P is lower resolution than all the other mainstream tablets, and if you don't need the Windows-specific functionality (doesn't sound like she does, if her netbook still works), then I'd go with pretty much anything else. The Tab Pro series is a bit expensive but I suspect she might prefer 10" to 7".

# ¿ Jun 5, 2014 22:07

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Medullah posted:

Any thoughts on this Acer W3-810-1600 Iconia 8.1" Tablet on Woot for $150 today? Reviews seem pretty decent on Amazon.

I've always had an Android tablet but my company is developing on Windows 8 tablets now so I kinda want to get more familiar with it, seems like $150 is a decent price point.

Trust me, save the extra $30-50 and get a DV8P. The W3 has a slower processor but more importantly a horrid screen. Here are a couple of reviews that go into the W3's shortcomings. Maybe you can deal with them (probably not, whites don't actually look white on the W3, they look rainbow-colored and it's incredibly distracting), but why would you if you could get a much better tablet for $50 more at the most?

# ¿ Jun 10, 2014 04:38

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah, there really isn't any use to bargain-binning tablets when the N7 is so cheap (alternatively, the Tegra Note 7--worse resolution than the N7, but probably better emulation performance). If it takes an appreciable amount of time to save an extra $50-75 you should probably just get a used PSP anyway. Though if you're willing to spend a bit extra the Nvidia Shield might be good for you, too.

waffle fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Jun 12, 2014

# ¿ Jun 12, 2014 03:57

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

C-Euro posted:

I'm out of grad school and the laptop I bought for said stint in grad school is starting to show its age. I'm going to build a desktop for home but I'm also looking into a tablet for if I need something computer-like while traveling. I bought a ASUS Transformer TF101 a couple years ago and while I don't use it all that often, it's just the right size and shape for what I'd want in a tablet. Do the current ASUS tablets adhere to a similar form factor as the TF101? Honestly if I could get my TF101 to run a little faster (or just update past 4.0.3, which looks bleak) I'd just buy a keyboard for it and call it even. I have an Android phone too so I'm already hooked up to that ecosystem. Any suggestions? Sorry if that's a little vague and rambling, I only just started thinking about this.

Well if you like that tablet there's no reason to change to windows or a non-clamshell tablet. Asus has released newer versions of your tablet--their naming conventions are absurdly confusing but I think the most recent ones are the TF103 and the TF303.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2014 22:46

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

T-man posted:

I'm new to tablets in general, but I could use some advice.

I'm a poor college student
I'd like to use it as a laptop replacement for in-class note taking
It'd need about ~6 hours of activity per day
I'd need it to be pretty cheap, or sometimes cheap due to deals or what have you
Fun is for the weak

So what kind of tablet would be good? I'm thinking either a Nexus 7 or one of the many Notes. Advice?

Depending on what you mean by notetaking you might also want to check out the Tegra Note 7. It has a worse screen than the Nexus 7 and is bulkier and a bit heavier, but it does have a stylus that I think works pretty well. It's right around the same price as the N7 too. It is significantly faster than the N7 but it doesn't sound like that will matter to you.

# ¿ Aug 14, 2014 01:14

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:20

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Along those lines, a couple of years ago I got my completely technologically illiterate mom an iPad 2 and she loves it, especially since she hates using computers but loves video calling me and my brother... but it's pretty long in the tooth nowadays and is pretty slow for Google Hangouts.

I'd like to get her a new one, but have been debating a bit between the Air and the Air 2. She only ever uses it for Hangouts, Facebook, and email. Is there any reason I should spring for the Air 2 over the Air? I'm sure the Air will be just fine for her needs for now, but I expect she'll be using this as her primary internet device for the next several years, and I guess the Air 2 is a lot faster...?

waffle fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Dec 30, 2014

# ¿ Dec 30, 2014 21:21

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Recommend Me a Tablet!