tablet

[shadowpr]

I was thinking about getting a tablet. Was basically looking at the Asus Transformer, or the Samsung Galaxy.

I just need it to have wifi. It will be a toy basically. I will probably bring it to classes, and might want to bring it with me when I go places locally, and don't bring my macbook.

any suggestions?

[shadowpr]

bump

[Nuclear Krusader]

Tablets are a waste of money.

[Preston]

I too have been tossing around the idea of having a tablet as a toy...but still haven't pulled the trigger yet.

If (big if) I do buy one, I like the looks of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. I have nothing to really base my opinion on other than reading the specs and reviews.

As a generalization, they are too limited for what I want to do with them. But they do look neat!

Not really helpful, I know, but thought I would weigh in on the subject.

I am also interested what everyone else thinks of the the tablets...

[pam123]

Originally Posted by shadowpr I was thinking about getting a tablet. Was basically looking at the Asus Transformer, or the Samsung Galaxy. I just need it to have wifi. It will be a toy basically. I will probably bring it to classes, and might want to bring it with me when I go places locally, and don't bring my macbook. any suggestions?

Whose tablet you buy is your choice.
I have had an iPad2 since March 17, 32GB Wi-fi.
It goes wherever I go.
Notes, ebooks, movies, presentations,texting,email, it fits in my shoulder bag and it does any daily task I need it to.
With the remote desktop app Spalshtop it also connects to my home computer and Drop Box insures I have needed documents always at hand.
I use Pages for word processing and two free drawing apps for diagrams.
If you have any science/engineering classes in mind I strongly recommend PCCalc Lite (free for simple things) and Wolfram Alpha for more heavy lifting.
Any current affairs news updates/tracking can be managed with the free news apps of your choice, I have several including CNN and ABC.
I spend way too much time in places with free Wi-fi these days since they become my office while I'm out and that ten hour battery life of the iPad is crucial.
Oh yes, I have way more game apps then I need but then it's also a toy.

[glc]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader Tablets are a waste of money.

Valid opinion, but somewhat narrow-minded. They are becoming very popular in the medical business, it's a lot easier for a doctor to walk around a hospital or clinic with one than to have a terminal in each room. They don't care how much it costs if it makes their job easier.

[Nuclear Krusader]

But shadow ain't a doctor.

So in his case it's a waste of money, considering that he already has hardware he can use to meet his needs.

Tablets are a waste, period. Not only of money, but of technology as well. They really have the potential to do lots of useful stuff, but the manufacturers and the app developers just keep cranking out BS. Take for example handwriting input: it's not available right out of the box: you have to buy the stylus and the apps separately. Remembering the Palm, most of its appeal was the ability to naturally write on it without a clumsy keyboard (though keyboards were available as well). You could hold the device with one hand and write on it quickly and naturally with the other, just like a notepad. This functionality is missing for tablets. Mensch, if I have to be using a keyboard anyway, which requires me to set the tablet down or put in on a stand, I might as well use my 13" laptop which is far more powerful than a tablet.

The only tablet that really measures up and goes beyond the toy category is the iPad, mostly because of the myriad devices that have been made for it (amongst which there are several styli to choose) and the tons of apps that are and keep being developed, many of which are actually geared towards productivity.

[shadowpr]

any one else?

i'll probably use it more on teh train than anywhere else.

[jdeb]

I have not responded because I do not have one. I have been pondering one myself but I really do not need one. I guess my research keeps leading me to the iPad2 from everything I read from power saving, speed, and applications. The tablets remind me of over sized phones. I think Pam123 hit the nail on the head and I think everyone else are "iPad wannabe's" That is how I see it.

I am probably going to get a kindle because I have everything I need with my laptop and desktops.

[Masaki 7-11]

You might want to look into HP's webOS tablets if you can get a hold of one ($99 for 16GB and $149 for 32GB last I checked), still in production for now and dirt cheap right now. Supposed to have android ported over to it soon too.

I currently have a $70 whitebox 7" tablet from China with Android 2.2 (custom rom) which doesn't work too bad, it's a little annoying since it's got a resistive touch screen (no multi touch, have to use stylus for best results) and the wifi on it isn't the best (for $70 shipped i can't complain, and it's got a working webcam to boot).

A friend of mine got a $200 whitebox 10" tablet recently which has an attachable keyboard on it and android 2.2, it works a bit faster than mine and is also resistive touch screen, but he's using it for websurfing and taking notes with google docs, so it's working pretty well for that.

If you want to spend more money the Galaxy and eeepad Transformer should work pretty well, personally I think the eeepad Transformer will be more useful because of the dock for it which increases battery life and lets you type on it.

[Preston]

Thread drift....

I may wait for an Ultrabook.

[shadowpr]

yeah, the hp is interesting.

if i was to get an android tablet, i would want android 3.0. it's better suited to tablets.

those prices for the hp are just estimated?

[kilgoretrout]

I would get a netbook before a tablet. Hardware wise, it's much more capable; it has a built in keyboard; the clamshell design protects the screen making it more suitable for throwing in a backpack; much greater software avaialability due to x86 architecture; it can run flash video ulike an ipad*; you are not restricted to some "app store"(see ipad*); for portability I think it's equal, if not better, than a tablet.

If I was to get a tablet, it would definitely be android based and I would wait for the honeycomb tablets to hit the market which I believe are coming out later this year.

[glc]

Don't you have a Eee already?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by shadowpr yeah, the hp is interesting. if i was to get an android tablet, i would want android 3.0. it's better suited to tablets. those prices for the hp are just estimated?

Those were the prices of the HP Touchpad when they were last in stock. Right now they're out of stock, but according to HP they're still producing some more, not sure if the price will increase once stores have new stock.

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by glc Don't you have a Eee already?

yeah, but it's one of the older ones.

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 Those were the prices of the HP Touchpad when they were last in stock. Right now they're out of stock, but according to HP they're still producing some more, not sure if the price will increase once stores have new stock.

might have to keep an eye on that.

[glc]

Originally Posted by shadowpr yeah, but it's one of the older ones.

So? Does it still work?

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by glc So? Does it still work?

it does, sot of. I put a different version of linux on it when i got it. haven't really touched it in a few years.

i also want something that can handle flash.

[Masaki 7-11]

Found an interesting comparison/review of the Asus Transformer and Samsung Galaxy:
http://fudzilla.com/reviews/item/239...galaxy-tab-101

[shadowpr]

thanks. i'll check that out

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by shadowpr I was thinking about getting a tablet. Was basically looking at the Asus Transformer, or the Samsung Galaxy.

Just started a new job and the first thing they gave me was a Galaxy, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

[shadowpr]

please do.

off topic: how have things been?

[David M]

Whether or not something is a waste of money is determined by the purchaser and not by what is purchased. Purchasing a motorcycle helmet is a waste for someone who does not ride as well.


You may want to have a look at a Touchpad. You get to see what websites are designed to look like...with all the glorious Flash.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Something that is NOT NEEDED but merely wanted, IS a waste of money. My comments to shadow on this thread are taking into consideration what we've discussed off the forums.

[XenaWP]

I had a Motorola Xoom that I reviewed for TechBargains (there you go, the intrepid reader can now discover my true secret identity) ... I liked it a lot. That one had 3G with Verizon, but you can get a wifi only model. It's a solid piece of hardware.

Personally, though, I found it (and most of the others) to be overpriced. I think the mistake Android tablet makers are making is that they are trying to charge the same price as Apple just because their specs are similar. That's why they're dropping out of the game, one by one. You can't compete against Apple at the same price point. You have to undercut them. Apple is "perceived" as a premium brand, and that's just that.

For me, I got a Nook Color, and put the Cyanogen Mod of Android Gingerbread onto a microSD card that I can boot into full Android with. Take the SD card out, and I have my fully warranted Nook Color back. It works ... better than great.

I picked up the NC as a refurb with a full year warranty for about $180. It is a killer deal.

[Masaki 7-11]

I definitely think a lot of the current non-whitebox tablets are way overpriced. I actually found the performance of the whitebox that you can find on ebay to be pretty decent, the only improvements that would be required to make them really good would be to put in capacitive touch screen (resistive touch screens are a joke imo) and fix up their roms a bit (though you can find plenty of other roms online that you can flash yourself easily).

I'm looking forward to the $200 lenovo tablet (http://fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/23957-lenovo-offers-$200-tablet) and the $250 amazon tablet (http://fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/23959-amazon-kindle-tablet-to-cost-us-$250). Both should be fairly decent, performance wise should be a bit better than most whitebox tablets with better firmware (since it's made for NA markets, not for China) and capacitive touch screen (good stuff).

[Bronxbomber90]

I was also thinking in getting a tablet because I literally spend the whole day on my HTC EVO looking at forums I am part of. I am a member of more than 5 forums + this one and it would be much easier to the read the forums on a tablet. My EVO is starting to piss me off.

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader Something that is NOT NEEDED but merely wanted, IS a waste of money. My comments to shadow on this thread are taking into consideration what we've discussed off the forums.

go play with a trout. lol

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 I definitely think a lot of the current non-whitebox tablets are way overpriced. I actually found the performance of the whitebox that you can find on ebay to be pretty decent, the only improvements that would be required to make them really good would be to put in capacitive touch screen (resistive touch screens are a joke imo) and fix up their roms a bit (though you can find plenty of other roms online that you can flash yourself easily). I'm looking forward to the $200 lenovo tablet (http://fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/23957-lenovo-offers-$200-tablet) and the $250 amazon tablet (http://fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/23959-amazon-kindle-tablet-to-cost-us-$250). Both should be fairly decent, performance wise should be a bit better than most whitebox tablets with better firmware (since it's made for NA markets, not for China) and capacitive touch screen (good stuff).

those look interesting, but they're only going to be 7". I was looking for something closer to a 10.

Originally Posted by Bronxbomber90 I was also thinking in getting a tablet because I literally spend the whole day on my HTC EVO looking at forums I am part of. I am a member of more than 5 forums + this one and it would be much easier to the read the forums on a tablet. My EVO is starting to piss me off.

I hear ya. I love my evo, but for somethings, it would be nicer to have a bigger screen. Forums, youtube, certain apps.

[Nuclear Krusader]

A 13" Macbook has a bigger screen.

And it handles Flash.

[glc]

His Eee would handle Flash too.