What Tablet to Buy?

[caninepawprints]

I want to purchase a tablet for professional and personal use. I'm going to be doing research and grading papers (professor at a college). Personal use would consist of the obvious (email and whatnot). I wouldn't mind a couple of apps or games.

Which tablet(s) should I look at, and why?

[Given]

Personally i have the iPad 2, easy to use price is really high though but worth it.
and about android tablets, try looking at a samsung galaxy its pretty close to an ipad 2

[vesseblah]

iPad2 has almost double battery life compared to any Android alternatives and smoother UI, those two facts alone makes it pretty much the only sensible choice. Only problem professionally with it is that it doesn't always play nice with Windows network and word/excel/powerpoint documents if you need to use those a lot.

If you need Windows compatibility the current Win7 based tablets are decent but suffer from much shorter battery life because they are real computers instead of using low power mobile hardware. Fujitsu for example has some nice Windows tablets available. Lenovo has done some Android 3 based tablets that are aimed especially for serious work instead of just being eReader in toilet if you want to check into that direction.

[inux94]

I'd suggest the Winpad, it's basically a windows 7 tablet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...278&Tpk=Winpad

I've got a similar windows 7 tablet and I love it.

[Eliot123]

I have samsung galaxy tab and I love it, I mostly use it to read books during class/while travelling and stuff like that.
My sister has iPad and it's much bigger than Galaxy so it wouldn't be practical for me but I guess it might work better for what you what to use it for.

[Cyanotical]

iPad2 has almost double battery life compared to any Android alternatives and smoother UI, those two facts alone makes it pretty much the only sensible choice. Only problem professionally with it is that it doesn't always play nice with Windows network and word/excel/powerpoint documents if you need to use those a lot.

the Asus eee pad transformer has a much better battery life then the ipad2, if i was to buy a new tablet i would get the new transformer prime, the ipad2 has a better touchscreen interface, but the transformer allows you to attach a full keyboard and mouse, and given some of the stuff i've seen done on the first gen transformer, it's gonna be very very hard to justify keeping buying an ipad

[vesseblah]

the Asus eee pad transformer has a much better battery life then the ipad2,

I'll believe that when there's some third party benchmark on it.

if i was to buy a new tablet i would get the new transformer prime,

You might want to buy a time machine first, since it's not on sale yet.

it's gonna be very very hard to justify keeping buying an ipad

3G. Wasn't that hard to justify it. There isn't one on the transformer, and I would never buy a tablet without one.

[Deleted]

3G. Wasn't that hard to justify it.

I raise you tethering, since you presumably carry your cellphone around. Does impact its battery though.

[Shinryu]

I'd personally consider a netbook over a tablet in your scenario, you'd probably want a full keyboard if you're going to be doing grading and research, which I'd imagine could be awkward with a tablet. Not to mention you can still boot up basic games, listen to music, check email, etc etc.

Though if you really want the slight bit more portability a tablet offers, I'd go with the iPad 2 or Asus Transformer Prime.

[Cyanotical]

I'll believe that when there's some third party benchmark on it.



You might want to buy a time machine first, since it's not on sale yet.



3G. Wasn't that hard to justify it. There isn't one on the transformer, and I would never buy a tablet without one.

I have an ipad2 (3g 32gb) my brother has the transformer, we compared at thanksgiving, his battery IS longer lasting,
basically, relatively similar usage, i have to charge my ipad every night, my brother charges his transformer every other night
the transformer also has a major advantage, the dock/keyboard extends the battery life, bluetooth keyboards on the ipad kill the battery



the transformer is also much more robust, after playing with the first gen transformer i will be getting a prime, yes i know they aren't out yet, but they will be soon

also, the 3g is not relevant to me, i hardly use it, everywhere i go has wifi, and i dont use my ipad while driving

[Fnoop]

iPad 2. Anything else is a waste of money.

Android is awful on tablets (and bad enough on phones), so I'd avoid that for now.

[Naturae]

I have an ipad2 (3g 32gb) my brother has the transformer, we compared at thanksgiving, his battery IS longer lasting,
basically, relatively similar usage, i have to charge my ipad every night, my brother charges his transformer every other night
the transformer also has a major advantage, the dock/keyboard extends the battery life, bluetooth keyboards on the ipad kill the battery



the transformer is also much more robust, after playing with the first gen transformer i will be getting a prime, yes i know they aren't out yet, but they will be soon

also, the 3g is not relevant to me, i hardly use it, everywhere i go has wifi, and i dont use my ipad while driving

Off topic: <3 you for not purposefully putting people's lives at risk while driving by using electronic device

On topic: I've read some great things about the Prime, also about the Ipad 2. Since the Ipad2 is older, and since actual time and money were spent developing something much more powerful since it's release. Also, because Asus is a company I've been backing since I first got interested in computers (all of their products have never failed me). It's safe for me, as someone who knows the brand and owns multiple products of theirs to assume that this product will not only be of good quality but will also take the reigns of this 'tablet' market which is growing at a wild rate.

[Deleted]

Asus transformer prime. Beats every tablet on the market now. Here's unboxing/first look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaeg1...feature=relmfu

[Ogretron]

3G. Wasn't that hard to justify it. There isn't one on the transformer, and I would never buy a tablet without one.

I would rather get a hot spot like the Verizon MiFi that can give me internet to several devices other than one. Also I wouldn't want to pay $130 or more just for the 3g adapter.

On topic - I would go for one of the android tablets. The Ipad had a great start but unless you have everything else by Apple the extra features aren't worth the price jump. I prefer the Android OS anyway, and this is from someone that loves Mac.

Try getting your hands on the Sony Tablet S. It feels really nice and I've heard people can use it for longer periods without their hand cramping up.

The Toshiba Thrive has a replaceable battery which is good for long trips if you're unable to charge up. It also has a USB, mini USB, hdmi, and sd card slot. Some of the other tablets have some of these, but I think the Toshiba has the most ports out of the tablets out now.

The Samsung Galaxy is the first tablet to be certified (or whatever it's called) to run DivX. I think you can download stuff for the other android tablets but one of the big things for me is watching videos.

As you may have noticed I've researched this a little myself not too long ago, but I'm still struggling to find an excuse to throw out $500+ on something I can live without. The main thing for me would be what can stream videos from the internet the best. Everything else is not that big of a deal but were worth noting.

[Deleted]

I'd say the iPad. Smoother UI, nice design and... Well, it just work

[vesseblah]

I have an ipad2 (3g 32gb) my brother has the transformer, we compared at thanksgiving, his battery IS longer lasting,

Funny how you compare it with the battery pack attached. Test tablet vs tablet and iPad's battery will then last 30% longer. And tablet is what the OP asked for. If OP would be ok using the transformer being big and clunky and not really a tablet, it's a waste of money and regular laptop would be far better.

edit:

I'm spending enough time outside wifi coverage poking my current Android phone so that 3G is a requirement, and almost all Android tablets have it except the Asus EeePad. It's not a minor issue but a glaring design mistake. What are you going to do with a computer that can't connect to internet wherever you are?

[Wries]

iPad 3 because it is likely to have a higher resolution screen and the longer you wait the more of a purpose those paddie things will have.

I would not pay for an additional 3G plan when my phone has 3G already, and I'm likely to have my phone in my pocket at all times. So if I want to surf on a tablet with no WiFi around (i.e. pretty much any place except work and home) I'd just tether it through my phone just as I do with my laptop in similar situations. I don't see the problem, even my HTC Desire's battery holds enough juice for such usage in my experience, but I guess some are more hardcore than that.

[Deleted]

What are you going to do with a computer that can't connect to internet wherever you are?

If you have a phone with a 3G connection you can transform it in to a wifi hot spot.

[Little Monster]

I have an iconia and it works well for my needs as an elementary teacher, buy probably a tad small for your needs. I think they make them in 10.1 though. Regarding net books vs. Tabs you can add a bluetooth setup when you need it. I prefer that flex.

I choose not to use Apple products for various reasons and I love android.

[vesseblah]

If you have a phone with a 3G connection you can transform it in to a wifi hot spot.

I'll rather suck the battery out of the tablet over 7 hours (in case of iPad) using 3G than 2 hours from the phone when running it as a WiFi hotspot and be unable to make calls then.

For people who're commuting by train or buss for hour or two every day 3G in the tablet is mandatory. Asus being 'different' on this is a big no-no and cutting corners to drive price down, not an advantage.