Suggest me a tablet.

[Djinni]

Hello, It has occurred to me today that I could really do with upgrading myself and getting in with the tablet crowd. Hoping some of you might be able to offer some suggestions.

Things I'm looking for:

• 3G
• WIFI
• 9-10inch
• Preferably android
• long battery life (obviously I do know that running it on 3g + gps etc... will kill the battery)

I have looked at the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (which I recently bought for my mums birthday) but it doesnt have 3G, which for me would be extremely useful. However failing finding one that satisfies all requirements that's probably the one I would fall back to.

Budget. Obviously the lower the cost the better, but I am prepared to spend in the region of £400 for the right one.

[Cyanotical]

Hello, It has occurred to me today that I could really do with upgrading myself and getting in with the tablet crowd.

you're not missing anything, my iPad2 disappeared a couple months ago, and it doesn't bother me one bit


either way, i'd still suggest an ipad2, tablets don't need cpu power or high resolution screens, you could probably pick one up used for a lot less than £400

[Tommy T]

Tablets are a waste of money. Their novelty runs out in days.

[Djinni]

I wish, for me it would be used for an e-reader (since the books are usually half price , and well it would be really handy to take them all to work every day) and zenoss monitoring. Which is far easier from a dedicated device. (which is also why it needs 3G)

Fraid I'm not really one for the iPad... purely because its apple. I've managed so far not to give in and buy anything apple, because I hate iTunes, and I hate that in the UK they require you to give them your credit card details just to make an account even if you don't buy anything.

It is a work tool, its not a. Well every one has ipads/tablets of some kind these days, guess I should too. I'll at the very least get it wholesale from work if not a contribution. :-)

[Erous]

I disagree on the novelty. The convenience of having a tablet is unmatched, especially a 7 inch one. I've been able to use my Nexus 7 for web browsing, gaming (mobile games), as my remote to the TV, even as a cookbook because it's so small and lightweight. It's been basically a laptop replacement and easy to carry around. I think the novelty portion of having a tablet is one with built in 3G/4G. I know this may be a requirement, but is there a reason you'd rather pay more to add a device to your wireless carrier as opposed to tethering it to your mobile phone?

This is my suggestion for a tablet: https://play.google.com/store/device...us_7_16gb_2013

[Djinni]

battery life and convenience. + I can get free 30gb data sim from work, if I tether it to my phone then it comes off my measly 500mb data plan that I have to pay for.


:'(
"Nexus 7 (16 GB) is not available in your country"

[Mosotti]

Why people prefer to use a 7 inch screen tablet instead of the dedicated remote control will always be a mystery for me...

Oh, I forgot my advice. Don't by a tablet. And don't go with the crowd. Let your feelings guide you...

If you really want to get a tablet, go for the best. The best now apparently is Sony Xperia Tablet Z

[grimsanta]

Honestly I regret my Tablet purchase. I got the ASUS transformer about 3 months ago, whatever the new one is. I rarely use it, and when I do it's to read, which an ereader would have been a lot cheaper.
So yeah, now that I have one, I wish I had not purchased it.

[Djinni]

I'v resisted this long, based on the logic that your telling me not get one. But increaseingly i'm finding more and more that I could really do with one. again like I said, mostly for work. For me propping it up on the desk with the Rhybudd app open (Zenoss monitoring) would be extremely useful. and while i'm about to spend a fortune on books to pick up stuff I'm going to need to know for work, I might as well get a tablet that does both jobs ;-).

So thank you for trying to help me not waste money, but I have already been spinning that angle since they were announced. Believe me I have considered that angle.

I looked at the Xperia Z looks pretty good, till you add 3g/4g. then the price shoots up to £500, at which point I'd rather get this: http://www.johnlewis.com/samsung-gal...ite/p231714901 Also would prefer the black one, because I just bought my mum the white one.
And £400 was really my limit for the tablet + essentials (basic cover + sd card)

[Cracked]

I work as a Phone/Tablet device tester for Samsung and I can tell you that http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_gala...p5200-5490.php is probably the best Samsung has to offer right now. If you weren't interested in GSM, then Google Nexus 7/10 would be my choice, however I do agree that a tablet with pure Wi-Fi is kind of useless.

That said, personaly I think tablets are highly overrated and all in all useless, I suggest you get a widescreen phone like Galaxy S4 or Note II (N7100), or even better, wait for the autumn announcements (I can't be more specific).

[Djinni]

Really the catalyst for this is that the guy who currently does most of this kind work is leaving on Wednesday, and I've got to basically do his job. Which hopefully will mean a nice little promotion for me + double the pay.

I've got the S4 software on my S2 which although could probably do with a new battery has plenty of life left in it. (see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2303782 if your interested in the S4 stuff on the S2) So there's no real appeal for me in getting the S4, this is already slightly too big for a phone for me.

+ I'm sitting on a nice price point for my phone right now. Since I'm out of contract, which costs me £13/month for 300mins, unlimited texts and 500mb downloaded data + unlimited browsing data. (Don't ask me how they work out which is which but whatever)

[Taen]

As someone who's owned both an Android tablet and an iPad, I can tell you to steer clear of Android if you're planning on using many applications. Android tablets are simply bad when it comes to apps, as they're very rarely optimized for the larger display, whereas developers create versions of their applications specifically designed for the iPad's resolution and size.

Apple services are also better supported in the UK than Google services. And, since iOS 5 came out, you no longer need to use iTunes with your iPad. You can activate it, install the Spotify app, and be on your merry way.

If you do have your heart set on Android, however, that Samsung (Note 10.1) is probably your best choice if you're ruling out the Sony. I would suggest the Nexus 10, as I much prefer the Nexus experience on my Android devices, but that doesn't come with any kind of cellular connectivity.

The Note 10.1 has all sorts of cool features that make it an appealing product - S pen, two-app view, expandable storage, etc.

[Djinni]

As someone who's owned both an Android tablet and an iPad, I can tell you to steer clear of Android if you're planning on using many applications. Android tablets are simply bad when it comes to apps, as they're very rarely optimized for the larger display, whereas developers create versions of their applications specifically designed for the iPad's resolution and size.

Apple services are also better supported in the UK than Google services. And, since iOS 5 came out, you no longer need to use iTunes with your iPad. You can activate it, install the Spotify app, and be on your merry way.

If you do have your heart set on Android, however, that Samsung (Note 10.1) is probably your best choice if you're ruling out the Sony. I would suggest the Nexus 10, as I much prefer the Nexus experience on my Android devices, but that doesn't come with any kind of cellular connectivity.

The Note 10.1 has all sorts of cool features that make it an appealing product - S pen, two-app view, expandable storage, etc.

Interesting... Thanks.

Does the iPad have equivalents for Rhybudd (Zenoss Monitoring) and Kindle App?
Its also not that I have my heart set on Android. But I have yet to see anything from Apple at a price point to make me want to change my view about them or from Microsoft who's app store grows increasingly useless. Who would have thought that the more apps you put on a store the worse the offerings get.

I like Apple a lot for some of its innovation, but sometimes I feel that often from them it comes at too high a cost, (And I'm not just talking about the initial financial cost to the end consumer)

The only reason for ruling out Sony is that for £500 I think I'd rather have the much less likely to go bust Samsung. Sony aren't in a strong position in the UK and have come very close to insolvency several times over the last few years, the store nearest to me has closed down and reopened more times than I care to count.

[Erous]

As someone who's owned both an Android tablet and an iPad, I can tell you to steer clear of Android if you're planning on using many applications. Android tablets are simply bad when it comes to apps, as they're very rarely optimized for the larger display, whereas developers create versions of their applications specifically designed for the iPad's resolution and size.

Are you sure about this? I have the Nexus 7 and I had the most recent iPad before I traded it in. Let me preface by saying I know iOS gets mostly better application support from developers...although Android is getting better, the iOS apps always seemed to pack more punch. However, when I was using the iPad, I had MANY applications that were not developed for the iPad, but rather were ports of iPhone apps...so their resolution was phone-sized and offered little tablet benefit.

Unless something has changed in the past 6 months, many of the iPad apps seemed to have this same issue.

[Taen]

Does the iPad have equivalents for Rhybudd (Zenoss Monitoring) and Kindle App?
Its also not that I have my heart set on Android. But I have yet to see anything from Apple at a price point to make me want to change my view about them or from Microsoft who's app store grows increasingly useless. Who would have thought that the more apps you put on a store the worse the offerings get.

A quick Google search shows me this app for Zenoss, I'm not entirely sure if that's what you're looking for.

The full-featured Kindle app is available on iPad.

Are you sure about this? I have the Nexus 7 and I had the most recent iPad before I traded it in. Let me preface by saying I know iOS gets mostly better application support from developers...although Android is getting better, the iOS apps always seemed to pack more punch. However, when I was using the iPad, I had MANY applications that were not developed for the iPad, but rather were ports of iPhone apps...so their resolution was phone-sized and offered little tablet benefit.

Unless something has changed in the past 6 months, many of the iPad apps seemed to have this same issue.

My Android tablet was also a Nexus 7, so you and I are in the same position.

It's very true that not every iOS app is optimized for iPad. There are far more iPhone apps than there are iPad apps. However, even with that, iPad is far ahead. Not only are the iPad tablet apps consistently of higher quality than their Android counterparts (Facebook, Pandora, and Twitter being the biggest examples), but there many acclaimed tablet apps that aren't even available on Android, such as Tweetbot, Letterpress, and Dots.

[Hyve]

Try the iRock v0.1



Well beyond the 9 - 10 Inch Screen you're looking for, and has an unlimited Battery Life. You're free to carve any Operating System you want into it. Sadly, it doesn't come with 3G but it does come with a GigaBranch Connection for a blazing 0.1 byte per second transfer speed!

Infracted. Don't post just to spam/stir shit up.

[Deleted]

go with the nexus, or one of them

[Qanlayeni]

I have an Ipad 3 and i would say its well worth the money, its great for facetime, watching stuff on the move and its just generally alot more convenient than a laptop. I would say me and the missus use ours about 2-3 hours a day in just general use

[imabanana]

Even if my work consist party of Android application development, I wouldn't advise getting any Android tablet right now. I'd go for ipad first, then the few tablets that can almost operate correctly (mostly nexus), then W8 tablets, then other Android tablets. (larger budget would change this order a bit)

[Djinni]

Even if my work consist party of Android application development, I wouldn't advise getting any Android tablet right now. I'd go for ipad first, then the few tablets that can almost operate correctly (mostly nexus), then W8 tablets, then other Android tablets. (larger budget would change this order a bit)

.... Its a tablet... not a rocket ship... £400 is already wayy over the odds. The only reason the budget is even that high, is becuase I hate having to think about "Will this shiney new software actually run on my hardware"
Its not going to replace my computer at home or at work, its basically going to be a 3rd independent screen with touch capability.

All I'm really actually likely to ever use it for:
Zenoss Monitoring,
Checking email and very rarely writing it when I'm too lazy to roll out of bed and stumble 3 ft to my computer.
Browsing the web while waiting for other stuff to happen stuck in the family room
Terminal (that's Powershell for you windows users)

Very occasionally I expect to do a remote desktop. (Although since I seem to be moving into more of a server/infrastructure management role this will probably be used more and more.)