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1st AD
Dec 3, 2004

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.
A stylus is almost useless on the Nexus 7 since there's no pen digitizer.

Don't some of the new Atom-based Windows tablets have stylus support?

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Call Me Charlie
Dec 3, 2005

by Smythe

1st AD posted:

A stylus is almost useless on the Nexus 7 since there's no pen digitizer.

Don't some of the new Atom-based Windows tablets have stylus support?

The Dell Venue 8 Pro ($250 for a 32 GB model) has a digitizer ($30) but reviews on the stylus haven't been too good. Maybe worth trying if you know a retailer with a generous return policy.

There's a rumor that an upcoming $300 Asus Win8 tablet is going to have Wacom but it's still probably a few months out.

Call Me Charlie fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Dec 22, 2013

Guigui
Jan 19, 2010
Winner of January '10 Lux Aeterna "Best 2010 Poster" Award
Just wondering if some posters here have some recommendatinos:

Looking to purchase a tablet for a family member as a new-years eve present; however, after showing said family member around various tablets, they came down with the following.

- They prefer an 8 inch tablet. 7 inches are too small, and 10 inches are a little too large. That unfortunately knocks out the Nexus 7.
- They would like the option to plug in their SSd card (or micro SSD) in order to view pictures they take on their mobile camera... This would, unfortunately, knock the Ipad Mini out of contention.
- They are not all that computer savvy, and live a fair distance away so I won't be able to troubleshoot much; so a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 3, based on reviews from fellow goons, isn't their friendliest around.
- They already have their own desktop and Laptop which I've set up for them, so this tablet would just be an accessory.
- The option of a French-language OS would be a plus, but not a necessity.
- This family member would use it for more basic functions - not as an e-reader, but as a tool to use during a Canada-wide travel trek.


- Our budget would be (at most) $400 and lower.
- This is for prices in the Quebec, Canada area.

Any interesting suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thanks for your help!

Guigui fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Dec 23, 2013

Jose Oquendo
Jun 20, 2004

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a boring movie
The iPad has an accessory for connecting camera cards, so I would definitely go with the Mini Retina.

butt dickus
Jul 7, 2007

top ten juiced up coaches
and the top ten juiced up players
You just described the LG G Pad. It takes Micro SD, though, so I don't think you'll be able to stick the same card in there as most cameras use the original form factor cards. I guess you could use a Micro SD card and an adapter for the camera.

Bung Harmer posted:

The iPad has an accessory for connecting camera cards, so I would definitely go with the Mini Retina.
Ooh, that's better.

DACK FAYDEN
Feb 25, 2013

Bear Witness
I'm in a weird situation where I'm buying based on cases rather than specs. Looking for a 10" tablet with a case that is rough and friction for my father's birthday, a few months out, so there's no rush and I can hold out for the Nexus 10 2. He'll mostly be using it to read newspapers and such, although he might also want an attachable keyboard to use it like a computer sometimes. His manual dexterity isn't the best, worse in one hand than the other, and the case definitely has to be rough on the back (or on the screen-facing bit if there's a flap) so that he can hold it without it falling out of a weak hand late at night.

Any thoughts?

e: vvvvvvvvvvvvvv
That won't fly. He would never put up with it, and it's probably going to be used in bed half the time. He's got all his faculties, he just gets tired.

DACK FAYDEN fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Dec 24, 2013

Call Me Charlie
Dec 3, 2005

by Smythe

DACK FAYDEN posted:

I'm in a weird situation where I'm buying based on cases rather than specs. Looking for a 10" tablet with a case that is rough and friction for my father's birthday, a few months out, so there's no rush and I can hold out for the Nexus 10 2. He'll mostly be using it to read newspapers and such, although he might also want an attachable keyboard to use it like a computer sometimes. His manual dexterity isn't the best, worse in one hand than the other, and the case definitely has to be rough on the back (or on the screen-facing bit if there's a flap) so that he can hold it without it falling out of a weak hand late at night.

Any thoughts?

Maybe you can get him a stand like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PMKSPAD3...and+Sturdy+Base

or one with wheels like

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYTM9K8?tag=evdaisafi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00DYTM9K8&adid=13QD4G0XQZN08S70F4D9

Really expensive but it may be worth it depending on where he would use it.

Rent
Jul 20, 2004
Steal the warm wind tired friend

Guigui posted:

Just wondering if some posters here have some recommendatinos:

Looking to purchase a tablet for a family member as a new-years eve present; however, after showing said family member around various tablets, they came down with the following.

- They prefer an 8 inch tablet. 7 inches are too small, and 10 inches are a little too large. That unfortunately knocks out the Nexus 7.
- They would like the option to plug in their SSd card (or micro SSD) in order to view pictures they take on their mobile camera... This would, unfortunately, knock the Ipad Mini out of contention.
- They are not all that computer savvy, and live a fair distance away so I won't be able to troubleshoot much; so a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 3, based on reviews from fellow goons, isn't their friendliest around.
- They already have their own desktop and Laptop which I've set up for them, so this tablet would just be an accessory.
- The option of a French-language OS would be a plus, but not a necessity.
- This family member would use it for more basic functions - not as an e-reader, but as a tool to use during a Canada-wide travel trek.


- Our budget would be (at most) $400 and lower.
- This is for prices in the Quebec, Canada area.

Any interesting suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thanks for your help!

You could get them something like the Dell Venue Pro 8.

-Has Micro SD card and an actual file explorer (if they're used to a computer)
-Can setup Windows to be as easy as favorite apps on the start screen/can set up remote desktop so you could always log in for them worst case scenario, instead of trying to talk to them over the phone.
-Can enable French

Call Me Charlie
Dec 3, 2005

by Smythe

Rent posted:

You could get them something like the Dell Venue Pro 8.

-Has Micro SD card and an actual file explorer (if they're used to a computer)
-Can setup Windows to be as easy as favorite apps on the start screen/can set up remote desktop so you could always log in for them worst case scenario, instead of trying to talk to them over the phone.
-Can enable French

They already have a desktop/laptop and aren't computer savvy. A Windows 8 tablet would be the worst choice.

Straker
Nov 10, 2005

randyest posted:

No. iOS has lots of apps optimized for 10". Pretty much all of them, in fact...
Let your friend go and look at tablets and decide what he wants.
thanks for the normal response :)

clockworx posted:

Recommending tablets (in real life, to people who solicit my advice) is killing me:
:suicide:
It seems like you either need to be paternalistic as gently caress or expect this kind of outcome. If my roommate comes back to me and asks for a recommendation later then great, but in the meantime, before I even got a response from this thread, of course his comments were along the lines of "whoa $600 for an ipad gently caress that... what you talking about nexus 7 that sound good... wait, man i can get a 7" tablet from best buy, hundred bucks" :sigh:

Just today I tried to explain to my girlfriend's mom that as far as laypeople are concerned "a tablet" = ipad = $500+ and of course she didn't go for that, then I tried my hardest to prevent her from latching on to the idea that "android" is THE monolithic ipad alternative and that the 32GB 2013 nexus 7 is a pretty great deal at ~$200 and that if she spends $100 on some piece of poo poo, she probably won't enjoy using it just because it's "android" and I seem to like my "android" tablet :(

Queen_Combat
Jan 15, 2011

Straker posted:

thanks for the normal response :)

It seems like you either need to be paternalistic as gently caress or expect this kind of outcome. If my roommate comes back to me and asks for a recommendation later then great, but in the meantime, before I even got a response from this thread, of course his comments were along the lines of "whoa $600 for an ipad gently caress that... what you talking about nexus 7 that sound good... wait, man i can get a 7" tablet from best buy, hundred bucks" :sigh:

Just today I tried to explain to my girlfriend's mom that as far as laypeople are concerned "a tablet" = ipad = $500+ and of course she didn't go for that, then I tried my hardest to prevent her from latching on to the idea that "android" is THE monolithic ipad alternative and that the 32GB 2013 nexus 7 is a pretty great deal at ~$200 and that if she spends $100 on some piece of poo poo, she probably won't enjoy using it just because it's "android" and I seem to like my "android" tablet :(

This kind of reads like word salad

power botton
Nov 2, 2011

Or you can have people who respect your opinions in your life and/or stop caring so much about their pooping game device.

Akarshi
Apr 23, 2011

So I'm thinking of getting a tablet for reading comics, watching movies, flipping through big textbook pdfs on something more portable than my heavy laptop, and in general doing standard tablet stuff like going through RSS feeds, web browsing, etc. Maybe play some games too. Any specific recommendations? I'm torn between the Nexus 7 and the iPad Retina Mini.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless
Maybe this is a stupid question but if I have an Android phone and use a few apps like Evernote that sync with a server and I get an Mac will Evernote on there match up with my phone or not?

I'm looking to buy a tablet soon that will be used almost entirely for reading .pdfs and other electronic textbook formats. It'd be swell if it also could handle attachment to a keyboard for one of those note taking apps where you can also draw little pictures onto the PowerPoint or whatever.

I'm waiting for the loving Nexus 10 to come out before I decide. How much is a refurbished Air right now / are those hard to find?

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



Akarshi posted:

So I'm thinking of getting a tablet for reading comics, watching movies, flipping through big textbook pdfs on something more portable than my heavy laptop, and in general doing standard tablet stuff like going through RSS feeds, web browsing, etc. Maybe play some games too. Any specific recommendations? I'm torn between the Nexus 7 and the iPad Retina Mini.
Those are the best options. Decide whether you want Android or iOS and go from there. If you have a Best Buy local, they should have them both there to play with. You might be better served with a 10" tablet, though, if you're planning on reading lots of PDFs.

Sheep-Goats posted:

Maybe this is a stupid question but if I have an Android phone and use a few apps like Evernote that sync with a server and I get an Mac will Evernote on there match up with my phone or not?

I'm looking to buy a tablet soon that will be used almost entirely for reading .pdfs and other electronic textbook formats. It'd be swell if it also could handle attachment to a keyboard for one of those note taking apps where you can also draw little pictures onto the PowerPoint or whatever.

I'm waiting for the loving Nexus 10 to come out before I decide. How much is a refurbished Air right now / are those hard to find?
Evernote will sync between all your devices, as will any other platform-agnostic services. There's not a lot of tablets that connect directly to a keyboard, but they will all be able to connect via Bluetooth without issue. Pretty much everything has note-taking apps at this point, so that shouldn't be a big deal. Apple doesn't appear to have refurbished iPads Air yet. They usually start appearing 3-4 months after release, so any time now, really.

Endless Mike fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Dec 25, 2013

Akarshi
Apr 23, 2011

Endless Mike posted:

Those are the best options. Decide whether you want Android or iOS and go from there. If you have a Best Buy local, they should have them both there to play with. You might be better served with a 10" tablet, though, if you're planning on reading lots of PDFs.

Gotcha. I've never used an Android before, and I do have an iPhone 4. Is the Android user friendly enough for me to hop in? I hear a lot about rooting and such.

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



Akarshi posted:

Gotcha. I've never used an Android before, and I do have an iPhone 4. Is the Android user friendly enough for me to hop in? I hear a lot about rooting and such.
It's fine though it does stuff different than iOS and there's some functions that work oddly, especially to an iOS user (the back button is a big culprit here). Rooting is less necessary than jailbreaking an iPhone, which is completely unnecessary.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

Endless Mike posted:

Those are the best options. Decide whether you want Android or iOS and go from there. If you have a Best Buy local, they should have them both there to play with. You might be better served with a 10" tablet, though, if you're planning on reading lots of PDFs.

Evernote will sync between all your devices, as will any other platform-agnostic services. There's not a lot of tablets that connect directly to a keyboard, but they will all be able to connect via Bluetooth without issue. Pretty much everything has note-taking apps at this point, so that shouldn't be a big deal. Apple doesn't appear to have refurbished iPads Air yet. They usually start appearing 3-4 months after release, so any time now, really.

Any guess as to the cost when they do start appearing?

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



Sheep-Goats posted:

Any guess as to the cost when they do start appearing?
I forget what the discount is, sorry. $30-50 maybe?

MOVIE MAJICK
Jan 4, 2012

by Pragmatica
I got a Galaxy note 10.1 for Christmas but people here say its garbage? :(

randyest
Sep 1, 2004

by R. Guyovich

WYA posted:

I got a Galaxy note 10.1 for Christmas but people here say its garbage? :(
Well what do you think about it?

(If it's unopened consider returning it because it's garbage.)

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?

MOVIE MAJICK
Jan 4, 2012

by Pragmatica
I like it and I can see myself using it, especially the tablet with pencil for drawing

Queen_Combat
Jan 15, 2011
I have both the 2012 and 2013 and the 2013 is more usable, but I did put a poo poo-ton of hours on the 2012 model and it wasn't bad.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




I'm thinking about buying a tablet. My main wants:

-Large screen
-MicroSD or 32/64GB (microSD seems to be cheaper for memory)
-Something I can watch movies/tv shows on

I don't really care too much for apps or games, I'd probably just use the browser and watch videos. The main use is something to take to the gym while doing cardio if I'm honest. Will any of them be better for my uses than others? Generally I want the best bang for buck and I don't need something that is super powerful. Will I run into any problems watching common video file types? (.avi, .mkv, etc.)

Is it possible to get something decent for $2-300? I've searched around a little and everything seems quite expensive, and I'm a cheap rear end.

Thanks goons.

halokiller
Dec 28, 2008

Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves


Larrymer posted:

I'm thinking about buying a tablet. My main wants:

-Large screen
-MicroSD or 32/64GB (microSD seems to be cheaper for memory)
-Something I can watch movies/tv shows on

I don't really care too much for apps or games, I'd probably just use the browser and watch videos. The main use is something to take to the gym while doing cardio if I'm honest. Will any of them be better for my uses than others? Generally I want the best bang for buck and I don't need something that is super powerful. Will I run into any problems watching common video file types? (.avi, .mkv, etc.)

Is it possible to get something decent for $2-300? I've searched around a little and everything seems quite expensive, and I'm a cheap rear end.

Thanks goons.

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).

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.

Foil
Apr 19, 2006
Now with more paranoia

waffle posted:

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.

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.

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

Foil
Apr 19, 2006
Now with more paranoia

waffle posted:

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.

Its the king of its price range (hardware and screen wise), and is an easy recommendation for anyone. The only time you have to remove it from the pool is when the user needs a MicroSD slot.

The Tegra Note 7 (various makers over the world) is 200$ for the 16GB version, which has an SD slot and a stylus. The only issue is the screen is pretty crap (easy to compare it to the 2012 Nexus 7, its the same res and has the same dull color), and the build quality varies.

EugeneJ
Feb 5, 2012

by FactsAreUseless

Larrymer posted:

I'm thinking about buying a tablet. My main wants:

-Large screen
-MicroSD or 32/64GB (microSD seems to be cheaper for memory)
-Something I can watch movies/tv shows on

I don't really care too much for apps or games, I'd probably just use the browser and watch videos. The main use is something to take to the gym while doing cardio if I'm honest. Will any of them be better for my uses than others? Generally I want the best bang for buck and I don't need something that is super powerful. Will I run into any problems watching common video file types? (.avi, .mkv, etc.)

Is it possible to get something decent for $2-300? I've searched around a little and everything seems quite expensive, and I'm a cheap rear end.

Thanks goons.

Nook HD+ - awesome large screen, MicroSD slot, $149

power botton
Nov 2, 2011

EugeneJ posted:

Nook HD+ - awesome large screen, MicroSD slot, $149

How many terrible recommendations can a single person give? Don't give BN money in what is almost 2014. They're a rapidly dying book store who shoved out a tablet in their death throes in some vague attempt to stay relevant.

Anyway, you might as well give up on that MicroSD slot because outside of weird cut rate products, no tablets/phones ship with them these days, and I wouldn't count on them coming back.

GonadTheBallbarian
Jul 23, 2007


git clone trooper posted:

How many terrible recommendations can a single person give? Don't give BN money in what is almost 2014. They're a rapidly dying book store who shoved out a tablet in their death throes in some vague attempt to stay relevant.

Anyway, you might as well give up on that MicroSD slot because outside of weird cut rate products, no tablets/phones ship with them these days, and I wouldn't count on them coming back.

Or they're just flat-out expensive. The Galaxy Note 2014 edition has the microSD card slot, but starts at $549 iirc for the 10".

IuniusBrutus
Jul 24, 2010

Yeah, if you really need the external storage, just use an OTG table.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




Thanks for the replies so far. Any reason the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 would be bad? If I got the smaller one (16gb, $300) and throw in a massive sized microSD that would probably work. Why couldn't they just make a black one though? That white or gold/brown doesn't do much for me. :gonk:

GonadTheBallbarian
Jul 23, 2007


Larrymer posted:

Thanks for the replies so far. Any reason the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 would be bad? If I got the smaller one (16gb, $300) and throw in a massive sized microSD that would probably work. Why couldn't they just make a black one though? That white or gold/brown doesn't do much for me. :gonk:

Well, "bad" is a bit relative, but that particular model has low screen performance (think, "not even close to retina"), and the specs are far short of what you'd get with a Nexus 10 for the same ballpark price. Also TouchWiz isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Do you already have a large microSD card? Are you particularly worried about cloud storage?

Call Me Charlie
Dec 3, 2005

by Smythe

git clone trooper posted:

Anyway, you might as well give up on that MicroSD slot because outside of weird cut rate products, no tablets/phones ship with them these days, and I wouldn't count on them coming back.

Every Windows 8 tablet has MicroSD because Windows takes up half the hard drive space

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




WugLyfe posted:

Well, "bad" is a bit relative, but that particular model has low screen performance (think, "not even close to retina"), and the specs are far short of what you'd get with a Nexus 10 for the same ballpark price. Also TouchWiz isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Do you already have a large microSD card? Are you particularly worried about cloud storage?

Seems you're right from what reviews I've read. Micro sd cards are cheap and I've got a couple 32gb cards, yes. I don't know much about "the cloud" since I've never used it. I'll read up to try and undumb myself.

1st AD
Dec 3, 2004

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

EugeneJ posted:

Nook HD+ - awesome large screen, MicroSD slot, $149

Slow as balls, screen may constantly redraw in certain memory intensive apps like Facebook

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Foil
Apr 19, 2006
Now with more paranoia

1st AD posted:

Slow as balls, screen may constantly redraw in certain memory intensive apps like Facebook

Two of my friends have these, 1 is stock the other runs Cyanogenmod. Both of them randomly reboot and they are both slow as balls. But hey they can play Dungeon Hunter 4 on Medium at like 20FPS so thats something right? Don't buy a Nook HD+.

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