Recommend Me a Tablet!

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

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Nice new OP Duckman.

Seriously, for anyone considering a 10" that isn't ideologically married to Android, go to a store and pick up an iPad Air. It's insanely thin, light, and fast as gently caress at everything. For 7" I'd still lean iPad mini because of the apps but at least the (new 2013) Nexus 7 isn't complete garbage like most other Android tablets.

If money is super tight look for refurb or used iPad 3 or 4's (or even Airs coming soon I'm sure). Apple refurbs are as good as new, and used ones will be fine for years assuming no cracked screen or dents or whatever. Or just save up a little and get something you won't regret.

All ~$100-150 Chinese tablets suck donkey rear end and you'll regret getting one. We've seen it time and time again in this thread. Especially don't give a shittablet as a gift. Don't be that guy. A good tablet is a joy to have; a poo poo tablet is an exercise in frustration and resentment showered with tears of regret.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2013 23:57

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 04:37

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Rent posted:

iOS and Android are great for the basics. I just don't think people should automatically dismiss 8.1. And to the other dude; some people do want 1 device to do a majority of things. When you get an email with an attachment, why have to rush to your computer?

You seem to be laboring under the misunderstanding that android and iOS mail clients can't open attachments, or that serviceable office apps don't exist on both platforms (they do.)

Hell, CloudOn for iOS is a 100% real honest to god instance of Office, although it requires a data connection.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2013 02:04

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Straker posted:

I understand that Android apps just aren't optimized for 10" and generally waste a lot of screen space but does that apply to ipads toowhatever?

No. iOS has lots of apps optimized for 10". Pretty much all of them, in fact.

Straker posted:

i.e. if you aren't old or super fatfingered you should probably get a small tablet or just go right to a laptop or a yoga or whatever?

Lots of people, myself included, prefer a 10" tablet. The iPad air isn't much bigger overall than some 7" tablets due to the small bezel, and it's as light or lighter than some 7"-ers. Personally I love the extra screen real estate.

Let your friend go and look at tablets and decide what he wants.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2013 20:53

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.)

# ¿ Dec 25, 2013 23:27

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Kraftwerk posted:

I might also get some benefit out of having a tablet because of my job which involves consulting aircraft maintenance manuals, technical specs and drawings as a reference during presentations or customer meetings. Having a tablet immediately on hand to provide me with "cheat sheets" on specs and other details would be very handy. Also being able to pull drawings and show them on the fly is a lot better than carrying my work laptop around.

Sounds like you could use a tablet. I do a lot of tech docs and diagrams also and find a 10" tablet to be more convenient (less scrolling and zooming around), and my iPad air is so small and light that I take it almost everywhere.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2013 20:10

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Rent posted:

Tablet gaming can be kind of ridiculous, but there are some pretty cool things on the app store. I like to play old school Final Fantasy and stuff. Just depends on what you want to use it for. Really any tablet will be fine based on your needs, Android as well.

As for iOS, just personal preference. Navigation in iOS is clunkier compared to Windows.

Of course the app ecosystem is mature after 5 years, but I said I don't like the actual OS and prefer navigation in Windows 8. No reason to get defensive.

How is tablet windows 8 different from desktop windows 8, if at all? Also how is it less "clunky" than iOS? I'm genuinely curious as I've used both and can't imagine what you mean.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 01:15

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Thanks for the reply! I can see some one those, but I have a few questions if you don't mind:

Rent posted:

Swiping between apps is better

How does it work? In iOS it's 4-finger swipe left or right to switch between apps.

Rent posted:

Can close an app from an app in one motion.

iOS is just click the home button and done. How is it done in win8?

Rent posted:

Built in apps are better/more variety

Like browsers and mail or.... ?

Rent posted:

Side gestures are awesome

What do they do?

Rent posted:

I miss live tiles and being able to pin most anything to home
Different user accounts on one device
Bing search is awesome

Except for bing (lol) which is usable on any OS via the browser I can see these as weaknesses of iOS if you like them.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 02:08

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

waffle posted:

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.

You can save to iPad in Word/Excel/PowerPoint for iOS. But as mentioned, it does require a $99/year Office365 subscription (I think it's $25/year if you have an .edu email address.)

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 20:09

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Daimo posted:

You probably won't ever be able to get any bbc content from a device sold in another market.

Why do you say this? Are any tablets actually "region locked?" I know there are BBC apps for iPad and, if there is any region restriction, it's IP based and not dependent on where you bought the tablet. Even if there were UK-only apps you could just sign into the UK itunes store to get them. Is it different for Android tablets?

# ¿ Apr 30, 2014 02:46

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

TerryLennox posted:

I'm looking for a tablet replacement for my NookColor which is getting a bit long in tooth. It's main uses will be as an e-reader, Waze (so a 10 inch screen is a must) and if the screen is good enough, watching series.

I was thinking of this one http://www.amazon.com/PIPO-M9-pro-3G-Bluetooth/dp/B00F9TFGFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397736724&sr=8-1&keywords=PiPO+Max+M9+pro+3G but the off brand scares me and the reviews are all over the place and not very numerous. Plus the seller doesn't seem to be too clear on what the hell he is selling.

It needs to be 3G capable so I can put in my phone's SIM when I need something internet-related.

Any suggestions? I don't mind the brand too much as long as it works.

iPad Air

Syle187 posted:

I've been looking at getting a different tablet recently. I am primarily going to use it for media consumption, netflix, hulu+, twitch.tv, and web browsing. I really like the iPad Air, but the aspect ratio sucks for watching tv shows. It is especially bad for using the twitch app because everyone streams in 16:9. Does android have anything as polished and nice to use as the iPad out currently? Anything I should wait a month or so for?

I find 16:9 content is fine on a 4:3 device. The black bars don't bug me. YMMV I guess.

# ¿ May 4, 2014 01:57

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Vahakyla posted:

Pretty much. If a ten inch is a possibility for 50 dollars, then I might be interested in that.
I am a iPhone and iPad user, but I can't justify a dedicated iPad for this game with their prices. Unfortunately this means that I do not know anything about android nor their tablets. If the app requires 4.0, does it mean that any tablet is capable of running it that is running later than 4.0?

I am pretty much in unknown waters in this one.

Why do you have to dedicate a tablet to the game? Are you planning to permanently mount it in your simulator cockpit? Why can't you just use the app on your current iPad for when you want to play the game? (Assuming the app is available for iOS, which your post implies but admittedly doesn't outright state.)

# ¿ May 14, 2014 05:35

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

purple prime posted:

Is there a tablet that would be best suited for a Hearthstone and anime machine? I was thinking iPad but that can't use a external hard drive.

There are a couple of options for ipad external hard drives:

http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/wireless-plus/

http://www.macworld.com/article/1153935/hyperdrive.html

Also I think you can use any powered external hard drive via the Camera Connection Kit if you jailbreak.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2014 22:36

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

CaptainAssholay posted:

I'm going on a trip in October and I'd like to read some comics on the bus. I've always built my own computer and never had much need for laptops/tablets but I figured it would be nice to have one.

I've been eyeballing the 4th gen ipad as I can get a refurb for $299. I'm also interested because I liked the idea of being able to play Hearthstone on it as well.

Is there a cheaper/better performing tablet for the same price I should be looking at? Again, I'm not living off of this, just using it for some comic reading, a single game and probably taking notes in office meetings sometimes.

The 4th gen is great and that's a good price but the Air is extra awesome and sometimes can be had for not much more than that. This deal might still be active, for example: http://slickdeals.net/f/7145154-16gb-32gb-apple-ipad-air-9-7-wifi-tablet-w-retina-display-60-75-rakuten-cash-399-99-499-99-free-shipping?v=1

# ¿ Aug 21, 2014 21:45

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

CityTransit posted:

Can anyone recommend me a tablet at a reasonable price that will run Microsoft Office and has a screen >= 10 inches? Also; are people out there using bluetooth keyboards and the like to write documents or is this kind of thing reserved for laptops and/or the surface? How difficult would it be to find one that could output to HDMI, displayPort or DVI? There are way too many products out there!

What's a reasonable price? iPad does everything you want, but some other tablets might also do some or all of that.

# ¿ Sep 9, 2014 06:53

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

Cardiovorax posted:

Still nothing worth recommending that isn't a Nexus 7? They're nice and all, but I really want something in the 10" range, if I'm going to be spending the money.

iPad air 2

# ¿ Nov 2, 2014 18:48

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 04:37

randyest: Sep 1, 2004; by R. Guyovich

CornBrick posted:

I hope you're joking. Isn't there anything else? Don't get me wrong I'm not saying apple is bad because it's Apple, it's just that I enjoy customizing and from what I've seen, the operating system is way too restrictive on Apple devices

Get an iPad and then jailbreak it if you want to remove Apple's restrictions.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 02:00

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