Recommend Me a Tablet!

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

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Loten posted:

Do browser extensions work on the Nexus 10? I've got a Nexus 5 phone and don't see any options there to install things like Adblock etc.

Only in Firefox.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2014 09:38

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 12:49

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

power botton posted:

The Nest team was hired for its industrial design experience and will be heavily involved in the new nexus line, hence the delay.

I truly hope there's something to that, but its just speculation right?

Its really not good to have no worthy 10" android tablet on sale for 6 months, which is what it'll be. N10 hasn't been available on Google Play (uk anyway) for ages.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2014 19:55

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

DarkJC posted:

The iPad 3 has twice as many graphics cores as the iPad 2 and a memory interface that's twice the size specifically for the retina display, so no, that's false. I would say that getting an iPad 2 or 3 at this point would be a bad call, they're pretty old at this point. The iPad 4 is still very capable though.

The 3 does have more GPU and ram than the 2, but I've owned both, and its definitely slower at times. 4x the pixels is so much more work.

iPad 4 should be the minimum sold now IMO.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 08:36

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

His Divine Shadow posted:

It's the old one. The retina is too expensive for our budget.

So in that price range it looks like the Galaxy Note 8.0 is the only realistic tablet so far. I see a lot of nexus mentioned in this thread. There's a Google Nexus 7 for 269 euros.

e: The more I read, the more the Nexus 7 (2013) looks like the pad to get, found it for 249 now too.

If you want an android tablet of that size Nexus 7 2013 is the only one I'd recommend.
Don't buy any non-retina iPad at this point, they're old and slow, and will be left behind next year.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 09:11

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Comfortador posted:

My friend is looking at the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" which seems like it has drat good specs but it drives me up the wall that it doesn't have removable storage. Are there any other reasons I should tell him to hold his money? (He doesn't seem to mind that he can't add storage to it)

Its a kindle tablet which is not *proper* Google blessed android, so you'll be unable to access the gmail app, any Google services including all play store software. Amazon have their own app store, but it's not nearly as good.

All amazon services are available on other (Google Play) Android tablets, apart from Amazon instant video.

I would not ever recommend a Kindle Fire.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 14:56

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Daimo posted:

After checking I cant find any evidence, but a friend got an Ipad mini in Australia and it doesnt work for her. Maybe its her proxy setup or somehing.

Well, where is she now? If she can't see any BBC apps, its very likely the app store she's signed into that is causing problems.

# ¿ May 1, 2014 08:58

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

TerryLennox posted:

Waze (so a 10 inch screen is a must)

Is Waze not just a GPS app? And you need a 10 inch screen for that? I run it on my ohone ...

# ¿ May 4, 2014 22:23

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

p-hop posted:

My 2012 Nexus 7 was murdered by a baby, and I'm looking for something to replace it. Seems like a refurb 2012 Nexus 7 is still the best choice. I don't need a larger screen or a faster processor or more storage.

Is there anything else out there in the ~$100 range that's worth looking at? Maybe another brand refurb tablet, but all the no-name stuff is just absolute garbage spec-wise. I can't imagine trying to read a web page formatted for 2014 computers on an 600x320 screen.

Go to eBay or Craigslist.

I'd really recommend looking for a deal on a 2013 at this point though, the 2012 is really weak specs wise and on its way to obsolescence (end of support).

# ¿ May 28, 2014 08:50

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

ExcessBLarg! posted:

Chrome is great if you can live without extensions. I also use the bookmark syncing with both my desktop and iPad.

Firefox had a bit of a slow start on Android having a terrible UI and generally being sluggish. They've overhauled the UI a few times now and, while it's not particularly Android-like, it's pretty good in its own right. Similarly modern devices can run it pretty well. The upshot is that it's basically like desktop Firefox in feature set, including extension availability. The only other downside is that some tablet-oriented websites recognize the Chrome User-Agent but not Firefox, although both are recognized far less than Safari on an iPad.

Firefox is generally fine now, the only thing that really bugs me right now is that it doesn't use the standard Android zoom gesture, still the old pinch-zoom thing.

It's the only app I have that's still like this, so it's a pain, and a reason to use Chrome.

# ¿ May 31, 2014 13:27

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Super Mario Shoeshine posted:

Ive been using my Galaxy Note 8 since last year, and I really like it but its time to sell and upgrade. Any good tablet recommended in the 8' or 9' range? Preferable with a lot of accesories, and no SamSuck please the bloat is horrible.

You should pretty obviously wait for the Nexus 9 tablet, made by HTC, announced within a month (probably).

That or the Nvidia Shield tablet.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2014 11:21

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

sethsez posted:

4:3 is a much more adaptable aspect ratio for a device that can be used vertically or horizontally. It's almost never too narrow or too short for most applications like 16:9 can be, and it's far better for things like PDFs since paper tends to be much closer to 4:3 than 16:9. For something like a tablet that's mostly used for reading, it's a great choice.

Look also at the Chromebook Pixel: 4:3 retina display... They clearly like this aspect ratio at Google.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2014 10:31

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

MonikaTSarn posted:

Does anybody have experience with dual-booting Ubuntu on an Nexus 7 / Nexus 10 ? I need a cheap-ish device to do some remote systems administration. I was considering a chromebook just for this purpose, but if Ubuntu on a Nexus works well that would give me a nice tablet additionally.

Ubuntu isn't released on any tablets last I checked. There's a very very buggy preview version, but you'd be insane to try to use it as a daily use machine.

What kind of remote sysadmining are you planning to do? You can probably do it just fine from within Android:

JuiceSSH is a great SSH app.
There's also remote desktop and various similar apps if you don't want UNIX.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2014 13:28

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Dessel posted:

My dad wants a tablet. I really don't have much idea about them apart from looking at this thread from time-to-time and my experiences with my lovely Android brick.

By default I'd recommend Nexus 7, but, my parents are getting old (eyesight), and for usability I reckon the iPads are the best.

And since budget is no real constraint I imagine the iPad Air is the best choice, just due to the weight difference alone. iPad Air 2 seems a bit of an overkill for two people not so savvy with tech whose only experience with touch devices is a samsung galaxy 2 as a work-issued cellphone and a absolutely lovely nokia phone with a symbian OS. Keeping that in mind, how easy is it to fill the smallest 16 GB option with casual use? (No, they won't be storing HD video files or music files in there, they wouldn't even know how to).

I'd reckon iPad 4 would be enough but the weight concerns me a bit.

I'd really just recommend another macbook for my dad, but he seems adamant he wants a tablet. MBP was their first foray for actually usable modern tech, and even then he would've apparently preferred a tablet. I've educated them about the fact that tablets are not for any sort of productive stuff, so I guess I have to let go on this and let him get a tablet instead.

Re 16GB, your parents sound like the kind of people who might feasibly get away with that space, provided they don't actually use the tablet for more than browsing. However, they're also the type of people who will be most harmed by running out of space and not being able to update, install new stuff etc.

Re which model, I'd not get anything older than an air, Apple devices may get OS updates for a long time, but beyond 2 years the user experience becomes crappier and crappier to the point that you wish they didn't.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2014 09:03

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Duckman2008 posted:

At this price, guess whatever is on sale that is a Coby or sold at like, Kohls.

My buddy bought 2 tablets a couple of months ago, a Nexus 7 2013 and a cheaper Acer x86 of some kind (8-10") for his kid. He prefers the performance of the Acer.

Check it out, no clue of the price in the US.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2014 10:35

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

cryptoclastic posted:

The Air 2 is definitely what I want, but the 64gb is 720 dollars here. The Mini 2 32gb (no point in the Mini 3, as I don't care about touch ID) is 420 dollars. That 300 dollar difference is what is giving me pause. And there is pretty much nowhere with a return policy on the iPad here, as far as I know. There are no Apple stores, and just a few authorized retailers.

Edit: What is it that makes an Air 2 worth 200 dollars than an Air 1? I can get an Air 1 for 540, which is around the price point that seems good for me.

A generation newer SoC, which is much faster.

Most importantly though, 2GB of ram, which radically improves the OS usage everywhere, especially if you browse often or intensively.

The fact that the extra GB of ram costs apple only a few dollars makes this horrifically annoying.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2014 13:09

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Rapey Joe Stalin posted:

Word of warning, don't install Adblock Plus for Android on your two day old tablet. Not if you enjoy using wifi that is.

Huh, is this some standalone app? A root app?

As far as I'm aware, the only good ad blocking solution on Android is the root app AdAway (no longer in the play store). It works by changing the hosts file, so is fast. It's open source, and available from the F-droid open source app store.

Adblock Plus is a Firefox extension, which will work on the Android version of Firefox. It's a bit slow though.

If Adblock Plus exists as a standalone app, I don't think it's updated, recommended or even written by the same guy behind the Firefox extension. I'd not suggest using it, and I'd be suspicious as to the source.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2014 23:05

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Rapey Joe Stalin posted:

It's a standalone app, the source was the adblockplus.org site. Turns out changes were made relatively recently to try and stop blockers working in Android which is why it doesn't work. Doesn't explain why it fucks your ability to connect to wifi when you uninstall (until you faff around).

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give AdAway a look assuming the change that stopped ABPfA hasn't ballbagged that as well.

Ah yes. Those changes happened a couple of OS versions ago I think, certainly I've been using AdAway for years, and it works fine on Lollipop.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2014 10:18

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Mariguana posted:

Recommend me a tabet!

A friend is looking for a tablet.
Budget is no more than $300 USD

Idea is to replace an aging laptop for Uni duties as well as entertainment. Mainly going to be used for taking notes and browsing the web. The ability to create and modify PowerPoint docs would be appreciated.

Any good options?

Buy a laptop for that money if you're doing any kind of work, cheap tablets are janky, won't run that software well, and you'll have to budget for a separate bluetooth keyboard and stand to carry around everywhere.

I can't fathom attempting to go to Uni with just a tablet.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 23:07

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Mariguana posted:

To clarify. They have a laptop already, a MacBook, that will be used for any serious work. It's an older model but still works. They just don't want to haul it around campus and would prefer a tablet for note taking and the like.

This doesn't require a keyboard?

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 23:43

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Segmentation Fault posted:

I have a year of Amazon Prime now. Considering grabbing the Amazon Fire HD tablet, since it's on sale for megacheap. Should I?

Amazon tablets are all trash, the software is trash, don't touch it. I've uses all of them for testing at work they cause no end of problems. You can't install Chrome FFS.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 10:02

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

fluppet posted:

I want a cheap tablet for decking about with on the train is there any reason not to get tescos hudl?

Is it much different than your phone? It will run the exact same apps, same layout, a little more screen real-estate, and probably worse performance.

Also, if it doesn't have 3G/4G then it's of limited use for travel imo.

I'd rather just use my phone, or else buy a bigger & better tablet.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2015 11:54

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Jose Oquendo posted:

There's comic apps for iPad so you can load your pirated comics. iPad absolutely has the best quality screen, so that would be best for your comics. Either iPad Air is a good bet.

The Samsung Tab S range screens are probably better than the iPad's.

Tab S 10.5 is the beat android tablet at present imo, get it if you want android.

Edit: Also, the paid comic apps like comixology are better on Android, as you can buy comics in them.

Apple's ridiculous app store rules forced them to remove the feature of actually buying comics on iOS.

wooger fucked around with this message at 14:00 on May 24, 2015

# ¿ May 24, 2015 13:52

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

Shumagorath posted:

You also can't buy books in Kobo and the rest.

Yes, due to the same stupid app store rules. Trying to take 30%, or any fee for digital content licenses purchased via an app, but not for physical content purchased via an app, is dumb.

These aren't app features or new game levels, they're e-books, movies, audiobooks, comics. None of which are at all reliant on Apple's iOS features, all of which are accessible in a web browser.

It's not viable in pure economic terms to give up such a massive cut to apple, so they're just making the UX worse for all their users for no benefit.

All the equivalent apps on android let you purchase in app, no problems.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2015 12:39

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 12:49

wooger: Apr 16, 2005; YOU RESENT?

MikeJF posted:

It bugs the hell out of me that nobody's made a cheap large tablet without a battery and not thin that's designed to sit on the bench or hang on the wall. Low costs by not having to make it thin and not having battery or super high spec, have a big screen but don't need high res, just large for readability. Pretty much just raspberry pi grade internals.

Basically that nest hub but big and mainly touch.

It's just super wierd in general the way the market has decided bigger screen = more cost regardless of resolution.

The market has decided that no one wants a single purpose dedicated tablet, especially one without a battery - no way would that ever be convenient.

People would rather move their iPad to the kitchen for a bit and buy some kind of wall mount than have some janky tablet in there which needs plugging in.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2021 11:49

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