Tablets

[Knotical]

I may be in the market for a tablet. The iPad is out of the question as I am not an Apple person. Any suggestions?

Pro's and Con's between Android and Windows tablets would be most helpful.

 

[Mike]

We have two Sony Tablets. They are lower end, costing from $200-$250. Printing from them is my biggest issue with them. Everything has to be saved as a pdf and special software is necessary. But we have a few laptops and a desktop is if printing needs to be done. It has a few glitches that irk me, but all and all, they're worth the price. Since these were half of the cost of the lowest end Apple, we decided to grab two.

 

[Knotical]

What is the OS on those?

 

[stovebolts]

Mike,
Check out http://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/

I have the Nexus 7 and I love it!

Also, you can download Kingsoft Office and that will allow you to open, create, edit etc any word, excel, power point etc. Works great!

Knotical,
The OS is Android. That being said, Android is Linux based so it's slightly modified for each vendor. That's why I went with the Nexus, because it's integrated with Google. So far I am extreemly happy with it.

I can't give you the pro's and con's of a Windows tablet, other to say that Windows 8 is very nice. However, it's a different beast than Linux, so it will always be prone to hackers and virus.

 

[Knotical]

Stovebolts, thanks for the info. I had no idea Android was Linux based. Of course, I am not that heavy in the tech world, so it is not surprising that this one got passed me.

BTW, how much was yours. I found one on newegg for about $250.

 

[stovebolts]

Go right to the Google Store. They start at $200. I paid $250 for mine directly from Google.

https://play.google.com/store/devic...edium=text&utm_campaign=sem_bk&utm_content=n7

Also, if the 7" screen is to small for you, they also offer the Nexus 10 which has a 10 inch screen. Personally, the 7" screen is perfect for what I do on it.

Keep in mind that they are cloud based, so make sure you have a Gmail account. A Google + account integrates perfectly.

One drawback for some people is the Nexus doesn't have a usb port nor does it have an sd card slot, so if you want to transfer files from your laptop or phone, you'll either want to transfer them via blue tooth or through your Google Plus account. Also, it only has a front facing camera that's only good for skype or taking pictures of yourself lol. Both of these are not a big deal to me.

As I mentiond earlier, you can print to your home printers if you set your printer up in the Google Cloud and you can download Kingsoft Office for free and that allows you to open, or even create any Microsoft Office document etc. It is a very good application and not cheesy like some linux based office programs I've used in the past. Kingsoft has a great MS feel to it and formatting comes across fantastic.

 

[stovebolts]

Oh, I forgot to add that it has built in GPS and integrates seamlessly to Google Maps. And it's voice activated. Because it's Google Maps based, you won't have to worry about paying to update your maps like some gps units. Also, you only need the internet to get your intital route because it downloads the maps it will need to get you to your destination.

And if you have internet on your phone, you can also tether your Nexus to your phone's internet so your always connected.

 

[Knotical]

The built in GPS would be awesome for my paper route. Can't tell you how many times I get a start and have no idea where the house is.

Anyway, I think I may be leaning toward the bigger screen.

What are your thoughts on Lenovo? The only reason I ask is I get a discount through work, otherwise I would just get an ASUS or possibly a Samsung.

 

[stovebolts]

The built in GPS would be awesome for my paper route. Can't tell you how many times I get a start and have no idea where the house is.

Anyway, I think I may be leaning toward the bigger screen.

What are your thoughts on Lenovo? The only reason I ask is I get a discount through work, otherwise I would just get an ASUS or possibly a Samsung.

Gps is fantastic. I know you can download maps for offline use, but I don't know how wide of an area you can download etc. Ill give it a try. Can you tether with your phone?

The Nexus is based on ASUS hardware which has a great reputation. I don't know much about the others. I'm a huge fan of Google, so that was the driving factor for the Nexus. Again, android is linux based and has natoriously been plauged with suppoert issues. I reason with a company as large as google, my chances of being disapointed slim down. So far I have had zero complaints. Heck, with moderate use, its not uncommon for me to get several days out of the battery

 

[Knotical]

Gps is fantastic. I know you can download maps for offline use, but I don't know how wide of an area you can download etc. Ill give it a try. Can you tether with your phone?

The Nexus is based on ASUS hardware which has a great reputation. I don't know much about the others. I'm a huge fan of Google, so that was the driving factor for the Nexus. Again, android is linux based and has natoriously been plauged with suppoert issues. I reason with a company as large as google, my chances of being disapointed slim down. So far I have had zero complaints. Heck, with moderate use, its not uncommon for me to get several days out of the battery

I have no desire to tether anything to my phone. Don't have a smart phone, and if I get a tablet I see no need to get one. I can't wait to get rid of the phone I have. Worst decision I made phone-wise when I "upgraded" to it about a year ago. Now I am just waiting for the contract to run out to get a different phone.

I do like the idea that I can print from the nexus to my home printer, which is wifi capable. My wife has a nook, which I thought I would be able to network with our home computer, but alas that is not the case.

I guess I will just have to go to the local Staples and play around with the different models they have on display. I am in no hurry to purchase as I am hoping to use part of our tax return. Right now I am just comparing what is out there.

Thanks for the info.

 

[stovebolts]

Good luck in finding the right tablet! They are a ton of fun!

 

[Mike]

Mike,
Check out http://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/

Holy hand grenades, Jeff!! That is voodoo!! The heck! That is crazy cool! This eliminates one of the few things that bugged me about Sony Tablet. Absolutely brilliant! Thank you!!

My other issue with the Sony Tablet is brutal.

have you ever had a product that had such an outrageous flaw, you wonder if anyone ever test-marketed it... ever? How anyone on the executive level of Sony with enough clout could possibly take one of these tablets home for one single night and not demand that it be re-done is beyond me! I cannot believe such a ridiculous design error has not been corrected.

The Sony Tablet has message indicator lights that were ripped from the wings of Boeing 747's!!! And there is NO WAY to configure the settings to stop them! If you go to Sony's website or any forum where they are discussing this product, you can bet there are threads about this stupid light, and no one knows how to stop them from flashing. If I have one in our bedroom at night, I swear, it's like living next door to a Las Vegas casino. I could use this tablet to guide me through the Amazon Forest! If there's any mercy in this flaw, we'll never misplace them. Just wait for it to get dark and look for the lighthouse! They blink 24/7, because I have 2 of our 3 kids on Facebook, so every update they receive is a message that hits our tablets.

Now that I've described this problem, can anyone imagine how somebody in the Sony Corporation hasn't responded to this? I would think it would take one night by someone in power to take one of these home, and the next morning people would be fired and all other projects would be postponed until this was fixed. Someone write a software update to shut these spotlights off!

 

[stovebolts]

Ha! too funny Mike LOL!

I didn't know about the flashing light, but I do know Sony lol and they have their fingers in much more than the Internet. Again, that's why I went with the Google Tablet. People don't understand that Android is Linux and because Linux is open source, each manufacturer will taylor the OS to their end... Flashing lights and all lol!

So far, I am extreemly happy with my Google tablet. Speaking of, I got our daughter a Chrome Book from Google for Christmas. She likes it a lot, but she also got a really nice laptop from her boyfriend and a Tablet so she's getting rid of the Chrome Book. She played with it for about a week and hates to get rid of it. She said she really liked it. Oh, and it sync's with their Play Station!

 

[Knotical]

Just as a pre-emptive, I am not endorsing the site I am about to mention, but I do want to find out if anyone here has heard anything about it. The reason I ask is they have electronics for CHEAP, but of course there could be hidden "costs." So, has anyone here heard of a site called nomoreracks.com?

This is topic related as they do sell tablets there. Though, I am starting to lean toward just buying a low end laptop. But, then a again, I have til the middle of February to make up my mind.

Thoughts?

 

[faeriecat]

I've seen that site mentioned several times on ripoffreports.com Knotical, so proceed with caution I suppose.

I've been goggling over a Nexus 10 for some time now, I realllllly want one.

Right now I'm using this hateful pandigital 7". UGH. All I gotta say about it. UGH. LOL Upside though ... it was free ...

 

[stovebolts]

Knotical, have you thought about the Google Chrome book? It's only 200 bucks brand new.

Just remember, it's Linux based (Android), not Windows based. And yes, you can create MS office documents etc. Actually, Microsoft is supposed to release it's own version of Office for Android in early spring.

faeriecat,
I have been exceptionally pleased with my Nexus 7. Actually, I just found a way to print directly to my HP wireless printer this weekend without going through I-Cloud, but I didn't have time to finish setting it up.

 

[Knotical]

Just a quick follow up on nomoreracks.com. I did a little research and found out it is another bidding site. So, yeah, you can get stuff pretty cheap depending on how the auction goes, but you should also be wary of what you are bidding on, because it could be a cheap nock-off, or otherwise fake.

Plenty of complaints about the site, some because people did not read the ToS (who reads those, really?) to people getting broken or fake products.

Buyer beware I guess.

 

[faeriecat]

Just a quick follow up on nomoreracks.com. I did a little research and found out it is another bidding site. So, yeah, you can get stuff pretty cheap depending on how the auction goes, but you should also be wary of what you are bidding on, because it could be a cheap nock-off, or otherwise fake.

Plenty of complaints about the site, some because people did not read the ToS (who reads those, really?) to people getting broken or fake products.

Buyer beware I guess.

Always a good thing to do one's homework.

 

[Mike]

Ha! too funny Mike LOL!

I didn't know about the flashing light, but I do know Sony lol and they have their fingers in much more than the Internet. Again, that's why I went with the Google Tablet. People don't understand that Android is Linux and because Linux is open source, each manufacturer will taylor the OS to their end... Flashing lights and all lol!

So far, I am extreemly happy with my Google tablet. Speaking of, I got our daughter a Chrome Book from Google for Christmas. She likes it a lot, but she also got a really nice laptop from her boyfriend and a Tablet so she's getting rid of the Chrome Book. She played with it for about a week and hates to get rid of it. She said she really liked it. Oh, and it sync's with their Play Station!

Oh, and here's a cool update. One of our Sony Tablets crashed yesterday. So, I've got that going for me too, which is nice. If there's any upside, Sony quickly stood up to their product. They're sending us a replacement. They do have a generous 1 year warranty.

Knotical, all things considered now, have I convinced you that you should go with the Sony Boeing 747 that crashes? If you're ever at the top of the Empire State Building and you throw it over the edge of the roof, you'll see it fall all the way down through the night until it hits the pavement. That's worth $200, right?

 

[Vanguard]

Depends on how much you want to spend.

If money is not a concern, the Asus Transformer Infinity is the most powerful tablet on the market right now. The tablet + keyboard dock gives you ~15 hours of runtime. Combo price in the $600-$800 range depending on hard drive size.