Tablet recommendation

[Haggises]

Lost the iPad 2 somwehere between Quebec and Philly during the summer and really miss it.

For it's replacement I'm having a hard time deciding between 7" and 10", iPad, Nexus, Galaxy or even Kindle.

The iPad Retina and Mini Retina look impressive but I balk at the price.
The Kindle HD is a fabulous price but I balk at the locked-in-to-Amazon piece.
I'd love a Surface if there were any chance of apps for it...

Nexus 7 looking like a good affordable compromise.


Thoughts please?

(Discalimer - I liked the iPad, like my Android phones. Not locked in to either ecosystem, nor intending to start a fanboi war )

 

[Jack Burton]

I have a 1st gen Nexus 7 which I like. It's my first android device so that took some time, but I like it. My kid has a Kindle HD. The OS sucks but I really like the hardware on that thing. Good battery, good screen, and good wifi. I've heard the Nexus has problems after about a year with memory issues. I haven't had this problem, but we'll see. My father in law bought a refurb Nook HD for $80 and that's really nice too, for the price he paid. But probably not worth more than that. Again you're stuck with a crappy OS, but I've heard jailbreaking them is easy. My wife has a Mini through work. It's more apple, but you get what you pay for. You just have to pay more. What do you do on the tablet? I find the Nexus has all I need. Browsing, comics, apps. And I like that I can treat it like a PC and customize more than Apple.

 

[blary54]

If your heavily invested in the IOS system maybe check out the ipad mini from last year. You can get those now for $300.

I heard the Google Nexus is nice they are well built and have a great screen. Kindle HDX looks good too but I heard they have alot of bloatware installed on them. The specs looks good though.

Don't know anything about the Surface.

 

[aar0n]

Nexus 7 is looking good

Fixed.

 

[Luke49783]

Between my parents and my fiancee, I've dealt with Kindle Fires. If you want a tablet, don't get a Kindle Fire, especially if you're used to an actual tablet.

The Nexus 7 would be my pick.

Have you given any thought to a Google Chromebook? I like having a keyboard, but if your preference is something in the slate form factor, that's probably a no-go.

 

[Dave in the basement]

What are you going to use the tablet for? For gaming, I'd be all over your favorite iPad of choice, even though the pricing is cringe-inducing.

My best friend recently got one of the new Surface tablets, and he loves it. The excellent integration of the Microsoft Office suite is really a game-changer for him.

 

[brianw]

One answer only ....Surface... I have both the RT and the Pro

 

[Slash McCoy]

My first android device was a Tab2 7" and I really like it. Fits in a back pants pocket. (Just remember to remove it before you sit down!) The Tab3 I'm sure is even better. Rooting a droid is a lot easier than jailbreaking an ipad. Get a OTG cable and an OTG app and you can read/write to/from your thumb drive and use other USB stuff. Slot for microSD card so lots of storage. Only one SIM slot, though, like the other Samsung devices. Battery life is phenomenal. The only thing I don't like about the Tab2 is the screwy connector. It looks like an iphone connector but it isn't. Not sure but I think the Tab3 has the USB3.0 type connector. I know the Note3 does... got that, too. There is a 10.1" Tab2 and Tab3 but it is a little unhandy for making phone calls and it won't fit in a pocket, of course. The 7" is a very practical size. Audio is good. Display is pretty good. This is on the Tab2... I haven't got my hands on a Tab3 yet.

You might want to look at the Note3, too. Absolutely magnificent, though smaller than a true tablet. Then there is the Samsung Mega. ALLLLLLLLmost a tablet.

FTR, I do not own stock in Samsung. I am just really rocking some of their products lately.

 

[Haggises]

Main uses - Net, Watching Comcast movies on demand, some games, educational stuff for kids (not just what angle does the bird have to go to kill the pig)


I like what I've seen of the Surface but the app support is lacking. I remember how burnt I was by Windows CE
Wife might get a Surface Pro to replace her netbook....

The geek part of me is leaning Nexus......10?
The cheap part of me is leaning Nexus 7.
The really cheap part of me is leaning previous generation Black Friday deals

 

[dcc]

nexus 7 or 10

 

[Austin]

One answer only ....Surface... I have both the RT and the Pro

Brian, does the pro have remote desktop? Which tab is it?

 

[Teppanyaki]

I'm an iPad fan - I think the quality of an interface doesn't get as much credit sometimes as it should. Compared with a Samsung smartphone running Windows Mobile, my switch to an iPhone was a massive improvement in pure usefulness.

I'm sour on Google at the moment, not due to quality (Android seems like a nice OS), but rather due to a combination of the company's policies and behaviors regarding data mining/privacy and because of its customizability. I used to love customizing my computer. As I've gotten older, I want to spend less time with that aspect and prefer things that work simply and well "out of the box."

Having said that, I have never tried an Android device. I have bad memories of both Samsung and Microsoft regarding smartphones/interfaces although that is from years ago.

 

[Jack Burton]

I'm an iPad fan - I think the quality of an interface doesn't get as much credit sometimes as it should.

customizability. I used to love customizing my computer. As I've gotten older, I want to spend less time with that aspect and prefer things that work simply and well "out of the box."

I agree. I like my nexus, but I paid a lot less than an iPad mini. I like the fact I can get into folders and just drag and drop files.

The downside of Android is there are a lot of settings you have to tweak for optimal performance/battery life.

Apple's system is a lot more rigid and you have a lot less freedom. But for the most part, their system is solid from the get go. And the interface is great, like you mentioned. Once I got my settings right on the Nexus, I quit tinkering. Don't have to do that on the iPad.

 

[maxman]

I have an iPad 2 and while I like it for simple browsing and playing games, it's not at all geared towards work.
I guess it really depends on what you plan to do with it.

 

[tdmsu]

I'd go with an iPad 4 or non retina mini to save money.
My wife is anti-apple and had a samsung tablet. I won a mini and gave it to her, and she has not used anything else in almost a year. That locks it for me if a non fan chooses it over her previous device.

 

[buffdaddy]

I have both an iPad 2 and Nexus 7 (the new one). I like the iPad, but the N7 has turned into my daily driver. I use it at home and work and for the money it's a really great deal. Great screen, good processr plus it's small enough to just throw in my bag. Granted Android is still chasing Apple as far as quality Tablet apps, but they have all the popular apps in the Play store.

But if you are invested into IOS an iPad would probably be your best bet. With the new iPad Air and Mini now out, the older models have been coming down in price.

 

[BigFoot]

Brian, does the pro have remote desktop? Which tab is it?

If you have not done so Andrew, you need to go to the App store and download it. Then you can configure it from there.

 

[blary54]

Hey I saw this yesterday. If you have a staples near you...$50 off any tablet. So the nexus 7 16 gb will be $179 the 32gb $219. Looks like you can order it online too.

http://www.staples.com/coupons

 

[shavervinnie]

I think it's hard to beat the HiSense Sero Pro 7 for value. I'm not a big time tablet user but it works nicely for my needs and the price is right. I got mine on sale at Wally World for $129.00. It received good reviews overall.

 

[buffdaddy]

Gamestop was selling the Original N7 (32gb) for $99.00. Not sure if the promo is still going on but it's a pretty great deal. Also, I read Staples was price matching Gamestop.