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Ask The Pack: What do ye know about tablets other (read: cheaper) than the ipad

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VirgilCain

Redshirt
Aug 9, 2008
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I'm basically interested in something that I can peruse the information-super-highway without having to sit with my laptop sitting on my dick....yet I don't feel the need to pay nearly a G to have one.

Is the ipad, far and away, ahead of everything else?

Is it slower than a laptop even with a Wifi connection. I connect to my wifi on my phone whenever possible, but it never is as fast as my laptop... is that something that could trouble a tablet also?
 
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xxxWalkTheDawg

Redshirt
Oct 21, 2005
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Runs on Android. Picked it up on Sale from Sears.com and paid lil over 300. I wouldn't trade it for an I pad and I have an I phone. It has USB ports, SD slots, camera front and back, and other slots. Good battery life to.
 
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AssEndDawg

Freshman
Aug 1, 2007
3,183
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VirgilCain said:
Is the ipad, far and away, ahead of everything else?

Is it slower than a laptop even with a Wifi connection. I connect to my wifi on my phone whenever possible, but it never is as fast as my laptop... is that something that could trouble a tablet also?
Click to expand...
Yes, the iPad is far and away better than anything else. I have a WiFi only version of the iPad 2 and it's pretty amazing to me. Even watching video I only have to charge it every three days or so. And as with most Apple consumer electronic products everything just works. Tablet is comparable in speed over WiFi. I would have to know what phone you are talking about to compare. The iPad2 has the same processor as the iPhone 4S, so it's a dual core. The thing does not seem to have any speed issues I have noticed.

As for non-iPad, there is some excitement over the Kindle Fire but it is still a brand new product. It's hard to tell now how it will stack up. None of the Android tablets are rating close to the iPad. Some are better than others but they just don't seem terribly popular so far.

If you have bought into the Apple eco-system then you need to get an iPad. If you have an iPhone and lots of stuff on iTunes then you will come out ahead staying with the iPad. If you don't have any of that stuff you may want to give the Kindle Fire a try and live in Amazon's play house. My guess is the Fire will be the only real competitor for a while.
 
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DirtyLopez

Redshirt
Feb 26, 2008
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I bought an iPad2 for pretty much the sole purpose of sitting in a chair/ laying in bed and cruising the internet and watching movies on the thing. After two days, I longed to have a laptop sitting on my dick again so I took the iPad back and got a macbook air. There was no comfortable way to hold the iPad (granted, I didn't try any type of case that can prop it up). Lucky for me I did b/c unexpectedly, I will be needing the laptop for school. If I ever do try another pad, I will do like you are thinking and invest only a couple hundred instead of $800-$900.
 
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conceptDawg

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
43
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The iPad is the undisputed leader in tablets right now. I develop for both iOS and Android.I use them both on a daily basisand I simply enjoy using iOS much, much more than Android. Android feels like work every time I use it. iOS is a pleasure. It's hard to explain. It's in the details.<div>
</div><div>That being said, you can get a good, inexpensive Android tablet. The Fire seems like a decent alternative because of the price (I haven't personally used one) but it has been getting some bad reviews because of the Android branch that it is running (slow UI response, etc.). They say that they will have an update out soon, but...you never really know what that's going to fix.</div><div>
</div><div>And you don't have to drop a grand to get an iPad2. You can get a refurbished iPad2 WiFi for $419 right now on the Apple store. Hell, you can get one with 3G for $619. That's a steal. I've bought refurbished ones in the past and they come straight from the factory in China just like a non-refurbished one. They have new exterior shells, glass, etc. Basically, it's just like a new one.</div><div>
</div><div>In the end, I'd tell you to get an iPad every time.</div>
 
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Jacknut1

Redshirt
May 23, 2010
333
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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Quad Core, 1 GB internal memory, 32GB storage + SD card slot
micro HDMI output, nVidia graphics
$499
 
dawgstudent

dawgstudent

Heisman
Apr 15, 2003
38,768
16,797
113
it is a thousand times better than my old linksys. My linksys - I had to reset about once every 2 weeks because it would just lose connection. I haven't touched the Asus router in the 3 years I have had it.
 
DawgNsuds

DawgNsuds

Redshirt
Jun 4, 2007
464
28
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and worth every penny. Though not a lot of deals for them, I've heard Walmart was giving you a $50 iTunes card with purchase and Best Buy where they will give youno interest financing
 
Seinfeld

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
10,779
6,183
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what all is better about it to make it worth the extra $300-$600? Apple clearly has the advantage in Apps right now, but what other advantages are there? For the record, I'm not arguing either way because I haven't spent much time with either one. But I'm looking at tablets for my wife and I'm having a hard time looking past the SD slots, USB connections, and flash capability of Android tablets.
 
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elmsurfer1

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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I got a Lenovo laptop/tablet and it was so bad I gave it away. Not even worth reading on the throne, it was terrible. I can't believe they would sell such junk.
 
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Sutterkane

Redshirt
Jan 23, 2007
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there are likely more apps for apple products but since I've switched to an Android phone, I've found a lot of apps that were pay apps on my iPhone are free on my Galaxy S2.

<span> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d0pgO3uffvk?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355" allowScriptAccess="never" ></embed> </span>
 
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hopper21

Redshirt
Sep 23, 2010
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Everything else is going to be a gamble.

The thing is at first a lot of folks were buying into the whole Android thing. The problem is that it's a lot more painful to support apps for Android and the return on investment is way less, so developers are starting to either abandon Android altogether or port over apps as an afterthought.

You also have issues with Android where apps aren't properly vetted and can contain malware/spyware or plain break your tablet.

You know you're going to get quality with the iPad. There's no quality control with Android.

Look for a Gift Card deal at Best Buy, Target, or Wal-Mart. Just break down and do it. You'll regret it later if you don't.

Edited to add: I've never had a speed issue with either of our iPads. You should be able to judge speed by going to a Best Buy and playing with one.
 
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conceptDawg

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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You can get a cheap connector for the iPad that will give you sd, compact flash, and USB connections. Like $10.<div><div>Just look for 5-in-1 card reader on amazon.</div></div><div>I've used one to hook up my DSLR and compactFlash cards to pull in both JPG and RAW images to the iPad. I've also used it to connect a USB desktop barcode laser scanner to the iPad. Works like a charm.</div><div>
</div><div>And as for external memory slots. That's WAY overrated in my opinion. I use my iPad very heavily for everything (movies, reading, web browsing, connecting to work computer, etc.) and the space available is perfectly adequate (granted, I have the 64GB version). In practice, I've never once had the need for removable memory for it. But maybe I'm not the norm. Dunno.</div>
 
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