Tablet Recommendations?

#1
OldandStillaVol

OldandStillaVol

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#1
I am going to ask for a tablet for a Christmas present. I have never owned one before nor do I have any biases one way or another regarding Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon or whoever.

I would probably use the tablet primarily for reading books and magazines (do magazine subscriptions require a certain type of tablet?), watchinig videos, and cruising the web.

Would appreciate recommendations from the tech gurus.
 
#2
#2
I have an iPad2 and love it. But I am also happily entrenched in the Apple Eco system. But you can't go wrong with it for what you are wanting it for. Not only does it have iBooks but you can use the Kindle app for amazon content as well.

I also have an older kindle that doesn't get as much use anymore unless I want to read outside. My 11 year old niece has a kindle fire which is a nice economical alternative. The draw backs compared to the iPad would be a smaller screen (unless you get a mini), less memory, no camera (not that I use mine much anyway except for the occasional facetime), and being locked into the Amazon Market.

My understanding of Android tablets is they aren't quite up to par yet and are more or less ports of the phone platform. The apps aren't optimized for the bigger screen. Although, the new google one announced yesterday may be better though.

The Microsoft surface looks pretty cool but seems a little robust for what you are looking for.
 
#3
#3
burntorangeVOLffle said:
I have an iPad2 and love it. But I am also happily entrenched in the Apple Eco system. But you can't go wrong with it for what you are wanting it for. Not only does it have iBooks but you can use the Kindle app for amazon content as well.

I also have an older kindle that doesn't get as much use anymore unless I want to read outside. My 11 year old niece has a kindle fire which is a nice economical alternative. The draw backs compared to the iPad would be a smaller screen (unless you get a mini), less memory, no camera (not that I use mine much anyway except for the occasional facetime), and being locked into the Amazon Market.

My understanding of Android tablets is they aren't quite up to par yet and are more or less ports of the phone platform. The apps aren't optimized for the bigger screen. Although, the new google one announced yesterday may be better though.

The Microsoft surface looks pretty cool but seems a little robust for what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

Is the iPad2 the same as the mini iPad which was just released?
 
#4
#4
OldandStillaVol said:
Is the iPad2 the same as the mini iPad which was just released?
Click to expand...

They are different. Look into the new fire hd. I have heard great things about it and it is almost a fraction of the price of the iPad. You can buy the same amount of memory on the new fire hd as the iPad has for close to a hundred less I believe. The 8.9" screen comes out on November 20th. Also, if you are looking for a tablet that uses LTE network, the fire hd only costs $50 a year while the IPad charges roughly $140 dollars a year.
 
#5
#5
Only issue with the Fire and reading ebooks is that it's pretty much locked to Amazon. If you use Project Gutenberg it is a pain to load those. If it comes down to the Fire and iPad mini, go with the Fire. Apple knocked down the specs so much from the iPad that it's not much of a value at all. But if you're looking at a 7 inch tablet, the Google Nexus from Asus is a great product at a good price, and in my opinion, the best of the three.
 
#6
#6
I have an iPad 2 as well, and I also love it. It's an especially great computing tablet. But if you're more interested in having a media center, I think you should pick a price range and go to some electronic stores and see what you like best. I've been burned too many times relying on others' advice and reviews, so I HIGHLY recommend you go out and take a look for yourself. For what you're looking for, I think virtually all tablets are going to have what you want - it's just a matter of finding the one you like best.
 
#7
#7
OldandStillaVol said:
Is the iPad2 the same as the mini iPad which was just released?
Click to expand...

The iPad mini has the same internals as the iPad 2. It's essentially the same thing, just with a smaller screen.

At this point, the boring answer is that you probably want an iPad. The Android tablets aren't there yet, other than maybe the Nexus 7. The new version of the Kindle Fire is supposed to be a lot better than last year's piece of crap, but the range of stuff you can do with an iPad is so much wider that unless price is a massive consideration, there's no real reason to choose the Kindle. You can consume Amazon's books/movie content on an iPad.

The MS Surface looks very interesting, but it's too early to buy one IMO. No telling how many apps will be developed for it.

A year from now this market will probably look very different.
 
#8
#8
Take into account whether you will need wifi only or possibly add a data plan.
 
#9
#9
You can always save an additional $50 on a refurbished iPad 2 from the apple store online. My mom got one about a year ago and it was like a brand new one. Has had zero problems. You can even get the apple care 2 year warranty on it.
 
#10
#10
Vercingetorix said:
The iPad mini has the same internals as the iPad 2. It's essentially the same thing, just with a smaller screen.

At this point, the boring answer is that you probably want an iPad. The Android tablets aren't there yet, other than maybe the Nexus 7. The new version of the Kindle Fire is supposed to be a lot better than last year's piece of crap, but the range of stuff you can do with an iPad is so much wider that unless price is a massive consideration, there's no real reason to choose the Kindle. You can consume Amazon's books/movie content on an iPad.

The MS Surface looks very interesting, but it's too early to buy one IMO. No telling how many apps will be developed for it.

A year from now this market will probably look very different.
Click to expand...

What would be your predictions on the market a year from now?
 
#11
#11
OldandStillaVol said:
What would be your predictions on the market a year from now?
Click to expand...

Tough to say because you can't really predict how the market will progress. However I will say if you already in the apple family (iPods, iPhones) and money isn't the biggest concern, then go with the iPad. However, instill recommended to look into the kindle fire hd. They even have a apple cloud app to help with inter syncing between amazon and apple.
 
#12
#12
Not that I worship at the altar of Steve Jobs but I love my iPhone 4 and will soon be getting an iPad 3. Vol Nation is a bit aggravating on the small iPhone screen.
 
#13
#13
I have to think the ipad would just be overkill for what you're looking to do with it. The Kindle Fire HD seems to fit perfectly. I'd also like to see the Nexus 10 when it's released in a couple of weeks
 
#14
#14
I just got my wife an Asus/Google Nexus, and it's tough to beat for $200. Brilliant screen, Google Play store, Chrome browser...
 
#16
#16
I am a big iPad 3 fan, but for reading books I much prefer a non backlit screen like the kindle or nook.

Used/refurb is definitely worth looking into. I bought my wife a used kindle that looks new for half price, and my wife found a used iPad (not the 3 but still great) in new condition for $200.
 
#17
#17
I own an Asus and 2 ipads (1 first generation 64gb and a new 16gb thru work) it really depends on what you need a tablet to do and battery life. The Asus has an awesome video card, quick charge times and is very fast. The Ipad has better battery life but limits you surfing with Safari if the websites have flash.

If you own an iphone go with a Ipad, same interface just bigger screen and better battery life than a droid powered tablet. If you like the droid platform get an Asus or the new Samsung tablet. The Toshiba Thrive tablet is also another one to consider.
 
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