Tablets - What do you recommend?

I am thinking about buying tablet, but I don't want to spend too much $$$ on one since I believe the prices on them will continue to drop this year. I have an Android phone now which I like a lot, but I get tired of magnifying the screen and scrolling around to view web pages. My main use for a tablet is surfing the internet, I would not try to work from it. My old Dell D800 laptop works perfectly fine for internet surfing and has been upgraded with more memory and new hard drive, but it is not very mobile.

I have my eye on this Asus 10" tablet for $300 at Microcenter. Any other recommendations in this price range?

good to see you clarified this being about computers. Lot of old guys on here might be thinking you were seeking recommendations on scripts......

I am not a big fan of apple as a company... but somehow I've ended up with a handful of their products (2 computers and an iPad2). To be fair, my wife and I both have android phones and I have an android tablet and a few PCs in the house.

That said, the android tablet sits in a drawer and the iPad is used almost daily.

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

I am not a big fan of apple as a company... but somehow I've ended up with a handful of their products (2 computers and an iPad2). To be fair, my wife and I both have android phones and I have an android tablet and a few PCs in the house.

That said, the android tablet sits in a drawer and the iPad is used almost daily.

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That's good to know. My both my kids have iphones and love them. I can understand why the iPad is the favorite.

I have played with a few IPads and loved them... right up to the point I hit a web page with flash. For me, that was an instant death nail. My mom has the Kindle Fire so I played with that a bunch over Christmas, but the 7 inch screen bugged me. I found I was still having to zoom in to see some things and it made me think that I might as well be on my phone. The mother-in-law has the Nook running android which was also cheap and nice, but again, the screen was too small. So I know that when I get one, it will be android based with a 10 inch screen. I have a Samsung Galaxy phone and LOVE it, so I have gravitated to the 10" Galaxy Tab. The fact that they are selling a lot more than other 10" android tabs means more people are making accessories for them too. It is still a little pricey for my taste, so I will probably wait to see if the price comes down, or I may buy one used.

This will be TCB, they are dead on reliable. They are a bit heavy but you could use the excercise. :)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010...andments_1.jpg

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Originally Posted by black roadster

This will be TCB, they are dead on reliable. They are a bit heavy but you could use the excercise. :)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010...andments_1.jpg

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I know I am old, but not that old! :D

BR beat me to it.

Three stoopid, old man questions about tablets

1. Are they wifi or phone driven?
2. Do they have USB ports for input (think datalogger)
3. Are they NetFlix compatible?

iPAD3 next month?

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Originally Posted by onething

BR beat me to it.

Three stoopid, old man questions about tablets

1. Are they wifi or phone driven?
2. Do they have USB ports for input (think datalogger)
3. Are they NetFlix compatible?

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1) Always Wifi, but there are version that can be bought for use with phone data plans as well.
2) Usually
3) Yes

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Originally Posted by onething

BR beat me to it.

Three stoopid, old man questions about tablets

1. Are they wifi or phone driven? Yes and optionally Yes
2. Do they have USB ports for input (think datalogger) Maybe but the question is 'Are there Datalog Apps?'
3. Are they NetFlix compatible? Probably all are

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PC replacement? Partially but not completely

I have an Acer Iconia Tab A500 that I use every day over here. I keep my work paperwork on it, browse the internets, read books, watch videos, etc. I love it.

....never buying another Apple product if I can help it.

Asus Transformer Prime.

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Originally Posted by mr brg

Asus Transformer Prime.

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+1

Not exactly TCB... but a heck of a good tablet...

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Originally Posted by mr brg

Asus Transformer Prime.

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Now that someone else has chimed in. Yes. Absolutely. Best computing device I've bought in a LONG time. So much more than a tablet. With the dock, I can remote into my PC (or Mac) at home and do what the heck ever I want.

My wife is not a big computer user outside of work, but was starting to play online puzzle games and surf a bit more at home on an older laptop. It was really outdated, so I got her an ipad2 last year. I haven't really seen her much since then.

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

My wife is not a big computer user outside of work, but was starting to play online puzzle games and surf a bit more at home on an older laptop. It was really outdated, so I got her an ipad2 last year. I haven't really seen her much since then.

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Did you buy the ipad before or after you started spending all your time and money on bandit2? Maybe not counting the garage as part of the house and spending time in the house would help . . . just sayin'.

Bandit was her idea. Does that mean something?? The poolboy seems to be her friend anyway. I guess she plans to get a pool eventually...

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

Now that someone else has chimed in. Yes. Absolutely. Best computing device I've bought in a LONG time. So much more than a tablet. With the dock, I can remote into my PC (or Mac) at home and do what the heck ever I want.

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not arguing, just trying to understand. The price on amazon for the Asus and dock would be as much as a laptop. Is size/portability the reason for your comments?

I am looking at the toshiba thrive. same screen as the samsung galaxy, has usb, hdmi, and SD ports as well. it has made a few appearances on woot, next time i am going to pull the trigger.

I've said this more than once. If you have a good, small laptop, then the tablet isn't worth owning.

If you don't have a laptop, then a tablet is a good idea.

Me? I'll keep using my 11" Air. Fast, small, lightweight, a real keyboard, real browser, etc.

My 6 year old? loves the iPad.

Wife? Whatever is handy.

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Originally Posted by onething

not arguing, just trying to understand. The price on amazon for the Asus and dock would be as much as a laptop. Is size/portability the reason for your comments?

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Yes. The size/weight is stupendous, and the touchscreen interface makes it > than laptop for reading, casual surfing. 16+ hour battery life ain't so bad, either.

We have an iPad and the 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab in our household and both sit unused. They're nice for travelling, but for every other situation our laptops are more convenient, easier to use, and can be cheaper than many of the fancy newer tabs on the market. I wish someone had told me not to buy one.

woot sellout on the 32 gig thrive $319

http://sellout.woot.com/sale/toshiba...=email#tracked

picked up an asus transformer as a black friday deal last year. it's great - really any of the honeycomb based tablets are more than adequate. i can see it easily replacing a home theatre/media pc setup (with networked storage). i recently picked up a mini-bluetooth keyboard for this purpose.

screen size preference - is really up to you - depends on how you use it. the 7" are good i think for in-car use, imo (not while driving ... or in a miata lol). if you do quite a bit of traveling or are the type to tote your laptop everywhere you go, then the 10" seems to be a better option.

i have an ipad and i hate it. It cant even play flash without jailbreaking it which i dont want to do because it will void warranty. The only thing i like is the long battery life and games i have such as grand theft auto 3 and call of duty zombies. I played pandora today for 5 hours and only used like 12% battery. It is nice for at school to look at powerpoints on and email/ internet on the go. If I could go back I would have gotten an android or windows tablet.

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

I've said this more than once. If you have a good, small laptop, then the tablet isn't worth owning.

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I disagree. I have a good, small laptop, but my tablet still gets a LOT of use. It's lighter for one thing, which makes it easier to tote around... works better than a laptop for ebooks, fits into a small messenger bag and is easy to whip out if I'm sitting in a waiting room or something similar, etc.

I only use my laptop if I'm going to be sitting for an extended period. The tablet goes with me just about everywhere though.

It also is easier to use in bed here rather than stringing out my power supply every time I get back to my tent.

Kindle Fire is pretty good for the price. Or just get the Galaxy Note for your phone(5.3" display). :-D