Tablets

[DMT]

I'm thinking of getting my wife a tablet for Xmas, would like to hear from tablet owners what they have and pros/cons of each.

After buying myself a Macbook I am a big fan of Apple but the mark-up on the Ipad is pretty steep (>100%) so I'm willing to consider other options, especially since she is not a big techno-gadget person. This will actually be a replacement of her laptop.

[cardboardbox]

I have a hard time seeing my ipad replacing what I do on a pc.

That said, I like ios so much more than android that for me theres no choice but to go with the ipad.

[nots]

I'm thinking of getting my wife a tablet for Xmas, would like to hear from tablet owners what they have and pros/cons of each.

After buying myself a Macbook I am a big fan of Apple but the mark-up on the Ipad is pretty steep (>100%) so I'm willing to consider other options, especially since she is not a big techno-gadget person. This will actually be a replacement of her laptop.

Great question as I am looking to do the exact same thing.
Very interested to hear what others think are the pros/cons of the various tablets.

[swampdragon]

Does it get easy to type on a tablet? or is it really best for short notes? Can you do legitimate word processing?

Also are there any deals on laptops or netbooks out there? The price could be a huge factor.
I saw an Acer 7" netbook for $157 at Target - that seems like a great deal to cheaply connect to the internet, get email, and do some work
There seem to be some black friday laptop deals under $200 but I am willing to bet the numbers to purchase are small.

[johnnya24]

I'm having this debate with my sister ... who wants to get a cheap Android tablet for my niece. But there are none that come close to the iPad. The cheap Androids are not worth a penny right now, and the difference in price between the higher-end Androids and the iPad does not make up for the difference in quality.

That said, there is a chance that we may see some very cheap Android tablets on the market soon ... right now the very cheap models are dressed up junk. But in 6 months or so I wont be surprised to see some decent options in the Ł100/$100 range. I can't justify an iPad now, but I might be able to convince myself to get a budget Android if something comes along that falls into the "easily disposable" range.

The market is clear for me right now ... iPad or nothing.

As for the laptop replacement issue. I'm not sure there are any straight tablets that can truly replace a laptop/desktop. But you can get a keyboard/recharging dock for your iPad if your wife has a fixed area for using her laptop. If she needs mobility, and types a fair amount, I don't think a tablet is a great solution.

**Although in saying that, I just did a search and found things like this on the market now also:

Keyboard Case for iPad2

[joncarlos]

I already have a laptop, a kindle and an iPhone. So I'm not sure what I would get from a tablet that I don't already get from one of those devices.

My daughter is almost 2, but I don't want her playing with the tablet 7 hours a day, so that's actually an argument against getting one. Even though I know it might help with school and there are good educational games that you can get.

And yet... I am still tempted.

[cardboardbox]

Get a first gen ipad. Thats what I did and it was $300 new 9 months ago.

[TranaGreg]

the RIM Playbook just had a big price discount applied as well - 16GB model is now under $200.

[Moonlight J]

I have a legacy iPad with a bluetooth keyboard that does me wonders. I've used it in the pressbox a few times this season. Toggling windows is an annoyance since you can't just alt-tab like you do from a laptop, but for battery power and convenience, you can't beat it.

[johnnya24]

Get a first gen ipad. Thats what I did and it was $300 new 9 months ago.

That's a good option if you can get it for >$300. I would say the 1st gen iPad is still better than any Android out there.

You guys can get some cracking deals for computing stuff.

[bryanbutler]

Does it get easy to type on a tablet? or is it really best for short notes? Can you do legitimate word processing?

for me, no, it never gets easier to type directly on a tablet. i would never consider it for my main mechanism for word processing. a little editing, or simple notes, emails, texts, sure, but never for bulk typing. but you can just get one of the keyboards that hook into it (wired or wireless), if you intend to do a lot of typing into it. you'll also want something that angles the screen to avoid neck/eye strain...

[Moonlight J]

for me, no, it never gets easier to type directly on a tablet. i would never consider it for my main mechanism for word processing. a little editing, or simple notes, emails, texts, sure, but never for bulk typing. but you can just get one of the keyboards that hook into it (wired or wireless), if you intend to do a lot of typing into it. you'll also want something that angles the screen to avoid neck/eye strain...

Ditto -- I hate typing on the iPad which is why I have the keyboard. I can retain my wpm count with the keyboard but I'm reduced to a 2-finger typer without it.

[Wonderboy]

If anyone gets the Kindle Fire, please post some comments. I don't really need a fully functional tablet and that may be a cheaper option for me.

[swampdragon]

Ditto -- I hate typing on the iPad which is why I have the keyboard. I can retain my wpm count with the keyboard but I'm reduced to a 2-finger typer without it.

so functionally - what does an Ipad/Tablet do better than a laptop except have a friendlier interface (and look cooler).

About 25 years ago I used to work on a workstation with a touchscreen and this technology was replaced by a trackball/mouse

[Piney Boy]

I just bought an Acer EEE Transformer 32 GB off of Overstock.com last week. $379 (last I checked it was $389). Very nice machine. Running Honeycomb 3.1 from what I can tell and will get the ICS update when available. I did look at a Vizio VTAB1008 which was at Walmart for $247. Just too small. 7" tablets just look too small to me. The Asus is 10.1 and is a nice size and not too heavy. I could have purchased a laptop from Best Buy for around $280, but I wanted her to have access to the Android Market.

Pro: Android Market, the better ones will get Ice Cream Sandwich update, easier to carry around than a laptop,

Con: typing is a bit slow on it, but not horrible, will need a case or stand to have it stand up.

Be careful of the cheap tablets. They are slow, some have horrible UIs, and are not upgradeable.

The best ones for Android are the Samsung Galaxy Tab line, Asus EEE Transformer, Toshiba Thrive, and the Motorola Zoom. As good as these are the Ipad is still the best.

I have not had much time to play with it. She loves it.