[Closed] buying first Tablet - confused....

If we could keep price closer to £200 than £300 plus that would be good.

Nexus then.

Nexus 10 would be a better comparison to the iPad, maybe worth seeing what that's like when it comes out?

Firstly go have a play with some and see what you think.

For surfing and movies then they will all do that. Apps iPad currently winning but prob not for long.

Do you want your kids playing with something at the top of price range?

thanks - will be going to have a look at weekend, but keen to educate myself a bit first !

mike - no, would rather have something at a sensible price that does the needed

There's a recent thread on the merits of the Blackberry Playbook that's probably worth searching for

Having a bit of a play with some will help you decided which screen size you want, which is probably the first key choice to make. I've just bought a Nexus 7 but we do have a 10 inch tablet in the household too. As an only tablet I'd probably go for 10 inch, but depends on personal preference an intended use.

Just buy a Nexus 10 and enjoy it - i've got the 7" version and rate that well for the price, the larger one will be betterer for general use.
The operating system isn't quite as polished as Apple's but it is otherwise very good.

Apple has 70% of the market and is the undoubted all round leader ( in my views of course). I've had an iPad1 since just after they came out, device works brilliantly and changes the way you will use "a computer". My usage is very similar to your intended use, web browsing, email, content viewing especially on flights, document reading/creation (small doc, long emails), some apps but they are secondary

The downside is you have to pay a relative premium price for it, as they sell out almost immediately new stock comes in you cannot say apple have got the pricing wrong. 100 million sold since launched.

Everyone else is playing catch up

As budget is a factor and given your requirements then as above a Nexus running Anrdoid is a very compelling alternative. A small memory sized apple might be insufficient if you want to keep a few movies on it for a family holiday for example

Either a Nexus 10 or an iPad 4 as your choices really, I wouldn't bother with less than a 10" if it's going to be your main computer and portability isn't a critical issue. Amount of memory depends on what you'll be storing on it but basically get as much as you can afford within budget (even if Apple's memory pricing is a complete rip-off).

I'm writing this on a Samsung galaxy tab 10.1 2, retail around £300 (although I managed to get it for £225). Comes with 16Gb memory with SD slot for another 32Gb. Does everything I want well enough. Still be a wrench to lose it but not £600 worth of loss. Don't bother with a 3G one unless you're sure you'll use it, many places I use this (mainly home) has WiFi, the 3G whacks the cost up and means ongoing costs to use it. If you want apple fine, if not save a chunk. Also think what you're going to us it for, surfing, watching doesn't need a top spec processor etc. so don't get sucked into that debate. Personally I'd stick to Android if you're not going Apple.

thanks for all the feedback. We have a desktop that we use for home stuff, incl the kids homework so this won't be main computer. It does sound though that we are better going for 10 inch rather than 7 for movies and browsing.

Funnily enough i'm debating this all today too after selling some CR-V wheels.

My debate is between 3 choices, depending on whether i buy it for the wife for Xmas or myself for now.
older Ipad from classifieds
Nexus 7
Playbook.

Only the playbook would be for me.... as i don't think the wife would rate it.

Updating my previous thread about the Playbook - I popped into PC World yesterday to have a play on one, and I was quite impressed. The OS seemed pretty slick and the screen is nice. It also feels nicely put together, possibly slightly more sturdy than a Nexus. Hard to really tell with no access to the interclick though.

Bear in mind the 32gb Nexus has just come out, and will probably drop in price at some point.

Playbook is the best choice. 🙂

Sounds like a curry last night but - Ainol Fire/Flame, accepts micro SD cards and my 32GB one is running fine.

Question on the Playbook lads,

Assuming i have a jack which i use in my car for ipod currently, standard 3.5 jack, i assume i can use the playbook as a device for my AUX socket in the car ?

2nd part of Qn i guess... all the albums (ish) are on itunes, how would i get them onto the playbook in a playable format ?

Most of mine i could do from CD i guess... but again, how would i do all that ?

Looking at getting a tablet for my Mum for Christmas (cost split between me and my sister). Just posting on here so I can keep track of this thread!

Nexus seems to be winning out so far, mostly cos it's got a micro USB so it's easy for her to transfer pictures across. An HDMI Out port would be nice as well so she could show the pictures on a TV but the only tablet that seems to come with one of those is the Asus Transformer Prime (unless anyone knows differently?)

Main use for her would be to have all her photos in one place, she’s quite into her photography so it would be good if the tablet had an SD card slot, USB/micro USB and ability to run some decent photo apps. IME though (using an Android phone) the photo apps are a bit crap, I know that the Apple/iPhone apps are much better. Hmmm… Thoughts?

I'm liking the idea that the Nexus has various "profiles" - one for each user. Does any other tablet support this concept?

Assuming i have a jack which i use in my car for ipod currently, standard 3.5 jack, i assume i can use the playbook as a device for my AUX socket in the car ?

Std 3.5mm Jack means whatever is coming out of the headphones goes to the car speakers - there be no magic there 🙂

Blackberry Playbook has HDMI which is one of the things that's currently attracting me to it - if I get the job I'm going for at the moment I'm going to be spending a fair bit of time in hotels, and a 64gb tablet that I can plug into a tellybox is quite appealing. It also has MicroUSB.

Dunno about photo apps though, and not many tablets seem to have card readers built in - can you get an external one for the iPad?

What's the limitations on a 1st Gen iPad please guys ? What will it not do that Mrs Weeksy may want from it compared to a later iPad ?

You can get an external card reader for an iPad.

I'm liking the idea that the Nexus has various "profiles" - one for each user. Does any other tablet support this concept?

@weeksy

I have an iPad1 - to date I see no limitations vs later devices. Side by side with a retina display you can see the difference, ie the new screen is fabulous. However that's just what I thought about the 1 when I got it and unless they are side by side I don't think you'd notice. The question mark is over the new OS6, this is the first upgrade that the iPad1 doesn't support, so far everything is running fine for me. The new iPad has a much faster chip, I don't use many apps and certainly not processor hungry so it's not a major issue for me.

With regard to the car audio, I think a tablet is a bit big to be have sat in the car connected to the sterio. I'd stick with the iPod for that.

even a 7" Blackberry or Nexus too big ?

Do you mean you've upgraded your 1st Gen to iOS 6 and it works ? I think Mrs Weeksy would like iOS6.

I guess the big Qn for me is, am i buying this for her or for me lol. I can get a 1st Gen from here for £155 or a Nexus new for £189 or a BBPlaybook for £130.

the Playbook i'd keep for me.... the other 2 i doubt i'd ever get to see... but would make Mrs Weeksy happy lol

Interesting article about the Playbook here:

http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/playback-rims-blackberry-playbook-18-months-later/

Ainol Fire has a mini HDMI, micro SD card slot and Micro USB.

I reckon that anyone trying to market a tablet at premium prices is headed for disaster, Apple have that market totally tied up. Hence the cheap, HPs, Playbooks etc.
For everyone else, the only other viable option is to market a cheap Android tablet.

Of course, all the [now] cheap 'failures' are very welcome to us 🙂

an interesting read, thanks 🙂

What about the Kindle fire, is that a tablet that can do all this stuff? I have not read much about them yet but a guy at work bought one last week when they came out.

Carphone warehouse have loads of tablets on display to play with if you can cope with the harassing sales staff bugging you 🙂

following this with interest! I've been looking at some cheaper tablets, but find they can't access the Google Play store, and as its going to be for the kids, I can't be doing with rooting it.

Does the Ainol connect to the Play store?

What's the limitations on a 1st Gen iPad please guys ? What will it not do that Mrs Weeksy may want from it compared to a later iPad ?

Nothing really, apart from take photos and video calling (no camera).
It is very slow though, in comparison to more modern devices.

Re: connectivity above: iPad has an SD card read / USB connector for £25 - I use it to transfer over all my camera photos, the ones from my iPhone sync automatically via the iCloud over WiFi. Then flickr app to "publish". Obviously you can do this with the other tablets (aside from the iCloud thing perhaps but maybe Android has a similar feature)

Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 has £50 cashback off £299, today is the last day I think:

http://www.samsung-direct.co.uk/en/products/tablets/tablets/tablets/samsung/galaxy-tab-2-10-1-wi-fi-16gb-silver

I am swaying towards the Nexus 7 I think 😀

Is it worth paying an extra £30 for the 32g one ? As per my OP will be used mainly for surfing, movies etc, and not as 'main computer' PC World seems to be the cheapest at £170 as far as I can see...I wonder if the 16g ones will get cheaper now the 32 is out ?

I am swaying towards the Nexus 7 I think

Is it worth paying an extra £30 for the 32g one ? As per my OP will be used mainly for surfing, movies etc, and not as 'main computer' PC World seems to be the cheapest at £170 as far as I can see...I wonder if the 16g ones will get cheaper now the 32 is out ?

I've just bought one.... 5 mins ago lol.

I went for the 16Gb. The wife has every form of ipod on the planet for playing music an iphone etc etc... So thought the extra storage wasn't required for this.

My only debates now are.
1. Do i keep it or give to her
2. Do i give it to her at Xmas
3. Do i just give it to her today lol

PC World are giving a years free Norton along with it at the moment.

weeksy - I may be off to pc world this evening now 😀

How long before the new Microsoft tablets start to come out?

From using a Microsft phone I'd say as an interface its much nicer than Android

I asked on a different thread - but Google Play store have the 16GB N-7 for £159, but it doesn't tell you what shipping is until you place the order. Anyone know what the shipping cost is?

Expect a bit of standing round...

"yes sir, i'll see if we have one in stock"
.....

....

"yes we do...."

"OK, i'll have it...."

"i'll have to go get the keys....."

I'm thinking FFS why didn't you bring the sodding keys over with you...

"you get free Norton....."
"great".

....

"I'll have to go and get it "

Jesus why didn't he pick it up when he went for the tablet..... or the bloody keys....

"do you want a cover"

"no mate i think i may top myself if you have to sod off again"

PC World are giving a years free Norton along with it at the moment.

Free?
it's over-priced

jota180 - Member

PC World are giving a years free Norton along with it at the moment.

Free?
it's over-priced

Well as i don't know what AV options come on Tablets i thought it was silly to refuse. We use AVG on her home laptop, my work one runs Symantec. But for now until we find something better it may get installed. I think i have AVG on my Android phone... dunno actually.

theotherjonv - yes, I was reading that thread too - would also like to know how much shipping is - am tempted to put in basket and see what it comes to...

jon - shipping is a tenner for me, just checked. Probs better getting from pc world 🙂

@ianc - I'd say yes its worth the extra for the memory on the basis you cannot add it later and you may find you are using the tablet for movies which are quite memory intensive. Also it means you can have more/all of your music on there without thinking about selecting which albums etc.

@jambalaya - yes, good points, and not a lot of extra dosh, thanks

I think this may go into another thread possibly....

But how will she/we put movies etc on it ?

We usually do everything through iTunes.

another Q from me - is it worth buying AV stuff like Norton for tablets ? and if so what is reccomended ?

We usually do everything through iTunes

Should have bought an iPad then 😉

[EDIT] sorry, not very helpful. I've only scan read this thread but if you've not yet bought a tablet and you're already in the Apple table with iTunes, iPods, iPhones etc I strongly recommend paying a bit extra for an iPad. I'm no fanboi but it does all work really nicely together.

@weeksy if you're using windows the nexus will show up as another item in your my computer like a camera does when you plug it in. You can then find the movies folder and just drag and drop files in.
Don't bother with syncing using windows media player as it won't let iphone compatible files be synced to the nexus even though it will play them. I've made sub-folders in my movies folder to organise thm a bit more.

Should have bought an iPad then

[EDIT] sorry, not very helpful. I've only scan read this thread but if you've not yet bought a tablet and you're already in the Apple table with iTunes, iPods, iPhones etc I strongly recommend paying a bit extra for an iPad. I'm no fanboi but it does all work really nicely together

Don;t have the budget for that i'm afraid

jon - shipping is a tenner for me, just checked. Probs better getting from pc world

Cheers. but i need to get mine from Comet as i've a credit balance there currently, hence i need the cheapest price and ge tthem then to price match (they have on for £189 currently)

Looks like £169 then.

@weeksy - for movies I buy via iTunes and out into the iPad - I have to assume that works fine for Nexus tablet. For example the Strength in Numbers movie was roughly half price on iTunes vs buying the DVD

What I also do is, cough, make copies of discs with ripping software and encode them in a format the tablet can read. Obviously all this is for my own personal use with DVDs I have purchased.

BTW the tablet's are very good for BBC iPlayer downloads, Podcasts etc (like the 5Live cycling/doping special recently)

jambalaya - Member
@weeksy - for movies I buy via iTunes and out into the iPad - I have to assume that works fine for Nexus tablet. For example the Strength in Numbers movie was roughly half price on iTunes vs buying the DVD

What I also do is, cough, make copies of discs with ripping software and encode them in a format the tablet can read. Obviously all this is for my own personal use with DVDs I have purchased.

BTW the tablet's are very good for BBC iPlayer downloads, Podcasts etc (like the 5Live cycling/doping special recently)

Thanks. 100% of the media we have is either CD format or bought from itunes, so as long as we can get into a format the tablet can read then yeah, that's all cool

Be aware that Adobe were trying to withdraw support for flash and it won't be supported on Android after ICS (I think).

They are still supporting it for older versions of android due to pressure from people like the BBC, as iplayer relies on flash.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19428902

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19648600

as iplayer relies on flash.

iPlayer does not need Flash if used on iOS devices so I assume they have a non-Flash version ready for Android too.

I assume they have a non-Flash version ready for Android too.

Yes they do. IPlayer works fine on Android 4.1 without flash.

I just want to say thanks to all for this thread... it's been very informative and helped me lots.

weeksy - you are very welcome 😀

TurnerGuy - Member
Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 has £50 cashback off £299, today is the last day I think:

I think everyone's headed down the Nexus route anyway here, but I bought a Sammy Galaxy tab 2 10.1 from Amazon on Sunday for £279 and the £50 cashback offer is valid there too. According to the T&C, it's available for purchases up til 31 December, which brings the price down to far more palatable just-above-£200.

I did have an Acer Iconia A510 before that, but in all honesty it was rubbish. Screen sensitivity was utter bobbins and the browser kept freezing and crashing.
Sent it back to Amazon and took a punt on the Samsung instead and am loving it. Is everything the Iconia was not and more.

Toyed with the idea of sending it back (literally received it the same day the Nexus 10.0 was announced and had been waiting for that after hearing great things about the Nexus 7) but would have been looking at paying almost an extra £100 on top, and couldn't really see what it would offer over the Sammy tbh.

To add my tuppence worth: I've had a 7" Galaxy Tab for the past year or so, the kids love it and it's ideal for a quick bit of breakfast mail / news / twitter. it's also perfect for watching films, the smaller size isn't a problem in practice.

What it's not so good for is lengthy web browsing, although Android allows you to quickly zoom in/out of text - and it resizes to the window - the small size is a bit limiting, the screen's just not big enough. Personally it's not a problem, I wanted a smaller device and am prepared to put up with this limitation, but if you're planning on spending hours browsing it's something to bear in mind.

for the money, i'd buy TWO Playbooks. They all multitask, but having two means you can mult-USER too. I've not tried web-based games on mine, but the web experience on the Playbook is the best.

best sort of tablet..the Scottish type

[img] [/img]

I may well buy a playbook, but in all honesty it's barely a major inconvenience for me to pick up the laptop to browse the forums, i have to take it home anyway due to being on call.

Does the Nexus have an SD slot or are you stuck with the memory that you've bought?

And theotherjohnv, I'd get into Comet quickly before the administrators do...

[quote=FunkyDunc]How long before the new Microsoft tablets start to come out?

From using a Microsft phone I'd say as an interface its much nicer than Android

[url= http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/productID.258666000?WT.mc_id=FY13WinHH ]Microsoft Surface RT[/url] tablets went on sale last week, Intel-based versions (which will run full Windows 8 ) due in about 3 months time..

They look like an interesting proposition.. can't quite decided if they will carve out their own niche or be not quite one or the other (tablet/laptop).. nice hardware though. Tempted to get one to play with..

But how will she/we put movies etc on it ?

Just copy the file into the Movies folder on the Nexus.
I use ES File Manager - it has the option to browse my local network, so I can connect to my Nas, copy and paste onto the Nexus over wireless. Or connect direct via a USB cable.

Other options, if you have a DVD, rip it using Handbrake.

You can also purchase or rent movies over the Play store. Once rented they can be streamed or 'pinned' so they are downloaded and can be watched without a connection.

Google Play Music also goes live in the UK on the 13th November, so you can upload up to 20,000 songs to Google then stream them wherever you have a connection (or tethered 3G phone).

If you have iTunes on a machine in the house, load up TunesRemote+ and you can remote control your library from your Nexus.

Stick AirBubble on the Nexus and you can also use it as remote speakers from iTunes so play music back to it.

Does the Nexus have an SD slot

No. Probably best to get the bigger one to future proof it unless you have no need of storing stuff. Some games coming out for the Tegra 3 chip are over 500MB each.

Some recommendations:

ES File Manager - manage Nexus, LAN, FTP and cloud.
Flipboard - pretty cool app for news, articles, content
GTA 3 - crank setttings up to full, plays really well
Dead Trigger if you like shooting zombies

Another tip - pick up a USB OTG cable for about a quid and you can connect USB devices to the Nexus. I had a hub on there, with keyboard, mouse and card reader!

If you install Nexus Media Importer (paid but cheap) you can access card readers or memory sticks (read only). Got a movie on a USB stick? You can stream it, so effectively increasing capacity. I also used it to backup and watch my GoPro footage.

This function gets round the connection issue that limits cloud storage.

Wow.. thanks for them posts mate.

I'm thinking for ease of use for now i may get an iPad for the wife, will make the transferring of music/movies a lot easier in the short term. I keep the Nexus 7 for myself which gives me more time etc for installing what i need or doing the cloud scenario longer term.

I think this is the most useful thread I have ever started on stw ! 😆

once youve bought your first ten or so things will be come clearer

oh sod.... the iPad has sold lol.

So i'm either saving some extra for a new iPad.... or she gets the Nexus 7 as planned

2 weeks ago I really wasn't sure I 'got' tablets - now I can hardly put it down! The stuff you can do with it is crazy, I've even been VNCing in to my Mac (taking remote control of the desktop), chucking files and photos round the place and streaming to the telly!

If you have a DLNA telly on your home network, Twonky Beam is incredible. You can share content, choose TV and it'll stream - the TV auto switches to the source and up it comes. Twonky has its own content browser too, with YouTube, Vimeo ,TED etc.

Also - don't forget you can take control of the Play store from your browser and install apps on your device from there! Just search, click install, pick a device and it auto downloads and installs on the device, so app is ready to go when you get to it!

https://play.google.com/

Another useful tip - look up Google Cloud Printing.
If you have a computer with a printer connected, you can open Chrome, install the printers then print to the Cloud printer from your Nexus (app : Cloud Print) as long as that computer is on.

Just try playbook

Replying just to follow the thread, tablet shopping this weekend!

I had to bring the convo up with the wife...

It looks like i'm buying an iPad for Xmas....

The plus side is.... i get a Nexus for myself tonight 🙂

In response to the earlier query about the Kindle Fire HD here is some feedback having had mine for just over a week - note this is not an answer to the question of "what is the best tablet?"

Whole family are apple mad with probably ten devices of various types between the four of them and I am the sole rebel. I use a toshiba latop and a HTC phone, both of which I love. I also read avidly on a kindle.

When I traipse into Londinium for the day I often take all three devices as whilst the phone can do pretty much everything at a push it's screen is a bit small to do things for long. So I decided to get a kindle fire hd and now leave the laptop and original kindle at home. At this level the Fire is a huge success. The fact that it only cost £159 helped too.

I also find myself sitting on the sofa in front of the telly and using the Fire rather than the Tosh, because it really is good enough for most things I want to do.

BUT, I am not into games and probably have a total of 8 apps on my phone. If you are into multiple apps and like to play millions of games then the Fire's restriction to Amazon store will drive you nuts. I can't believe that an organisation like Amazon will allow themsleves to miss out on sales of apps for too long, but right now you should be aware of the limitations.

So I love my Fire, but currently it wouldn't be the best choice for everyone.

The company I run makes accessories for the iPad so whenever a new tablet comes out we always check it out to see if it worth making accessories for. To start off with I will say that the iPad isnt perfect so I am not a pure Apple fanboy.

First of I would recommend ordering all the tablets you are interested in via mail order. You can then play with them to your hearts content and see which one you get on with. You can then return the ones that aren't wanted for a full refund. Normally you can do this within 14 days. The reason I say this is playing with things in the shop is not seeing how you would use them in real life. Funnily enough all tablets look to be great in the shop but when you start using them the limitations come out.

If you want something idiot proof and easy for all the family then get an iPad. iPad 2 is fine as the iPad 3 & 4 isn't really that much better. iPad mini is also a good choice as this is getting rave reviews with lots of reviewers saying it is even better than a full size iPad. Yes the iPad isn't perfect but unlike many of the others it does just work.

Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 are good and cheaper but after using an iPad they just seem clunky and not very slick. They are however better at surfing. Personally I would go with the Kindle Fire but thats because we use Amazon so everything is fully integrated and you are getting a whole ecosystem, a bit like the iPad. The Kindle Fire and Nexus seem to me more setup for watching movies and just doing over simple things.

We have also just started testing the Microsoft Surface and this really could be a game changer. Initially it is a bit more expensive but the interface is really good and the keyboard and more importantly the mouse are just brilliant. With all tablets the biggest problem is that you can't really replace your computer as you cant do intricate things like Excel easily or do much typing. With the surface you can do all of this. I have to say that so far I am very impressed. It does have full windows on it so it is a little bit over complicated and confusing behind the scenes like all PC's. So for example when the Wifi can't connect it says to check your network cable, however the Surface doesn’t have one (this is just hangover from the PC setup)

So all in all I would go for an iPad or a Surface. If you want to go risk free then get an iPad as resale values are very good and there is a reason they hold so much of the market!!

Microsoft... What could possibly go wrong?... No I think I'll go for an android.

I really liked my Nexus 7 but it's now sitting unused as the screens cracked and you can't get spare parts for it. Something to keep in mind but even after this I'm still tempted by the Nexus 10.