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Tablet advice, suggestions, experiences?

2K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  RunTheWorldOnMac 
#1 ·
Hey guys. I have been considering getting a tablet for awhile now. For my needs, a 7" tablet appeals to me. I also don't have the budget for a iPad, and there are several affordable tablets in this size that get decent reviews.

Playing with a few of them quickly, I gotta say I liked the Playbook on the surface. It's well built, and the OS is really responsive. But.... what do you guys think is the future of this device? They are clearly making moves to improve it (the new OS update seems to be a major step). Clearly any piece of technology like this will be come dated, so I am not expecting anything major. But do you think there will be any more major steps when it comes to the availability of apps etc? Or is this product a dead end?

Other options:

- Acer A100
- Levono A1

- The Kindle Fire, while a great price, doesn't seem like the best choice for Canadians since most of it's preloaded services are US only. But price is right, and decent reviews. Is it worth it?

- There is the HTC Flyer as well, but it's out of my price range.
- The Samsung 7" tablet is at the highest end of my price range, but doesn't really seem to get great reviews anyway.

Any I am missing?
 
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#2 ·
Compare the sales of any of these, or all of them combined, with sales of the iPad and, realistically, you have your answer. If you want something that's still around a couple years later, there's pretty much one device available.
 
#15 ·
That used to be the PC users' argument about why you shouldn't buy Macs ;) Just sayin'

I have no doubt many of these tablets will still be around years from now, either way, he doesn't need one years from now and will surely have upgraded to a newer one by then, just as people with iPads now will have upgraded to newer iPads or other tablets if others are more convenient by then for them.

As for the tablets listed in the OP, do NOT, do NOT buy a Tablet with anything other than Android 3.2 or 4.0, or you will end up being disappointed. The UI, OS and experience just isn't adapted in 2.x to the tablet factor, and most often the Android Market, Gmail, Youtube, etc access just isn't there without hacking, and performance will lag behind any tablet with a modern OS.

Best keep with a tablet with a tablet-designed OS, such as any iPad or Android 3.x/4.x tablet.
 
#3 ·
With the iPad 3 announcement next week you should be able to pick up a used iPad 2 relatively cheap as there will be a lot of people upgrading. Rumours are that apple is also going to keep selling the base model 2 at a lower price, similar to what they have done with the iPhone the last few generations, so that may be another option for you.

My experience with other tablets is somewhat limited, but I've found android based ones to be too slow/laggy to respond, ice cream sandwich is supposed to help with this but it's anyone's guess IF/when the current generation of tablets will get upgraded to it. The playbook was better but had a bad habit of crashing. That said the software has been updated significantly since I last used it.

All that to say the iPad (even a used older model) still kicks butt when it comes to the other tablets currently on the market.
 
#4 ·
8GB iPad 2 rumoured for next week around $299-399.

Alternately, there will be a lot of people selling off used iPad / iPad 2's as the iPad 3 is announced. Could get in to a nicer used model within your price range. Even the original iPad is a better product with a more robust ecosystem than anything you have listed above.

If you have to get a 7", the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 is probably the best one (coming) out (IMHO)...

Samsung 7" 16GB Galaxy Tablet With Wi-Fi - White : Android Tablets - Best Buy Canada
 
#5 ·
It is easy to be seduced by the number of apps out there and think the ipad is the only choice. I have a playbook and love it. That being said, if you are an app hound ( and the improvements to the bb os helps here ) the ipad out of the box is a logical choice especially when married to a Mac computer. With the soon to be released ipad3 there will be buys out there. The real issue is what do you want it to do...for me the playbook works well, is nicely priced, and is very easy to carry around. I don't use it as a video player, that is what my big screen is for. But if you want it as a portable browser around the house an ipad would be great. If you want it as a more portable computer then get an air.
 
#6 ·
If you budget is limited, I'd advise you to look for a used iPad 2 or even iPad 1.

I'm still using my first gen iPad and am still in love with it. After the big announcement on Wednesday, there will be lots of used ones for sale.

I looked at the PlayBook the other day and found some really bad reviews. A friend on another list bought one and he gave it good marks, but he's kind of a special case. He buys every gadget he sees and apparently money is no object. I couldn't find a user community for te PlayBook.

On the other hand, you have this community that is well established and full of folks who use iPads and can offer advice and app suggestions. The app store is the best. Many free apps.

Sure, the iPad doesn't do flash, but about 0.01% of my iPad time is spent fussing over the lack of flash.

I use this iPad about 8 hours a day (I know I should put it down and go outside) and its going strong. I charge it about once a day. I dropped it on the cement floor and it kept on working.

If you check the classifieds right now, there's an iPad 2 for sale.
 
#7 ·
I looked at the PlayBook the other day and found some really bad reviews. A friend on another list bought one and he gave it good marks, but he's kind of a special case. He buys every gadget he sees and apparently money is no object. I couldn't find a user community for te PlayBook.
BlackBerry PlayBook - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com

They have about 18,000 threads about the Playbook there (as opposed to just under 11,000 about all iOS devices here).
 
#9 ·
Guy, I don't doubt that the iPad's are the cadillac. But most of the options I am listing are as much as 1/2 the price. Even a used iPad 2 would likely still run be twice the price of a Playbook for example. I am a Mac user like everyone else here, and I'd buy an iPad if I could. But my family just wants a tablet for basic functions. I am not buying it as a computer replacement or anything. I should have been more specific in my original post I guess.

If I could afford an iPad, this thread wouldn't have ven been started lol.
 
#10 ·
There is no Guy here.

Used original iPads (16GB) are selling around $200. Used iPad 2 (16GB) currently selling around $300-350, expect both of those to drop next week! PlayBook is $225 in Ontario with Tax. I'd rather a gently used original iPad to a POS like the PlayBook (and it is a POS). If you want low end, at least go Android.

Edit: Here's a classified listing here for an original iPad 16GB + 3G and extras, dropped $100 in price to $325 in two weeks... And will need to drop a lot more next week to compete with the flood of originals hitting the market (plus iPad 2s).
http://www.ehmac.ca/iphone-ipad-ipod-ios/99347-ipad-16gb-3g-first-generation-425-edmonton.html
 
#13 ·
I appreciate the advice and I know I asked for it. I just can't agree that an iPad one is as good as some other tablets I have tried that friends own though. I agree that an iPad 2 would be good, but I can't afford one. I personally have not some across one in that price range locally unless there were condition issues with it.

I can't afford $325. If I could, I would have listed more models in that price range.

I am going to exit the thread because I just don't agree that all these other tablets are crap, and that is all this discussion has centered around. I know a lot of people who are happy with non-iPad tablets. I asked advice from people who own some of these. I don't need to be told I am stupid for not wanting an iPad.
 
#16 ·
fjnmusic, thank you for a reasonable post. This is my one issue. Not all reviews of all these tablets are bad. And I know people personally using some of these other tablets that are quite happy with their purchase. Not everyone has the same needs. In my case, I am not looking for anything close to a computer replacement. I need something for basic web browsing, checking email and some other really basic tasks. I have read many reviews and heard many personal reports to suggest that some of these budget devices are good enough for that. And as mentioned a key point in my case, a 7" tablet would be much more handy for my needs.

I think my mistake was l posting this thread on this forum. Being that I was looking for a different type of device (7", different price range), I thought some people might be able to give some first hand experiences though without the hammering to buy an iPad.

Another point regarding the OS, while the Blackberry Playbook may be a bit of a disaster, I thought the OS was fantastic when I played around with a couple of my friends. I actually preferred it to iOS in a lot of ways. Everyone is different.
 
#17 ·
Well you should probably go with your instinct then. My wife got a Kindle 3G a year and a half ago. Then she got an iPhone 4 last summer. Now she rarely uses the Kindle any more--not that the Kindle isn't a good device, but the iPhone is a way more useable device, as a reader, camera, video camera, Internet surfer or what have you. It's just the best in its class it seems.
 
#19 ·
I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a Playbook. I want something small to read on, use in meetings for note taking and looking at docs at work. Internet, Email of course.

My fiance said if I want a tablet for my Bday she would buy me an iPad since I bought her one for Christmas. I want something smaller though. That and want to keep things on the cheap. I looked at Kobo Vox but Playbook is the best offering at the price since the Kindle Fire is not available in Canada.

I will use my iPhone 4G as a hotspot for it when needed.

Going to take it for a test drive now! Any other words of advice?
 
#20 ·
For what I paid for my play book, it's hard not to be happy with it. The app situation is still the major downside. But the device itself is really solid. Nice size, well built, great os, and a really great web browser. The browser makes up for a lack of some apps because you can run a lot of web apps in it. But there are still popular apps that are badly needed.

I don't know if the device has a future, but it has had 2 pretty decent is updates since I got it and seems to be improving.

The only complaint I can really make is apps. And that us a situation that is being slowly fixed. The device itself and the os are great though.
 
#21 ·
Fasten your seat belts and drive defensively. ;)
 
#24 ·
If the PlayBook does what you need right now as it stands, then it could be a worthwhile buy. But I wouldn't count in future developments for fixes, because I don't really see RIM being around for that much longer. Look at the market cap decline over the last three years or so. No company = no support. But tablet could be a good deal in the meantime.
 
#26 ·
That's a pretty expensive clay pigeon.
 
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