Tablet Questions ?

LEGION 12

LEGION 12

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
62,482
I have no computer at home I would like to get my wife a tablet for her birthday in a few weeks she would be using it for Facebook and browsing. I know nothing about this kind of stuff I have a Wifi connection that's all I need correct ? I would like to keep the price under $ 150 if possible any suggestions ? Thanks in advance.
 
I don't know about prices, I bought a Samsung tablet off the Exchange. It is a lot of fun. For casual browsing, I like it better than the laptop.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I don't know about prices, I bought a Samsung tablet off the Exchange. It is a lot of fun. For casual browsing, I like it better than the laptop.
Click to expand...

RevDevil said:
Samsung Galaxy tablets are nice, iPads are nice too, but very expensive.
Click to expand...

As both said. Samsung has the best app support, software support next to apple. Apple has the best functionality for all devices working together seamlessly but, as states, it's expensive to have that seamless integration. Next is Samsung. I do actually have one. It's my shop device for pandora, iheart radio and finding information on net when in shop.
 
Yes, stick to a wifi only unit, as long as your house is set up for that. For travel then you can link it to a phone if your carrier allows (but its not a big deal either way)

one thing to think about, if you are needing to also use any windows programs on it, windows 10 comes out soon, and there might be some promos around it.

For android, the current wirecutter pic is the Asus MeMO ($170) which would be worth taking a look at.

If you also do lots of video calling or have family and friends spread way out, an ipad is more versatile for video chat, since you can use facetime to talk to iphone users, and skype for everyone else. but that's well above your budget.

Personally I've found Samsung's support to be pretty terrible but could be more related to the carrier than anything. Their own layer on top of android is the part I end up trying to fix on the extended families phones. But that might just be carrier related.

One last thing, if you are looking to go for a used, or older model. Take a close look at how far back its from, you want to be getting as close to android 5 as you can, and I wouldn't go below 4.4. the main reason being that the older versions don't get security updates, and if you use it for shopping and the like, you want to know that you are safe. Plus no point in a machine that the apps you want won't run on. Battery life and overall age are things to keep in mind with older units. the wirecutter review gives some good info on what you are looking for if comparing tablets, and some minimum specs to not go below for a good experience. (2Gb ram, 16G storeage if it has a memory card slot, 32Gb if not) There won't be a lot of good stuff in your price bracket, a lot of the units on the market are much slower, less secure, have older wifi and camera units, so the experience won't be great. Its really a case of individual units more than brands, since a lot of tablets from even a couple years back are very poor for most things now.
 
I have a WiFi only Dell Venue 7 tablet. Pretty good. WiFi is all you need unless unless you want to use it in the car or commuting or something like that.

The Dell I got because it was pretty cheap. Google tablets are great for Android (Google = Android), but pricey. I believe ASUS makes the Google tablets, so those are worth considering.

I love the tablet....I rarely use our laptop at home, and I carry my work tablet to all my stupid meetings instead of my work laptop.
 
I had an iPad2 for several years but it was essentially "full", only 16 gb capacity. To upgrade to the 32 gb model...Rather expensive. (nearly 700 bucks)
For under half that, I got a Galaxy tab 5 and a 64mb mini SD card. Performance is in some ways even better than the iPad....Wireless connectivity considerably better, for instance.
Well pleased.
 
If it fits in your budget, get the latest generation tablet. If not, look for no older than an year or so. Older hardware is slower, and severely limits your ability to upgrade and its usable lifetime. Most manufacturers want you to get a new one every two years, which none of us have a budget for (I'd use my tablet for 5 to 7 years before getting a new one). Windows-based, Android-based, and iOS-based are the only currency choices. While iOS-based (Apple-only) are out of your budget, you can certainly get Android-based and Windows-based tablets around the $150 mark - LG, Asus, Acer, Dell, Lenovo and several other brands make these tablets. One word of caution: Don't bother with no-named (unrecognized) brands that have tablets at too good to be true prices - they suck. Don't worry too much about other parameters as long as the primary purpose is Facebook and casual surfing the internet. I would highly recommend a visit to your neighborhood electronic devices store to get a feel of the form factor, they come in all shapes and sizes, 7", 8", 9", 10" and bigger ones even 12". And yes, all you need is a wifi connection. Think of a tablet as a smaller version of your laptop - the machines have been shrinking progressively in the last few decades (PC to laptop to tablets to handheld small devices).

Also, I'll be glad to pick one out for you once you have narrowed down to, ummm, say 3 or 5 choices. Send me a PM, or email choombak at gmail dot com.
 
I have been checking out the Asus tablets which model would be the best choice ?
 
you can wonderful IPADS in used condition in the right market for less than $300.00
 
LEGION 12 said:
I have been checking out the Asus tablets which model would be the best choice ?
Click to expand...

Resolution on the Asus isn't as good as it could be but I almost got one for my wife.

I decided to go with a Kindle Fire HD (add free with a big discount on a Prime membership) and it is a solid performer. If they didn't have such a bug up their ass about Google and would allow a Google app or Chrome to be used, it would be perfect. Good speed, resolution, sound, and price.

She primarily uses facebook, games, video messaging, our banking app and reading. It gets used an hour or two a day and keeps up fine. I'd get another.
 
Best Buy has a couple good choices right now for $200. One is the Asus ZenPad with a 7.85" screen. Quad core Intel Atom processor, 2gb RAM, 32gb storage (plus microSD slot), and front-facing stereo speakers. The screen is very high resolution 2048 x 1536. The Samsung Tab Pro 8.4" is on sale for $200. Quad core 2.3GHz processor, 2gb RAM, 16gb storage (plus microSD), and 2k resolution screen. The main difference between the 2 is the screen ratio. The Asus has a 4:3 ratio (same as iPads), which is great for web browsing or reading eBooks, while the Samsung has a 16:10 ratio, which is better for watching videos (movies, Netflix) or playing games.

Personally I like the ~8" form factor for tablets. 7" is just a bit too small, and 10" tablets are typically too big to hold with one hand comfortably for very long. I have the LG G Pad 8.3, and it's the perfect size. I plan on replacing it with the Samsung Tab S 8.4 (different than the Tab Pro 8.4 I'm suggesting for you) as it's aging in hardware (and the battery is crapping out), but I've loved it in the time I've had it.

I heavily recommend spending a bit more than your $150 and going with one of those I mentioned. For $150 you're going to be looking at underpowered, older, underspec'd, and/or used/refurbished devices. The budget Samsung tablets aren't worth owning, with very low resolution screens and inferior hardware. Used/refurb'd tablets like the LG G Pad 8.3, 2013 Nexus 7, or older Samsung flagship tablets can be found in this price range, but you have to either hunt down a used one that isn't abused, or deal with the caveats of refurbs.

The Kindle Fire tablets are a possible choice. The main advantage (price) is also its main disadvantage. As Rupestris said, the Kindle Fire doesn't play well with Google (despite running a fork of Android OS). You're limited to the Amazon ecosystem, which wile fairly rich, doesn't compare to Google Play (or iOS). So if you're expecting popular Google apps, or the latest most popular games, you'll at times be disappointed. But for casual use, pretty much all the big apps will be available. The advantage is that since you're locked into Amazon's ecosystem, they can offer your a cheaper price on the hardware. In the long run though, I think it's better to go with an Android tablet since you can always install the Amazon apps and use their ecosystem, as well as Google's.
 
I have one more question folks is there a simple way to transfer all your info from an Android phone to a tablet ? Thanks again I've learned a lot.
 
Easy way to transfer from phone to tablet or other device is to use Google Drive. Upload everything there and bring it down on the tablet. You'll need a gmail account but that's easy too.
 
Like Planterz said, I would get larger than 7". I have a kindle with 7ish" screen and it's a pain to browse with. On this site, its a 50/50 chance of me hitting a thread title or the username.
 
LEGION 12 said:
I have one more question folks is there a simple way to transfer all your info from an Android phone to a tablet ? Thanks again I've learned a lot.
Click to expand...

Sync all your data through your google account(s) on your phone (if it isn't already) then when you set up your account(s) on the tablet, a lot of things will be transferred over automatically.
 
$200 is what my Dell was. Its a little older now but still a favorite of everyone in the family as its quite fast. Kids like to host games from it since.
Pretty much anything non-Apple is a safe bet. You can pay twice as much for a used apple then it becomes unsupported a year later.
 
I'd opt for a tablet that isn't just an internet access device, such as the Kindle. Most of the new Samsung, Dell and Apple units have a LOT of functionality. I run an iPad Mini with a Zagg keyboard case.
 
Planterz said:
The Kindle Fire tablets are a possible choice. The main advantage (price) is also its main disadvantage. As Rupestris said, the Kindle Fire doesn't play well with Google (despite running a fork of Android OS). You're limited to the Amazon ecosystem, which wile fairly rich, doesn't compare to Google Play (or iOS). So if you're expecting popular Google apps, or the latest most popular games, you'll at times be disappointed. But for casual use, pretty much all the big apps will be available. The advantage is that since you're locked into Amazon's ecosystem, they can offer your a cheaper price on the hardware. In the long run though, I think it's better to go with an Android tablet since you can always install the Amazon apps and use their ecosystem, as well as Google's.
Click to expand...

The flipside is that you are locked into Amazon's ecosystem. It is basically a device to monitor your internet habits turn them into a customized Amazon shopping experience.

You cant really escape that with whatever system you use, but I find theirs particularly insidious.
 
Planterz said:
Sync all your data through your google account(s) on your phone (if it isn't already) then when you set up your account(s) on the tablet, a lot of things will be transferred over automatically.
Click to expand...

Yup. That stuff is pretty neat. Then all your stuff turns up anywhere. I do that with my Contacts, you can do it with Chrome and have all your Bookmarks turn up on another computer, Drive for files, etc etc etc.

Of course you do that and you are now "in" the Google ecosystem. You cant really win.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top