Tablet devices - pros and cons

[matapule]

Matapule was fortunate this Christmas to be gifted with a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 running the Android system with 10.1" screen. It was purchased at Costco on sale for $279.00. I am still trying to get used to it and I don't know if it will have utility for me or not. One caveat, I have never owned a "smart phone" so I am not used to that technology which seems to be an advantage for utilizing a tablet.

Pros:
- very portable
- faster than my laptop
- easy (logical) to navigate through menus
- looooooooong battery life (like about 10 hours)

Cons:
- it is difficult for me to "tap" the commands with my ham fisted fat fingers
- the "apps" are not as useful as the actual website
- When I sign up for an app, I sign a waiver that seems to give away a lot of privacy
- screen can be hard to read with old eyes. Yes, I can enlarge the screen but then you have to navigate through that larger screen.
- on screen "keyboard" is difficult and cumbersome to use. I know I can purchase a compatible keyboard but it is still too small for my fingers.
- not as many apps for Android as for Ipad.....but them you are not a slave to itunes either.

Final analysis:
Tablets are NOT a substitute for a laptop computer. Yes they are a convenience if you travel a lot or you can adapt one for business use. I guess they are a useful luxury convenience if you can afford one.

Anything else I am missing?

[tutusue]

Re: Tablet devices - pros and cons

I'm not a smartphone user...yet...either but I have a Kindle Fire. As far as I can tell I'm not able to do work related data basing on it...or anything else work related. It's good for checking email and Facebook and surfing the web when I'm near a wifi hotspot...the only one being in my own home or the studio I occasionally work out of! Possibly I'd be more enamored with it if it was an iPad on a network. I, too, have fat finger syndrome so rely on a stylus.

[lensperson]

Re: Tablet devices - pros and cons

At first I was a bit apprehensive but after a I purchased and experimented with

a few of these wee computers I was more than impressed..

They can easily run from solar power.

About a 10 watt current will suffice.

My
asus eeepc used about 35 watts.

[TuNnL]

Re: Tablet devices - pros and cons

Matapule was fortunate this Christmas to be gifted with a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 running the Android system with 10.1" screen [...] Final analysis: Tablets are NOT a substitute for a laptop computer. Yes they are a convenience if you travel a lot or you can adapt one for business use. I guess they are a useful luxury convenience if you can afford one.

Anything else I am missing?

Yes! I believe they sell an attachable keyboard for the Galaxy Tab2, which essentially make your tablet the same thing as a laptop, with the added bonus of touch-screen capability.

However, the bigger issue is the brand. Samsung may look pretty, but they subscribe to the idea that less is more. I never bought in to this maximum-profit/minimum benefit philosophy, but I guess the majority of consumers are suckers for this.

A better tablet would have been the Toshiba Excite 10 or the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity (CNET’s Editor’s Choice). Both tablets have an HDMI connection port, which means you can hook it up to any television and basically get a bigger screen then even your desktop computer — without giving up the convenience of touchscreen. If you are a Playstation 3 or XBox360 gamer, you can connect your controller directly to the ASUS tablet via built-in USB port. The Toshiba also has a full-size SD card slot, which means you can add up to 128GB of external hard drive space — good if you are downloading music or movies and need to save it somewhere. And these tablets, like your Samsung, have optional external keyboard attachments with the ASUS keyboard having a bonus built-in battery to extend the life of the tablet.

I could go on, but the point is, tablets have every bit as much functionality as a laptop without forcing you to lug around a beast in your backpack.

[matapule]

Re: Tablet devices - pros and cons

Yes! I believe they sell an attachable keyboard for the Galaxy Tab2, which essentially make your tablet the same thing as a laptop, with the added bonus of touch-screen capability.

True, however the Android OS is not equal to the Windows 8 or MacOS. So the current crop of tablets are not the same as a laptop.

However, the bigger issue is the brand. Samsung may look pretty, but they subscribe to the idea that less is more. I never bought in to this maximum-profit/minimum benefit philosophy, but I guess the majority of consumers are suckers for this.

Hmmmm, that's an odd analysis.

A better tablet would have been the Toshiba Excite 10 or the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity

It all came down to price point. I was willing to pay less to get less of stuff I would never use. Call me a sucker!

Both tablets have an HDMI connection port, which means you can hook it up to any television and basically get a bigger screen then even your desktop computer — without giving up the convenience of touchscreen.

My laptop will do that and although it doesn't have touch screen, it has a touch pad that works with Windows 8.

If you are a Playstation 3 or XBox360 gamer, you can connect your controller directly to the ASUS tablet via built-in USB port.

I have never done that and never will. Why should I pay for something I will never use?

The Toshiba also has a full-size SD card slot, which means you can add up to 128GB of external hard drive space

Samsung Tab has that too.

— good if you are downloading music or movies and need to save it somewhere.

I have never done that and never will.

And these tablets, like your Samsung, have optional external keyboard attachments with the ASUS keyboard having a bonus built-in battery to extend the life of the tablet.

I get about 10 to 12 hours out of my Samsung battery and I really don't need anything more than that.

I could go on, but the point is, tablets have every bit as much functionality as a laptop without forcing you to lug around a beast in your backpack.

I am going to disagree with this statement. My laptop running Windows 8 is much more functional than the tablet. Maybe as I learn how to use all the Tablet functionality it will become more useful to me. In the meantime, I reach for the Tablet first to read email and browse the web for headlines. I like it more and more as I use it because it is lightweight and convenient, but it is not replacing my laptop at this time.

An interesting alternative that I shopped was the Windows Surface laptop/tablet. The key board is an optional extra. It looks just like a Tablet but runs Windows 8 OS. That alternative was tempting but I did not want to pay $900 to be the first kid on the block to have one.

[lensperson]

Re: Tablet devices - pros and cons

My tablet was 79.99 plus tax

The wireless keyboard and mouse was another twenty dollars.

Plugging in a wireless mouse brings up a standard cursor on the screen.

I have bought a few more of these gadgets, given them to neighbours, and all

are enjoying and using them.

They will, of course, have to get some additional memory on their

own initiative.


It is possible to take a narrow hallway and line it with foil to create a focus from

a crude parabolic dish.

While sitting at the focal point ones chair becomes a little

Arecibo.