Agriv8
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| posted on 21/7/12 at 08:04 PM |
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ipad / Tablet or somthing similar
Wife has changes Jobs and walked away with over £100 of Amazon vouchers I have said I will match it so we are looking for a tablet / ipad so
suggestions welcome up to £300. not bothered about 3g providing it has Bluetooth so we can use our Phones data plans must have wifi and would like to
be able to add data with micro SD.
so what do the collective suggest.
ATB Agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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craig1410
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| posted on 21/7/12 at 09:26 PM |
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For £329 you could get a brand new 16GB iPad 2 with WiFi direct from Apple: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad
For £259 you could get a refurbished 16 GB iPad 2 with WiFi direct from Apple: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad
There are no refurbs in stock just now but that changes daily. Usually the new stock is loaded onto the site at around 1.30am UK time so that is the
best time to check.
I would strongly recommend getting an iPad over any other tablet at the moment as it is currently so much more mature as a product and you can do much
more with it due to the huge amount of software available.
In terms of sharing your existing phone's data plan with the iPad via bluetooth, to be honest I've never tried this. I do tether my iPad
to my iPhone 4 all the time via WiFi and I believe you can also do it via bluetooth but I'm not sure if that will work with non-Apple phones. I
think it probably should but I'm not 100% sure.
I hope this helps but give me a shout if you need any more info. I've had an iPad 1 and lately an iPad 3 and use it every day for both work (IT
consultant) and leisure. It's a great bit of kit.
Cheers,
Craig.
Edit: just noticed the bit about micro SD. The iPad doesn't have an SD or micro SD card as it is designed to work wirelessly for most things.
You can easily move data onto it via iTunes or Dropbox or iCloud and various other methods. If you let me know what you need to do I can give you some
options. You can buy a camera connection kit for the pad to use to transfer photos from a camera (SD or USB) but this is only used for photos and
videos, not general files.
[Edited on 21/7/2012 by craig1410]
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dave
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 07:48 AM |
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+1 for above, I got a 16Gb wifi nearly a year ago and have been very impressed with it. I never go anywhere without it.
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snakebelly
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 08:30 AM |
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Afraid I have to disagree Acer a500 has been out a while now and I'm typing this on mine as we speak, much more flexible than an ipad, and yes
I have used both as wife has an iPad 2. It matches the price criteria as well. In fact I see the a510 is out now so mine may be up for
sale.......upgraditus
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BigLee
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 08:45 AM |
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I am a huge fan of the iPad. Got mine (iPad2 16gb wifi) a year ago and love it. For data transfer I use Dropbox, which is just as easy as using an SD
card, without using an SD card! If you currently have an iPhone than the iPad makes more sense as they update each other of photos, phone numbers
diary events etc. automatically without asking it to sync. I tether mine to my iPhone for data and works perfectly. Then get yourself Apple TV so you
can watch stuff from you iPad on your television wirelessly.
(Note - Since getting all these Apple products I find it harder to talk to girls without sniggering and running away!)
Cheers
Lee
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40inches
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 09:42 AM |
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I have an ipad2, it's not the end all product I thought it would be, now wishing I had got the Samsung instead.
Connectivity is ok if you have an iphone, otherwise forget it, it will not connect to any other phone, pair? yes, connect?no!
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craig1410
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 03:52 PM |
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Interesting to hear what snakebelly said and this actually highlights one of the biggest disadvantages of the Android devices - there is always a
newer device out and there is rarely any real momentum gained by any one device. There is also a huge problem with software updates on Android where
most Android devices are still running ancient versions of the operating system because upgrades are rarely available and/or applied. This is a major
deal-breaker for many because the thing which you need to understand with tablet devices is that it is all about the SOFTWARE not the hardware.
Contrast that with the iPad. I bought my iPad a few days after it was launched (May 29th 2010 to be exact) and I used it heavily until the day I
upgraded to my iPad 3 which was on 16th March 2012. My wife uses it now and loves it. When it came out it had iOS version 3.2 and it received regular
upgrades right through to the current version which is 5.1. This means it gets all of the new features of each software release FOR FREE except where
a software feature requires a hardware feature which is absent from the device (eg. iPad 1 had no cameras). This is something which you don't
appreciate if you've only had a brief "play" with someone else's iPad because you only get to see what it has at that time,
not how it evolves.
The other killer is apps and specifically TABLET APPS. The android tablet apps are few and far between and generally of much lower quality than iPad
apps. When you recall that a tablet is just a means to supply software, this is a deal breaker if the software is absent or just plain sucks. Take a
read of the article from PC Magazine which sums it up nicely:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401676,00.asp
quote:
...until applications from major brands come out in not only similar number, but similar quality for Android tablets, it'll be hard for one of
them to beat the iPad to our top award.
Apple have the tablet market sewn up for now and I fully expect that to be the case for s good few years at least. I say this as a relatively recent
addition to the Apple world as I was a "PC guy" for 25 years and always built my own machines and ran various operating systems like IBM
OS/2, Windows, Linux. Now I'm a professional IT contractor (ie. paid by hour, not salaried) I need to have kit which "just works" to
coin Apple's phrase. That's the main reason I use Apple gear today as I get more chargeable hours into a day than ever before and that
pays for any *perceived* difference in cost many times over. Even if you are a domestic computer user, you are probably keen to get things done than
faff about with system maintenance and upgrades. Apple makes this super easy.
Cheers,
Craig.
[Edited on 22/7/2012 by craig1410]
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stevebubs
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 05:27 PM |
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Craig,
With advent of disruptive pricing from Google, expect the Apple monopoly to dwindle.
I've just bought the Missus the Asus Google Nexus 7. It's a fantastic device, goes into her handbag and does everything she wants it to.
Not really big enough to use as a work device, but that's not what she wants it for - email, web and games are her primary applications. For
this she's over the moon with it - plus it's blisteringly quick....not seen any tablet this responsive before...and all for £199...
As it's a Nexus device, I fully expect it to be fully support with the latest and greatest Android updates for the foreseeable future...
The bigget issue with Android has been manufacturers fiddling with it, their attitude towards software support and their pricing strategy - keeping
prices comparative with the "premium" Apple products is plain ridiculous and certainly no way to gain market share...
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craig1410
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 06:24 PM |
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Hi Steve,
I respect your opinion and appreciate the constructive debate. What I would say in response, and to some extent to defend the android pricing
strategies to date, is to point out that Apple have HUGE economies of scale and when you couple that with the relative stability of their product line
(ie. yearly updates) then they can extract healthy profit margins for a high quality product at a particular price point when competitors can't
even break even at the same price. You see this with tablets and even with the Macbook Air versus an equivalent ultrabook. Yes you can get
"cheaper" non-Apple devices but not of the same spec and therefore not at the same value point. What you describe as disruptive pricing by
Google is simply google removing any profit margin they might have in order to try to compete. They can do that because they don't need to make
money on hardware sales since what they sell is advertising (basically they sell *you* and your eyeballs). Personally I dislike being sold as a
commodity in this way and would far prefer to buy hardware which I know will last a few years rather than become an advertisers bounty.
As for the (only just released) Nexus 7" device, yes I hear it is getting good reviews so far and I am genuinely pleased to see some
competition. However, it is a 7" device versus the current 9.7" iPad and this makes a big difference, as you said, to the usefulness as a
general purpose tablet but it is good for web/email/games as you also said. I don't know if you are aware, but Apple are strongly rumoured
(read: almost certain) to be releasing a 7.85" iPad very soon and this will bring the Apple iOS ecosystem and apps to the 7-8" market at a
price point likely to be in the $200 to $250 range. This will equate to perhaps £169-199 in the UK at a rough guess and is likely to suck the air out
of the lower end of the market. It should also be noted that Amazon brought out the Kindle Fire which was similarly well received when launched but
has failed to gain an significant traction against the iPad. If Apple do release a £169 iPad Mini it will put the nail in the coffin of the low-end
tablet in my opinion.
As for updates, yes you might expect the Google device to fare better and I think in general it will but that doesn't stop the general lack of
updates of android device causing development to be held back. Developers find it very difficult to create apps which utilise the latest features when
most devices are not able to take advantage of those features due to being on old versions of the O/S. Here is an article from late last year which
talks about this: http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
Yes, manufacturers (and carriers) do "fiddle" with Android and this creates problems, it also creates the problem of late software updates
because it takes time for google updates to filter to the manufacturers and in turn the carriers who sold the phones. In many cases the carriers have
no incentive to provide updates because it prevents them selling new phones. For Apple phones, the carriers aren't in that loop so it is Apple
who develop AND release the updates to ALL customers of Apple phones. Carriers have zero say in the matter. This is huge!
Apple products are all about what you can do with the products, not MHz and Megabytes. They prioritise customer experience over technical spec sheets
and this shows in their advertising. They have a huge ecosystem with iTunes, iCloud and the Apple stores and support network. Very soon they will
expand in TV in a big way and are likely to become in effect a credit/debit card replacement. There will always be alternatives and that is a good
thing but for those who just want to use their devices and get stuff done, the reasons to stick with Apple are only likely to become stronger. For the
sake of the market I hope that Microsoft get their act together and produce some competition and I hope that Android does the same but these are both
a few years away I think.
Cheers,
Craig.
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whitestu
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 07:47 PM |
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Don't forget Windows 8 will be out in October and is likely to cause some major changes in the market. I've had a play with a couple of
Win 8 slates ane they work well. Remains to be seen if the Appstore equivalent wll be any good though.
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stevebubs
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 07:59 PM |
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The Kindle Fire was a damp squib. Only really released in the US and pretty much a Walled Garden approach.
It only takes a small set of Apps to make a platform viable and successful...agreed that the market share is Apple-biased and will remain that way for
sometime.
The biggest personal problem I have at the moment with both Apple and Google is the big players all trying to block each other out of the market by
playing legal wars with each other...fairly or not so...
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craig1410
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 08:35 PM |
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Steve,
Yeah the patent system is clearly not keeping up with technology at the moment, especially in the field of software patents. However, corporate
officers have no choice but fight these wars as they are legally required to protect the interests and assets of their companies. Until the patent
and/or justice system is reformed it will most likely continue like this. You've also surely got to acknowledge that the iPhone radically
changed the way that phones are expected to operate and companies which "copied" that approach (Samsung mainly) have prospered and those
who haven't (RIM, Nokia, HTC, Motorola, Sony Erricson, LG) have all but died. The same is true of the tablet but it's a less clear case
because it was arguably a new market rather than a reform of an existing one. Yes Microsoft had a form of tablet computer but most people had never
heard of it as is was largely unsuccessful.
The other point I would make is that this sort of patent stuff has gone on for decades, it is just that we are exposed to it more these days.
Touching on the point made about Windows 8 - I watched the launch event live for the Microsoft Surface device a few weeks ago and I had high hopes but
to be honest it raised more questions than it answered - mainly that of price and date of availability. Since then Microsoft have said that this is
only a reference platform (which suggests they may not actually release it) although I have also read that they are having trouble making the
Magnesium cases for it so all very confusing. I very much doubt that anything will become available in volume before the new year and even then, it
will surprise me greatly if Windows 8 is any good on a touch device compared to iOS and Android. One thing I will say for Microsoft is that they have
followed a different path and have not just copied Apple this time (like they did with Windows years ago...). They have created something distinctive
and that will either prove their saving grace or will cause further damage. In my opinion, while Steve Balmer is still in charge they are doomed
whatever they do...
Cheers,
Craig.
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scudderfish
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| posted on 22/7/12 at 08:57 PM |
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I recently bought an Asus Transformer TF300T. It's a tablet with a docking keyboard, and it's excellent.
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Agriv8
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| posted on 23/7/12 at 06:34 AM |
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Thanks Chaps,
I am Running win 8 on my Netbook and very happy with it.
We will look into the options though I do have to say I have run andriod on a bottom end wildfire device and found it fantastic. but the fact that it
looks like the Apple wont connect to internet though it is an major minus point.
I will read more later and post back
Thanks and ATB agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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craig1410
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| posted on 23/7/12 at 12:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Agriv8
Thanks Chaps,
I am Running win 8 on my Netbook and very happy with it.
We will look into the options though I do have to say I have run andriod on a bottom end wildfire device and found it fantastic. but the fact that it
looks like the Apple wont connect to internet though it is an major minus point.
I will read more later and post back
Thanks and ATB agriv8
I did a quick google search and there seem to be plenty of people reporting that you CAN tether an iPad to an android phone to share data plans. Some
carriers, mainly in the USA, charge extra for this feature but you can work around it by rooting your phone. If your phone can simulate a Wi-Fi
hotspot then you should've no trouble at all.
On Windows 8, I'm not surprised that it works well on a net book with keyboard, the question is whether it will work as well on a touchscreen
device.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Craig
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Agriv8
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| posted on 23/7/12 at 12:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
quote:
Originally posted by Agriv8
Thanks Chaps,
I am Running win 8 on my Netbook and very happy with it.
We will look into the options though I do have to say I have run andriod on a bottom end wildfire device and found it fantastic. but the fact that it
looks like the Apple wont connect to internet though it is an major minus point.
I will read more later and post back
Thanks and ATB agriv8
I did a quick google search and there seem to be plenty of people reporting that you CAN tether an iPad to an android phone to share data plans. Some
carriers, mainly in the USA, charge extra for this feature but you can work around it by rooting your phone. If your phone can simulate a Wi-Fi
hotspot then you should've no trouble at all.
On Windows 8, I'm not surprised that it works well on a net book with keyboard, the question is whether it will work as well on a touchscreen
device.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Craig
Cheers Craig I will do some reading tonight but my phone does offer a Wifi hotspot so thats an option !
Would still have liked a SD slot ( we record Kids TV to these for holiday / car viewing ) I know I can use drop box but that could be expensive
retreiving when roaming but I can do this through my Net book.
Netbook has 2gb and SSD and so far so good and I will be ordering a copy in Oct.
Will Keep you posted after talking to SWMBO this eve.
ATB agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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craig1410
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| posted on 23/7/12 at 01:15 PM |
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Hi,
If your phone can create a wifi hotspot then that is almost certain to work fine with the iPad. I've yet to find a wifi hotspot which I
couldn't connect to with my iPad 1 or iPad 3.
On the SD card thing, this is something the iPad will never support (other than via the camera connection kit for ohoto imports) as it is
philosophically opposed to the (wireless) direction Apple is taking the iPad. Apple are pretty ruthless at moving forwards with technology and have
already left behind the floppy drive and optical drive. I agree that Dropbox wouldn't be practical when roaming but have you considered just
loading up a bunch of movies onto the internal storage before you leave? I used to do exactly that for the same reason and I found I could get over 30
movies on my 32 GB iPad and still retain excellent image quality. The key to this is a product called Handbrake (handbrake.fr). It will take any movie
file and transcode it into a highly compressed MP4 format which retains excellent quality but at much reduced size. Bluray quality films will be up to
5GB in size with HD films around 2 GB. If you are happy to drop to the equivalent of DVD quality then the size comes down to below 1 GB. These sizes
are for feature length movies. Typically I would be more than happy with movie quality even at 700 MB per movie. If this is one of your main uses then
you might want to consider getting a 32 GB model instead of the 16GB. Then you can dispense with those little fragile wafers of plastic... 
Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.
Cheers,
Craig.
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Humbug
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| posted on 23/7/12 at 01:29 PM |
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SWMBO got an iPad2 in the US when we were on holiday in June. It is a fantastically put-together piece of kit and the quality of the screen, etc.
appears to be excellent. As above, the iPad is a more mature and stable platform and the apps tend to be better.
However, the price of the iPad does not include:
- a cover
- a USB port or an SD card slot (not even a micro SD)... unless you buy the Apple external adapter and you wouldn't want to leave it attached
for "permanent" storage
- an HDMI output... unless you buy the Apple external dongle
I recently bought an Android tablet (Sumvision Cyclone Astro+) which is a 7" format. Most of the time, it is actually more handy than an ipad
size-wise, and
- a cover was a tenner
- it has a micro SD slot which can cope with up to 32GB
- it came with a mini-USB to standard USB socket cable so you can attach normal USB devices on it
- it was £79.95
On the downside the screen is not up to Apple standard - I would have preferred better, but for this price it is fine.
A couple of things are fiddly to get set up but no more so than on an Android phone and the iPad has its own foibles.
From the specs and reviews, I think a Nexus 7 would probably be ideal for me, but I couldn't scrape together the £199 required.
IMHO its horses for courses and the iPad is a good product but the pricing is too high to justify the amount by which it is (mostly) better than
alternatives.
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