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New tablet?

Fair enough, cheers. Actually I'm a bit techno-ed out anyway, what with my new Nook playing up bigtime and needing to be returned to Amazon.
 
PixyMisa said:
512MB of RAM and an 800x480 display? That would be really painful to use.
Click to expand...

That's the same as the notebook I'm using to read this with.

Mine's an Asus EeePC I bought in 2008...
  • 900Mhz Intel Celeron
  • 512Mb RAM
  • 802.11b/g wireless
  • 7" 800x480 screen
  • 4Gb SSHDD
Not much of a notebook, but it works well, especially since I replaced the OS it came with (I'm using Puppy Linux, because a notebook like this needs a small OS). I really only use it for the internet while sitting around in the loungeroom, I've got a desktop for everything else.

(Maybe I should have said it worked well. It's starting to fall apart from age now. I'm having trouble with some of the keys which are wearing out from use, and I've just had to replace the plug on the power supply for the second time.)
 
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malicus said:
Higher priced tablets from brand names do many things very well.

Cheap, off-brand tablets do all things poorly.

A sweeping generalisation, but if you buy out of date tech, you get an out of date experience, right out of the box.
Click to expand...

What do you call 'off-brand'?

You need to look at the Spec before deciding.
 
Brian-M said:
That's the same as the notebook I'm using to read this with.

Mine's an Asus EeePC I bought in 2008...
  • 900Mhz Intel Celeron
  • 512Mb RAM
  • 802.11b/g wireless
  • 7" 800x480 screen
  • 4Gb SSHDD
Not much of a notebook, but it works well, especially since I replaced the OS it came with (I'm using Puppy Linux, because a notebook like this needs a small OS). I really only use it for the internet while sitting around in the loungeroom, I've got a desktop for everything else.

(Maybe I should have said it worked well. It's starting to fall apart from age now. I'm having trouble with some of the keys which are wearing out from use, and I've just had to replace the plug on the power supply for the second time.)
Click to expand...
Hey, I have that one as well, also bought in 2008. A 701 right?

Great laptop for simple stuff, but at the moment, it's horrible with YouTube, even when I had Android installed on it. It's in a closet now.

Is it weird to feel nostalgia for something that's 5 years ago? Anyway, it was a great first mobile device for me, excluding phones.
 
If you do searches on Amazon, you get ads... Yesterday, I got an offer for the Sony Z2 mentioned above at a very attractive price...350 bucks.
However, when I looked up reviews (CNet) I found one of the complaints with this device was rather poor wireless connectivity.
Since about 80% of the time I use mine while sitting in the police car accessing various wi-fi hotspots around the university, this seems dicey...

Still leaning towards that Samsung...The display isn't in the ballpark with Apple, but I don't use mine for hi-def movies and such.
 
Bram Kaandorp said:
Hey, I have that one as well, also bought in 2008. A 701 right?
Click to expand...

*Pulls out paperwork from misc. computer-stuff draw again*

Yes, 701. (ETA: Ah, I guess I could have just looked at the label on the bottom of the notebook. Didn't think of that until just now.)

Part of the reason I got it was that I'd never seen one that small before. Also, the desktop I had at the time was hopelessly out-of-date.

And looking at the price/spec. sheet they stapled to the receipt, I notice that it was a third of the price of any of the other four machines listed, so that was probably something I took into consideration too.

Bram Kaandorp said:
Great laptop for simple stuff, but at the moment, it's horrible with YouTube, even when I had Android installed on it. It's in a closet now.
Click to expand...

Mine does okay with YouTube, especially if I select a low resolution to view the video, so I don't have to keep waiting for it to buffer from time to time. (I'm not sure if that's due to a slow internet connection or slow wireless speed.)

Could be due to differences in operating systems. As I said before, I'm using Puppy Linux, not Android like you are. The custom OS it came with was terrible.
 
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Brian-M said:
*Pulls out paperwork from misc. computer-stuff draw again*

Yes, 701. (ETA: Ah, I guess I could have just looked at the label on the bottom of the notebook. Didn't think of that until just now.)

Part of the reason I got it was that I'd never seen one that small before. Also, the desktop I had at the time was hopelessly out-of-date.

And looking at the price/spec. sheet they stapled to the receipt, I notice that it was a third of the price of any of the other four machines listed, so that was probably something I took into consideration too.



Mine does okay with YouTube, especially if I select a low resolution to view the video, so I don't have to keep waiting for it to buffer from time to time. (I'm not sure if that's due to a slow internet connection or slow wireless speed.)

Could be due to differences in operating systems. As I said before, I'm using Puppy Linux, not Android like you are. The custom OS it came with was terrible.
Click to expand...

Meh, the original was alright up to a point. it handled my ripped DVDs okay, but it was way too basic for my taste, so I replaced it with Ubuntu (Netbook Remix at the time, if you can believe it).

But youtube under Android wasn't just bad, it was simply not functioning at all. The app, that is.

Anyway, when buying a device, it's always useful to consider the most visually taxing thing you want to do with it. For example, I wouldn't advise anyone to buy a 1280x800 screen device when they want to read comics on it. It's readable, but that's about it. So for comics, I'd advice in favor of a 1920x1200 screen, or at least a step above 1280x800.

For simple web browsing, 800x480 might suffice, but only if it's text-based browsing on sites with little in the way of text. If anything, I think no device bigger than 4 inches should have this resolution.

I hope that helps.
 
Captain_Swoop said:
I still favor Asus
Click to expand...

I hear ya. All in all, they don't add quite as much bloatware to the system, and the stuff they do add can usually be turned off.

By the way, does anyone actually like the way Samsung uses a hardware Home button in stead of on-screen buttons? My phone has it, but for the life of me I can't figure out why they would use it, besides being stuck to it for brand familiarity.
 
Bram Kaandorp said:
By the way, does anyone actually like the way Samsung uses a hardware Home button in stead of on-screen buttons? My phone has it, but for the life of me I can't figure out why they would use it, besides being stuck to it for brand familiarity.
Click to expand...

Physical buttons are nice, and in some situations are far more convenient than pretend ones on a touch-screen. The lack of a physical home button, and the horrible misplacement of the power and volume buttons, are the only things I don't like about my Xperia.
 
Bram Kaandorp said:
I hear ya. All in all, they don't add quite as much bloatware to the system, and the stuff they do add can usually be turned off.

By the way, does anyone actually like the way Samsung uses a hardware Home button in stead of on-screen buttons? My phone has it, but for the life of me I can't figure out why they would use it, besides being stuck to it for brand familiarity.
Click to expand...

Actually, on my Samsung, I usually use the Home button as an On button, since the On button is largely covered by one of the straps on the cover. Also, the Home button is easier to find.
 
Well, I went for the Samsung. So far, so good. Seems to work quite well, in fact, and has some nice features like dual-screen abilities.
A lot of folks complained about the low-res camera, but it seems to be on a par with the (notably mediocre) one on the iPad. I don't use the thing as a camera anyway.

I got a nice little case from Amazon and am now looking for a keyboard. Sure enough, the Apple keyboard I have doesn't show up as recognized.
Samsung offers a Belkin model on their page... Wired for use in schools. This may be the way to go.
 
Bikewer said:
Well, I went for the Samsung. So far, so good. Seems to work quite well, in fact, and has some nice features like dual-screen abilities.
A lot of folks complained about the low-res camera, but it seems to be on a par with the (notably mediocre) one on the iPad. I don't use the thing as a camera anyway.
Click to expand...


I think that's a good solid choice. Especially at the price point. You shouldn't regret it.

Which size did you get?

I got a nice little case from Amazon and am now looking for a keyboard. Sure enough, the Apple keyboard I have doesn't show up as recognized.
Samsung offers a Belkin model on their page... Wired for use in schools. This may be the way to go.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what you mean by wired "for use in schools." If it's the keyboard I think then it won't work on anything but Android devices.

Go wireless. It's much more convenient.

There's lots of BT keyboards out there, from dirt cheap to outrageously expensive. Many good choices. If you want connectivity to a non-BT PC then you can get a BT adapter for $10 and just keep it with you to stick in a USB port on the PC.

Since the Tab 4 is OTG ready (unless you got the 7"), you can even get a Logitech wireless keyboard and just plug the Unifying™ dongle (about the size of a thumbnail) into an OTG adapter cable and run keyboard and trackball or mouse at the same time. (Links are to the models I've used with my Note 2)

The OTG cable opens up a world of connectivity. I've hooked up to a multi-port USB hub and run keyboard, mouse, and flash drives on my phone simultaneously. If you use a powered hub you can add all kinds of goodies.

I've also played around with one of these, a flexible BT keyboard that rolls up to a size smaller than a cigarette pack. I was pleasantly surprised. It is nowhere near as gimmicky as you'd expect. The keys even have distinct tactile feedback. The biggest disadvantage (aside from size) is that you need a hard surface to use it on. If you want to use it on your lap you need a book or something to keep it steady.

Enjoy your new gizmo. Hope it treats you well.
 
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Using it at work for the first time today, seems a bit more sensitive to wifi networks than the ipad.... I have a bunch of hotspots around here.
The thing with the keyboards.... A few reviews have complained about bluetooth connectivity with this model.
My admittedly old and beat up "Anker" cheapie said it was connected and "paired", but it wouldn't type... Nothing happens.
So I'm a little hesitant to buy one of the many cheaper jobs available. I spend most of the time with the tablet on the steering wheel and the keyboard in my lap.

I gather that the wired keyboard is meant for schools during mandatory testing.... You don't want a bunch of kiddies all hooked up to the same keyboard! (naughty little buggers...)
But I'll give a look-over to the ones suggested.
Samsung has not been particularly helpful....Yet.
 
Bikewer said:
Using it at work for the first time today, seems a bit more sensitive to wifi networks than the ipad.... I have a bunch of hotspots around here.
The thing with the keyboards.... A few reviews have complained about bluetooth connectivity with this model.
My admittedly old and beat up "Anker" cheapie said it was connected and "paired", but it wouldn't type... Nothing happens.
So I'm a little hesitant to buy one of the many cheaper jobs available. I spend most of the time with the tablet on the steering wheel and the keyboard in my lap.

<snip>

But I'll give a look-over to the ones suggested.
Samsung has not been particularly helpful....Yet.
Click to expand...


Samsung isn't going to boost anything they don't get a cut of.

There's lots of good possibilities out there. Almost too many. :p You ought to be able to field test some of them before you decide.

If you want to go top end (Price is no object!!! :eek:) you might want to check out the Logitech 810. It's $73 at Staples.

Since you're in a vehicle a lot the illuminated keyboard could be a real plus. Pairing with multiple devices could come in handy.

It looks well built and sturdy. I've never regretted buying any Logitech product, and their customer support is outstanding.
 
Bikewer said:
The thing with the keyboards.... A few reviews have complained about bluetooth connectivity with this model.
Click to expand...

I've seen those reviews, too, though I haven't encountered any problems with my mine (yet).

I picked up a Logitech keyboard (this one) for about $32 and it's worked well for me, but I haven't spent a lot of time on it yet, and I haven't tried any competing keyboards.
 
I picked up a Chinese-made "Sparin" keyboard from Amazon for 15 bucks. It looks absolutely identical to the "Anker" keyboard I'd bought for the iPad. This one was supposedly made for the Samsung... And indeed it paired right up and seems to work fine.

All I need to do now is pick up a mini SD card so I can put some music on the thing.

So far, quite pleased. As I said, the wireless connectivity is considerably better than the iPad... I am able to pick up networks at work that the iPad didn't even show as available.
There were quite a number of complaints about iPad connectivity when it hit the market, as I recall.
 
Looks like it's time to retire my notebook. The screen has suddenly gotten darker, as if the brightness was turned halfway down. It's still viewable, but not comfortably. (And the brightness is definetly hasn't changed setting. I looked up how to adjust the brightness from the shell and played around with that, but it's definetly at maximum.)

But I usually only use the thing to surf the web while sitting in my recliner watching TV, and I've been doing far too much of that this year. (I just finished reading the entire archive of Dilbert comic strips). Sitting at the desktop in my spare room will probably mean I'll waste a lot less time, because I can't get as comfortable.

On the other hand, there's a very cheap tablet on discount at Aldi's right now. It's intended for kids, but I can't help but wonder how good the browser is on it, or whether or not I can replace the Android OS with something else.
 
I'd be careful with tablets intended for children. Most of the time, they have low resolution, which might make browsing big (as in "big screen) sites uncomfortable to navigate.
 
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