What are some good uses for large Android tablets with physical keyboards or docks?
Any type of productivity tasks could be sorted on the go. Typing large amounts of texts, editing presentations etc. Transformer devices are normally lighter than notebooks, so taking it with you for business trips makes sense.
Best way to e-book/e-read? Kindle/Nook/IPad/tablet....?
Best way to e-book/e-read? Kindle/Nook/IPad/tablet....? There are so many choices out there, I wanted opinions on what is best.... I am a college grad student and lugging 50lbs of books on my back isnt my idea of a fun mile and half walk home in 90 degree weather.... So I am looking into ebooks. There are so many options I wanted opinions if I am missing out on anything: Please keep in mind, my main priority is for reading school textbooks. :) Kindle DX with free 3G: I just got a kindle. Positive: E-ink is amazing. Easy on the eyes for my long readings. Amazon has a large selection of books for kindle (BUT not all my textbooks are on there D: ) Long battery life is great. Light and portable. Text to speech option for when im walking. Ability to do notes and bookmarks helpful for class setting. Negative: 3G doesnt always work for me. Ill try and buy a book and it says that it cant make the connection. No page number for when my teacher says "look at the chart on page 16). Not too many other options for 'fun' options like applications or internet searching (but thats also a good thing so it doesnt distract me from reading!) IPad: Positive: More 'fun' features when around Wi-Fi(I cant afford paying for 3G every month). Backlighting for when in the dark reading (Neg: Hurts my eyes in my long readings...), can put my music and IPod videos on it. Neg: Not as many textbook availabilities as the kindle(unless I download the kindle app- then its equal), dont get free 3G, less battery life, not good for long readings ?: e- book capabilities Nook Color: Positive: color is nice, android option (
Interested in cheap tablet PC....?
Most tablet under $100 are not very good. The best way to check if they are any good is by reviewing the tablet on Amazon, if they are listed there. As for Android is an out of date OS is a misunderstanding. Android is a family of OS, so naturally you can use out of date or the latest OS. Just like Windows, you can use the out of date Windows 95 or you can run the latest Windows 8. Currently the latest version of Android is 4.2 Jelly Bean. When people refers to out of date Android OS, it is normally referred to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. A very old version of Android that was build for smartphone, with their small screen, opposed to tablet, with large screen. To get better experience on tablet, the minimum is Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Of course it is preferable to have Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Android OS are upgradeable, however it is subject to manufacturer willingness to provide the upgrade. For sub $100 tablet, I doubted there is an upgrade option available now or in the future, so it is very likely you will be stuck with out of date OS in the future. It is also important to note that when you buy a tablet, you are tied to its OS. Whether it is Google Android, Apple iOS or Microsoft Windows. It is very important that you check with the respective App Store that you can browse online to see if any application or games that you want to use or play is available for that tablet. Do a search for Google Play for Android, iTunes for Apple iOS. I can't remember the Windows App Store, hopefully others can point you to it. Since Apple tablet are not likely to be priced under $100 and Microsoft tablet are still new and thus expensive, I am afraid you are stuck with Android tablet. Most likely the Android OS version will be 2.3 Gingerbread, an outdated OS. My suggestion will be to increase the budget and see if you can find the lowest price on Google Nexus 7, which is currently the best Android tablet and it is upgradeable to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, currently the latest OS. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet? or good old fashion textbooks?
Get the nook!!! the kindle fire has so many bugs. In a few months when they release an update it will be better, but right now - Internet is slow - no external volume - power button is too easy to press - absolutely no personalization - When you delete an app, it never really goes away (bad if you share a kindle, and don't want someone to see certain apps that you like) - The screen doesn't get dim enough to comfortably read indoors, even at the dimmest - the app store is very limited
Android or Windows 8 tablet?
First a bit about Windows tablets: Windows tablets actually come in two varieties, Windows 8 tablets which are actually tablet/notebook PC hybrids (e.g. Microsoft Surface Pro) and then those running Windows RT (Microsoft Surface) which is a stripped down version of Windows 8 that looks like Windows 8, but can only run Windows RT apps purchased through the Microsoft app store. The price difference is significant. Windows RT tablets start around $500 ($600 with the keyboard/case attachment) and then Windows 8 tablets (Surface Pro) starting around $900. Windows RT is Microsoft's tablet OS and devices that run Windows RT are lighter weight and are priced comparable to other tablets. Tablet devices running Windows 8 are really notebooks that can transform into heavy tablets. The thing I love about the Microsoft Surface tablets are the flip-case and the integrated keyboard. No other tablet gets this right like Microsoft has done. Also, I like that Microsoft Office is included with every Windows tablet. Android tablets will give you access to more apps and will cost about $100 less for comparable screen size. If you have an Android phone you'll be able to download apps you've already purchased through Google Play or Amazon App Store to your tablet at no cost. Samsung Galaxy Tab and Google Nexus 10 are two models I would recommend looking at, both will give you access to the Google Play Store with tens of thousands of movies, books, etc… Based on what you've said you're looking for "using it for the basic stuff: reading, watching videos, wi-fi (web browsing)" I would strongly recommend you look at the larger Kindle Fire HD 8.9". The Kindle Fire HD is an Android tablet, it's just running Amazon's custom version of Android. The most popular Android apps are available in the Amazon App store. On top of being a high quality product the Kindle Fire HD has the advantage of Amazon's huge library of movies, books and music. No other tablet can claim this library and Amazon has not released their video player for other Android tablets. You can rent movies on the Kindle Fire HD that you can not on a Windows tablet or any other Android tablet yet, Google Play and Microsoft's App Store just can't compete with Amazon's library. So given all of this information I would suggest taking a trip to your local Best Buy and spending some time with the Microsoft Surface, The Galaxy Tab and the Kindle Fire HD.
What size Wacom Intuos Pro drawing tablet should I get?
If you're not going to change the screen, then you should either get the large or even the extra large. It depends on the type of painting that you do. Smaller tablets are great for painting in larger areas quickly, but you have to keep zooming in to do the details. The bigger ones are great if you do a lot of detailed work. One thing you want to check out before you start is the ratio of your screen. If you have a widescreen tv then it will definitely throw you off because your vertical hand movement will be much faster than your horizontal. If that's the case, then you might want to invest in a monitor that has the same ratio as your tablet. When I say ratio what I mean is the height to width ratio: If you're tablet is 12 inches horizontal and 8 inches vertical, then it's 12/8, which comes to 1.5 If you're screen is 32 inches horizontal, then it needs to be close to 21.3 inches vertical: 32/21.3 equals 1.5 It doesn't have to be exact, but the closer it is, the better. Happy Shopping!