Tablet Advice

**Bonez** · October 30, 2012, 03:21 PM

I was wondering if I could get some advice and do's and don'ts when buying a tablet. I've found one I think looks decent (here) and there is also a 32gb playbook for $40 more. I have a budget of about $150 and possibly more if there is something highly recommended that is within a reasonable amount more.

Basically just give me some suggestions and ideas.

**mrmouth** · October 30, 2012, 04:29 PM

Make sure you get a capacitive screen instead of resistive. The latter being ones that come on cheaper models and that were really made to be used with a stylus and not your finger.

The specs on that do not seem too bad considering it runs Android 4 and apps store is google. Some of the cheaper tablets make you use inferior apps stores. Processor and ram is totally acceptable. I had one with 1GHz and 512mb and it was still plenty snappy to surf and play games and watch movies. The 1GB of ram should be nice. No idea about battery life. Most of the cheaper one are not great with that. Mine was almost double that capacity at 5500mAH and it lasted maybe 6-7 hours through normal use and maybe 2-3 when gaming or watching movies.

And it is almost certainly going to be heavy and thick. That does matter with these things. Spend a couple of hours reading on a plane with it propped up by your hand, and your hand will be sore. And internal memory could be an issue only based on how the tablet allows you to store things. If you can move everything to a microSD card then I wouldnt shell out more for more internal memory.

Id almost certainly go with the Blackberry 16gb for $20 more unless it was heavier or something. Or if their tablet OS wasn't good, access to apps, etc.

**the_mango55** · October 30, 2012, 04:30 PM

No

No no no

Just get a nexus 7. Great 16 gig tablet for 200 usd, and You might be able to find the 8 gig version for 170 or so (it has been discontinued)

**Bonez** · October 30, 2012, 06:52 PM

Actually, I don't want carrier support at this point so I'm just going to go with the blackberry playbook. I can get a 32 gb version for 150, which I have and pick it up in my town. Along with that I read that it had an os update which allowed it to use android apps from its app world, therefore making it a very good option. It weighs less than half a kilo (about a pound) for the 32gb version and it will cost me 150 + tax and the rest of it. I am going to get it tomorrow as I can see nothing wrong or bad with this.

**Bolkonsky** · October 30, 2012, 07:01 PM

The new Kindle Fire is a good deal. Otherwise get a Nexus 7 or an Iconia A.

**the_mango55** · October 30, 2012, 09:26 PM

There is a reason nobody wants the playbook. Nexus 7 and Kindle fire HD are just so much better. For someone who knows tech I would recommend the nexus 7, someone who doesn't the fire.

I promise you it is worth a little bit of extra cash to have a good tablet instead of a crappy one.

**Bonez** · October 31, 2012, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

There is a reason nobody wants the playbook. Nexus 7 and Kindle fire HD are just so much better. For someone who knows tech I would recommend the nexus 7, someone who doesn't the fire.

I promise you it is worth a little bit of extra cash to have a good tablet instead of a crappy one.

I might be looking further into this. Its about a hundred dollars more (still within buying range for me) and I've had it reccommended by many, many people so I think I might dish out the cash if people with experience are always putting it out there.
Basically, its getting put out there by people who own tablets so I will most likely end up breaking down and purchasing a more expensive one, most likely the nexus 7.

**mrmouth** · October 31, 2012, 12:53 AM

The specs are basically the same. And the reviews are not bad on the Playbook. I mean all that for $130? Unless the B'Berry OS sucks, that looks like a phenomenal deal. And you can always soft install a popular Android OS over it.

I would get the 16GB version and simply use a 16GB microSD card and keep most of the crap that doesnt need to be loaded at boot on the card, to improve boot times. That is a crap load of storage for that thing. I never came close to filling up my 8GB tablet.

Actually I might look at one myself.

**the_mango55** · October 31, 2012, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by mrmouth

The specs are basically the same. And the reviews are not bad on the Playbook. I mean all that for $130? Unless the B'Berry OS sucks, that looks like a phenomenal deal. And you can always soft install a popular Android OS over it.

They don't have the same specs. The nexus has a far better screen, a faster quad core processor, is thinner and significantly lighter, and packs stock android 4.1, which is by far the best and smoothest version yet. And since it is a nexus device you will get all subsequent releases of android immediately, including 4.2 that is coing out soon.

**Love Mountain** · October 31, 2012, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

They don't have the same specs. The nexus has a far better screen, a faster quad core processor, is thinner and significantly lighter, and packs stock android 4.1, which is by far the best and smoothest version yet. And since it is a nexus device you will get all subsequent releases of android immediately, including 4.2 that is coing out soon.

Yeah, the "Nexus" denomination and all of the premium that comes with it is worth all by itself imo. Nexus products are usually the first ones to get software upgrades which is by far the most important thing imo.

Then there's like you said,

A. The Screen. 1280x800 IPS. Excellent color accuracy and sufficiently bright. One of the best black brightness levels. 213 PPI.
B. Tegra 3 clocked at 1.3 GHz. 4xA9 cortex cores plus 1 "background" core for low power tasks.
C. Price. At 199$ for 8GB and 249$ for 16GB the Nexus 7 is by far the best priced Tablet out right now. Nothing else has similar specs and quality for the same price. Kindle Fire be damned, unless you're in love with Amazon's ecosystem it is an inferior tablet.

What else is so great about the Nexus 7? It has a wonderful soft textured back. It really feels wonderful in your hands. It's 7 inches and extremely compact and mobile. You can hold it with one hand while walking to your next class, or walking in an airport. The device is quite simply wonderful. With a 16 watthour battery, you're looking at around 9-10 hours of battery life. That's as long as my iPad 2, and it takes a veeeeeery long time to run that out. Take it from someone who does own a tablet.

Good luck and make the right choice! Go Google, save the world.

**mrmouth** · October 31, 2012, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

They don't have the same specs. The nexus has a far better screen, a faster quad core processor, is thinner and significantly lighter, and packs stock android 4.1, which is by far the best and smoothest version yet. And since it is a nexus device you will get all subsequent releases of android immediately, including 4.2 that is coing out soon.

I said basically. It's a tablet. I'm not spending $200 on a toy - $130 is right in my wheelhouse. I owned a budget tablet in the $100 range before, and it was more than enough to do what a tablet does. And Ive toyed around with much more expensive models.

They put a quad core in those things because it sounds good. It appeals to certain people who've never tried the cheaper alternatives. The difference is negligible on a 7" tablet running Android. Android can be run just fine with a a 1GHz single core and 512mb of ram. I know that because Ive owned one, and tried the more expensive alternatives.

**the_mango55** · October 31, 2012, 04:35 PM

A game console is a toy, a graphics card is a toy, a dirt bike is a toy, an electric guitar is a toy.

**Bonez** · October 31, 2012, 08:03 PM

Think I`ll get the nexus. It will cost more upfront but in the end I should get more in life and such instead of getting a new generation very soon and ending up with an un updated platform. Along with that I hope the Nexus will allow me to, with good care, keep it in use for a period of at least 4-5 years.

**Jaketh** · November 01, 2012, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by bonez899

Think I`ll get the nexus. It will cost more upfront but in the end I should get more in life and such instead of getting a new generation very soon and ending up with an un updated platform. Along with that I hope the Nexus will allow me to, with good care, keep it in use for a period of at least 4-5 years.

Good buy, i was about to write a 5 paragraph post about why getting a Playbook is a horrible idea.