Tablets forum: Is a tablet right for me? If so, which one?

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Okay, so I'll try to provide some insight into the questions you asked:

Q: Can you explain the principal differences between a Netbook and tablet?
A: A netbook typically runs an operating system designed for computers like Windows or Linux while the newer tablets run a mobile OS like Apple's iOS and Android Honeycomb. Also netbooks have built in keyboards; most tablets do not. If you'd like to have the keyboard option the ASUS Transformer offers a detachable keyboard dock that turns their tablet into an Android netbook.

Q: Can a tablet be used as a laptop replacement--why and why not?
A: I would have to say for the most part that a tablet cannot be used as a laptop replacement. First the operating system is different. Second the processing power of tablets aren't quite as substantial. I guess it all depends on what you plan on using the tablet for. However, due to the difference in the mobile operating system versus the operating system found on a standard laptop (Windows) you won't be able to run the exact same programs meant for Windows on a tablet.


Q: With so many tablets out, what separates the good- from the bad-quality ones?
A: A few suggestions here, 1) go with a brand name you recognize, 2) read reviews about the devices so you can learn from the experience of others, 3) see if you local technology store like Best Buy has any of the devices on display so you can get a better feel.

Q: Are Android tablets created equally?
A: Most of the newer Android tablets are pretty good, some of the first Android tablets that came out early on are not so good. So I would say they are not all created equally. Every tablet will have it's pro and cons, you just have to weight them against what you expect to get out of it and use it for. Again reading online reviews doesn't hurt.

Q: What are the major differences between Android and iPads--advantages, disadvantages?
A: iPADs are the only tablet Apple makes so your only decision is if you want an iPAD 1 or 2, I've read that the iPAD 3 is coming soon; probably early next year. iPAD (as far as I know) do not allow multitasking which means you can only use on app at a time on the device. iPADs do not support Flash media which is used on a moderately high amount of websites. The good thing about iPADs is that you know they are of good quality because they're made by Apple and their are tons of accessories made for iPADs. Apple offers a lot more apps for their iPAD than are currently available for Android tablets.

Android tablets are made by many different companies; Samsung, Sony, ASUS, Dell, and the list goes on. This means you have a lot more decisions to make when choosing an Android tablet. Each of the different brands have their own unique qualities and features so you'd have to research what features you think you might use. Android tablets, right now, do not have a whole lot of apps available on the Android market. The number of apps is slowly growing, however, with the latest version of Android Honeycomb you should be able to use most of the app designed for smartphone on your Android tablet. So make sure the Android tablet you get comes with Honeycomb which is Android OS version 3.x. Android tablets do allow multitasking and also support Flash media so you can see the Flash content on websites.

Q: Can I use a Tablet for word processing or Excel spread sheets?
A: Yes, there are several different word processing apps available for both Android tablets and iPADs, however, most of them are pay apps. Note that these apps may not always support every office document type especially if they are made on a desktop computer. For the most part though, they should work just fine.

Q: I think iPads are the ones that cannot display Flash, is that a major issue?
A: iPADs do not support Flash, I personally don't consider this a major issue, it primarily has to deal with viewing websites that include Flash content but not all sites use Flash. This is really just a perk for Android users. There are some games for Android that require flash. One minor down-side to Flash is that it often is found to have security holes, but Adobe often releases updates to fix these. Flash is a choice with Android, you need to have the Flash app installed on the device in order to get the benefits of this feature, but you can choose to not install it.

Q: What are the specific things I should be looking for when choosing the right tablet for me?
A: What you plan to use it for, how you plan to use it, how you expect it to function. If you want something that's easy to use I'd recommend an iPAD, they're straight forward, and they just work. If you need something with more advanced features and don't mind tinkering a bit more than Android is the way to go. Android Honeycomb is a bit more complicated to learn but offers more bells and whistles. The downside to Android is that you may on occasion run into glitches or bugs such as apps crashing or the tablet restarting itself. These issue are typically rare but they do occur. It also depends on what features you want. The iPAD2 doesn't offer a whole lot of hardware features other than the cameras and connectors whereas each different brand of Android tablet offers many different options and features including a microSD port, hdmi out so you can connect it to a TV, and a few offer usb ports for use with thumb drives. If you want something that's similar to the iPAD but runs Android I'd recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The only other thing to look as is price, some Android tablets are quite pricey while others are fairly priced. Depending on what you plan to use the tablet for you may also want to look at memory options; many have 16GB models, and 32GB models. This affects how many apps you can have installed as well as how many documents, files, photos, and videos you can have installed on the device at any given time. For the most part I don't think the average user would need more than 16GB of storage but again that's a personal decision.

Hopefully that helps, if I missed anything I imagine someone else probably posted it. Happy hunting!

It seems like from every thing that has been printed this was the one tablet that was better than the IPad.On release it was buggy but being hackable some people sorted these bugs out and made it the best,but HP execs lost there nerve.
As to selling at $100 no way,for the hardware alone was over $250,the cheapest good tablet is the Advent Vega at $300 but still does not have as good spec's as the HP.

Netbook Vs Tablet - First of all for things like managing music, videos and photos and heavy work like creating reports or long emails etc. or in your case Excel spreadsheets/word processing, the ideal is a PC or laptop but for portability and general consumption such as ebooks, gaming & movies a netbook or tablet is a popular choice.Netbooks are basically light-weight compact laptops, they do basic computing and are for surfing the internet. Light weight and small size so they are very portable. Screen size will always be an issue. Usually priced lower than either a laptop or a tablet.Tablets usually have touchscreens so are not suitable for touch typing and have limitations on operating systems. Ipad does not recognise flash which most web sites use but an Android OS will. Sreen size is also an issue.See also Cnet report http://www.cnet.com.au/tablet-or-netbook-339311167.htm I think netbook days are numbered for two reasons. One is the ability of manufacturers to produce slimmer, lighter and cheaper laptops making a laptop a better choice. The other is the popularity of tablets such as the ipad. Tablets, although too small for serious work, are highly portable, easy to use and are rich in apps and other devices making them a great choice for visual products. You need to look at what your major use will be.Ipad Vs Android - there is one major difference, ipad is pretty much locked into Apple while a number of manufacturers are using Android which opens up a greater range of products. However you won't be able to run many of your PC programs on either. The latest ipod is lighter and thinner than the nearest equivalent, a Motorola (recent aquisition by Google). The Motorola has more RAM and better camera's. Latest reports say Android is outselling ipad 2 to one so there must be other advantages. If you have a current PC I suggest you wait a while before looking at small screen units as there is real competition between the brands and that means inovation. Who knows what we will be using next year. Read all of the reviews you can.

Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) to fix link 09/01/2011 2:23PM

What are you talking about: " Latest reports say Android is outselling ipad 2 to one so there must be other advantages."
A recent market share data by Strategy Analytics published on January 31, 2011:
Global Tablet 4Q10 OS Shipments:
iPad: 7.3 million
Android: 2.1 million
Others: 0.3 million

I'm seeing them in the clearance and firesale places like geeks.com.

First let me say that your answers were very clear and provide good insight into the advantages and drawbacks of both the iPads and the Android devices. I own both and iPad2 and a Motorola Xoom. The difference is I have 3G on my Xoom and my iPad needs a wireless connection. My Xoom works better with my Motorola Android phone when I transfer photos and videos that I take on my cell. When I transferred the photos to my iPad they were not clear. My Xoom also takes clearer photos than my iPad2. The speed on searching seems to be the same and since for me the internet searching is what I use both tablets for I am happy with the way both tablet operate.

I also purchased a Color Nook from B & N. An honestly, for $249 it is a good deal. I like to read so the Nook seems work great.

So, as far as choosing a tablet, it really, I think, boils down to really clarifying in your mind what you want the tablet for. And I would also suggest you get a tablet that has the same operating system that your cell phone has. I think they sync better and minimize the potential problems that someone like me, not very tech savvy, has to deal with.

Good luck on your choice.

Very useful

Hello Sheila,
I recently bought a Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 10" Windows 7 Pro tablet with a 620 GB HD so I can travel light and not have to carry around my 17" laptop.
This tablet does everything that the laptop did. I do a lot of Excel work on the road and this tablet handles everything superbly. I use Sharepoint a lot and that is why I chose a Win tablet. When looking for a tablet I tried everything from an Android to BlackBerry. None of those operating systems could connect to my work servers. It is easy to try out the demos in the various stores. That might be something you might consider. The battery last a good 5 hours when I'm working on the tablet. Reading a book, the battery lasted 8 hours.
I found netbooks totally under powered and not capable of doing what I needed them to do.
There is a bit of a learning curve to use a tablet as the keyboard is on the screen. I got a Bluetooth mouse and a small portable USB keyboard, and a USB DVD drive and the tablet now is very much like a full functioning laptop.
The price might be a bit prohibitive, but in essence, you are buying a pretty powerful computer.
I looked at a lot of netbooks and tablets and the above is what I settled on. This might be too much of a computer for you, but if you're looking for something small and light, that tablet might be something to consider.

submitted by Chris

Ihave been reading your thread on this and contemplating a tablet and your mother sounds very much like me..my question is can you not hook up a keyboard for these if you want too.?

A netbook is basically a laptop with a lot less functionality and power, with its sole advantage being that it is generally smaller, lighter, and cheaper than some laptops.

A tablet is basically a smartphone without the camera and phone parts, and they're a lot larger than cellphones. Apple's products (i-anything) can't display Flash and that's a real problem with many popular websites that require it, notably YouTube.

While I understand that a lot of people are deeply susceptible to hype and so find these products irresistibly attractive, I have never understood the purpose of either. Netbooks, at least, can help the poor obtain Internet connectivity and generally do most of the things laptops do, with the absence of a disk drive and an acceptable level of performance being their chief shortcomings.

Tablets give you some of the computing power of a smartphone and all the portability of a laptop, without being an actual phone, camera, or computer, and they exist only because television advertising has told you that they're the latest thing and you need one to be considered with-it.

Get a laptop. Or a smartphone. Or both. In any event, forget these products that exist only because companies CAN make and market them without regard for whether or not they should.

If the biggest drawback to the netbook is absence of a disk drive, get an external USB drive. I've moved from an antique desktop to a netbook so the "acceptable level or performance" doesn't really weigh very much in my world.