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Post by CoffeeShooter on Dec 30, 2011 11:29:50 GMT -5
I want a tablet but just started looking at them. Should I wait? Should I just get a used 1st generation? I'd only use it to surf but if there is something with a little more power I wouldn't mind photo editing capability or word processing. So far I can't imagine reading a book on a screen but I guess anything is possible.
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Post by misinglink on Dec 30, 2011 21:01:55 GMT -5
Like you, I still want a real book, but I have heard the Kindle fire is really nice.
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Post by atticflea on Dec 31, 2011 11:25:01 GMT -5
The Nook caught my attention at Barnes & Noble several months ago. One of the clerks saw me and gave me the first generation tour and then did the up-sale tour of the second generation. I was amazed at the functions these devices could do. Now for what ever reason, we ended up being Kindle owners, his and hers. I love being able to define words by tapping on them. You can highlight a passage and email it to a friend or, better yet, to yourself if you had a high school or college paper in the works (complete with citations! Awesome!).
So, imo, an e-reader should be just that. A reader. The two most important things are readability and hold-ability. We just recently purchased an Ipad, and I don't think I could comfortably hold it throughout an entire novel. As for the readers, I would suggest a cover. It gives them more a book feel (some have their own light).
As for word processing, you know you want a keyboard. There is an actual keyboard for the Ipad, and they're slick! One you would want is around $100.00, but there are lots of choices. I like the ones that dock because they are also a stand, but at this point you've just created a laptop that comes apart.
Ah pros and cons, decisions, decisions. Barnes & Noble is literally around the corner from the Apple store at Hamilton Place. Go get the sales pitch. You'll be more educated about your options. I'm not sure where the best place is to look at the Kindle or the Sony.
Good Luck and Happy New Year!
Edit to add: Buying a first generation would be akin to breaking out the old Atari.
And you can still put down the reader and pick up a real book.
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Post by copperhead on Dec 31, 2011 16:29:10 GMT -5
My other half enjoys his kindle. Actually, we've all enjoyed it over the past year. We still read print books but acquiring new books on the kindle doesn't require leaving the house. My teenager received a kindle fire for christmas & she's enjoying it very much. This was an alternative to her receiving an ipod touch or an ipad.
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Post by bignana on Jan 2, 2012 15:19:40 GMT -5
I got a Kindle for Christmas and I really enjoy it. It is not one with a lot of bells and whistles. It is easy to hold and read. When I read, I have two dogs in my lap, I don't have to hold a big book and them and try to read. I don't have a smart phone, and don't want one, so any other type of electronics for being on the internet is not something I want. Being on the internet at home is enough for me. But this is just my thoughts.
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Post by Diremaker on Jan 3, 2012 1:38:08 GMT -5
I got my wife the new Barnes & Noble Nook tablet for Christmas and she loves it. I still believe it's just a iPad wannabe though. I love my iPad.
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Post by CoffeeShooter on Jan 3, 2012 7:14:33 GMT -5
Thanks ya'll ... I'm going to wait a few more months. I've seen iPads and played around with them but none of the others. I'm also looking at the Android tablet.
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Post by 502blue on Jan 3, 2012 13:59:40 GMT -5
I had been researching for months.....and got the ASUS 3.1 android OS. and I am n LOVE. Thing about the Ipad, you don't want it for word processing, you wil be hooking it up to a laptop or PC, always. whats the use you know. You can download a Kindle app to anything, including a PC, so if you want more than a reader you don't want ust a kindle. My ASUS has the kindle reader. I also got the keyboard dock when I want more than just a touch screen. Thhis ASUS got fantastic marks from all the techie sites and is perpetually upgradable.
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Post by Smilin' Jack on Jan 16, 2012 21:32:46 GMT -5
A couple of months ago, I was about to pull the pin on a Toshiba Thrive tablet. I had looked at the field and ruled out the iPad early on. No web Flash support. Who wants to surf the web without flash. Why bother. And I also had no desire to join a cult (and everything else computer in my life is PC). Android tablets have varying degrees of expandability - usb ports, SD card slots, hdmi out ports, etc. Surprisingly, some had virtually none of this capability which would limit their usefulness in short order given how these things rapidly improve. So in no time, they'd become useless or very expensive ebook readers. The one unit that stood out in this department was the Toshiba. For four or five hundred bucks, any tablet had better last for more than a year before becoming that expensive ebook reader. Onboard memory, 8, 16, 32, 64 GB. Not much really, especially if you think that you're going to use something like Word on one. And you'd definitely want a separate bluetooth wireless keyboard for doing much of that. So being able to connect an external HD might be really useful. The screen size was also important to me, the bigger the better. Around 10 inches was fine, the 7" screens, just too small for easy viewing or reading or maybe it's my old eyes. Ever tried to read a webpage on a Blackberry. Oh! Come! On!! Where's the dish sized magnifier. OS - Android can at best be considered a work in progress or a new food group - Ice Cream Sandwich! Be prepared for some issues around that depending on which iteration you get (version 3 at least) especially if you also need or want wireless access through a unit that comes from cell phone provider. I was only interested in wi-fi connectivity for the home network and web access from there or through some other public hotspot (Starbucks, etc.). There are other features such as cameras that might be of use or interest to you. You might find this link useful to make sense of what's out there. Check out the comparison table link on the last page of the article. www.komando.com/buyguide/index.aspx?id=9704After HP abruptly exited the tablet market, I came across a mention that they would be reintroducing a 'slate' computer (a business tablet). Think 'tablet' but one that runs Windows 7 and all of the apps that you're used to. At $1100 though, nice but not an option for my purposes. In looking at tablets online, I came across a refurbished ASUS Eee slate at Best Buy for $600 that included a bluetooth keyboard. The couple of days that it took for me to look into the ASUS machine a bit more and to decide that I'd go that route, they sold out. Great. I'll wait a few days and see if they get more. Nope. Just before I place my order for the Toshiba Thrive, I thought to take one last look at the slate supply. Bingo! Back in stock. I had it a few days later and have been very happy with it since. It's familiar and does everything I want it to do, surf the web, read any ebook format and I've even watched a couple of movies on the 12" screen. The only drawback that I considered before I bought it was the weight. At 2.5 lbs, it's heavier by a pound or more than most tablets. Hope this helps.
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Post by Sgt K USMC on Jan 17, 2012 12:39:48 GMT -5
That is a truly outstanding report…
I have avoided getting an I-Pad on the basis that they seem to come out with a new one that makes the old one obsolete within a year of the first ones release. The features they add to make it 'new' are generally ones that less expensive readers already had (the USB ports and so on) and they lack a sort of 'useability' if you are a PC.
That and I just never liked standing in line for more than an hour to get something I never really wanted in the first place.
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Post by Smilin' Jack on Jan 25, 2012 0:45:01 GMT -5
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Post by CoffeeShooter on Jan 25, 2012 8:51:15 GMT -5
So Jack, you're happy so far with the ASUS tablet other than the weight?
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Post by Smilin' Jack on Jan 25, 2012 22:51:54 GMT -5
So Jack, you're happy so far with the ASUS tablet other than the weight? Yes and the weight isn't a problem either. I noted it because it might be an issue depending on what you're looking for or how you expect to use it most often or for how long. A pound doesn't sound like much but at 2.5 lbs total, it was an unknown that could prove to be a bother. It would be nice if it was lighter but I wouldn't send it back, for the other reasons mentioned.
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Post by elgusano on Jan 31, 2012 15:51:34 GMT -5
For reading, I want something using eInk. It's like reading a real paper book. I prefer my Kobo because, since I just read on it, it is simpler. I have no complaints with the Kindle, either, except I had the DX (to read full sized pdf files that could not be reflowed), and the size really did make a difference.
As for the tablet, I have some programs that I would want to use that are Windows only, but the bluetooth keyboard with the case that turns into a stand is pretty awesome.
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