Tablets for sheet music
 

Does anyone have any insight into using tablets on gigs for both sheet music and the iRealb app. I know the iPads work great and I work with a few people that use them but they are very expensive. Any comments on the kindle or google tablets?

I am a 100% apple person so I am very skeptical of the quality of anything else.

thanks

If you are a 100% Apple person, and the only thing holding you back from an new iPad full size is the price, then look at buying a used iPad 1st gen (2010). Now in 2013, they must be selling for a low price on the used market. The iPad 2 is still being sold new at a high price, but older iPad 2s used from 2011 with the lower storage capacity are likely being sold for half of those dollars.

I use an iPad2 and the forScore app on every gig I do. Tons of lead sheets and complete fake books are at my disposal as well as are original sketches (I take pictures of them). Also use some performance based apps for the occasional synth solo.

I have a 9.7" Android (same size as an iPad) that works great and was less than half the price. I'd stay away from the 10.1" tablets due to the aspect ratio which would make for goofy looking pages.

My old eyes didn't enjoy when I tried it with my Asus Transformer (10.1" widescreen), and I'm working from charts, not dots. As another data point, albeit not a cheaper one, I found this video very interesting as an intro to the current state of what can be done with tablet PCs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOR3E3RM5Es

I'm currently experimenting with a 12.5" screen tablet PC to see if I can go paperless.

You can pick up a 1st gen iPad or a 2nd gen iPad used for a decent price. Check with your local craigslist.

Kindle HD 8.9" along with MobileSheets and a Bluetooth page turner (Cicada) do the job nicely for me.

I bought a cheap 9.2" SVP tablet on Amazon for around $125. I specifically looked for the android ice cream sandwich as this is compatible with being able to use iRealb. It is set up to seamlessly download google play apps.

This works great with iRealB, but the screen has the length, but not the width I would like for Real Book charts, etc. A little too small for my eyes. So, unless you are just thinking of using only iReal B, I would suggest making sure you know the width of the screen, as well as the length before purchasing. I probably will get another cheap tablet as a backup and for use with regular charts. They are out there.