Tablets: ipad vs.

jnevi9nr · #1 08-30-2011, 11:26 PM

Any experience with iPad or their competitors? Pros/cons, etc.

knucklehead G · #2 08-30-2011, 11:27 PM

What are you using it for? Games? Work? What kind of computer and / or smartphone might you be hooking it up to?

Definitely · #3 08-30-2011, 11:30 PM

iPad: terrible graphics especially on camera, big, most apps, home button to take you out of anything, only runs one thing at a time, no flash player, 3G Internet anywhere but with monthly fee

PlayBook: amazing graphics, smaller, no buttons just swiping, less apps, more paid apps than free, runs multiple "tabs", flash player capability, blackberry bridge for Internet anywhere free*

*provided you have it on your blackberry

Only two tablets I have experience with

Crass! · #4 08-31-2011, 03:02 AM

praisebass · #5 08-31-2011, 03:08 AM

I personally prefer my Motorola Xoom to iPad but cannot imagine trying to do without a tablet of some sort.

Porkbun · #6 08-31-2011, 11:10 AM

If you want a no hassle tablet that has ton of apps but really no room to move around the OS (if youre not a geek/techie this wont matter) pay the extra $$$ and get an iPad. If youve got tons of time on your hands but not much money, you can scour the internet for an HP Touchpad which you can find for about $250 since HP discontinued them (was $500 before). If you like to customize, experiment, get an Android Tablet.

Each one of these will do the basic web browsing, media playback, image viewing, etc., but nowadays people are more about the applications to extend the usability and in that realm Apple is king. Android has a ton of apps, but a lot of them are horrible. HP does not have many apps and it was recently discontinued, but more than half a million sold a few weeks ago so if you want to gamble, you can hope that all these touchpads will generate more apps. The HP is the best option for basic tablet functions.

Personally I like this better even though it has some mistakes:

jnevi9nr · #7 08-31-2011, 01:09 PM

Anyone else?

Strohsx · #8 08-31-2011, 01:14 PM

All are pretty much useless for anything but light internet use, books and simple games maybe a movie here and there.

Out of the tablets I've had thrown at me by companies the iPad still wins out.

MJ5150 · #9 08-31-2011, 01:16 PM

I like my iPad, and I am more an Android guy. I gave away my laptop and use the iPad for my mobile computing. iTap RDP FTW!

-Mike

jwbassman · #10 08-31-2011, 02:13 PM

I've played around with the ipad and the Samsug Galaxy Tab. I would take the Galaxy. It's pretty slick. Both are very nice though

I scored a HP Touchpad for $99 last week when they were blowing them out, and for the money you can't beat it. But that's at a $99 price. I wouldn't have bought it for the full price. Graphic are great and the Web OS is a pretty nice system. Especially the "cards".

If I had to choose a full price Tablet the Samsung Galaxy would be my choice.

Pilgrim · #11 08-31-2011, 04:14 PM

We've tested the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad and the Xoom. You can make either one Internet-phone capable by using a cable to connect it to your smart phone and PDANet software (look it up). If you do this, you better have an unlimited data plan!

Neither is ready to be a primary computer, but both of them can serve many functions. I personally have never understood Apple's interface, but I find the Android system easy to understand. I have taken my Xoom to a professional meeting and done all my email, note-taking and web surfing on it without a problem.

The glass keyboards on all tablets SUCK, because there is no physical feedback to let you know that you've touched a key. Your accuracy will be poor and your work will be full of typos...but you can clean that up later if needed.

There are more apps for the iPad and more schools seem to be building their own apps for it, but the Android tablets are gaining fast.

Many people (not me) find the Apple interface more intuitive.

iPads don't play Flash - there's a free Flash download for Android that gets you around that quickly.

The iPad is very slightly lighter than the Xoom, and a bit thinner.

I do NOT like having to go through Apple's sites for music and apps - to me, that's a big advantage of the Android.

If you like Apple, you'll like the iPad. if you like PCs or Android, you'll do great with a Xoom, and from the reports I've heard of the Galaxy it should be even better.

Strohsx · #12 08-31-2011, 04:48 PM

Just don't buy one from anyone in a McDonald's parking lot.
Woman buys valuable piece of outsider art resembling iPad for $180 – Boing Boing

Longhair · #13 08-31-2011, 05:04 PM

I had an ASUS Eee Slate EP121 (Windows 7 Home) tablet in my hands today.

The downsizes were the size and no stylus.

fdeck · #14 08-31-2011, 07:23 PM

It's going to be like the early decade or so of Mac vs PC. Between the two systems, Mac was more user-friendly, and PC was more developer-friendly. Eventually, the market that depended on specialized or custom software all settled on PC, and the market that depended on the most advanced user interface settled on Mac. The hardware market went to the OS that was available to them.

People loved their Macs. People hated their PCs but had to use them because of the software that they needed to use, or because the OS supported cheaper hardware.

Sound familiar?

As a small-scale developer, I'm excited by what Android offers. But granted, I'm not a typical everyday user.

jnevi9nr · #15 08-31-2011, 09:13 PM

Thanks for feedback y'all!

bassman1185 · #16 09-01-2011, 07:39 AM

I've played around on an iPad a few times, and I currently own a rooted Viewsonic G-Tablet that is running Honeycomb 3.0. Honeycomb is FAR superior to iOS in terms of multi-tasking and customizability. The iPad has more games and apps, but if you're looking for more functionality, Android tablets generally have it beat.

At this point, I would wait a couple of months before I bought any tablets. The next generation of Android tabs will be coming out by Christmas, and if the demos on youtube (search for "tegra 3" or "tegra kal-el") are any indication, they will be having their way with the iPad.

jnevi9nr · #17 10-09-2011, 04:35 PM

Got the hp touchpad. Limited apps, but I like it at the price their selling them for.

fdeck · #18 10-09-2011, 04:41 PM

I think sl4a and py4a tip the scales towards Android.

Programming Without Permission

J. Crawford · #19 10-09-2011, 05:37 PM

I <3 my iPad 2, regardless of the haters.

vbsurfer3001 · #20 10-09-2011, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Crawford

I <3 my iPad 2, regardless of the haters.

Haven't touched my PC laptop since I got mine. :-)