Tablet PC Recommendations

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by mattbrent, Aug 7, 2011.

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  1. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Howdy folks!

    My wife & I are about to start shopping for a new computer. Her laptop is on its deathbed, and mine isn't far behind. She's about to get a promotion (HOPEFULLY!!!) and due to the travel involved and things she has to do, we were thinking about buying a Tablet PC. So... any recommendations?

    Thanks!
    -Matt
     
  2. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    If she is using it for business purposes, I recommend not getting a tablet, unless she is very certain that it will work for what she wants to do.

    My family has an iPad, but I rarely use it. My wife and oldest son get the most use of it for things like casual web browsing and streaming video. I need the laptop for academic and professional tasks.

    In terms of tablets, the iPad is very good, but it lacks Flash capability. In terms of non-Apple tablets, I would avoid anything significantly cheaper than a comparable iPad. I think HP has a $399 tablet, and it looks pretty good. Anything cheaper should require some serious skepticism

    Touch response is key. I would strongly suggest going into a physical store and testing them out because some of the cheaper tablets simply aren't very good with touch response. Nothing is more frustrating on a tablet than lagging software.
     
  3. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Definitely! I bought her a Velocity Cruz reader for Christmas, and the touch sensitivity on that is awful. You basically have to jab your finger at it. I learned from that mistake, that's for sure!

    -Matt
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I'm with those who say that unless you're sure you actually want a tablet don't get one. Android tablets are good for consuming content (they allow Flash unlike the iPad), but they're not good for anything involving typing.
     
  5. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    By tablet do you mean the laptops with the flip screen? I have an HP 2740P and had to return it right after purchase due to a faulty keyboard (which for a $1500 PC is unthinkable but I digress). I have the solid state drive which is very fast and overall I'm happy with it thus far. The pros are the computer is very small, light and thin, the cons are that it is an equally small screen and keyboard. The flip screen is very handy for sharing notes or just reading the news while in the airport etc. and makes reading a lengthy document much less of a chore when you can hold it like a notebook (maybe it's a mental thing). I have a docking station I use 90% of the time so for my purposes it works great. If I were using it as a laptop, I'd need something with at least a 17 inch screen.
     
  6. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    For content creation and "serious work", I'm going to echo the crowd here and say that a real laptop is superior to a tablet. For lounging around the hotel after work, or going over email on the plane, an iPad is an excellent device, but I can't imagine doing anything more involved than a discussion board post on it. :)
     
  7. KariS

    KariS New Member

    I have a laptop and a tablet. The tablet is good for using on the plane and personal browizing, reading, etc, but it is not a laptop replacement. The virtual keyboard consumes half the screen. The software available is still lacking, the best office suite really is good for note taking, and minor revision, not heavy duty work. The email progams are okay, but much more cumbersome than outlook or notes.
     
  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  9. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    The new HP one, that was $499 3 days ago was $99 at Office Depot this afternoon and, I heard on a talk show, $79 at Best Buy.

    My iPad + wireless keyboard + Numbers and Pages is getting pretty close to my laptop, at least in the ways that I use it.
     
  10. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    What I've found is that for 95% of my day to day computing needs I can get away with a tablet.

    The minute I add my employment into the equation I need a laptop at minimum with at least a 15" screen as I code occasionally.
    The moment I have downtime without the family around I need a gaming system with two 30" LCD's and 1GB videocards.
    The moment my son is around, I'm without one or both as keeping him from my computers is not done without locking them away.

    So by corollary, as long as I'm with my family the tablet suffices.. ergo wife = tablet. Son = tablet.

    So making the assumption that your wife has the same circumstances as you do and your circumstances are like mine it's no wonder you're thinking about a tablet when together as that's the only time either of you would end up using it. :)
     
  11. Enlisans

    Enlisans New Member

    iPad 2 Keyboard iPad 2 Smart Cover
     
  12. ProfTim

    ProfTim Member

    I have a traditonal laptop. It's a great servicable machine but the weight was getting heavier (or I'm getting older!). My colleague has an iPad and likes it but has found that it is not very friendly in the business world because so much of the software uses the Window's environment. I talked with my IT guy about the Ultrabooks that I have seen around. I ended up buying a Toshiba Ultrabook. It only weighs 2.5 pounds. I also love the quick start boot time that it supports. I'm running the Microsoft Office Suite on it and have no issues. This machine is also much cooler than my other laptop. Thus far I've been extremely pleased. The Ultrabooks are more expensive than a regular laptop so be prepared to shell out some cash if you decide to go that route.
     

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