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Thread: Tablet pc, enough choices to make a geek tremble...

  1. #1
    Old Timer jasong's Avatar
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    Tablet pc, enough choices to make a geek tremble...

    with either glee or horror.

    I want to buy a tablet pc. I only need it to be able to do a few things, surf the Internet satisfactorily, play video(preferably, it should be capable of dealing with HD files even if it can't show them in their full glory) under a good number of formats(divx, avi, whatever youtube uses). And lastly, though it isn't strictly necessary, the ability to use the screen like a spiral notebook with a stylus. The reason I say stylus is I'm very uncoordinated and would probably need a blackboard rather than a tablet if I have to write with my fingers.

    Any advice? Telling me I need to wait is acceptable, I tend to be severely underwhelmed when I buy electronics that aren't music-related or send my web-surfing abilities to more than 2 computers. My netbook is on the fritz(managed to drop it on the floor at bedtime, interestingly enough it's actual death was delayed by about 2-3 days, thought I'd dodged a bullet but I hadn't) so if it's only slightly more than a netbook or less than I'd probably be thrilled.

    Not sure if I wrote that in a sufficiently coherent fashion, but either way responses are appreciated.

    PS I know I haven't been back here in a while, but I'm still a big fan of Free-DC. The Internet is the only place where a literally pure(as in original definition) democracy can work, so the reason for the name Free-DC is super-awesome to me.

  2. #2
    Old Fart Bigred's Avatar
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    I bought one about 4 months ago to use while traveling for work. Mine is a cheap €129 (less than $200) import from China that looks almost exactly like the Samsung Galaxy. Compared to the Galaxy it lacke the camera and telephony features. To say I'm happy with it would be an understatement. It uses the Android OS and while it is not the latest, it does work. Applications are available by the thousands. It does have a micro SD card slot, a mini USB port and built in WIFI. So far I've connected to the USB a webcam, external HDD, memory stick, ethernet adapter and one of those USB Cell Phone Internet sticks. Everything worked flawlessly. When on the road, I use it for Internet access, music, movies, E-books and Skype. At home my kids like to use the Youtube application it came with. The battery will last about two hours when watching a movie or reading a book. If you are doing music or other things where the screen can be turned off it will last a lot longer. I only have two complaints. The on screen keyboard is somewhat troublesome to use and scrolling takes some practice.

    Am I going to recommend that you buy the same one I have? No. It is from a small German company that specs pieces and then imports them from China. Here is what I do recommend. Do a search for Android and look at the applications available. Figure out which ones you would want to use and pay attention to which version of Android it requires. Then you can go look for a tablet that meets your needs. I highly recommend the USB and micro SD slots. I wouldn't pay attention to the brand name since they all come from the same place anyway. Size may be important but I like my small one since it is easy to carry around and use as a book reader.
    19 primes found. The largest: 1351*2^617684+1 (185945 digits)

  3. #3
    Old Timer jasong's Avatar
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    Thanks Bigred, that really helps. It further cements my idea of making my buy an Android-based device. I haven't actively researched tablets in a few months, so I'm curious how much penetration Android 3.0(Honeycomb) has now. It'll be a bit of a chore to narrow down the choices, but at least this time I might actually be making a purchase.

  4. #4
    Free-DC Semi-retire gopher_yarrowzoo's Avatar
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    Honeycomb is only new stuff, very specific devices and you can't upgrade from the older OS yet until they release according to the story I read on the register. Those devices aren't even out yet or have just been brought to market for test.
    Semi-retired from Free-DC...
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    I need a new laptop,but who needs a laptop when you have a phone...
    Now to remember my old computer specs..


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