Posted on 11/24/2014 10:12:22 AM PST by Chickensoup
I want to buy one of those pad type of computers so I can use the Internet, check my email and perhaps read books on the road. I do not have a smart phone, and do not want one. I will only hook up to wifi and not have a "data package" for the machine.
there seem to be several opeating systems. Apple, Google and Microsoft.
Apple eeeh.
Google? I am not keen about feeding the Beast.
I happen to like Microsoft products. Yes I know I am the ONLY Freeper who does, but what the heck?
I cannot really figure out the products well enough to compare them.
Freeper tech ping?
I LOVE MY SURFACE PRO 3!!
But if you want something a little more portable and cheaper this one looks pretty nice:
HP Stream 7 Signature Edition Tablet $99
I like a drop or two on scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese. Also I make Alabama hot cheese pones with it ... Bisquick, hot sauce, extra sharp cheddar cheese, and a dash of buttermilk. Spoon drop the dough on a cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown. They freeze well and are a hit with cold beer or Iced Tea.
I would try them all out for size, weight, thickness, clarity of the display.
I use Apple products myself. My wife and I have 3 iPads (Hers, Mine, and one used to control some home automation) and they are a 2,4,air.
They are pretty amazing as far as reliability, battery life, and display.
One thing to consider....App store for the iPad is literally overflowing with high quality applications made specifically for the iPad.
BTW, I use both iBooks and Kindle on my iPad.....it is nice to carry around +100 books around with you.
What do you have for a smartphone?
You don’t have to activate a phone to use it as a small pad device.
I have an old Asus pad with keyboard, I’m typing on it now but for the purposes you list, I use the phone, not the pad, it’s much more convenient.
You can get a Moto G second edition for about a hundred bucks. It has a 5 inch screen, great battery life and accepts memory expansion. It would do everything you are asking without ever activating it as a phone. It also fits in a shirt pocket.
My father in law’s smart phone connects directly to his hearing aids via blue tooth. No wires, he can set the phone down while he is talking and still hear the call.
I bought an iPad mini with wifi and Verizon 4G. You can buy the Verizon if and when you want it. I pay $20 a month and am always connected. Have never used up my 1GB a month, although I came close once. I also don’t have a smartphone. Although it only has 16 GB it’s a great thing to have. I’m also a Microsoft person.
Since you’ve already made up your mind, what’s the point of this topic?
Android is the operating system found on most brands, including Google, it’s open source and works acceptably. The main problem isn’t the OS or the manufacturer, it’s the tablet interface itself, which is inherently limited and IMHO tries to do too much with too little.
Try out Sam’s Club, they have a $99 tablet, I forget which brand; that’s where I got mine a year or so ago, the brand is TMax, and the processor was the same as one of the Samsung models they also carried at that time, but the Samsung was $400.
I have an iPad and love it, but perhaps I just love the format. It was expensive. There are android based tablets that will do what you specify very well for a fraction of the price of the iPad. If you aren’t as concerned about the price, the retina display on the new iPad is stunning.
I use a Surface RT. It has Windows 8.1 and Microsoft Office RT products (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, etc.) It’s inexpensive (especially in light of the powerhouse Surface Pro 3)and you can surf the web, check emails, make reservations, etc. Mircrosoft has an app store, but that is definitely not as robust as Apple and Android, but that does not appear to be what you want it for (nor me)and the basic apps work just fine. I bought mine off Craig’s list from a college student for cheap and added a blue tooth keyboard when I don’t want to use as a tablet. It interfaces with my wireless printer/scan and I take it with me for business and use it as a mini laptop primarily instead of a larger laptop.I use it with an HDMI cable into a lager monitor or TV sometimes as well. Just for reference, I have an Apple iPhone, iPhone and iPhone mini for my wife, Apple TV, and I still like the look and feel of the Surface RT. It is not whiz bang fancy and won’t set any processing speed records, but does everything I need.
I think it is both, although not sure what “little” means.
This is it.
You cannot beat a Samsung tablet for accomplishing all your stated objectives. I have an Ipad, a Kindle fire, a Samsung phone, and the tablet. The tablet is the perfect size for reading books and it provides all the other functionality I need.
Mine is LG Spectrum. I have had it for 2 1/2 years. Still works great for me. My husband got the new Samsung this year and loves it. I use mine for the camera a lot! But, my Xoom has a great camera too. It is 3 1/2 years old.
I have been using an ASUS T100 for a year and find it great. It’s got a 10” touch screen I use M/Soft Office on it with no problem does everything I could want. Comes with a detachable keyboard and can attach a full size monitor, keyboard etc. All for +/- $300 from Amazon or Best Buy.
I've dropped my iPhone a hundred times including leaving it on top of my car at least twice and it never so much as hiccuped. This, with a $10 rubber protective case.
My MacBook Pro has been used daily for about five years now. Still looks brand new and that's despite wiping it down with a damp cloth all the time (I'm too cheap to buy those special cleaning solutions and rags).
Seems I'm constantly having to help other family members deal with issues on their Windows and Android systems.
Ditto to everything you said.
Just added two Macbook Pros to my families stable of Apple products. I am/was a Certified Microsoft Network Administrator who built Windows machines as a hobby. When it was time to start my own (non-tech) company, I looked hard at my options. Macs are more reliable, need less maintenance, and generally work better than Windows machines. Even better, ALL of their devices play well with each other. No driver issues, no connectivity issues...it all just works.
I bought an original iPad when they first came out. My best friend said I was silly for paying that much money for it. About a yr later she bought some cheap android pad. She never could get it to work right. I even went down once to try and help her. I’m pretty tech savvy and I told her it was a pos. I said.....hey at least my expensive iPad works. I recently bought an iPad air and hubby is still using the old one. I guess her cheap tablet has been a doorstop for several years now.
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