Which Tablet Should I Buy?

[cullenmichael34]

I am looking at (mainly) the ASUS Transfromer tf300 with dock, Google Nexus 7, and Lenovo a2109.

The main purpose I want to use it for is: Internet, 3d gaming (Modern Combat), Skype, Youtube, and creating word documents. I really like the idea of the keyboard dock on the transformer, but is it really worth the price? Also, my tablet has to have a quad core processor. I found the Lenovo on NewEgg for $250, Nexus 7 (32gb) is $250, and the tf300 is $350, but if I were to get the tf300, I would have to get the dock too ($100). I like the idea of a bigger screen, and I think I would be willing to sacrifice quality for size when it comes to the Lenovo. But, on the Nexus 7, I really like the idea of it being a google product.

Also, would the tf300 really be able to replace my computer as far as word documents go?

Thanks, this is my first post by the way.

 

[B. Diddy]

I just got a new (not refurbished) 32gb TF300 at Gamestop for $299, and the dock at Best Buy for $75, so if you're serious about getting one, now is a good time! The tablet also came preloaded with some sweet games like GTA3 and Shadowgun.

I'll go into more detail later when l get in front of my computer (or tablet).

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Android Central Forums

 

[MJKearney]

There's a big difference between 7" and 10" tablets in terms of handling. If you're a lay down on the couch person, 7" is much easier to use. If you're a sit in the recliner person, 10" should work well.

I don't think any Android or iOS tablet is a suitable full time replacement for using with an office suite, even with a physical keyboard. They just aren't full featured enough at this point. They're fine for short tasks, review and minor editing, but for something long or complex, they aren't there yet, in my opinion.

 

[Jude526]

I use my laptop when I need to print etc. I love my tablet. I have the Samsung 10.1. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I use everything.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note2

 

[B. Diddy]

I am looking at (mainly) the ASUS Transfromer tf300 with dock, Google Nexus 7, and Lenovo a2109.

The main purpose I want to use it for is: Internet, 3d gaming (Modern Combat), Skype, Youtube, and creating word documents. I really like the idea of the keyboard dock on the transformer, but is it really worth the price? Also, my tablet has to have a quad core processor. I found the Lenovo on NewEgg for $250, Nexus 7 (32gb) is $250, and the tf300 is $350, but if I were to get the tf300, I would have to get the dock too ($100). I like the idea of a bigger screen, and I think I would be willing to sacrifice quality for size when it comes to the Lenovo. But, on the Nexus 7, I really like the idea of it being a google product.

Also, would the tf300 really be able to replace my computer as far as word documents go?

Thanks, this is my first post by the way.

Ok, I can type a bit more now. I have both the Nexus 7 and the Asus TF300. They're both excellent devices. The Nexus 7 is just about the perfect size because it's small and light enough to be very portable, but big enough to be easy on the eyes when using it for prolonged stretches of time. The Tegra3 makes it very snappy, and games look and play great. The lack of a keyboard dock isn't a huge drawback, since it's easy enough (and cheaper) to get a 3rd party Bluetooth keyboard as well as a standup case for the tablet. There are also companies that make keyboard cases that are generally decent--check out the Nexus 7 accessories forum for discussions on that.

I've only played around with my new TF300 (with dock) for a couple of days now, but I can tell it's all high quality. Updated it to Jellybean 4.1.1 as soon as I turned it on. No 4.2 yet, and not sure if Asus will go that far, but one thing that Asus has been known for is good support and relatively frequent updates for their tablets (compared to others like Acer and Toshiba). Performance is about the same as the Nexus 7, although Jellybean 4.2 on the Nexus 7 might give it a small performance edge. Games look great. The dock works perfectly, although the dock itself is actually lighter than the tablet, so when it's docked, it can be a little top heavy.

The main drawback of the Nexus 7 is that the 7" screen is just a little too small if you want to do a lot of office productivity. This is where the TF300 is superior. Although it's true that Android tablets aren't ideal for complicated and involved documents, I think they're perfectly fine for light to moderate word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Google continues to improve Google Docs (now called Google Drive), adding new features a few times per year, it seems. The tablet also has Polaris Office preinstalled, which got decent reviews when it first came out, but I haven't worked with it to see how it's held up.

I played around with the Lenovo at Office Depot, which seems like a good tablet, and $250 is a pretty good price. My main concern would be how long Lenovo will support it, since they're still a pretty small player in the US tablet market.

Anyway, good luck with your decision! I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

If size doesn't matter, go for the transformer, or wait for the Samsung note 8 inch version

Sent from yo moms house son!Using my SPH - L710 running AOKP Rom 4.1.2, now initiating Swagger

 

[cullenmichael34]

If size doesn't matter, go for the transformer, or wait for the Samsung note 8 inch version

Sent from yo moms house son!Using my SPH - L710 running AOKP Rom 4.1.2, now initiating Swagger

What do think the Galaxy Note 8 inch will cost? Will it be under $350?

 

[cullenmichael34]

@B. Diddy Thanks for your reply. I agree with you on almost everything. I also had the exact same worries about the Lenovo not having much backing by their company. I think the Asus tf300 would be the ideal choice.
What about the trackpad on the Asus dock? Is it even needed?

Also does Gamestop always offer that deal on the tf300?

Thanks.

 

[B. Diddy]

Although I've seen some complaints about the Asus dock's trackpad, I've found it to work fine so far. If you're going to use the dock's keyboard a lot for typing, the trackpad does come in handy, because I find it a little awkward to be going from the keyboard to the touchscreen (although that's what Windows 8 is all about, I guess).

I believe the $299 deal for the 32 GB TF300 at Gamestop is for a limited time. The sticker on my box had the retail price at $399. I'm sure you could give any local Gamestop a ring and ask them how long that deal is for.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

What do think the Galaxy Note 8 inch will cost? Will it be under $350?

I think so, the 10.1 started at like 400, so that's fair, I'd I'd say

Sent from an orange potato......no, really

 

[CHIP72]

Although I've seen some complaints about the Asus dock's trackpad, I've found it to work fine so far. If you're going to use the dock's keyboard a lot for typing, the trackpad does come in handy, because I find it a little awkward to be going from the keyboard to the touchscreen (although that's what Windows 8 is all about, I guess).

I concur about the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T trackpad - in my use, I've found it works pretty well. It supports 2-finger scrolling. (As a side note, I almost always use the Transformer Pad 300 in "netbook" mode, i.e. I keep the keyboard dock attached most of the time.)

Incidentally, I also own a Windows 8 touchscreen laptop (Asus VivoBook X202E) and Windows 8 is NOT all about the touchscreen, though having a touchscreen IS a great feature, just like it is on Transformer Pad 300 when using that device in netbook mode. You can move around in Windows 8 quite well without using the touchscreen or a mouse for that matter. The VivoBook X202E also supports 2-finger scrolling, and like the Transformer Pad 300, it works pretty well.

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks for the feedback on Windows 8. Although I realize that touchscreen gestures on Windows 8 can be done on the touchpad as well, I've read that laptops without a touchscreen can still be a little awkward to use. Have you had to use any Windows 8 machines without a touchscreen? Curious to know what the experience is.

 

[CHIP72]

Thanks for the feedback on Windows 8. Although I realize that touchscreen gestures on Windows 8 can be done on the touchpad as well, I've read that laptops without a touchscreen can still be a little awkward to use. Have you had to use any Windows 8 machines without a touchscreen? Curious to know what the experience is.

Nope, I haven't upgraded my Windows 7 devices (both of which are non-touchscreen computers, one desktop and one laptop) to Windows 8.

Admittedly, I like Windows 8 and the Metro/tile interface a lot, so I'm not the most unbiased person to ask about Windows 8. Having said that, I would say Windows 8 works very well via touch, probably works very well via mouse, and merely well (as opposed to very well) via trackpad. There are certain features in Windows 8, like accessing the Charms bar (i.e. the control panel bar hidden on the right side of the screen) and especially closing apps that are easier to do via touch or mouse than they are via a trackpad. But even in those cases, performing those functions is no harder than it is in Windows 7 or earlier versions of Windows; they are just done differently. (With the Charms bar, which is used in both Windows 8 Metro/tile mode and Windows 8 desktop mode and essentially replaces the Start button if you don't want to perform a "just type" search*, you put your cursor in the upper right corner to bring up the bar rather than clicking a start button in the lower left corner. With closing apps, you place the cursor in the top middle of the screen and when the hand icon comes up, click and pull down to the bottom of the screen rather than clicking an "x" in the application's screen in the upper right corner.)

For whatever it is worth, I'll note that I have both a Windows 8 touchscreen laptop (the Asus VivoBook X202E, an 11.6" laptop with a 3rd generation Core i3 processor that costs $550 at most retailers and $500 at the Microsoft store; the VivoBook Q200E that is being sold at Best Buy right now for $450 has a 2nd generation Core i3 processor and is a slightly lower specification version of the VivoBook X202E) and a Windows 7 non-touchscreen laptop (the HP Pavilion g4-1215dx, a 14" budget laptop with an AMD A4 processor that was released in October 2011 and cost $350 to $380 at Best Buy); I bought both of these computers within 2 1/2 months after they were released. Both of these computers are budget laptops; the price difference between the two when each was new was probably mostly due to the fact the VivoBook X202E has a touchscreen (though to be fair it also has a smaller screen). With the Pavilion g4-1215dx, 2-finger scrolling works very infrequently; I almost always have to use the right-side scroll bar to move around on a webpage or in an application. By contrast, with the VivoBook X202E 2-finger scrolling works very well once the computer is fully booted up (after the Metro/tile start screen comes up, some processes, I think related to the Norton Web Security I have installed, need to run for 30-60 seconds). The 2-finger scrolling works in both Metro/tile mode and desktop mode. Also, pinch to zoom also works well on the VivoBook X202E (maybe too well; I was inadvertently changing the zoom scale occasionally while working on a Word document earlier today); I've never been able to pinch to zoom on my Pavilion g4-1215dx. Stated more simply, using the trackpad is a lot easier on my Windows 8 laptop than it is on my Windows 7 laptop.

*The "just type" search function in Windows 8 Metro/tile mode is a genuinely great feature. To access it, just click on the screen anywhere not in a tile and start typing whatever it is you are looking for. The Charms bar will come up on the right side of the screen and show you how many applications, files, etc. match the name of whatever it is you typed. This feature doesn't just work for items on your computer though; you can also search for applications in the Windows app store this way too by clicking on "Store" in the Charms bar. Actually, I think you can also search within installed apps, like for example eBay, using the "just type" feature; I haven't tried to do so but when I have done a search via "just type", I've noticed eBay and other installed applications will also pop up as choices in the Charms bar. The "just type" functionality in Windows 8 is an awesome, awesome feature IMO, probably the best feature in an operating system that I think has a lot of really good features.