Complete noob question for tablets

[shaytoon21]

happy new year everyone!!

so for the longest time i kept telling myself i have absolutely no reason to buy a tablet. all i need is my computer and moto x and im golden. but no, things changed and now im in the market to buy one so here i am trying to find out how the tablet games work. specifically, im buying it for school to slowly convert to ebooks and note taking. i am some what hesitant to purchase a laptop or chromebook so hopefully i can get some answers here to better assist me with my purchase. obvi the difference is a computer vs a tablet so im trying to weigh out the options.

i want an android tablet. has to be 10 inches. im stuck between nexus 10 and samsung 10.1 tab2

i used to have a gnex so i already know exactly what ill be getting with a nexus 10. from my understanding there is a new model coming out within a few months? is this true? is it worth waiting? or should i go for the 2012 edition (only to drool over the newer one when it releases).

as for the samsung, it seems that it runs TW....thats a killer for me. i hate tw. i dont want to root or anything. so i think i just automatically eliminated samsung from the list.

money isnt really an issue so im open to suggestions....

 

[Umass021]

I recently got a nexus 10 for xmas and so far I really like it. This is my second tablet(acer a500). Money was a object for me and was looking between 300-350 and ended up find this one brand new for 350. I couldn't find anything around this price range for what the nexus offered. I had seen the galaxy tab 3 10.1 for 299 on sale but past on it. I like the look and feel of stock android and sounds like you might also. I did have a very small issue with my tablet when it went from 34% to 0% battery for no reason. Since I charged it full it has not done it again since. Maybe it will come back or maybe my tablet was reading the wrong battery percentage since it was the first time I used it. I have drained the battery down to 8% will no issues.

People say that tablets will replace computers but for me that could never happen as of now. I do like having both because its nice to just grab the tablet to check or look something up without having to turn my laptop on each time. When my acer a500 had stopped working it made me realize I needed to get another tablet very soon. I feel that with a laptop you can get more stuff done quicker. That is just my opinion.

 

[Devlyn16]

I love my Nexus 10 but I have always felt that IF I needed to take notes or draw one of S pen devices would be better for those purposes.

 

[shaytoon21]

note taking will be a big thing for me and ive played with enough tablets to know they arent as fast as i need them to be. i dont want to get a laptop and a tablet. unless i do a 7inch tablet for reading and a small netbook for surfing/note taking....thats gonna be too much money i want one or the other. theres also the surface, but i havent played with it too much to get a better feel.

does a nexus 10 support s pens?

 

[Umass021]

I don't think so but I could be wrong.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[shaytoon21]

at this point, a laptop seems more practical. i was going to use the tablet for ebooks but i can get the app for a PC as well. but a tablet is easier to carry around and read with. i dont want to purchase 2 diff things if i can just do all my work on one device.

the surface seems like the most useful as its the best of both worlds. i know it runs win8 or rt, whatever the they changed it to. gosh this has become annoying. no idea what to do here.

 

[shaytoon21]

ok, im going to say no to the surface...that thing is actually pricier than i thought, its like i might as well buy a laptop.

all i want is a practical device i can take fast notes on and read ebooks. doesnt look like one device can do this at an affordable price. i honestly dont want to spend over $500, money isnt an issue but its just a waste if im not buying the right thing.

 

[Umass021]

You can get they as low as 300 from what I have seen

Sent from my Nexus 10 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[shaytoon21]

the low end model of the surface is about $300.

hp has a laptop (not a netbook) that lets you detach the screen and use it as a tablet....but that runs for $900

 

[Allen Salyer]

A lot of nice 8 to 10 inch win 8.1 models coming out. Asus has one that is supposed to have Wacom pen for 300 range. I would definitely wait till ces is over.

 

[Algus]

I have a BT keyboard for my N7 and while the typing is adequate, I found that the screen was much to small, though I suppose I could have messed with zoom functions. There are a lot of good word processors for Android, more than sufficient for typing notes and writing papers, but ultimately I went with a chromebook because I prefer that form factor.

I would have killed for a laptop or tab when I was in college. I used to use a 14" Dell Vostro and while it got the job done, it was heavy and noisy. I can't say enough good about thin and light solutions for school.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Since you mentioned it in your opening thread, have you considered a Chromebook?

I have one and love it. I will admit that I would not necessary recommend a Chromebook as a "primary computer", but as a secondary portable device they can be really quite useful.

I have the Acer C720, the 16GB $200 version, and frankly I'm a bit shocked at just how much I like it. It's small and light and every bit as portable as a 10" tablet, but also has a fully functional keyboard and desktop browser (that supports Flash!). It boots within seconds and even though it really only has support for Chrome browser, with the Google Drive apps, I'm able to work on most types of files. The only thing I wouldn't be sure of is it's capabilities as an eBook reader, since that's something I've never even looked into that, but I know that there are ebook reader apps available for Chrome, so it should work. Also, the battery life is very good, it should easily be able to get you through a day of classes.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I have a BT keyboard for my N7 and while the typing is adequate, I found that the screen was much to small, though I suppose I could have messed with zoom functions. There are a lot of good word processors for Android, more than sufficient for typing notes and writing papers, but ultimately I went with a chromebook because I prefer that form factor.

I would have killed for a laptop or tab when I was in college. I used to use a 14" Dell Vostro and while it got the job done, it was heavy and noisy. I can't say enough good about thin and light solutions for school.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

I agree.... I had a Windows 95 desktop computer with 16MB of RAM and a 1.6GB hard drive with dial-up Internet access only. Laptops obviously did exist, but the thought of bringing it to class would have seemed absurd. Can't image how different it would have been if I could have carried around my books and notes electronically.

 

[shaytoon21]

Since you mentioned it in your opening thread, have you considered a Chromebook?

i have, thats why i was trying to weigh out the options on this thread. the chromebook does seem something more practical. as for ebooks, kindle has an app for all devices (even computers) so its not just bound to a kindle device. i was hoping to get the best of a laptop and tablet at an affordable price but the only option i found is that hp laptop but thats a bit pricey.

i mean it doesnt even have to be a chromebook, it can be any netbook within those specifics... i need to compare prices

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

i have, thats why i was trying to weigh out the options on this thread. the chromebook does seem something more practical. as for ebooks, kindle has an app for all devices (even computers) so its not just bound to a kindle device. i was hoping to get the best of a laptop and tablet at an affordable price but the only option i found is that hp laptop but thats a bit pricey.

i mean it doesnt even have to be a chromebook, it can be any netbook within those specifics... i need to compare prices

I would definitely take a look at the Chromebook. As I mentioned, the one I have was only $200, and I think it fits that "best of a laptop and tablet at an affordable price" bit, especially based on what you said your intentions for using it for were in the opening post.

 

[shaytoon21]

the newest chromebook 14 looks amazing at what i need to do. its running for almost $400 (im picking the 14 over 11). so its like i might as well chip in another 100 or 2 and get a better spec'd laptop or hybrid from hp (which looks to be my top contender. its a laptop/tablet hybrid where the screen detaches). very cool.

im going to wait til after CES is finished to see if anything worthy has been announced. but even then the product prolly wont come out for several months. sheesh technology sucks lol.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

the newest chromebook 14 looks amazing at what i need to do. its running for almost $400 (im picking the 14 over 11). so its like i might as well chip in another 100 or 2 and get a better spec'd laptop or hybrid from hp (which looks to be my top contender. its a laptop/tablet hybrid where the screen detaches). very cool.

im going to wait til after CES is finished to see if anything worthy has been announced. but even then the product prolly wont come out for several months. sheesh technology sucks lol.

Gotcha. I've already got a 17" laptop that I use as my primary PC, and I preferred the 11" screen on the Chromebook because I was really looking for portability. I'd say with the 11" it's somewhat similar to using a tablet with the BT keyboard, as far as the size is concerned (though a bit less cumbersome). There are times when I wish I had a bit more screen real estate, but overall it works fine for me.

To be honest, I bought the Chromebook kind of as an experiment. Since I already had a computer and a Nexus 10" tablet, I can't say that I really had a *need* for one, but I've been interested in the concept since they came out, and while I love the size of 17" laptop for when I have to use it for work, it can be a pain to lug around everywhere I go. I decided to get the least expensive of the current models because I was also curious as to just how useful a $200 "computer" could be. It's worked out quite well for me and I use it a lot more than I thought I would.

Anyway, I wanted to give my own personal review and thoughts on it since you mentioned it in your opening posts... good luck on making your decision!