# Android tablets: what's the best worth getting?



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 28, 2012)

Hey all,

Need a couple of good recommendations for Android tablets. A mate wants to get a tablet to use at uni (reading notes, typing notes during lectures, email).

Even though their interested I'm trying to steer them away from getting an iPad (really don't think that would be a good choice for their set up computer/smartphone wise), so would like one or two solid options that I can suggest. They need to be ones that aren't more than £500 and likely to last at least 2-3 years.

Suggestions welcome!

Ta muchly,

Leon


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jan 28, 2012)

Typing notes? He needs a proper laptop, with a keyboard. Tablets are toys for idly browsing the Internet while lolling on a sofa.


----------



## editor (Jan 28, 2012)

Asus Transformer Prime. Fantastic device. Or a Samsung Galaxy Tab.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 28, 2012)

Maurice Picarda said:


> Typing notes? He needs a proper laptop, with a keyboard. Tablets are toys for idly browsing the Internet while lolling on a sofa.



That sounds like sound advice but they don't want something that's heavy or bulky, they want great battery life too. Besides, 90% of their classes has people using tablets now instead of laptops so they must be usable...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 28, 2012)

editor said:


> Asus Transformer Prime. Fantastic device. Or a Samsung Galaxy Tab.



Ok, that's the first two that I mentioned off the top of my head. Isn't there a SG Tab 2 out or coming soon?


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jan 28, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Besides, 90% of their classes has people using tablets now instead of laptops so they must be usable...



The young people of today. Tsk.


----------



## editor (Jan 28, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Ok, that's the first two that I mentioned off the top of my head. Isn't there a SG Tab 2 out or coming soon?


 Samsung is rumoured to be announcing a super-duper tablet shortly.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 28, 2012)

Ah. Hmmm looking at them both I'd go with the Asus, they need it pretty soon so not sure they can wait till the rumours play out into reality tbh...


----------



## Quartz (Jan 29, 2012)

This Bluetooth keyboard may be of interest: http://www.riitek.com/product_Info.asp?id=45


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Jan 29, 2012)

I take it that rectangular depression on the right is not a swimming pool but a touchpad.


----------



## Quartz (Jan 29, 2012)

Yes. I don't have one, but a mate does and he thinks highly of it.


----------



## editor (Jan 29, 2012)

The Transformer has picked up rave reviews (there's a thread here about it). It's a fantastic device and would be my first choice of tablet (if I could justify buying one.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 29, 2012)

Yup me too...I wouldn't bother with the Samsung over that...


----------



## mrs quoad (Jan 30, 2012)

Quartz said:


> This Bluetooth keyboard may be of interest: http://www.riitek.com/product_Info.asp?id=45


Touch typing on that? You reckon? Or fingerdibbing only?


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm about to blow £500 on a droid tab, is the asus better at that money? Need 3G and wi-fi. Or should I give in and go iPad?

*confused*


----------



## Quartz (Feb 5, 2012)

mrs quoad said:


> Touch typing on that? You reckon? Or fingerdibbing only?


 
Fingerdibbing. Or thumb-dibbing; Looks to be best held for typing like a gamepad.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 5, 2012)

twentythreedom said:


> I'm about to blow £500 on a droid tab, is the asus better at that money? Need 3G and wi-fi. Or should I give in and go iPad?
> 
> *confused*



What phone do you have? Have you paid for many apps on it?


----------



## editor (Feb 5, 2012)

twentythreedom said:


> I'm about to blow £500 on a droid tab, is the asus better at that money? Need 3G and wi-fi. Or should I give in and go iPad?
> 
> *confused*


If you want the convenience and flexibility of a proper keyboard, USB port, SD card reader, Flash support, great battery life, beefy CPU and a decent camera, it's the one to go for, no question.

It's rightly picked up rave reviews and it's the only tablet I'd get right now.






> When we think about its killer industrial design, muscle power quad-core processor, impeccable battery life, and brilliant looking Super IPS+ display, we’re all easily shocked that Asus has somehow managed to keep its cost of ownership extremely affordable. At $500, it already beats the iPad 2 in many categories – especially when it boasts 32GB of internal memory. Plus, if you’re able to shell out an additional $149.99 for its optional keyboard dock, it’s functionality is expanded even further. For the money and features that this tablet is able to present us, it’s undeniably the one to own right now, and there’s no arguing about that!
> http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Asus-Transformer-Prime-Review_id2946/page/4


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

iPad2, based on Apple's iOS and build quality.

I've read that Android is very fragmented, with over a hundred different versions of Android, causing a nightmare for software (apps) developers - no standard.

The Asus Prime has wi-fi issues and IMHO it looks like their customers are being used for beta testing.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 9, 2012)

What wifi issues? What do you mean used as beta testers? What areas aren't up to scratch?


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> What wifi issues? What do you mean used as beta testers? What areas aren't up to scratch?


 
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/transformer-prime-free-from-wi-fi-woe-in-uk-asus-promises-50006706/


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> iPad2, based on Apple's iOS and build quality.
> 
> I've read that Android is very fragmented, with over a hundred different versions of Android, causing a nightmare for software (apps) developers - no standard.
> 
> The Asus Prime has wi-fi issues and IMHO it looks like their customers are being used for beta testing.


Where have you read that, and why would that affect an individual customer who would only have one version of Android in their pad?

Your link also points out that the problems with WiFi are not present in the ones shipped to the UK.

I like the idea of a tablet with an external keyboard but for me, because I touch type, the keyboard would be difficult because it is non-standard being made to fit the size of the tablet. Of course it has to. For many that will be no problem and apart from the extra weight would be a great advantage over a virtual keyboard.


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> iPad2, based on Apple's iOS and build quality.
> 
> I've read that Android is very fragmented, with over a hundred different versions of Android, causing a nightmare for software (apps) developers - no standard.
> 
> The Asus Prime has wi-fi issues and IMHO it looks like their customers are being used for beta testing.


It's not a "nightmare" and the problem is getting a whole load better:


> Android fragmentation is less of a challenge than it was two years ago, and developers shouldn’t be as concerned about it, saysLocalytics. The mobile-app analytics firm will releasea studyon Wednesday, Feb. 1, showing data to support this idea and suggesting that OS version, screen size, and display resolution are now fairly similar on most Android devices.
> 
> Some supporting data points from the findings, which measure device attributes from apps that use the Localytics platform:
> 
> ...


And as for the "wi-fi issues":


> "After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known Wi-Fi issue," the company promises.


The Transformer is an excellent tablet and one I'd definitely recommend. In some areas, it's the best tablet you can buy.


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

It was a "nightmare" seemingly, according to developers 'twittertrend', although that was a quote from Steve Jobs, so unsure if it was true, but he did say it and as far as I'm aware he wasn't sued?

I was going to purchase the Asus, but having done the research (I've highlighted) and with an open mind, looking at pros and cons, I decided against. The comments just on the link I posted makes me doubt any promises made by the manufacturers. I'm not going to get into any bun fight - Apple v whoever. Go buy it, I'm not stopping you. I'm satisfied with the iPad2 and that's me done.


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> I was going to purchase the Asus, but having done some research (I've highlighted) and with an open mind, I decided against. The comments just on the link I posted makes me doubt any promises made by the manufacturers.


I can point you in the direction of a slew of five star reviews for the Asus. And what comments are you on about? The one_ anonymous_ one?


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Go buy it ed. You know you want to. Let me know how it goes from upstairs?


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> Go buy it ed. You know you want to. Let me know how it goes from upstairs?


I can't afford the extravagance of a tablet.


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Neither can I, but hey life's too short.


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> It was a "nightmare" seemingly, according to developers 'twittertrend', although that was a quote from Steve Jobs, so unsure if it was true, but he did say it and as far as I'm aware he wasn't sued?


Who are 'Twittertrend' please?


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Sorry, I meant 'TwitterDeck' - a twitter client, but examining further it looks like it's actually 'TweetDeck'.

http://www.tweetdeck.com/


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> Sorry, I meant 'TwitterDeck'


You still haven't got it right. It was Tweetdeck.

Shame you didn't research the story properly and get past the FUD because it backfired _*spectacularly*_ into Jobs' face.


> TweetDeck to Steve Jobs: Android wasn’t a nightmare
> 
> Iain Dodsworth, CEO of TweetDeck, follows Andy Rubin with Twitter comments refuting what Steve Jobs had to say during Apple’s Q4 2010 earnings call:
> 
> ...


http://www.imore.com/2010/10/19/tweetdeck-steve-jobs-android-nightmare/


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Well done, but I did state that I was unsure whether it was true, or not and it was 'TwitterDeck', as Jobs alluded to anyway, who I mentioned. Here he is:



Comment:



> Android & ios have turned into an east vs west gang war!


​Ain't it just.​


----------



## editor (Feb 9, 2012)

audiotech said:


> Well done, but I did state that I was unsure whether it was true, or not and it was 'TwitterDeck', as Jobs alluded to anyway, who I mentioned.


Not sure why you bothered to post up that bit of Apple FUD, to be honest - the story's way old anyway.


----------



## audiotech (Feb 9, 2012)

Well, I think Jobs has a valid point on Android relative to iOS, although exaggerated and with some licence (based on your post) I accept and it's there for anyone who hasn't heard it.

I've been beta testing  the iPad2 for music apps and so far it exceeds expectations, but I'm disappointed with the iPad2 for video. Just connected a video camera and got the message that the device I connected uses too much power for it to support, so that's a minus.

That's the crux really, it's what you want from a device that matters, or "what the customer wants" as Jobs frequently told the market, but every company states that, so nothing innovative there. Nevertheless, it's clear Jobs inspired and built a strong customer base, who have stuck with Apple products. Then there's the fashionados, who are just plain bonkers. I don't believe the hype, but so far I am impressed with the quality of the iPad2. Comes with a hefty price tag though.

I'm sure the Asus Prime excels at something specific, but what that is I'm not sure at this point in time. Perhaps it's games and video?


----------



## editor (Feb 10, 2012)

audiotech said:


> I'm sure the Asus Prime excels at something specific, but what that is I'm not sure at this point in time. Perhaps it's games and video?


It's certainly better than the iPad if you want a much faster processor, more RAM (double), the convenience of a SD card slot, a far better camera, built-in USB port, a proper integrated keyboard with fantastic battery life. If you're looking for a tablet tat can double up as a laptop then it's the best there is, so I imagine writers would find it particularly useful, and all the ports make it a very flexible machine.

It's pretty good for gaming too, although there are far more games on iOS at the moment.



Here's a another five star review that's just been published.


> The Prime comes with unmatched hardware and software specifications making it the best Android tablet on the market. The ultra-long battery life and excellent screen quality make it excellent value for money
> *Pros:*
> Great screen, superb build, swift performance, reasonable connectivity, unmatched battery life, value for money
> 
> ...


----------



## audiotech (Feb 10, 2012)

As far as I can make out the iPad2 player won that race.


----------



## editor (Feb 10, 2012)

audiotech said:


> As far as I can make out the iPad2 player won that race.


Because the guy fell off his bike, but the Asus was miles ahead in the graphics dept.


----------



## audiotech (Feb 10, 2012)

Yeah, I know.


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 20, 2012)

Right, I've put my mum's money where my mouth is (b'day pressie - cheers mum!) and ordered a Transformer tab, 32GB with the dock. Waiting for it to arrive this week. Anyone here got one?


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2012)

The Transformer just got another 5 star rave review in Stuff magazine (and T3).


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 20, 2012)

editor said:


> The Transformer just got another 5 star rave review in Stuff magazine (and T3).


 
Awesome  Have you had a go on one Ed?


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2012)

twentythreedom said:


> Awesome  Have you had a go on one Ed?


Not yet!


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 20, 2012)

I will report back, just waiting for the fucking thing to be delivered now! Has anyone here got one already?


----------



## Tobermory53 (Feb 20, 2012)

Viewsonic Viewpad 10S - I only wanted a tablet as a cheap replacement for an ailing hard disk based camera card back-up device.

I got this one as it has a full sized USB port so a card reader slots straight in and a 32GB micro SD card gives me all the storage I need even when I stuff it to the gunwales with e-books.

With the addition of a Bluetooth keyboard, it's also just about adequate for a bit of gentle text production.


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2012)

Tobermory53 said:


> Viewsonic Viewpad 10S - I only wanted a tablet as a cheap replacement for an ailing hard disk based camera card back-up device.
> 
> I got this one as it has a full sized USB port so a card reader slots straight in and a 32GB micro SD card gives me all the storage I need even when I stuff it to the gunwales with e-books.
> 
> With the addition of a Bluetooth keyboard, it's also just about adequate for a bit of gentle text production.


That's the thing with some of the cheaper Android tablets - they're perfectly adequate for a lot of people even of they lack the 'glamour' of the iPad.

I reckon the Kindle Fire is going to take a massive bit of the iPad/high end Android market if it's priced keenly for the UK.


----------



## elbows (Feb 21, 2012)

At this point I think that the tablet choice of whether to go iOS or android is fairly easy to break down into a few questions:

Do you really want to use the sort of apps that are thus far only well evolved on iOS? Music making apps are the most obvious example, and I am extremely out of date when it comes to other sorts of apps on either platform, so music creation stuff could well be the only area where the gap remains massive for all I know.

Do you want your device to work seamlessly with some other apple stuff (e.g. you already have loads of apps on an iPhone, you have an apple tv box, you are signed up to iTunes match)

If the answer to both of these is no, or they are outweighed for you by Android tablets appealing range of connectivity options, then I can't think of many other reasons to wonder whether the iPad would be a better choice.

And now it seems I spoil my concise approach by waffling extensively...

I suppose there is the communication aspect, if your friends and family have the same sort of device then some of the slicker built-in communication options may be attractive. Traditionally Apple were poorly placed to take advantage of such phenomenon, especially outside the USA, as their stuff comes at such a price premium that you'd rarely bump into another Apple owner. The success of the iPhone, iPod touch for kids, and to an extent the iPad has somewhat changed that balance, but personally I still don't meet many tablets users in my little town and so Im still a closet user, Im still rather shy about owning such a device and am not likely to wave it round beyond my close circle of friends & family. I used it on a train once and a woman started asking me about it and I felt like crawling into a small ball.

The rumoured screen-res of the iPad 3 will give another reason to consider Apple if the price is right and the screen really does look stunning, buts its not like the current crop of tablets are badly hampered by the present spec, Im happy with the way tablets have evolved. Even those who have no intention of going anywhere near an Apple device and may hate them, can at least be grateful to Apple for kickstarting this thing. So many other companies were barking up the wrong tree and ruining this form-factor for so long. Obviously it helps massively that the right spec hardware came of age, and thats not much down to Apple, but even with the right hardware in place its hard to be really confident that everyone else would have gotten a clue by now if Apple hadn't bothered with the iPhone and then the iPad. Microsoft were making a complete pigs ear of it by compromising on the wrong things in the past, so the only thing we can be thankful to them for is giving others an open goal. If Apple hadn't come up with the iPad then its reasonable to assume that Google & partners would have though to start making tablet-sized devices out of Android eventually, but if iOS & the iPhone hadn't launched so successfully I half-suspect Google would have ended up with a fairly limiting ChromeOS-type solution for mobile platforms . It doesn't really matter as there is no way to know, Im just happy that things evolved in the direction they have in the last 5 years. IT & mobile came of age and it didn't hurt to have someone approach the issues from a slightly different angle, enabling some different priorities to influence the design of these things and finally put to bed some of the poor things the world had to put up with from IT products. I just wish there were more room for more devices to prosper, some work is needed when it comes to profitability and content availability in order to ensure that we have plenty of choices for the longterm. Nobody should ever be allowed to dominate to the extent that Microsoft did/still do on the desktop, least of all Apple, that would be an ugly mix.


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 21, 2012)

Cool, my Transformer is getting delivered tomorrow  - Can't wait!


----------



## elbows (Feb 21, 2012)

Enjoy, tablets are quite something, the internet can become more comfortable for a start


----------



## wtfftw (Feb 22, 2012)

twentythreedom said:


> Cool, my Transformer is getting delivered tomorrow  - Can't wait!


Has it arrived yet?

I think you should do an unboxing video for us.


----------



## Macabre (Feb 22, 2012)

IME (Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and iPad2 with blue tooth keyboards), tablets really aren't good enough to do any serious work on yet. A net book will be half the price with much more functionality, a battery life just as good and not much heavier. The Dell inspiron duo would be a good option.


----------



## elbows (Feb 22, 2012)

Define serious work.


----------



## editor (Feb 22, 2012)

The Asus Transformer would be good enough for serious work for me on account of it having a proper keyboard, USB port and SD card slot.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2012)

To be fair the keyboard is an optional extra which the iPad has plenty of too...


----------



## editor (Feb 22, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> To be fair the keyboard is an optional extra which the iPad has plenty of too...


None are even half as integrated.


----------



## wtfftw (Feb 22, 2012)

it's not a competition.

No wai...


----------



## elbows (Feb 22, 2012)

editor said:


> None are even half as integrated.


 
Full integration of stuff such as keyboards, usb & sd memory slot can certainly make some forms of 'serious work' easier or more viable. The iPad has a range of not fully integrated options in this regard, which may or may not be enough for a particular user to meet their 'serious work' needs. I do not wish to pretend that these barriers do not exist with the iPad, but I do find myself wishing to point out that these barriers are not relevant to everyone. This is probably why we got into silly arguments about the camera kit dongle in the past, Im not trying to claim its perfect or ideal, only that certain barriers can be overcome depending on what kit you wish to use and your other needs.


----------



## Macabre (Feb 22, 2012)

elbows said:


> Define serious work.


 
I tried using them as an alternative to hard copies but I found trying to do anything other than word processing frustrating. Spreadsheets were really hard to get the right cell and if they were inside a word processor the formatting was all messed up. They struggle with large pdfs and if you use any specialist software (I use quite a few) forget it.


----------



## twentythreedom (Feb 22, 2012)

wtfftw said:


> Has it arrived yet?
> 
> I think you should do an unboxing video for us.


 
Not arrived yet. John Lewis are slacking badly


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time2-MC701A-CAPACITIVE-ANDROID-GINGERBREAD/dp/B006LJKC98?SubscriptionId=AKIAIRQZUJDWHFNCDGJA&tag=bestandroid01-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B006LJKC98

Is that any good? There's an offer for £99  I was told yesterday that the adobe creative cloud will work better on android tablets and I'm thinking of doing the creative cloud for a year while I'm a student. Would that tablet have the capacity to deal with it?

I was going to get myself an ipad but the car cost £600 to fix so bang went that idea 

Fuck it - bought it anyway.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

It'll probably be adequate. Exactly what will you be doing with the thing.


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

Mainly internet (fed up lugging my laptop into uni) but I'd liketo be able to access the adobe cloud and show my videos to tutors.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

Out of curiosity, why do you keep referring to the Adobe cloud? There's loads of services that can let you access videos online.


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

I don't want to access videos I want to access CS6, Illustrator etc.

http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativecloud.html


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

I don't thin





madzone said:


> I don't want to access videos I want to access CS6, Illustrator etc.


You won't be able to use CS6, Illustrator on that Android tablet, only their Android apps (which I'm not sure would run on such a cheap machine).


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> I don't thinYou won't be able to use CS6, Illustrator on that Android tablet, only their Android apps (which I'm not sure would run on such a cheap machine).


Why won't I be able to use them? 
The majority of android apps work fine apparently, according to the reviews.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

madzone said:


> Why won't I be able to use them?
> The majority of android apps work fine apparently, according to the reviews.


You can't run CS6 and Illustrator CS6 on an Android tablet, only their Android specific apps.


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> You can't run CS6 and Illustrator CS6 on an Android tablet, only their Android specific apps.


Hmmm... the photoshop trainer said yesterday that the cloud will work better with android tablets than it will with ipads.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

madzone said:


> Hmmm... the photoshop trainer said yesterday that the cloud will work better with android tablets than it will with ipads.


I've no idea what that means. Perhaps they were a bit confused because Android tablets have - thus far - received the new Adobe mobile apps way ahead of the iPad.

This is what runs on Android, and it's rather good:
http://www.adobe.com/products/touchapps.html


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> I've no idea what that means. Perhaps they were a bit confused because Android tablets have - thus far - received the new Adobe mobile apps way ahead of the iPad.
> 
> This is what runs on Android, and it's rather good:
> http://www.adobe.com/products/touchapps.html


I'll ask her next week. She's an adobe registered trainer, training us all for the ACA so I'd kind of hope she knows what she's talking about but you never know


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

madzone said:


> I'll ask her next week. She's an adobe registered trainer, training us all for the ACA so I'd kind of hope she knows what she's talking about but you never know


I'll be interested in her reply too!


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> I'll be interested in her reply too!


In the meantime I think a hundred squids for that tablet is ok if I can even just use it for internet and showing my vids to tutors.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

Have you read any reviews yet? I'd check its video playing capabilities first, although it should be fine.

Oh, and if you do want to run those Adobe Android apps, you'll probably need a better tablet.


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> Have you read any reviews yet? I'd check its video playing capabilities first, although it should be fine.
> 
> Oh, and if you do want to run those Adobe Android apps, you'll probably need a better tablet.


 
I read loads of reviews. There's people saying they use it to watch films and play games so if it can do that it'll be good enough for my limited needs. There's also people talking about the  apps. They haven't mentioned any that won't work.

What is it that you think is so bad about it?


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

madzone said:


> I read loads of reviews. There's people saying they use it to watch films and play games so if it can do that it'll be good enough for my limited needs. There's also people talking about the apps. They haven't mentioned any that won't work.
> 
> What is it that you think is so bad about it?


I don't think it's necessarily 'bad' but there are minimum specs needed to run the Adobe apps (they won't run on my HTC Flyer tablet, for example).


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> I don't think it's necessarily 'bad' but there are minimum specs needed to run the Adobe apps (they won't run on my HTC Flyer tablet, for example).


 
It won't be the end of the world if I can't do certain things on it. I'll see what it can do when it arrives.


----------



## editor (Apr 26, 2012)

Be a shame not being able to run the Adobe apps though. They look good.


----------



## madzone (Apr 26, 2012)

editor said:


> Be a shame not being able to run the Adobe apps though. They look good.


 
Is there not enough processor power or something?

eta--- ahh I see. Screen resolution and suchlike.


----------

