Tablet or touchscreen laptop advice?

Aidan_M_M · 28-08-2014 1:13pm #1

folks , thinking of getting herself a handy device for browsing , she has a PC but never had a laptop or similar . Just something for browsing random stuff whilst on the couch watching TV etc , or checking info .

Not sure whether to go for a Tablet like a Samsung Galaxy , or a smaller laptop/notebook with touchscreen capability . She wouldn't be bringing it everywhere , mostly just around the house , no commuting .

Any suggestions? I'm budgeting up to 500 euro , and looking for 10 inch minimum , and NOT an Apple product . Neither of us like iThings , irregardless how nice the iPad is to use.

Any advice gratefully received .

com1 · 28-08-2014 1:22pm

Have a look at the ASUS T100 Transformer - best of both worlds - 10.1" tablet with detatachable keyboard. Full Windows 8.1, Office Home&Student and good battery life.

Aidan_M_M · 28-08-2014 4:41pm

cheers , have you got one?

ScumLord · 28-08-2014 5:11pm

As far as I know the windows tablets are basically just a laptop without a keyboard.

com1 · 28-08-2014 11:39pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

cheers , have you got one?

Yeah got one to replace a galaxy tab (which was stolen). I am very impressed so far, have it a few weeks. I am even getting used to win 8, though the touch screen really helps. Got it for browsing the web and watching movies on the go, but I reckon I will use it for everything now. The keyboard only took a while to get used to (it is quite small but it has a good feel). Storage is quite limited but with the sd slot and I plugged an external hd into the usb I have enough to keep me going for a while. Asus and ms will push cloud storage too if you are that way inclined.

riclad · 29-08-2014 1:04pm

GET a samsung tablet,10 inch
there,s no reason to get a windows tablet,
unless you need ms office,word etc
you are using it for business ,email etc.
A windows tablet is grossly overpowered for casual web browsing etc
its like being a 30k bmw for going down the shops .
I,ve never heard any one complain about using a samsung tablet.
There,s more high quality apps on android than there is on the windows store .
A windows tablet is not so easy to use as android tablets.

Windows tablets are not ideal for a casual user.

yoyo · 30-08-2014 5:48pm

riclad wrote: »

GET a samsung tablet,10 inch
there,s no reason to get a windows tablet,
unless you need ms office,word etc
you are using it for business ,email etc.
A windows tablet is grossly overpowered for casual web browsing etc
its like being a 30k bmw for going down the shops .
I,ve never heard any one complain about using a samsung tablet.
There,s more high quality apps on android than there is on the windows store .
A windows tablet is not so easy to use as android tablets.

Windows tablets are not ideal for a casual user.

Maybe Android being a bloated mess at the best of times is a reason people choose other devices

. Not to mention the lack of updates.. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably get the next Nexus 10 when (if?) it comes out but Android is the most bloated out of the main OSes (i.e: iOS, Windows RT, etc.).
In fact I've been tempted getting a Surface instead. Sorry for the off topic post but just sharing my 2cs

Nick

riclad · 30-08-2014 9:17pm

I agree some android phones are bloated,
with loads of software,
which cant be removed .

eg some phones have 3 music players, 3 browsers,etc,
i used the nexus 7,and my own tablet,
latest version of android.
I find it very easy to use,

And this is for a casual user ,
who 99 per cent of the time will use chrome, browser ,and a music player .

I don,t want to be rude,but
a windows tablet is the last thing i think of for a casual user.
Maybe good for the windows fan techie ,or business user who
wants extra secure email ,and ms office etc

Aidan_M_M · 31-08-2014 9:23am

thanks guys , yes purely casual user(s) , neither of us are techies . Android is "bloated"? Please explain to a non IT person?

re the Samsung Galaxy tablets , which is the nicest for 500 euro budget?

yoyo · 31-08-2014 12:52pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

thanks guys , yes purely casual user(s) , neither of us are techies . Android is "bloated"? Please explain to a non IT person?

re the Samsung Galaxy tablets , which is the nicest for 500 euro budget?

Android is a open source operating system. Simply put this means it is free for any one to download and to customize. Samsung, Sony, HTC etc. all customize Android heavily on their devices, which can add to performance issues with the OS and even issues running particular apps due to the customizing.
I would only go for a Nexus tablet as I cannot stand Samsungs version of Android called "Touchwiz". The Nexus is the only "official" Android product that Google support. These devices will be most likely to continue receiving system updates

Nick

riclad · 31-08-2014 2:36pm

nexus is a good tablet,does not have an sdcard slot.
OR here
http://powercity.ie/index.php?par=10-28&brands=SAMSUNG&action=brandstory

galaxy tab 10.1,inch galaxy tablet is a good tablet.
bloated means lots of brand installed apps,
Which may you never use .
eg one example amazon phone fire has 4 camera,s
does anyone need 4 camera,s on 1 phone.
eg music,player , facebook apps, photo apps,etc which take up memory and cant be uninstalled .
eg i have google music, maps etc on my phone ,
i never use em.
I look up google maps on my browser.
i use sdcard 32gig card on my tablet ,
for music,books ,video,etc
1gig =1000meg, 4min youtube video is 10meg approx.
=300 songs mp3 approx.=1000meg

Samsung tab has an sdcard slot.
samsung tablets for 349,399, 499 ,
cheaper ones have 1.5 GIG RAM,
499 tab has 3gig ram.
they have same cpu, 16gig rom.

A casual user may not see the difference in everday use,
between 1.5 to 3gig ram.
more ram =more browser tabs ,apps open at the same time.
i have 1gig ram,tablet anroid, it has very little bloat,
maybe 2 apps i dont use.google maps,standard browser,
i installed chrome browser on it.
I can use chrome browser 12 websites,tabs open at once.
i find it very fast.
it has dual core 2 cpu.
galaxy has 4 quad core cpu.

Google samsung tablet galaxy review uk
NEXUS 7 inch tablet is good, but has no sdcard slot,
screen is 7inch.
My sister bought one in june .
it has no bloat.
eg it use,s the standard latest android os.

Aidan_M_M · 01-09-2014 12:59pm

not really interested in anything smaller than the 10 inch tbh..

riclad · 01-09-2014 1:42pm

Then i,d advise you to get the 399, or 499euro galaxy tablet 10.1 inch screen,
eg difference is just 1.5 versus 3gigabyte ram.
random acess memory.
Both tablets have 16gig onboard , storage , for apps, music, etc
I find the latest version of android much better than older versions.

Aidan_M_M · 09-09-2014 12:05am

yep , seems she likes the Samsung devices . Now , which one? have any of the 500 or less ones 3/4g , or is it WiFi only? I have been looking at specs , but tbh , the details mean feck all to me. Galaxy Tab S 10.5 or Galaxy Pro?

riclad · 09-09-2014 11:01am

ALL tablets have wifi, bluetooth,
as i said the samsung tablets,
the price varys between 399-500 depending on what ram it has,
1.5 vs 3gig ram.
IF you want a tablet with 3g sim slot, my advice is go to teh phone shops,
or look,
on meteor.ie vodaphone.ie etc
if you want to use 3g on a tablet, you,ll have to sign up for a contract ,
or use the 3g on your phone.
Tether your phone,
your 3g phone sends the data to your phone .
my android phone has tethering built in ,to the menu,in settings.
tethering on off, wifi hotspot,on,off .
i buy 20 euros credit i get 30 days free data 3g acess on the 3 network.
http://shop.vodafone.ie/shop/mobile-broadband/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-10-1-4g

119 euros.

this is a 4g, 3g tablet.
you,d have to sign a contract, pay x euros per month to use 3g data
on this tablet.

I don,t think the tablets in powercity have any 3g slots, just wifi .
i could be wrong .

http://www.pcworld.com/article/199280/How_To_Tether_Your_Android_Phone_For_Free.html

YOU can attach the tablet to a phone via usb,
cable, and tether it that way.
if the tablet has a usb slot ,as in the samsung tab3 in the first link.

This saves battery power on the phone and the tablet.

CHECK What storage the tablet has,
is it 16gig or 32gig,
this is like a hardrive,on a pc,
is used for apps,music,video storage.this is permanent storage .
eg my phone has 1gig ram, and 4gig storage .

RAM random acess ,is used to load apps , into memory ,play music,videos ,
eg i want to play certain games i may need 1gig ram.
eg modern warfare 3.

Tablet or touchscreen laptop advice?

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