Options
Thinking about first tablet
albertd
Posts: 14,362 Forum Member
✭✭
I am probably going to get a tablet (never had one before so floundering a bit) to use mainly for browsing and email at home instead of my tiny screen iPhone when I am not at the laptop. I want a 10" having compared the sizes at the Argos display stand (probably will not actually get it there though).
I was initially thinking about the Kindle Fire HD10, however despite very good customer feedback (which I appreciate can be skewed) I saw quite a critical review on Trusted Reviews. I am now wondering if the Acer Iconia One 10" might be a better bet for a 16GB.
I would appreciate any comments on both of these and any further suggestions.
I was initially thinking about the Kindle Fire HD10, however despite very good customer feedback (which I appreciate can be skewed) I saw quite a critical review on Trusted Reviews. I am now wondering if the Acer Iconia One 10" might be a better bet for a 16GB.
I would appreciate any comments on both of these and any further suggestions.
0
Comments
http://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-tab-2-a10-tablet-quad-core-processor-android-10-1-full-hd-wi-fi-16gb/p2056469?colour=Midnight%20Blue
Any other thoughts anyone?
Depends how much your willing to spend.
Not sure about app availability on ms. I have Samsung galaxy note 12.2 which is android and i don't download many apps. Check youtube video reviews. That might give you more of an idea about it.
The Nexus 9 has been discontinued and there was little love for it because of its build quality and reliability issues
Google Nexus 7 2013 - 32GB
Available from Argos for £129.99 (with free delivery), plus it updates to Marshmallow upon first boot.
Cracking little tablet with great screen imo. Ive recently had one to replace my Nexus 7 2012 which was now creaking at the seams.
Not as good as Apple or Android, but not as bad as many suggest. But the big difference of course is that you can run any full Windows PC programs. Why settle for an app when you can have a full feature program?
I have the Linx and think it's a great machine.
Someone asked for recommendations a few weeks ago and I wrote:
This is the bundle with a physical keyboard for £139.
The keyboard is very good, but heavy, since it has to counterbalance the tablet and stop it tipping over. But I use mine as a tablet and never use the keyboard unless I'm going somewhere where I know I'm going to be doing some work.
It runs Windows 10, the full OS, so as well as Windows Apps from their app store it can run any Windows PC software. I use Chrome for example which runs perfectly and supports tablet touch gestures like swiping right and left to go back a page and forward a page. Plus you can use all the extensions and add ons for Chrome, Firefox etc like adblockers, downloaders etc.
If you have Windows 8 or 10 on your PC at home it will share any documents that you add to the One Drive folders, so if you take a picture with the camera it will appear on your photos folder on your PC and if you write a letter in Word on your PC you can open it on the tablet. You can of course turn it off or select only certain folders if you want.
It has two full size USB ports and a micro USB plus headphones, HDMI out and a micro SD card slot so you can add extra storage. I got a 128gb micro SD card from Amazon (never buy SD cards from sellers, only Amazon direct. Too many fakes out there) for £30 which means I have 160gb of storage. If you're into games you can plug in a proper USB X Box controller and play X Box games. I'm not into games so I can't comment how well that works.
The screen is great. Spec wise it is far lower resolution than top spec iPads or Smasung tablets, but it still looks great IMHO. Have a look at one in a store and look at some high res images or a proper HD video to see.
The speakers are a weak point. They're not very loud so in a noisy environment you will struggle to hear them. They also have both stereo speakers on the right hand side when you hold it in widescreen mode, which makes no sense. But at home the speakers are fine.
It has Bluetooth so you can use a Bluetooth mouse, speakers etc.
Windows 10 has two totally different modes, Desktop and Tablet, and you can change from one to the other or have it change automatically when you dock it to the keyboard. Tablet mode is meant for touch screen use so the Start menu is full screen with big tiles, apps and programs run full screen or split screen, swipe gestures and so on.
In Desktop mode it runs as any PC would, the the Start button and menu and apps and programs running in windows you can move and resize. Personally I use it in desktop mode all the time as I find it works great and I prefer it.
It also has lots of cool extras like the ability to add a second display (a HDTV or a monitor) and run as a proper dual screen PC. It has virtual desktops where you can have several desktops and swap from one to another. So if you're in the middle of a project with a couple of programs and a bunch of folders open but want a break you can go to another desktop and do a bunch of stuff there and your first desktop will be waiting where you left it with your programs and folders exactly where you left them.
It also has Cortana which is Microsofts personal assistant, so you can speak commands and ask questions, or type them. A useful feature of Cortana is that unlike Siri, Google Now, Amazon Alexa etc, Cortana can work without a network, though obviously that limits things she can do.
It's an amazing machine for £140.
Edit: Amazon for some bizarre reason lump this and the older model and the smaller models all together when it comes to posting customer reviews and Q+A. So the question "Does it come with USB" has people saying it only has micro USB, which was last years model. This model comes with two full size USB and one micro. Be very wary when reading those reviews. God knows why Amazon do that as they are totally different machines.
Edit: I have had three Android phones and loved them (HTC Desire, One X and M8) but for tablet use I find Android is just too limited when it comes to multitasking, file management etc.
That's the advantage of a Windows 10 tablet. You get updates no matter what!
I already have a laptop to do all the Windows capabilities with, I am only looking to have something to improve on the data side of my old iPhone, particularly for screen size. I don't use the iPhone away from home much (even as a phone) so most cloud capabilities and the other whistles and bells would be pointless, even 3G/4G would be unused much of the time if it had it. An iPad seems far too expensive for that which was why I was thinking about one of the Android devices for sitting browsing in the armchair.
(or is W10 better than W8.1 in this respect?)
It has lots of capabilities, but you don't have to use them. If you want to just surf the net then it will happily do just that and at £140 it's far cheaper than an iPad. I never use the games capability for example, but there is no downside to having that capability even if I don't use it. I also never use the keyboard but it's great to have if I decide to tale it on holiday instead of a laptop.
But you can use the websites and video download extensions in Chrome or Firefox. That is actually better in some ways. The official Youtube app on my Android phone can save videos but cannot play them without a network connection, and Youtube can delete them off my phone if the video is deleted. Using Firefox I can save any video and play them later even in airplane mode.
And this is the official BBC iPlayer download program.
16 gig should be the minimum, also if you are looking to keep it for 2-3 years very few Android tablets get updated or supported (except perhaps the Google Nexus ones which is their big selling point in my view) with security patches (one of the big weaknesses of Android in my view)
Given your price range I'd agree with others and look at the Linx Windows tablet. I have one and it works great, it runs full fat Windows 8 or 10 (free upgrade) and of course it gets all the security updates.
The only thing I'd put against it say over an Android tablet is the lack of things like GPS and other sensors so if you need something to run say astronomy software or mapping apps then an Android tablet might be better.
What is linx tablet like when running videos? Do they run smoothly?
I made you a video.
Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney playing in the VLC app. PSY playing in Windows Media Player. Frozen playing in the Windows 10 Film And TV app. All at the same time. All playing perfectly. With a Explorer folder and Twitter open in the background.
The quality of the recording is terrible, it was done with my Windows phone very close up, so it couldn't focus properly. Video playback was perfect. I can plug my 1080P 40 inch TV into the HDMI output and play a full HD movie perfectly on the big screen, and still use the tablet to check my emails or surf the net.
But it also means no one can possibly advise him. On what basis can the OP take any advise?
The thing to do is to buy something and work out from there what is needed.
THe OP wants a 10 inch tablet for emailing and web browsing when not near the laptop.
So something quite basic would do.
Thing is a 10inch tablet is not that convenient to carry round, unless you go round with a case or a large handbag I guess.
I personally would not buy an Acer because of very poor customer service.
As for the size of the 10", the perceived problems of carrying it are irrelevant for me as it is unlikely that it will even leave the house much, if at all, though they may be significant for others.
Thanks for all the comments folks.
I never bothered with a tablet, until I bought my mother one. Once I saw how useful it was I bought one for myself and use it all the time. I wouldn't want to do without it now.