[Kent1975]

Having read hundreds of comments and reviews I'm totally confused!

This is what I have decided my usage of a tablet will be
(I will keep my laptop for microsoft office work)

- browsing the internet - you tube, news sites, bbci player etc
- using facebook and playing their pointless games
(for which I understand requires flash, is this correct?)
- football manager type games
(presume there is an app for this?)
- listening to music
(which is currently on my laptop - windows media player)
- watching movies
(many of which are downloaded onto a flash stick)
- Hopefully this will be whilst lounging on my sunbed
(so a decent viewable screen will be required)

Taking all this into consideration - what tablet/ipad would you recommend?

[bazellis]

I too am looking to buy a tablet and my usage will be similar to yours. Particularly I'd like the tablet to connect to my TV as well.

[Kent1975]

Originally Posted by bazellis

I too am looking to buy a tablet and my usage will be similar to yours. Particularly I'd like the tablet to connect to my TV as well.

Good thought, me too!
Please let me know if you get any further with a decision.
Think I must now be in the thousands of reviews/comments I have read - and from what i've read, the ipad is just like Marmite!

[Matt D]

I have an iPad 3, and previously owned an iPad 2, so I'll comment regarding the iPad:

https://www.apple.com/uk/ipad/specs/

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- browsing the internet - you tube, news sites, bbci player etc

The iPad is excellent for web browsing (so long as you don't need Flash ).

Although the iPad does not have Flash, in my experience this has never been a problem.

YouTube works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

iPlayer works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

TVCatchup works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

4oD, Demand 5, ITV Player, Netflix, Lovefilm, Sky Go and others all have apps.

BBC News has an app, as do various other news services.

Although you won't be able to play Flash games on the iPad, or view those god-awful websites that insist on being made in Flash, if you want video services, you should (generally) be OK, thanks to the ever increasing presence of HTML5 and/or dedicated apps.

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- using facebook and playing their pointless games
(for which I understand requires flash, is this correct?)

There is a Facebook app (plus a mobile website). I don't know if the games work at all on it though, or if they are *only* available via Flash and as such do not work.

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- football manager type games
(presume there is an app for this?)

A quick search of the App Store found several football manager type games.

I don't know whether they are any good, though.

If you have iTunes yourself, you can have a search and check their ratings.

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- listening to music
(which is currently on my laptop - windows media player)

The Music app plays MP3 and AAC, plus Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV.

You need to use iTunes on your computer to transfer your own music to your iPad.

The iPad only has a mono-speaker, so if you want to use it to listen to music, you'll need head/earphones or a decent speaker dock.

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- watching movies
(many of which are downloaded onto a flash stick)

The Videos app plays H.264 video within the .m4v, .mp4, and .mov containers. If your own collection contains any of these "iTunes friendly" videos you need to use iTunes to sync them with your iPad.

You can also get various 3rd party apps that will happily play many other video formats, such as Xvid within the .avi container or H.264 within the .mkv container.

I use AVPlayerHD, which is well worth the £1.99 cost. It plays everything I throw at it. You can copy videos to your iPad, for playback via AVPlayerHD, using iTunes itself or by using the app to transfer over WiFi directly from your computer.

Originally Posted by Kent1975

- Hopefully this will be whilst lounging on my sunbed
(so a decent viewable screen will be required)

The iPad's screen is excellent (especially the iPad 3's), but it is not so great in bright sunlight. Although, to be fair, that's common with other tablets too.

You can get anti-glare screen protectors to try and cut down on it. I used an iVisor AG on my iPad 2.

-------------

Other comments:

The iPad's operating system (iOS) is very easy to use. It is more "locked down" than something like Android, but most professional and user reviews agree that it is more user-friendly, and is easier for novices.

Android currently has more free apps available than iOS has.

iOS currently has more paid apps available than iOS has.

iOS currently has more apps that are actually optimised for use on a tablet.

Connecting to a TV (bazellis):

If you want to connect an iPad to a TV, there are two options:

1) Apple's Digital AV connector (£35) enables you to connect the iPad to an HDTV via HDMI. There is also a Composite AV cable for people whose TVs don't have HDMI and have to suffer composite video. Some other tablets have HDMI ports built-in, but not all (e.g. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is similar to the iPad in that you need an adaptor for HDMI, whereas the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime has a micro-HDMI port itself).

2) The Apple TV (£99) is a streaming-media set-top-box that connects to a TV via HDMI and router via WiFi or Ethernet. It's main use is for streaming videos and music from iTunes (your own library or bought from the Store), plus has apps for Netflix and other things. One great feature though, if you have an iPad/iPhone, is something called AirPlay. AirPlay lets you wirelessly connect your iOS device to your TV via the Apple TV. The entire display can be "Mirrored", plus many apps (including Videos, AVPlayerHD, iPlayer, and more) also support AirPlay video streaming, where the app's video output is sent to the TV via the Apple TV, instead of being displayed on the iPad. Obviously, it's not worth getting *just* for AirPlay, but it's a great little box if you want the other features.

[Kent1975]

Originally Posted by Matt D

I have an iPad 3, and previously owned an iPad 2, so I'll comment regarding the iPad:

https://www.apple.com/uk/ipad/specs/



The iPad is excellent for web browsing (so long as you don't need Flash ).

Although the iPad does not have Flash, in my experience this has never been a problem.

YouTube works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

iPlayer works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

TVCatchup works via the browser thanks to HTML5, plus has an app.

4oD, Demand 5, ITV Player, Netflix, Lovefilm, Sky Go and others all have apps.

BBC News has an app, as do various other news services.

Although you won't be able to play Flash games on the iPad, or view those god-awful websites that insist on being made in Flash, if you want video services, you should (generally) be OK, thanks to the ever increasing presence of HTML5 and/or dedicated apps.



There is a Facebook app (plus a mobile website). I don't know if the games work at all on it though, or if they are *only* available via Flash and as such do not work.



A quick search of the App Store found several football manager type games.

I don't know whether they are any good, though.

If you have iTunes yourself, you can have a search and check their ratings.



The Music app plays MP3 and AAC, plus Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV.

You need to use iTunes on your computer to transfer your own music to your iPad.

The iPad only has a mono-speaker, so if you want to use it to listen to music, you'll need head/earphones or a decent speaker dock.



The Videos app plays H.264 video within the .m4v, .mp4, and .mov containers. If your own collection contains any of these "iTunes friendly" videos you need to use iTunes to sync them with your iPad.

You can also get various 3rd party apps that will happily play many other video formats, such as Xvid within the .avi container or H.264 within the .mkv container.

I use AVPlayerHD, which is well worth the £1.99 cost. It plays everything I throw at it. You can copy videos to your iPad, for playback via AVPlayerHD, using iTunes itself or by using the app to transfer over WiFi directly from your computer.



The iPad's screen is excellent (especially the iPad 3's), but it is not so great in bright sunlight. Although, to be fair, that's common with other tablets too.

You can get anti-glare screen protectors to try and cut down on it. I used an iVisor AG on my iPad 2.

-------------

Other comments:

The iPad's operating system (iOS) is very easy to use. It is more "locked down" than something like Android, but most professional and user reviews agree that it is more user-friendly, and is easier for novices.

Android currently has more free apps available than iOS has.

iOS currently has more paid apps available than iOS has.

iOS currently has more apps that are actually optimised for use on a tablet.

Connecting to a TV (bazellis):

If you want to connect an iPad to a TV, there are two options:

1) Apple's Digital AV connector (£35) enables you to connect the iPad to an HDTV via HDMI. There is also a Composite AV cable for people whose TVs don't have HDMI and have to suffer composite video. Some other tablets have HDMI ports built-in, but not all (e.g. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is similar to the iPad in that you need an adaptor for HDMI, whereas the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime has a micro-HDMI port itself).

2) The Apple TV (£99) is a streaming-media set-top-box that connects to a TV via HDMI and router via WiFi or Ethernet. It's main use is for streaming videos and music from iTunes (your own library or bought from the Store), plus has apps for Netflix and other things. One great feature though, if you have an iPad/iPhone, is something called AirPlay. AirPlay lets you wirelessly connect your iOS device to your TV via the Apple TV. The entire display can be "Mirrored", plus many apps (including Videos, AVPlayerHD, iPlayer, and more) also support AirPlay video streaming, where the app's video output is sent to the TV via the Apple TV, instead of being displayed on the iPad. Obviously, it's not worth getting *just* for AirPlay, but it's a great little box if you want the other features.

Excellent reply, thank you very much Matt, I'm now leaning back more towards the ipad camp than the asus one!
The question is now, do I wait for the Infinity from Asus to appear!!!

[Matt D]

No prob

Oh, and a correction, as it's too late to edit my post:

Originally Posted by Matt D

iOS currently has more paid apps available than Android has.

Ooops.

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by Kent1975

Excellent reply, thank you very much Matt, I'm now leaning back more towards the ipad camp than the asus one!
The question is now, do I wait for the Infinity from Asus to appear!!!

Be very careful with Asus because they shipped out their Transformer Prime without a functioning GPS and later had to build an ugly add on dongle for the dock for GPS. And while every manufacturer can run into technical issues and bugs that was one that was about as bad as it gets when a piece of hardware is defective and can not be repaired.

In any case one should always be wary of buying from the first batch of such a product.

[Batwing]

Matt D it most certainly is worth getting an Apple TV just for Airplay. Most people I show it to when running Airplay are wowed by it and by how simple it is to use.

[bazellis]

Thanks Matt for a very detailed and comprehensive reply

[c4rv]

The original asus transformer can easily do everything you are asking for.

You also get built in HDMI socket so no need to buy an extra dongle.

No need for itunes to transfer files and crucially it has USB, microSD and SD so you can just plug in a memory device.

It can play back just about any format of file that you can think of though you may need a 3rd party player to do this, there are a few available so pick one that suits you.

As mentioned by somebody else, all tablets are going to be have a problem in direct sunlight, the transformer has a great screen by tablet standards and I've one outdoors and it is generally OK but as mentioned just not went sun is directly shinning into it (this will also apply to ipad).

While the ipad is more locked down and easier for beginners, android allows for more customisation if that is what you want but even standard offering from Asus is pretty damm good.

And as for applications, you would be pretty hard pushed to not find suitable applications on either platform, I believe both are now past 200,000 apps. I would say that apple have better quality control and there are apps optimised for ipad rather then iphone/touch where as on android its harder to find optimised apps for tablets though virtually all will work on tablets.

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by c4rv

And as for applications, you would be pretty hard pushed to not find suitable applications on either platform, I believe both are now past 200,000 apps. I would say that apple have better quality control and there are apps optimised for ipad rather then iphone/touch where as on android its harder to find optimised apps for tablets though virtually all will work on tablets.

That is incorrect. Only the iPad is pass that mark. In comparison there are far less Android tablet specific apps. Then you have to consider the wide variations of Android tablets and the fragmentation you get as a result. Using phone apps on tablets is a poor experience, at least visually. That said there are then an additional 500,000 iPhone apps you could use.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/25147...blet_pack.html

[Kent1975]

If anyone else is also trying to decide - take a look at PCPRO August 2012, arrived today - Tablets Lab Test.
This gives good reviews - iPad3 labs winner and Asus prime recommended, along with Sony Tablet S and Blackberry Playbook.

Having read this, today, I'm 80% Asus 20% iPad. If only I could click the Buy Now button!

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Batwing

That is incorrect. Only the iPad is pass that mark. In comparison there are far less Android tablet specific apps. Then you have to consider the wide variations of Android tablets and the fragmentation you get as a result. Using phone apps on tablets is a poor experience, at least visually. That said there are then an additional 500,000 iPhone apps you could use.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/25147...blet_pack.html

I did write there are more apps optimised for tablet on iPad. As for using phone apps on a tablet, its dependant on what the app does, most phone apps are just fine vistually and don't need high res displays.

As I said, you would be hard pushed to not find suitable apps for your requirements on either platform.

[ssr]

Originally Posted by Kent1975

If anyone else is also trying to decide - take a look at PCPRO August 2012, arrived today - Tablets Lab Test.
This gives good reviews - iPad3 labs winner and Asus prime recommended, along with Sony Tablet S and Blackberry Playbook.

Having read this, today, I'm 80% Asus 20% iPad. If only I could click the Buy Now button!

Excellent reply, thank you very much Matt, I'm now leaning back more towards the ipad camp than the asus one!
The question is now, do I wait for the Infinity from Asus to appear!!!

Exactly which camp are you in, sounds a bit like a yoyo!!

[TeeGee]

The August issue of PC Pro has an extensive review of all tablets. Subscription copies are out now but may not be on the newsstands until next week.

[Gormond]

I play Football Manager Handheld 2012 by Sega on the iPad and it's great, well worth the £6.99 asking price.

One thing I will say in favour of the iPad 2 is that it has an amazing battery life http://www.anandtech.com/show/5789/t...32nm-a5-tested

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Gormond

I play Football Manager Handheld 2012 by Sega on the iPad and it's great, well worth the £6.99 asking price.

One thing I will say in favour of the iPad 2 is that it has an amazing battery life http://www.anandtech.com/show/5789/t...32nm-a5-tested

but beaten by transformer with docking station.

[Matt D]

Originally Posted by Batwing

Matt D it most certainly is worth getting an Apple TV just for Airplay. Most people I show it to when running Airplay are wowed by it and by how simple it is to use.

Oh, I know it's worth it for some people.

I got mine as I wanted to connect my iPad to my TV, but didn't want to have to faff around with connecting/disconnecting an HDMI cable every time, plus the media features made it quite an attractive purchase.

But at £99, it's a bit expensive if all you want to do is connect your iPad to a TV.

Originally Posted by bazellis

Thanks Matt for a very detailed and comprehensive reply

No problem

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by c4rv

but beaten by transformer with docking station.

Which adds weight and bulk...

The iPad also has extended battery packs but it's pointless comparing that.

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Gormond

Which adds weight and bulk...

The iPad also has extended battery packs but it's pointless comparing that.

not much weight, it also doubles as a stand and cover so your tablet stays upright for watch (iPad cover does a similar job) and has full size USB so you can plug your flash drive in.

[paulbrock]

The "number of apps" thing is a funny one. Market/Google Play has no "optimised for tablet" checkbox, for example, and there is not a single mention of tablets in the Market description of Google's main apps - Maps, Google+, Youtube, Gmail.

With phone resolutions overtaking early tablet resolutions, the most optimisation needed is ensuring the app does something sensible in both portrait and landscape.
(though to be honest if you've got a 10" tablet, just go to the regular website; I don't need an 'optimised' local copy of online services on my Windows desktop, and not sure I need (or want) an app for every site I want to visit anyway)

In the same way as you don't design a separate version of a webpage for 1024x768, 1152x864, 1900x1200 etc you shouldn't need a separate 'optimised' app for a higher display. As long as its programmed to expect *different* resolutions - a necessity of course on Android - it should be fine.

(not (yet) a tablet user)

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by paulbrock

The "number of apps" thing is a funny one. Market/Google Play has no "optimised for tablet" checkbox, for example, and there is not a single mention of tablets in the Market description of Google's main apps - Maps, Google+, Youtube, Gmail.

With phone resolutions overtaking early tablet resolutions, the most optimisation needed is ensuring the app does something sensible in both portrait and landscape.
(though to be honest if you've got a 10" tablet, just go to the regular website; I don't need an 'optimised' local copy of online services on my Windows desktop, and not sure I need (or want) an app for every site I want to visit anyway)

In the same way as you don't design a separate version of a webpage for 1024x768, 1152x864, 1900x1200 etc you shouldn't need a separate 'optimised' app for a higher display. As long as its programmed to expect *different* resolutions - a necessity of course on Android - it should be fine.

(not (yet) a tablet user)

That is not correct. You can have exactly the same resolution on a phone as you would on a tablet but the apps would not be designed the same way because both devices would have drastically different size screens.

A tablet app needs to be designed specifically for a tablet and a phone app needs to be designed specifically for a phone.

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by c4rv

I did write there are more apps optimised for tablet on iPad. As for using phone apps on a tablet, its dependant on what the app does, most phone apps are just fine vistually and don't need high res displays.

As I said, you would be hard pushed to not find suitable apps for your requirements on either platform.

The correction was to do with you saying there are over 200,000 for Android too.

Most phone apps are not suitable for a tablet because you are dealing with a much smaller screen even if the resolution on both devices are similar. The usability of apps and their layout and its elements are designed differently.

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Batwing

That is not correct. You can have exactly the same resolution on a phone as you would on a tablet but the apps would not be designed the same way because both devices would have drastically different size screens.

A tablet app needs to be designed specifically for a tablet and a phone app needs to be designed specifically for a phone.

I'm not sure what you are getting at, can you give an example ?

I've got several android phones and a couple of android tablets all with different resolutions and I have not found that to be case in a majority of cases. Most apps resize themselves for the appropriate resolution unless the app is highly display dependant like sat nav app (saying that google navigation looks perfectly fine across all my devices).

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by Batwing

The correction was to do with you saying there are over 200,000 for Android too.

Most phone apps are not suitable for a tablet because you are dealing with a much smaller screen even if the resolution on both devices are similar. The usability of apps and their layout and its elements are designed differently.

200,000 what ?

There are over estimated 600,000 android apps at the beginning of this year the vast majority will run fine on phones and tablets. Don't have a tablet / phone split because Google play does not feature a 'optimised for tablet' because android are generally designed to work on a variety of hardware for phones and tablets and generally adjust themselves appropriately.