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Me and tablets
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noise747
13-01-2014
I got myself a Nexus 7 before Christmas, I had a good discount from work. so now what? I have had it now for about 6 weeks and have used it about 4 times.

I thought I would see what all the fuss is about as people keep saying that tablets are the in thing and that people use them instead of computers. Well I got one and yet I still use my computer, even for simple stuff like browsing the net.

Starting to think the tablet may have been a waste of money, I always said I did not feel I needed one.
IvanIV
13-01-2014
It's tablets and I I have Surface 2 and I use it quite a lot for browsing, RSS feeds, games, media, etc. I find it quite convenient to use in bed or on a sofa. I was skeptical about it at first, too, but I quite like it now. Maybe size of your tablet makes it less convenient to use, mine is 10.6 '' 16:9.
Anika Hanson
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by IvanIV:
“It's tablets and I I have Surface 2 and I use it quite a lot for browsing, RSS feeds, games, media, etc. I find it quite convenient to use in bed or on a sofa. I was skeptical about it at first, too, but I quite like it now. Maybe size of your tablet makes it less convenient to use, mine is 10.6 '' 16:9.”

I find smaller tablets easier to use as they are more portable. 7 inches is too small but 8 inches is just about the right size IMO. You get the benefits if a larger screen and portability.
TVScourge
13-01-2014
Maybe if you have a laptop, a tablet isn't going to be very useful at home. Its more useful if you're out and about on public transport and you don't fancy lugging your laptop about. I used to carry my laptop with me around the cities on holiday just to keep an eye on it and it was hard lugging that weight around.

A tablet in that case would eliminate the need for a heavy laptop on trips. I'm thinking of getting a tablet myself.
noise747
13-01-2014
Tablets and I, yes, you are right, silly me.

A surface 2 is over priced for me to be honest. It is also windows based, I am trying to get away from windows

I did think about a larger tablet, I had a look at some, but the prices put me off and to be honest, this Nexus 7 was another spur of the moment purchase.

I don't think it is the size that is the problem, it is just that I have no idea what to do with it. I use my desktop for browsing, emailing and word processing. I got a laptop, which is used once int he blue moon.

My computer displays websites better and got a decent keyboard,
I did try and write a letter to my penpal on the Nexus,, but all the swiping and the crap that predictive text came out with made it a lot slower than if I used the laptop or desktop.

I played a few games on it, yesterday I played connect four and battle ship and that is about it. i got the Nexus because of price and because it was suppose to be one of the better tablets out there, no doubt it is, just I can't find a use for it.
I must stop these spur of the moments purchases.
IvanIV
13-01-2014
It could be it's just not for you, the way you work and expect a device to work. Or it could be the UI. I find that Surface works very well for me, but yes, it's overpriced. I write W8 apps so I could justify the purchase. I'd look at iPad and W8 tablets, maybe you find they work better for you than Android ones.
flagpole
13-01-2014
i couldn't see the point between my phone and computer.

but i use it all the time. browsing whilst watching tv mostly.
mred2000
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by flagpole:
“i couldn't see the point between my phone and computer.

but i use it all the time. browsing whilst watching tv mostly.”

Ditto. Before getting one to test projects on I just didn't see the point but found myself using it loads for casual surfing and then for taking notes as and when. And watching Netflix/iPlayer in bed.
Voynich
13-01-2014
I use mine in bed, commuting, in the toilet and also while I am watching TV. I would miss it if I didn't have it. I'm currently half way through Real Racing 3 plus I like to look up actors , the programme background etc. when watching TV. I also keep an eye on this place.
Bunions
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by Voynich:
“I use mine in bed, commuting, in the toilet and also while I am watching TV. I would miss it if I didn't have it. I'm currently half way through Real Racing 3 plus I like to look up actors , the programme background etc. when watching TV. I also keep an eye on this place.”

LMAO

Not just me then?

I use my hudl as an e-reader amongst many other things and I think that's where the 7-inchers shine. Even if you only use it for that purpose it's still an amazing little bit of kit.

However, you kind of have to want to use it because once you do, you'll find more and more reasons to.
henrywilliams58
13-01-2014
With an HDMI port you can use it to create a Smart TV.
Peter_CJ
13-01-2014
I use my Nexus as and when it's convenient - still use computer mainly during the day.

I find the Nexus a bit fiddly, so balance that with convenience.
Rodney McKay
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“I got myself a Nexus 7 before Christmas, I had a good discount from work. so now what? I have had it now for about 6 weeks and have used it about 4 times.

I thought I would see what all the fuss is about as people keep saying that tablets are the in thing and that people use them instead of computers. Well I got one and yet I still use my computer, even for simple stuff like browsing the net.

Starting to think the tablet may have been a waste of money, I always said I did not feel I needed one.”

A tablet is really a portable device, I do use my Playbook a lot (more than my iPad), mostly for streaming live TV or Youtube videos to my TV, also documents, movies and I tend to use it out and about and I take it with me as a backup for my laptop if I need to do a presentation and my laptop goes down.

I like my iPad but I find it fiddly to type on and will usually resort to my laptop.

I think this, if you've got £400 to spend on a piece of tech I'd go for a laptop over a tablet, but if you want something cheap that you can use out and about, a tablet makes sense.
noise747
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by IvanIV:
“It could be it's just not for you, the way you work and expect a device to work. Or it could be the UI. I find that Surface works very well for me, but yes, it's overpriced. I write W8 apps so I could justify the purchase. I'd look at iPad and W8 tablets, maybe you find they work better for you than Android ones.”

I am not spending any more money and as I said i am trying to get away from anything windows based.
the problem is I think is that it is just as easy to do what I want on the laptop or desktop.
noise747
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by Bunions:
“LMAO

Not just me then?

I use my hudl as an e-reader amongst many other things and I think that's where the 7-inchers shine. Even if you only use it for that purpose it's still an amazing little bit of kit.
”

But reading for any length of time with a LCD based tablet is not good, it puts strain on your eyes, which is why I got myself a Kobo e-ink reader on Saturday, my second one. i can read for hours with my Kobo, i can't do that with the Nexus.

Quote:
“However, you kind of have to want to use it because once you do, you'll find more and more reasons to.”

Maybe that is the problem, I was negative about tablets before I got it, thinking what is the point in them, it really was a impulse buy. i would not get another one, I will keep this one now as long as it lasts.
noise747
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by Rodney McKay:
“A tablet is really a portable device, I do use my Playbook a lot (more than my iPad), mostly for streaming live TV or Youtube videos to my TV, also documents, movies and I tend to use it out and about and I take it with me as a backup for my laptop if I need to do a presentation and my laptop goes down.

I like my iPad but I find it fiddly to type on and will usually resort to my laptop.

I think this, if you've got £400 to spend on a piece of tech I'd go for a laptop over a tablet, but if you want something cheap that you can use out and about, a tablet makes sense.”

i think a netbook would have been a better buy for me to by honest.
dosanjh1
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by flagpole:
“i couldn't see the point between my phone and computer.

but i use it all the time. browsing whilst watching tv mostly.”

This. For me the ultimate couch potatoe device, especially watching the news and using Twitter at the same time.
Rodney McKay
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“i think a netbook would have been a better buy for me to by honest.”

Netbooks can be a bit underpowered or come with a crippled version of Windows 7, if you want a good all round device a lightweight laptop is the best compromise, but a tablet can serve a useful purpose, more useful for web browsing than a phone and will work as an ereader.

If I could only choose one out of a tablet, netbook, laptop or desktop, I'd take the laptop every time.
emptybox
13-01-2014
Before I got the tablet (10" Motorola Xoom) I used to sit on the couch watching TV in the evenings, then when there was a lull on TV I would get up and go across to my computer, and sit with my back to the TV to do a bit of surfing. But inevitably I would occasionally look over my shoulder at the TV.

Now I never need to move from the couch. I watch the TV and surf on my tablet at the same time.
That is the beauty of it for me.

I have an old laptop as well, and in theory I could have used that on the sofa, but I never did. I found it too cumbersome and annoying, and I hate a laptop trackpad.

Perhaps you're just not a sofa surfer Noisy?
Sandgrownun
13-01-2014
I use my tablet (Asus Memo Pad) quite a lot for browsing the internet, Facebook and Twitter while watching telly and I like the Kindle app as well. But I could be without it and not miss it and it'll never replace my laptop, which I really would miss if it broke, partly because I use that for work but also because it's much more versatile. I could quite easily have survived using just my laptop and phone, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
coachtrip_fan99
13-01-2014
Yeah they're definitely something for convenience.

I didn't think I really needed one... But all my friends have them and I felt a bit left out! So I bought one just over a year ago... Used it way more than I thought I would.. And noe I have two!

I also have about 4 laptops, 3 desktops and a smart phone. I use them all (mostly) for different purposes.

I'm studying IT, so I like to surround myself in as much tech as possible!
Kaz159
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“

My computer displays websites better and got a decent keyboard,
I did try and write a letter to my penpal on the Nexus,, but all the swiping and the crap that predictive text came out with made it a lot slower than if I used the laptop or desktop.

That was the first thing I changed on both my phone and tablets (I have a 7" and an 8") - I couldn't get away with a swipe keyboard at all.
”

Originally Posted by henrywilliams58:
“With an HDMI port you can use it to create a Smart TV.”

Yep, the reason I got my 7" tablet (the 8" wouldn't display properly).
pi r squared
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“But reading for any length of time with a LCD based tablet is not good, it puts strain on your eyes”

I'm a light to moderate reader (I get through one or two books a month) but I do all my reading on a Nexus 7. I switch it to night mode (white text on black background) if I'm reading in the dark, but I can't say I've noticed any sort of eye strain from the backlight. Maybe it's because I don't read as much as others, or because the Night Mode setting actually helps, but I find it fine.
Originally Posted by henrywilliams58:
“With an HDMI port you can use it to create a Smart TV.”

Indeed, although one might argue that it would be cheaper to just get an Android TV dongle if that was its sole purpose. They're still a little clunky in places, but I have found that an Android TV with XBMC and a DLNA server has almost completely replaced the dedicated HTPC I once had in my lounge. (I'm just struggling to find a decent Usenet client to replace SABnzbd+). A tablet would do just as good a job but be three or four times the price.

Originally Posted by IvanIV:
“It's tablets and I ”

People seem to have this obsession, presumably because of "The King and I" or similar phrases, that "I" should always replace "me" when talking about me and somebody/thing. It isn't always the case; in fact, I'd probably suggest it's only the case just over half of the time. If the second person wasn't involved and you'd usually use "me", then "me" stays - ie. "would you like to stay with Fred and me?" not "Fred and I". "The King and I are happy to announce..." obviously works because you wouldn't say "Me am happy to announce". Since the title of the thread would simply be "me" rather than "I", "Me and tablets" is grammatically correct.

</pedantry>
Meercam
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“i think a netbook would have been a better buy for me to by honest.”

I agree with your conclusions.

My Nexus 7 has become little more than a portable radio.
I'm not allowed to use it at work because we're still in a heavily filtered XP environment where no other OS is allowed.
I don't like it for browsing and I'm not a games-player.

There's no doubt it's a good device...for someone whose needs it serves. For me though it wasn't worth the purchase and I wish I'd bought a Laptop instead.

I'm looking at the new generation of Chromebooks for my next buy as I also want to get away from Windows. It still won't be usable in my workplace but at least I can browse and email with a decent sized screen and keyboard.
Bunions
13-01-2014
Originally Posted by noise747:
“But reading for any length of time with a LCD based tablet is not good, it puts strain on your eyes, which is why I got myself a Kobo e-ink reader on Saturday, my second one. i can read for hours with my Kobo, i can't do that with the Nexus.”

I read every single day and honestly haven't experienced any issues whatsoever.

You can adjust the brightness of the screen and the Kindle app offers different coloured backgrounds too.

Quote:
“Maybe that is the problem, I was negative about tablets before I got it, thinking what is the point in them, it really was a impulse buy. i would not get another one, I will keep this one now as long as it lasts.”

Well it's a shame that you don't really enjoy having it but (dare I say) I think it's partly because you haven't realised how much they can do, yet.

Have a look in the Play Store at the tablet 101 section and see what all the most popular tablet apps are. Download some of them and see what you think.

Download Drippler for all the latest news about what's happening in the Android world.

Give yourself a bit of time to get used to it and see if your attitude towards it improves.

If there's no change then you can always sell it and I've seen tablets achieve really good prices on eBay.

Re your earlier point about typing being fiddly - you can get physical keyboards for a few quid.
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