I want to get a tablet. My computing needs are not high - mainly I just want something more ‘transportable’ than my present 21 inch laptop. Pretty much all I will use it for is email, web surfing, facebook games and pictures. I like my laptop, but it is a bit bulky for traveling. Plus, I’d like to have something in reserve should my laptop take a dive.
Right now, I’m thinking of getting a Dell Venue 8 android, 32gb for about $200 - does this seem reasonable for my needs?
I can’t even begin to describe how incredibly computer ignorant I am. It’s embarrassing, it really is 'cuz I used to think I was smart! . Although if push came to shove, I could prevail upon more intelligent and savvy relatives to help me out if necessary…I just prefer to keep them in reserve for my actually important stuff, rather than just my whiny indecisive stuff like this. This is why the Dope is vital to me - I can be stupid, yet anonymous, lol!
So…can you validate my choice or give me a better one?
It’s slightly more ($269), but the Nexus 7 is a much better tablet (and also runs Android that Dell Venue does, but a more “pure” version - that’s better, trust me):
The 16 GB version is $229, which is plenty of my needs. YMMV
I appreciate your response! But can you tell me in what way you think this is a better choice? I have no idea what a more ‘pure’ version actually means to the average user like myself…
(and tbh, I’m not really sure what advantage there is to the 32gb vs 16gb…)
Basically, Dell and the Nexus 7 run the Android operating system. Dell puts a ‘skin’ on top of it. Basically that means Nexus (made by Google & Asus), which has no skin on top of the operating system is quicker. Nexus, since its Google based, also gets operating system updates earlier.
In addition, the Nexus 7 has a much better screen.
i bought my SO a Nexus 7 for Xmas and now I wish that I hadn’t purchased my IPad two years and simply saved my money for that ( I have two tablets including the IPad so I can’t justify buying a third. Yet…)
OP, the Nexus is fast, it’s lightweight and it can be had for as little $149-169 if you shop at any of the major office supply chains. Buy one, try it out and see if you like it. If not, return it and save up enough to either get a faster Android tablet or an IPad.
I have a Nexus 7 also (first generation) and I’ve been happy with it, but admittedly I don’t have anything to compare it to. What I don’t like is that the battery wears down even if you’re using it while it’s plugged in. I’ve never had another electronic device that couldn’t be used indefinitely while plugged in. Also, occasionally it restarts itself out of nowhere. I have no idea why. Other than that, great.
The ASUS MeMo comes in 8 and 10" versions.
An 8" tablet has something like 30% more screen - it will be appreciated when you’re reading Email.
Which ever you get, check out Amazons Free (android) App of the day. Not all winners, but some nice games and even a good utility once in a while.
My problem with the Nexus is that I have and use several Google accounts, and prefer them unlinked. The Nexus seems to not have an easy way around that, forcing me to uninstall my google account from the whole damn tablet just to change the email acct I get to see.
Now, I’ve only gotten to play with one from work, for about a week, but it’s bugging me enough I’m considering an ipad mini instead, just to avoid the hassle.
Someone tell me there’s a fix I haven’t found and save me some money?
And I know i can have multiple accts on there, but i don’t want to be signed into my accts when i’m not actively using them.
Like the OP, I am not that technologically smart, plus my computing requirements are modest. I dithered between an iPad and and Android-based tablet but went to the Android because I’m very used to my smartphone, so not much of a learning curve.
I have a three-year-old Galaxy 10.1, so not the latest. But it’s fast, image quality is great and it serves all my needs when I’m not at home in front of my desktop. I use mine a lot for work, to show clients photos of previous jobs.
I have both a Galaxy Tab 3 (8 inch) and a Nexus 7 (7 inch 2013 version). Being a programmer and a bit of a techie, I thought I would like the Nexus better. I don’t. I don’t even like it as much as my Kindle tab.
I greatly prefer the Galaxy Tab 8 inch.
8 inch is better than 7 inch by a lot more than I would have guessed. It still fits in my purse (10 inch wouldn’t) but adds a LOT of screen space. The Galaxy colors are brighter and the contrast is better (deeper blacks). It’s just prettier. And it responds to touch much better - the Nexus is ‘touchy’ about its touch screen.
Nexus bare-bones Android with early updates appeals to the techie in me, but it’s not really a recommendation for the casual user. Its resolution is good, but the Galaxy and the Kindle are both about as good. I know, the numbers are better on the Nexus than the Tab 3, but it makes surprisingly little difference. Resolution isn’t everything.
So I’m looking at maybe getting a tablet as well, though I do have some things that I would like to do that I don’t know if I’ll be able to or not.
I would like to have a tablet to play some games, maybe read (I have a Kindle), and maybe watch movies and such. Plus play on the internet, email and the like. I know most/all tablets will do this. However, I also like travel and take photos. Since I have a dSLR I’d like to have a way to back up my photos either on to the tablet itself, or on the tablet and on to a flash drive. None of the newer tablets I have seen have a full sized USB port or a normal sized SD card. I’ve seen cables that will make the smaller end of a USB cable in to the larger female end, but a lot of the tablets will not all the flash drive to be used.
Are there any good tablets, in the $300 range, that will do that? I thought about the Nexus, but that I’ve already seen will not work that way without rooting, and even then might not work and I’d rather not deal with rooting things any more.
I have a Nexus 7 (2013). It was my first tablet and I couldn’t be happier. I bought an Apple wireless keyboard which interfaces just fine as does a wireless mouse. I bought the 32GB 4G LTE model which was cheaper than the iPad 16GB WiFi. If you know Linux there is a back door that can get you to the $ command prompt. The Nexus 7 forums are also really good.
Umm, you’re not kidding when you say you don’t know anything about computers. A 21" laptop?
Can you tell us little more about what you use? Are you using Windows? What version? Do you know how to use Android? What program do you use for email?
Just one note: a lot of Facebook games are flash based, so, to play them on a tablet, you’ll have to get the Android version. So make sure the games you want to play are available on Android by checking out the Google Play store. I hope that, by now, most are available, but you never know if your favorite game isn’t represented or only has a pay version.
With a Samsung galaxy tab and an OTG cable, you can plug in any USB flash drive. The OTG cable is not a standard microUSB to USB adapter, it contains different wiring.
I do this with my galaxy tab 3, using this cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GGBYJ4/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
An OTG cable works only on tablets that implement the OTG standard, so you can check for that in the specs. It does not work on the Kindle Fire HDX.
On the Nexus 7 (2013), the OTG works for keyboard and mouse but not for flash drives, at least not the last time I checked. Google didn’t include the drivers or whatever is necessary for flash.
. Although if push came to shove, I could prevail upon more intelligent and savvy relatives to help me out if necessary…I just prefer to keep them in reserve for my actually important stuff, rather than just my whiny indecisive stuff like this. This is why the Dope is vital to me - I can be stupid, yet anonymous, lol!