Tablet PC..Do you have one? What do you use it for?

[George Bokros]

Thinking about getting a tablet PC. I have a laptop and a desk top computer, there are only my wife and myself at home. If you have a tablet what do you use it for and do you also have a laptop? I would not have the tablet connected with my cell service so I would use my cell phone as my mobile hot spot or my TWC hot spots through my cable/internet/land line account.

I am thinking about an Android operating system unit. I had an iPhone and did like the Apple IOS. Apple is to controlling, example it was difficult to get a third party cable to work with the iPhone I had.

Thanks for the input.

[Lee Schierer]

I had a 7" tablet that I used for reading books and occassionaly getting on line. It died and I plan to replace it with an 8" tablet for the same purposes.

[Kory Cassel]

Apple's policies are stifling, but I have to say that all their products that I have owned had a 'drag through the brush' durability completely unchallenged by any other brand of home electronics that I could name.

As you mentioned third party media, if you do choose to buy another Apple product, resist downloading their incessant 'updates' as many of those are specifically geared towards continuously denying you access to third party media as the media outlets continue to circumvent Apple's policies.

It's a cold war between them and all you have to do if you want access is not update and maybe wait a couple months.:)

[Larry Frank]

I have a Kindle and use it for a lot. Even in my shop for YouTube videos. I read on it and on my phone Amazon has a great library of books.

[William Adams]

I've used pen computers by preference since PenPoint on an NCR-3125 --- I prefer using a stylus since it is more expressive than a mouse.

- allows one to draw
- allows for natural annotation and markup, esp. of PDFs
- allows one to write instead of type

I use a Samsung Galaxy Book 12 for pretty much everything --- had to quit doing Windows updates at Fall Creators Update 'cause Microsoft crippled the pen, and have rolled back twice since.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is quite nice by all accounts, Android can work well if you can find apps which work well and meet all your needs.

[Bruce Page]

My wife bought me my first iPad when I retired in 2010. It still going strong and lives in the shop. I used it and my current iPad primarily for reading and surfing the net when we travel. My experience is like Kory’s - Apple’s products just work, and unless you are particularly hard on them they work for a long time. I retired an old 20gig iPod earlier this year that I bought in 2004. It still worked if plugged in to a charger but it’s battery no longer held a charge.

[Ralph Okonieski]

I do have a windows laptop and an iPad. The laptop is used for spreadsheets and making family videos. The iPad is used for email and where most of the internet searching occurs. When wanting to search, the iPad is available within seconds whereas the laptop takes several minutes reloading the last state before it is ready.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Use an iPad, purchased in June of 2011. Originally was dedicated for work.
I did energy audits for our school district and as Williams Adams mentioned, was used because of ease of annotating pdf documents on the fly. After the audits, all reporting was done via the internet on the iPad.
As mentioned, they were well built. It survived a lot of abuse, including falling from my backpack 25', from a school roof to the concrete below. A corner was dinged and a crack on the screen, but the crack is not apparent unless viewing the screen obliquely and the crack did not affect the function.

Since, I use it as a video/multi-media machine. Prime and Netflix.
iOS 9 was the last update supported, and Apple changed the way it handled Javascript, so I had to disable Javascript in Safari, else I get constant freezes. Also Hulu and several others needed an updated iOS, so it is time for a new one.

One important use-
We did all our financials with it. We did not trust our Windows machines.
My wife downloads a number of games. With our Windows machines we were always fighting malware and such. No issues with our Apple products.

[Jim Becker]

Tablets can be useful for a variety of things, especially when portability and light weight is desirable. But there is a "new class" of machines that offer true laptop capabilities as well as touch screen tablet use from the same machine that are becoming more ubiquitous in the market. Microsoft markets heavily in this and with good reason since it's the one thing they can provide that isn't in the Apple repertoire. (yet)

I'm all Apple so yes, I own an iPad. It's an older one and honestly, I don't use it much outside of being a more convenient remote control for the AppleTV unit in our media room. I read on a Kindle Paperwhite...I never liked the shiny screen on the tablet for that purpose and it's lighter in weight than the iPad, too. My MacBook Pro r13 is small enough and light enough that it's not just my desktop (with a larger monitor attached) but also my travel/portable machine, too. While I like the idea of a tablet for browsing, I'm not currently compelled by that enough to upgrade to a more current one at this point.

I'm not a fan of Android...or let me make that more precise...I'm not a fan of the majority of Android implementations/devices. (Android itself...based on Linux...is great in it's pure form) Why do I feel that way? Every implementation is different, sometimes even within the same device manufacturer, and that inconsistency is not a good thing for usability nor is it a good thing for security. Outside of the Google Pixel series of phones, "pure" Android doesn't get into the marketplace as the device manufacturers make changes, put their own spin and then release the product. If there's a wireless carrier involved, the Android implementation gets further modified. I don't like that one bit and as a 38+ year veteran of the IT and Telecom world, I don't find that to be comforting. While it's easy (and true) to say that Apple doesn't let one do whatever they want, that's the reason that iOS is more secure and consistent. The OS also is backward compatible with many generations of devices which is not the case with Android so much of the time.

[Steve Demuth]

There is an iPad (given me as a gift - otherwise I have no Apple in my personal life) on the end table by the sofa and easy chair in our house. Both my wife and I use it many times per day (for me, mostly weekends, since I'm not much in the house weekdays). She gets weather, podcasts broadcast via Bluetooth to a portable speaker, email, need-to-lookup-an-answer web queries, access to the kids' photos on Facebook and Instagram (not otherwise used in our house), and to watch Netflix / Amazon stuff when she can't sleep at 2:00AM due to restless legs. It's the primary way I read the periodicals I use to stay current (Science, The Economist, New York Times), to browse Sawmill Creek, watch Youtube "how to" videos and read personal email when I'm home, and when I can't sleep at 2:00AM, to watch the odd NFL game. The fact that it's almost indestructible, instant on, and easily portable makes it a nice fit.

Addition after post: What it is not good for, is anything requiring more than a few words of typing. If your goals include that, get something that is a hybrid with something resembling a real keyboard. Virtual keyboards, particularly the Apple version, are nightmares to try to express yourself on.

As a side benefit, since ours is shared use, it's a great source of ideas for birthday and Christmas and anytime-I-want gifts, since Google's add network constantly tells me what she's looking at, and vice versa.

[Jon Shank]

I have had an Android tablet of one description or another for several years, from a couple of different manufacturers, currently Samsung. I have used or played with Apple devices but 1-I have just never liked them and 2 I have a strong philosophical disagreement with their stranglehold on their devices. That's a personal thing, so YMMV on that. While the version of Android you get from one device to another is certainly different it's never taken me more than a token amount of time to figure out the differences. I also have not had a security issue with an Android device, ever. Maybe I'm just lucky that way.

In terms of what you can use it for it will depend a little on your preferences wants/needs etc but they will do essentially anything you would do with with a laptop albeit not as well in some instances. For instance I can send a job to one of our 3D printers no problem, but the actual slicing software to set up or prepare a file is slow at best and somewhat limited in function as compared to the the PC version of the same. I use mine for work, where viewing schematics for instance is fantastic compared to working on a laptop. I also use it as a news and eBook reader and to watch movies etc on long flights, video conference with my wife when we want to etc, e-mail, messaging, blahblahblah. If I need to do a bunch of paperwork or data entry I'm going to boot up the laptop, but most everything else is just quicker and more convenient on the tablet.

Another use and one that gets into the differences between models a bit is that I use it for sketching project ideas, etc. My tablet is not specifically optimized for drawing, so frankly it's not fantastic but it does get the job done. If I like what I'm coming up with I can use software tools to refine the sketch, etc. My wife on the other hand is an artist, she draws, paints, sculpts, etc. So the drawing quality and utility that is available in most normal tablets just won't cut it for her. So we bought her a more expensive tablet that is optimized for image creation etc, and she is able to do really nice work on it similar to what you would do with a dedicated digital tablet that draws directly to your computer. Her's came with a stylus that allows for varying line widths and brush types on the fly for instance, really an excellent artistic tool. I kind of wish the drawing capabilities on mine were better but frankly it really is good enough for me and what I do with it. It would just be completely useless for my wife for that application. So just using that example you probably want to really think on what you want to do with it before you start shopping around, and probably try to gets some hands on time at a retail store to get a feel for it if something specific like that is important for you. I wouldn't be with out mine now a days.

Jon

[Vincent Tai]

I have probably logged more hours on an iPad then most. I didn't own a cellphone until two years ago and even then its just a family member's old one. The iPad has been my daily and main use device since grade 7, I got the iPad Air in grade 9, school work was no issue for the most part. Uploading things to stupid school sites; I would just use email to myself and wait for a school computer to fire up and upload from there. The amount of hours on the iPad must be enormous by now, I often have some sort of videos playing when doing other things. Social media (multiple multiple different ones) slide format presentations, essays, research, any entertainment, contacting people - I did it all with an iPad. I spent hours and hours using it daily. Even photos; the iPad Air 2 took fine photos. Much of the photos I've posted here are taken with an iPad. This year I have used a Mac quite a bit; the iPad battery is a little old and I'l have to take it apart and pop a new one in soon. I am a little astonished my iPads still work; the first one (a 2nd gen iPad) I haven't fired up in a while but it was still working fine when I did. The screen is shattered so no fun to use. The iPad Air I use daily still and the mileage on it has worn things like scars on it but It still works fine. I will probably get the new iPad pros at some point; the power in those and the functionality is enormous; editing 4k footage is a walk in the park for those beasts. The 12 mp camera is quite a nice feature too.

There is no shortage of third party dongles and cables that are certified and work fine with apple devices for much cheaper then the apple made ones. I have used an Amazon basics lightning cable for charging my iPhone 5s and iPad for a couple years and it cost 8CAD. extra extra long one too so there are even cheaper ones that are good quality.

[Dave Cav]

When I was still teaching/administrating full time I eventually settled on a Microsoft Surface for most of my business related portable computing. Since I retired it only gets used when traveling. I still use the desktop for 90% of my email, web surfing, e-commerce, and so on. I used an iPad for about a year but got tired of it's idiosyncrasies and eventually replaced it with a Kindle Fire, first an 8" and now a 10". I'm about ready to ditch the Fire because of the way Amazon has locked down the OS and because of their aggressive marketing through it, and am thinking of getting some sort of relatively inexpensive 10" Samsung android tablet. I also have a Chromebox out in the shop, but I'm probably going to ditch it soon because it's getting kind of wonky. The 10" Fire may replace it.

My wife uses her iPad Mini about 18 hours a day as far as I can tell.

If anyone has any experience/recommendations for under $200 10" android tablets, I'm all ears.

[Lee DeRaud]

Tablets can be useful for a variety of things, especially when portability and light weight is desirable. But there is a "new class" of machines that offer true laptop capabilities as well as touch screen tablet use from the same machine that are becoming more ubiquitous in the market. Microsoft markets heavily in this and with good reason since it's the one thing they can provide that isn't in the Apple repertoire. (yet) I bought a first-generation Microsoft Surface Book in 2016 to replace my dying laptop. The CPU/SSD/RAM are in the detachable tablet portion, with the keyboard, USB ports, SD slot, and the larger of the two batteries in the base portion. (Batteries are split about 60/40 between base and tablet.) Most of the people who see it think it's "just a laptop" until I detach the tablet chunk and either use it standalone, or turn it around into an easel configuration: the looks on their faces are worth the near-Apple pricing.

Pros: rock-solid Windows 10 integration (duh), gorgeous 13" 3000x2000 display.
Cons: not cheap, but I expect the Apple equivalent (when/if) would be even more. Also, there are some apps that don't handle very-high-res screens properly (Quicken in particular), but that's a problem with my big desktop screen too.

(I also have an 8" Kindle Fire that's a nice travel alternative when I don't want to carry a laptop/tablet bag and a camera bag.)

[emili ladjet]

The best Tablet PC is the HP Zbook X2. It uses Wacom EMR so is compatible w the Wacom Bamboo

[William Adams]

The HP Zbook X2 uses the latest generation of Wacom EMR which debuted on the Samsung Galaxy Book 10/12 --- 4096 pressure levels, tilt in supporting software --- it's almost as nice as a Cintiq. The reviews on it are excellent and the folks who have mentioned having one in forums I follow have all been thrilled with it (given the price, I'd hope so).

[Brian Elfert]

I have an iPad and a laptop. I have so rarely used the laptop as a mobile device since I bought it in 2011 that the battery gave out from being plugged in all the time. If you want to do real work I would consider a Windows 10 tablet. If you want a tablet as a media consumption device than either Android or iPad will do. I only use my iPad to browse the web on the bus for an hour each day while commuting. (Buses have WI-FI or I have hot spot on phone.)

I looked at both Android and iPad. Personally, I was not willing to look at any of the non brand name cheap Android tablets. That mainly left me with Samsung and Google for Android tablets. The main deciding factor was price. The Android tablets were higher priced than the $250 or $260 I paid for a new iPad from Costco before Christmas last year. (It also helps that I have an iPhone, but that was less a factor than price. I don't really share between tablet and phone.)

[Brian Elfert]

The HP Zbook X2 uses the latest generation of Wacom EMR which debuted on the Samsung Galaxy Book 10/12 --- 4096 pressure levels, tilt in supporting software --- it's almost as nice as a Cintiq. The reviews on it are excellent and the folks who have mentioned having one in forums I follow have all been thrilled with it (given the price, I'd hope so).

I doubt the OP is looking for anything quite as sophisticated (or as expensive!) as this unit. This HP unit is really targeted at a high end professional user.

[William Adams]

Yeah, that's why I said:

>The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is quite nice by all accounts, Android can work well if you can find apps which work well and meet all your needs.

[Brian Elfert]

Target has the iPad for just $250 this week.

[John Cole]

I have used my Kindle Fire HD for a number of years now and i wouldn't be without it. Use it to surf the net,youtube, email etc. Best part is they are cheap around $100.

[dennis thompson]

I have an IPad which is pretty old and slow so I now have 2 Fire 10's which I like a lot. I use them mostly for surfing the net, and email. The Fires were only $99.

[Chuck Wintle]

I have used my Kindle Fire HD for a number of years now and i wouldn't be without it. Use it to surf the net,youtube, email etc. Best part is they are cheap around $100.
So would you say this is a recommendation to buy the Kindle?

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I had a Microsoft Surface-2, 4 years ago. (lost in a fire) I loved it. It did come with "Office" installed when I bought it. I could use it for anything I use my lap top for. But it was far more portable and easier to carry. Easier to take on trips too. My phone worked as a portable hot spot, so I could link to the net anywhere I had a cell signal. A year ago, my Mrs. was in the hospital for a week and she quite bored after the first 6 hours, so I bought an Acer tablet with protective folder and keyboard for her. She and it were inseparable for a few months. She has a desk top with a large flat screen monitor and she prefers having the huge display, so she stopped using the tablet for a while. I like using a laptop for "office stuff" If I wanted to just sit in front of the boob tube and surf the net at the same time, I would use the tablet. The tablet takes great pictures. and when visiting relatives the tablet is easy to show photos with. We also have 4 smart TV's in the house. Not just streaming capable, but they can be used with a separate keyboard to cruise the net without a computer. It drives Mrs. Crazy, but I sometimes sit in the living room with the big screen and a keyboard surfing the web and typing to forums like this one. My phone can also be used to surf and then cast the site or video onto the TV. To think that I remember having a life before my family ever got a television. To which my daughter would ask, "Weren't the caves cold and damp too?" I must say though, I probably spend far more time seeking out information on line, than I do watching TV and movies.

[Myk Rian]

I use a Samsung 10" tablet to tell my telescope where to point.

[Jim Becker]

So would you say this is a recommendation to buy the Kindle?
The Kindle Fire is a nice general purpose tablet with a very attractive price for browsing, etc., but unless something has changed, there are limits on what apps you can use from the Google Play Store on the Amazon product. If that's not an issue for someone's needs, it's a good choice to consider for a low cost tablet.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I have an HP EliteBook (I believe it is model 1050) that is a good laptop, powerful enough for office tasks, some image handling with Photoshop and can be converted to a (Windows) tablet, including a precise pen. I would hate to have two different devices for so close similar tasks...

I prefer the tablet way when reading books (way better than my Kindles), taking notes (pen is a blessing) and sometimes to browse internet. I prefer the PC way when using office tools, Photoshop and other tools I have installed there.

[Lee DeRaud]

The Kindle Fire is a nice general purpose tablet with a very attractive price for browsing, etc., but unless something has changed, there are limits on what apps you can use from the Google Play Store on the Amazon product. If that's not an issue for someone's needs, it's a good choice to consider for a low cost tablet.The impression I got is that it used to be a low-level kabuki dance to get Google Play Store installed, but that changed in 2017 or so. On my early-'18 model (5th generation?), it just required a couple of downloaded files to be installed...now it works more or less like my phone. The one thing I can't do is look up an app in the store on the computer and tell Google to send it to the Kindle: I have to be on the Kindle to order apps for it. It may just be some kind of device registration step that I missed.

Here's the how-to: https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-your-amazon-fire-tablet/

[Jim Becker]

'Glad to here it's "more possible" now, Lee. I'm all Apple, but occasionally try to help someone with Android devices including the Fire, so thanks for that reference.

[Tony Pisano]

I have a samsung galaxy model SM-T550. I previously saw no need for one and sat at my desktop. The reason I got the tablet was for selling. We had a table set up at Williams College to sell honey and candles before the holidays a few years back and we realized that most students don't write checks or carry cash. Since I have had a paypal account for years, I bought the tablet and a paypal card reader, and sales skyrocketed the next time out. This year I upgraded to a chip card reader. I do find it's too easy to be online on the comfort of the couch, by the pellet stove.

[Derek Meyer]

Two years ago I was shopping for a new laptop and wanted to get a tablet/computer device. I narrowed it down to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and the Dell 2 in 1. I ended up going with the Dell for a few reasons, the biggest of which were the price ($500 less that the Surface Pro) and a higher-resolution display. After using it for a few months I got a new job that supplied me with a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop.

The Dell has been in the drawer for a few months now, and I use the Thinkpad for all my mobile computing. The biggest reason is the screen - the Dell screen is 12" whereas the Thinkpad is 15". It makes a huge difference. Also, I use it laying in bed at night, and the Dell had a hard time staying upright - it always wants to fall over. The keyboard connection is not great either - it's hard to align properly so that it makes connection with the tablet. The Surface Pro is light years better in this regard, as the keyboard is magnetic and snaps into place perfectly every time, though it does have to be disconnected and reconnected from time to time. I mainly see this problem only on the Surface Pro 3 units at my work - the Surface Pro 4 and later units don't seem to have many keyboard issues.

For my next laptop I'm thinking of the Microsoft Surface Book. I like the form factor, and we bought one for a co-worker who manages inventory and thus takes it from store to store to work off of. He loves it, and I loved it when I set it up for him.