Looking at buying a tablet... Which one to get?

[RLW]

Gday,

I'm looking at buying a tablet.

I wanted a Motorola Xoom, but they haven't been released here in Australia yet. The UK version will hopefully work here, but again thats still a little while off. I've decided I can't wait!

So now I'm kind of looking at the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

Have you used any tablets? Can you recommend any? What problems have you found? Is a 7-inch screen big enough for full-on reading?

Generally, whats your experience with tablets?

Cheers,
Richard

 

[iowadawg]

Save your money.

Wait 3 years and either tablets will be the best thing to own, or the worst thing to own.

 

[RLW]

With some of the tablets that are coming out in the next year or so, if I could wait I would.

But I've noticed myself chained to the computer lately reading stuff, or having to print stuff out (which is fine if I know in advance what it is I want/need to read). I mainly want to be able to sit comfortably and read what I need to read, wander into bed and read in there if I want, watch YouTube videos in comfort, and be able to do things on the go when I need to. My computer at work has virtually everything blocked, and this will let me do things that I have to do without being at home. The iPhone I have is just too un-user-friendly to be able to do anything useful with.

Plus, getting a tablet is motivating me to quit smoking. I'm buying it for myself as a reward.

 

[silentg]

Samsung Galaxy Tab is a big no no. It's slow.

I would just get an used IPad for now because some of the tablets with good specs are not out on the market yet.
Blackberry Playbook
HP Touchpad
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/

 

[wert]

wait for ipad 2 :

 

[RLW]

Sanding Galaxy Tab is a big no no. It's slow.

I would just get an used IPad for now because some of the tablets with good specs are not out on the market yet.
Blackberry Playbook
HP Touchpad
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/

This is the first I've heard about the Galaxy Tab being slow. Everything I've read has been positive. Even the link you gave didn't mention its slowness. I went looking around at what was in the shops today, and it seems I only have 4 options as far as tablets go:

1. Galaxy Tab - $720 for one thats compatible with my 3G network, $650 for one that will only do 2G on my network.

2. Apple iPad - $700, but this will be out of date on 25 March (I think thats when the iPad 2 comes out here).

3. Telstra T-Tab - $299, pre-paid, has had reviews that have given it 1-star out of 5 (Obvious waste of money)

4. Optus ZTE Tablet $299, pre-paid, again has really crappy reviews.

The other choice I have is to wait for the Galaxy Tab II to come out here. I was reading that it will be available here by June at the latest, but it won't be available on my network I'm with. I can't change networks and I wont go on a plan, so I'll want to buy the tablet outright. So, theres a risk that if I wait I won't be able to get it anyway.

I'm not interested in the iPad, or anything Apple for that matter. My iPhone annoys the CRAP out of me. My iPhone is slow, a lot of the apps just don't work, theres been problems with the alarm (which takes Apple over a month to fix), and I have to boot into Windows to copy anything onto it or update the OS.

I really want an Android tablet.

A special note to tablet manufacturers: Get your products down under! We need more choice! You have an untapped market down here!

 

[silentg]

Since you want a Android tablet then you should just wait. Samsung is coming out with another tablet with Android Honeycomb OS (faster). Playbook is rumored to support Android Apps as well.

Only choice you got right now is a Xoom Tablet which in my opinion is just overpriced. And Android Honeycomb doesn't have that much apps right now.

If you're planning to get the Galaxy Tab instead then I suggest you go to a store with a demo model test it out.

 

[amcdonald]

hp slate 500 is decent. slate 502 coming out this summer with a built in Cellular modem.

I've played with the 500, its a decent unit.
full windows 7 tablet

 

[RLW]

Since you want a Android tablet then you should just wait. Samsung is coming out with another tablet with Android Honeycomb OS (faster). Playbook is rumored to support Android Apps as well.

Only choice you got right now is a Xoom Tablet which in my opinion is just overpriced. And Android Honeycomb doesn't have that much apps right now.

If you're planning to get the Galaxy Tab instead then I suggest you go to a store with a demo model test it out.

Yes, there is a new Samsung coming out. As I said above, I can wait for it but there is a risk that I won't be able to use it anyway. I've been looking at the specs for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it looks like it'll be 4G. Price wise, its pre-selling in the UK for 500 Euros. If the pricing is similar here in Australia it'd be silly for me to buy the original galaxy tab now.

I've only been able to find CDMA versions of the Xoom Tablet. Is there another model? The Xoom is the tablet that I originally wanted, but with no firm sign of it being released down under I gave up on the idea.

We only seem to have demos of the iPad here... So have you heard anything bad about the Galaxy Tab being crap?

 

[Sabre]

Yes, there is a new Samsung coming out. As I said above, I can wait for it but there is a risk that I won't be able to use it anyway. I've been looking at the specs for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it looks like it'll be 4G. Price wise, its pre-selling in the UK for 500 Euros. If the pricing is similar here in Australia it'd be silly for me to buy the original galaxy tab now.

I've only been able to find CDMA versions of the Xoom Tablet. Is there another model? The Xoom is the tablet that I originally wanted, but with no firm sign of it being released down under I gave up on the idea.

We only seem to have demos of the iPad here... So have you heard anything bad about the Galaxy Tab being crap?

I worked for Carphone Warehouse (a big mobile phone chain in the UK), so I know a fair amount about the tablets.

There are no major issues with the Galaxy Tab. It is not slow, it is easily customisable and an all-round good product.
The major benefit for me is that it fits nicely into my suit jacket pocket; the Ipad is just too big in my eyes to actually give me what I want (which is a device I can take around with me wherever I go, like a mobile phone, but that gives me the extra functionality I desire).

There's a lot of good contract offers out there for the tab which will include calls, messages and internet access. You can link a bluetooth headset and use that instead of a mobile phone, so you have the best of both worlds. All the benefits and none of the drawbacks.

Hope that helped somewhat..