Greetings and good afternoon. I was asked whether or not I thought having a tablet was a good idea. So, what are your top 2 or top 3 reasons you like a tablet (compared to a smart-phone or laptop) and the top 2 or 3 reasons you dislike a tablet? How do you use your tablet?I responded:
It's interesting that you mention this now. I recently (in the past month or so) picked up a second iPad (*dirt* cheap) as well as an Acer Chromebook. With two kids in high school, I wanted a second computer(ish) device, and the iPad means I can give my older version to my daughter. She routinely does her homework on her phone, and the iPad at least allows her a larger interface.
With that said, I guess it boils down to your preferred platform. If you're a Mac/Apple fan, then tablets are definitely cheaper - you can get a new iPad Air for $400 or so; whereas the Macbooks are still going for close to a grand. If you're a Windows fan, it is exactly opposite - the Surface is a grand, while cheap Windows-based laptops or Chromebooks can be had in the vicinity of $200-$300 all day long.
It also depends on *where* you do your computing. The real beauty of the iPad is that I can take it out on the front porch, or on the back deck, or sitting in the Adirondack chair in the backyard, and be perfectly comfortable checking Facebook, responding to e-mails, etc. The Chromebook is larger and heavier, and the keyboard is scarcely bigger than the bluetooth keyboard I have for the iPad (I dropped $30 on a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse).
Battery life, at least for a laptop with a SSID drive, is comparable; I think I get 9 hours out of the iPad and 12 out of the Chromebook. One advantage of a tablet, though, is that you can buy one with a data package and have access 24/7; with the laptop/chromebook, it's a little more complicated, expensive, and limited...So, for the small handful of folks who might possibly be checking in, what are your thoughts? Tablet? Laptop? Phone?
Anyone still paying attention here?
That is all.
11 comments:
Still here. Still value your opinion.
Mostly laptop here, though I do have a tablet for reading and playing silly games.
Biggest reason for me is screen real estate. My old eyes need bigger things to look at. But I'm not wedded to the mac so I don't have to spend $1k on a laptop. I do have an old Imac so I'm familiar with both. Mac is superior in some ways and Windows in others.
Strangely, all the things that I prefer in Windows are the things that in the newest versions of the MS Operating System that they try to emulate the Mac. When I get a new Windows machine, I spend the first day changing settings to get rid of newer "look and feel" features that try to emulate the Mac and get them back to the things I like about Windows.
Go figure.
Gotta have a laptop. I do a lot of writing, and I need to save documents, maps, photos, etc. With a laptop, I can get out of the office and work with no distractions wherever I need to be to accomplish that. I also do videos for YouTube for recreation. I use external hard drives for backing up photos and docs, and also use gmail as an additional backup for documents. I just retired, and the new forester came in with a personal laptop! That's great, because the work computer has a keystroke logger, and no tolerance for any personal photos or documents. The personal computer can follow you home with no questions asked, and the work computer becomes a second backup for important documents. The smart phone is for communication and a bit of recreation for me. I handed the new forester a hard drive with all the work done on computer in my office since '04, and she is off and running, far ahead of how I was when we began switching to computers.
yep, still watching this site for more breaking news. Good to see there still is.
tablet for games
laptop for anything text intensive
laptop connected to the big screen for Netflix and Amazon
Come back again sooner than six months. I know you have stuff to say that isn't exactly gun/work related, and I'd like to 'hear' it.
Rich in NC
Yeah we're still here... Or I'm still here. Turn the free ice cream machine on again.
My 2 cents...
I'm and apple hater, Android ftw. My minions have Android tablets and I have a laptop (work) and a surface pro 4 (personal) with a one plus 3t phone.. I use all of them. I like the limitations on the tablets for the kids, and that the surface is a full fledged PC.
W.I.T.F. have you been?
Check every day, and no Marooned...not good. :)
Hey Jay
Tablets -
1 - use as a kindle for books (MHI is killing me. . .)
2 - use to watch Hulu when on my elliptical. . . great for tv shows
3 - I have a Note so I use it at work for taking handwritten notes in meetings and such that I can then upload to the cloud. even turns them into typed notes if I want
4 - at work I use it for the camera too but a phone could do that.
IT LIVES!!!!
;-)
Still checking in here from time to time, and very glad to see you back.
Computers at home....
All personally owned, so no works interference..
2x (Wife & Me) Android Tablets with Simcard slots for data, and a good VPN running all the time. Mainly used for Kindle, and e-mails while away from home e.g bike trip & camping.
2x (Wife & Me) Android Phones, also with VPN. Unimportant low security comms only.
1x i5 Laptop running Linux w/VPN. Linked to a large monitor while working (old eyes). Used for anything remotely confidential (work, all emails, banking, purchasing etc.).
1x Linux fileserver (hardened as best I know how to, other probably know more).
1x Fairly capable entertainment PC running Win7. VPN. Used ONLY for gaming, films (no TV in the house), blogsurfing & other such inconsequential stuff. Was offered Win10, told them where to stick it (offered to sharpen & grit the disc first....salesdroid most offended..oh dear,shame../like I buy anything at retail anyway....).
Am I overly paranoid, or not paranoid enough???
Desktop because 27" and larger screens rock - and you still can't get those on a laptop. That said, while I keep a desktop around for real work, and serious internet reading, photo editing, and doc storage, I log more time on my iPad than any other device. And I discovered on the last couple of vacations, that unless I'm photographing a lot and want to back up the images, the laptop just stays in the bag -- so the iPad and iPhone will be the only devices to come on the next trip.
I'm still here. :-)
The nearest thing I have to a tablet is a Kindle Fire HD with a Bluetooth keyboard. Mostly I use it as a Kindle, occasionally for games, even more occasionally for watching Amazon video. I've used it as a real computer exactly once: on an airplane trip, the fold-down tray wasn't even big enough for a laptop, so I used the Fire's word processor app to jot some notes on a story idea I'm working on.
For everything else, I use a laptop. And my laptop bag also contains a couple of portable hard drives with a complete set of backups of every important file I own.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A, purchased for checking email/docs while travelling. Not enough memory, bluetooth keyboard FUBARd for no reason I can identify. Now I just keep it plugged in as a backup and bought ....
iPad Air 32gb - intended to replace boat anchor/laptop when travelling (rarely now thank G-d) for work. Haven't used it much yet but like that it stays at nearly full battery when not in use (which is a lot) and lasts all day for semi regular email checks/meeting notes etc. Logitech combo keyboard/case. Liking it so far but due to smaller screen size not able to replace fully the....
HP Probook laptop - work device. The above-mentioned boat anchor. Used and carried daily (4 years???) back and forth to the office. External hard drive (reminds me, I have to back up). Company claims to have a replacement plan (which I think of as "when they blow up or BSOD", and they'll still try to re-format the drive first).
Pixel Phone - love it for calendar, quick email checks, FB, etc. Don't try to do anything visually taxing on it or I'll be blinder than I am now.
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