Need input on tablets...what to get

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
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I am in the market to buy a tablet to mainly keep all my PDF manuals for my car rebuilds...I dont want an Apple product as I think they are too much and more than I need. I saw this ad:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...sku=F12-101400

for the Asus. Will this work for me or can you make some recommendations. Thanks

Web access etc will also be needed


Moved from OT 1 pm EST 11/8/2012

ElFenix
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
99,630
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why would you buy a refurb for 250?
also, I assume you will be wrenching when you are looking at this. Maybe a small laptop is a better idea. at least you can use a mouse and not get grease all over the actual laptop. Tablet may have gorilla glass, but grease is still grease.
 
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Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,104
6,957
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I am in the market to buy a tablet to mainly keep all my PDF manuals for my car rebuilds...I dont want an Apple product as I think they are too much and more than I need. I saw this ad:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...sku=F12-101400

for the Asus. Will this work for me or can you make some recommendations. Thanks

Web access etc will also be needed

If you do ever consider an Apple tablet, check out GoodReader. I mainly use it for reading PDF files. It's one of the main reasons I have an iOS device.

http://www.goodiware.com/goodreader.html

A quick Google search says that Aldiko is a good Android PDF reader:

http://www.aldiko.com/
 

Baptismbyfire

Senior member
Oct 7, 2010
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A small laptop would be better for your need. The only advantage of tablet would be that it's always on standby mode, but then I don't think you will be turning it on and off every couple minutes when reading manuals.
 
Feb 4, 2009
35,862
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I know I'm going to get beat up over this but tablets are either ipad or windows 8, I haven't seen a windows 8 tablet yet but they appear pretty slick. The problem with android tablets is 1st) the OS is really made for phones 2nd) there are minimal quality standard so most android tablets are pretty ghetto.
 

brainhulk

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2007
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Charlton_Heston_The_Ten_Commandments.jpg
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
post in the right damn forum

Circuitcity.com has a refurb sony 9.1" today for under $200
Someone else has a refurb Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for the same price

I have the Gtab 2 and love it. The Sony looks kinda cool too. Otherwise buy one of the new Nexus 7 16/32" they just dropped the price on.


Or post in the right damn forum.
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
44
91
I know I'm going to get beat up over this but tablets are either ipad or windows 8, I haven't seen a windows 8 tablet yet but they appear pretty slick. The problem with android tablets is 1st) the OS is really made for phones 2nd) there are minimal quality standard so most android tablets are pretty ghetto.

Haven't used a recent version of Android have you. Or a Nexus device of any kind? You could probably have said that 6+ months ago, not anymore.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Haven't used a recent version of Android have you. Or a Nexus device of any kind? You could probably have said that 6+ months ago, not anymore.

and this is why this needs to be in the right forum. That way the ignorant fanboys can post uneducated posts to their heart's content and I don't have to look at it.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
The original Transformer was pretty slow IIRC. That's the thing with cheap tablets. They're cheap for a reason. I'd spend the money and get the Transformer Infinity. You can also get refurb iPad 3s pretty cheap now.

As pissed off as I am about their shenanigans with the iPad 4 release, the iPad is still the best tablet out there. It has the best app and accessory support period. Android is a decent OS, but continues to lag on app support for tablets.
 
Feb 4, 2009
35,862
17,403
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Haven't used a recent version of Android have you. Or a Nexus device of any kind? You could probably have said that 6+ months ago, not anymore.

haven't tried a nexus but I work in wireless and android tablets have a huge return rate hence more people seem dissatisfied with them.
 

artvscommerce

Golden Member
Jul 27, 2010
1,144
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I have a Asus Transformer TF300. It's got the quad-core Tegra 3. I really like it. The keyboard dock makes me a little nervous because it puts a lot of pressure on the glass, but it's nice to have mouse and keyboard support. The dock has a USB port and you can buy a very cheap dongle that gives you a USB port when you're not using the dock.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
A 7" tablet is great for text ebooks, but for PDF manuals you'd probably be happier with a 10" tablet.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
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RepliGo is the best Android PDF reader, IMO.

But yeah, Nexus 7 or Nexus 10.
 

dagamer34

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2005
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You want a Nexus 7. Portrait tablets are far more portable than landscape ones which basically end up on a couch/table due to the distribution of weight in the hand. And at $199, it's a FAR better deal than the $249 Tegra 2 you are looking at. Plus, it's a Nexus and will get timely updates.

If you really want a 10" tablet, the Nexus 10 is $399, but I feel like that's out of your price range and not exactly what you are looking for.

At this point, I'd honestly avoid any tablet where Apple, Microsoft, and Google did not have direct input, simply because they'll be updated faster and the software was really built for those devices.
 

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
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Thanks for the reponses...I will consider the Nexus 7...any thoughts on the Kindle Fire that I keep hearing about.
 

dagamer34

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2005
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Thanks for the reponses...I will consider the Nexus 7...any thoughts on the Kindle Fire that I keep hearing about.

Kindle Fire is a media consumption device, not a general purpose tablet. Great if you want to give it to your kids to watch videos, bad if you are using it to browse the web and run a huge variety of apps. Despite having a similar price, they are meant for very different audiences.