tablet for public transportation

[gadgetprostitute]

Currently using a Nexus 5 as an LTE hotspot through t-mobile.

Using a Nexus 10 as my browsing device.

My Nexus 10 is much too slow.

Looking for suggestions for a fast tablet- fast in whatever ways that make a tablet fast, i.e. CPU, Wi-Fi performance, mobile broadband, etc.

Considering paying more for an LTE tablet, but curious if an LTE tablet would be faster than a Wi-Fi tablet using a mobile broadband (smartphone) hotspot as it's data source.

I appreciate whatever help I can get.

 

[Commodus]

Currently using a Nexus 5 as an LTE hotspot through t-mobile.

Using a Nexus 10 as my browsing device.

My Nexus 10 is much too slow.

Looking for suggestions for a fast tablet- fast in whatever ways that make a tablet fast, i.e. CPU, Wi-Fi performance, mobile broadband, etc.

Considering paying more for an LTE tablet, but curious if an LTE tablet would be faster than a Wi-Fi tablet using a mobile broadband (smartphone) hotspot as it's data source.

I appreciate whatever help I can get.

Do you prefer Android, or are you open to an iPad? I'd keep an open mind, because the tablet landscape is different than the phone world (especially when cellular data is involved).

Personally, I'd get a mid-size tablet around 8 to 9 inches. You can manage a ~10-inch tablet on the bus or subway, but it's harder to slip into your bag when you get near your stop. And the main reason you'd consider an LTE tablet is for battery life -- a hotspot is usually cheaper, but you're draining the battery on both your phone and your tablet at the same time. That's not a problem if you usually charge your phone wherever you're going; just keep it in mind.

The easiest answer is an iPad mini 2. It's a good size, has loads of tablet-native apps, it's reasonably affordable and you can get it in an LTE model that supports all four major US carriers. If not that, then a Nexus 9 or NVIDIA Shield Tablet; they're fast, near-stock Android (good for updates) and you can easily get them in cellular versions.

 

[Red Storm]

Another vote the iPad Mini 2. I think it's currently the best tablet you can get. If you're using your phone as the hotspot then there's no reason to get the LTE model.

 

[gadgetprostitute]

^ Thanks for the reply, and thanks for bearing with my tablet-typed original post.

I'm partial to unmodified Android but I'm eyeing the Windows tablets and I am considering an iPad because my understanding is that iPads are or are among the best-performing tablets of any brand or OS.

What has kept me away from iPads in the past is their requirement that I have iTunes installed on one of my PC's, and last time I had iTunes installed it was very aggressive about creating folders in my PC's file library, trying to make itself my default media player, etc.

It was very off-putting.

I suppose I'm hijacking my own thread by asking if iTunes is quite so invasive as it once was.

Now, on the topic of iOS, my questions are:
* Is there an Amazon Music app in the iOS marketplace?
* Is there a Google (music) Play app in the iOS marketplace?

I'm also considering a Windows tablet, so on that topic, are there any 8"-9" Windows 8 tablets anyone would recommend?

Last, and to reiterate, will an LTE tablet be faster than an a Wi-Fi tablet using an smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot?

 

[Red Storm]

Yes, both Amazon Music and Google Play Music are on iOS.

You don't really need iTunes for anything other than backups, so you don't HAVE to have it installed. Personally I have it on my desktop just for backups.

Since you're connecting to your smartphone's hotspot, that is using WIFI so LTE is of no use. If you want to take advantage of an LTE tablet you need to buy a data plan for it, but if your phone does the job well enough then there's no need to get LTE.

 

[gadgetprostitute]

Yes, both Amazon Music and Google Play Music are on iOS.

You don't really need iTunes for anything other than backups, so you don't HAVE to have it installed. Personally I have it on my desktop just for backups.

Since you're connecting to your smartphone's hotspot, that is using WIFI so LTE is of no use. If you want to take advantage of an LTE tablet you need to buy a data plan for it, but if your phone does the job well enough then there's no need to get LTE.

I finally did a www search, it seems there are multiple Google apps for iOS:
http://www.google.com/mobile/ios/

A standing concern of mine of how iTunes behaves in Windows 7; is it as aggressive as I earlier described?

I can tolerate having iTunes on one of my (three) PC's if it isn't too much of a nuisance.

 

[Jembo]

I finally did a www search, it seems there are multiple Google apps for iOS:
http://www.google.com/mobile/ios/

A standing concern of mine of how iTunes behaves in Windows 7; is it as aggressive as I earlier described?

I can tolerate having iTunes on one of my (three) PC's if it isn't too much of a nuisance.

They screwed iTunes for windows between 10.6 to 12.1 so unbelievably much it's absurd. Completely useless. Sync never worked. To put 1 song on an iPod Touch would corrupt the database every time. You basically had to rewrite & usually restore almost every time. It was asier to just use 3rd party apps.

I have to say that I really haven't had too many problems with iTunes 12.1.1 yet. 12.1.1 broke most/all 3rd party support(native 64bit I think) unfortunately but I haven't had any problems with it yet(for the 1st time in years).

 

[Midwayman]

Apple still has a much better tablet experience if you're not married to android. Get the mini 2 portable and cheap are high on your list. Get the air 2 if you care about power and longevity.

 

[luv2liv]

i wouldnt touch any iphone/ipad. after 2 years, apple would send an update to intentionally slow it slow in order to tempt you to update to the latest model. happened to my ipod touch, dad's ipad, brother's ipad2, sister's iphone 4s.
if your Nexus is running slow, try factory reset first. if that doesnt help, try another ROM.
if u do decide to get another tablet, might as well get 1 with LTE built in. it's always nice to have options.

 

[Crono]

i wouldnt touch any iphone/ipad. after 2 years, apple would send an update to intentionally slow it slow in order to tempt you to update to the latest model. happened to my ipod touch, dad's ipad, brother's ipad2, sister's iphone 4s.
if your Nexus is running slow, try factory reset first. if that doesnt help, try another ROM.
if u do decide to get another tablet, might as well get 1 with LTE built in. it's always nice to have options.

They don't intentionally slow down products any more than Google or Microsoft do. Updates can do that, especially with older hardware. And sometimes the first generation of a new product (like the Nexus 7) has issues with things like flash memory management.

I just got an iPad Mini 2 weeks ago and it's very fast and fluid, and an all around good tablet. I don't particularly like iOS for various reasons, but it's really not bad on this form factor, especially for using it on the go for media consumption or playing games. Battery life is excellent: I get 2 days of moderate to heavy use without charging. I got the iPad Mini 2 (aka iPad Mini with Retina) for $300, a nice Poetic brand slimline case/stand for $8 on Amazon, and a cheapo Rocketfish stylus (not very precise since the iPad doesn't have an actual pen digitizer or palm rejection, but good enough for app interaction and sketches) for $1.99 from Best Buy. I'm a happy camper. I use my Lumia Icon as a hotspot whenever I don't have WiFi and it works flawlessly. I would hate to pay for the extra cost for LTE in a tablet and possible plan change it would require.

A standing concern of mine of how iTunes behaves in Windows 7; is it as aggressive as I earlier described?

I can tolerate having iTunes on one of my (three) PC's if it isn't too much of a nuisance.

I only used iTunes so far to update my payment method for the app store, which apparently was required since the last payment method I set (PayPal, originally set when I had iPad 1 a few years ago) isn't allowed as the default for some reason in the app store. Other than that, I try to avoid using it, and will probably uninstall it soon. iTunes has always been crap, especially on Windows. I haven't noticed it attempting to make any changes other than trying to update (it might have asked to manage my media, but I usually decline any non-essential installation features).

I'm also considering a Windows tablet, so on that topic, are there any 8"-9" Windows 8 tablets anyone would recommend?

The Dell Venue 8 Pro and the ASUS VivoTab Note 8 are both excellent 8" Windows tablets with pens. VivoTab Note 8 also has GPS, one of the few that does for under $300. If you don't need desktop apps or the pen, though, the current gen Nexus 7 or 9 and the iPad Mini 2 are better choices for speed, and are likely to be updated for a good while. Only Surface-level Windows 8/8.1 tablets truly feel as fast as the rest, especially if you multitask in the least.

 

[luv2liv]

im pretty sure apple cripples their older products intentionally.
look around you. how many people are using iphone 4, 3, 2, 1? ipad 3, 2, 1? i will tell you: ZERO. you cant even pass the thing down to your kids because it's dirt slow. and there is no hell you can downgrade the iOS if you found out the newer update isnt optimized for your phone.
my mother's android tablet is over 2 years old now and still fast as the day i got it for her. my other brother is a doctor so he's rich and doesnt care if he gets newer ipad each year.

 

[Crono]

im pretty sure apple cripples their older products intentionally.
look around you. how many people are using iphone 4, 3, 2, 1? ipad 3, 2, 1? i will tell you: ZERO. you cant even pass the thing down to your kids because it's dirt slow. and there is no hell you can downgrade the iOS if you found out the newer update isnt optimized for your phone.
my mother's android tablet is over 2 years old now and still fast as the day i got it for her. my other brother is a doctor so he's rich and doesnt care if he gets newer ipad each year.

First of all, I know people who are or were using the iPhone 4 until recently, and plenty of people who use iPads as old as the 2. The iPhone 4 is more than 4 years old at this point, and Android phones from that era - we're talking pre-Galaxy S and Gingerbread - are just as slow or slower, so I don't know what you are going on about. Older devices tend to slow down - and not just Apple, you can see plenty of threads in this forum alone about older Android devices slowing down - due to increased hardware demand of apps, features being added via updates, poorer support for older hardware, etc.

If you want to claim Android devices age better than Apple ones, make some fair comparisons, at the very least. Not your relative's 2 year old hardware versus a 4 year old iOS product.

Your claim of malicious intent on the part of Apple doesn't even make sense - not from a logical or business perspective. You don't maintain brand loyalty and repeat business by intentionally slowing down a product, especially in as competitive arena as the smartphone market.

 

[luv2liv]

if you play games, then you need the latest tablet. im ok with that.
my family and friends only do basics like email/browse/music/pictures/videos. believe it or not, the ipad 1 had no issues doing all of that until a system update. my 10 years old PC can do all of that and i expect it to do for the next 10 years too. why throw away something if it's working fine???

this chart pretty much nailed my argument: http://www.networkworld.com/article...b-at-android-over-platform-fragmentation.html. there is lesser fragmentation with apple because older devices are useless. there is much much more fragmentation in google because of many reasons...carriers/manufacturers dont update, people dont know how to manually install ROM, OR just maybe people are happy that the device is working fine.

"Your claim of malicious intent on the part of Apple doesn't even make sense - not from a logical or business perspective. You don't maintain brand loyalty and repeat business by intentionally slowing down a product, especially in as competitive arena as the smartphone market."

apple has been screwing people and people love it. change power adapter and it's still not universal. made all your older charging cords and stereo docks worthless. made my Lexus GS ipod dock worthless. i can only do aux input, cant control songs or look at song info on the dashboard. but but but its reversible! in 4 more years, i wouldnt be surprised if they changed the cord again, this time it's circular so you can insert any way you want. Nokia will be rolling in its grave (because older nokia phone chargers can be inserted any way you want). this is just 1 example.

 

[Midwayman]

You are delusional luv2liv. If anything apple product have longer useful life than android. Anything that gets old has issues. If you take an iOS update and don't like it you can revert for awhile. Taking updates is optional. Apple keeps signing old versions for a little while. What's amazing is that they're getting updates at all. You don't find that length of support on Android.

 

[jacktesterson]

Nexus 9. Freaking love mine.

 

[Red Storm]

Nexus 9. Freaking love mine.

This would be option number 2. Either iPad Mini retina or Nexus 9.