Tablets

[RussellK]

I've been called for Jury Duty in a few weeks. The courthouse has WiFi access so I can work while waiting to be called etc. As a portable alternative to my stone age laptop I'm considering a tablet. There are so many choices. Anyone have any that stand out in their mind? Nearly all my work is now done via the internet but I still have to use spreadsheets and compose a letter now and then.

[satchmo]

IMHO, tablets are more of a consumption device than a production device, and one needs a keyboard to do any meaningful work on a tablet. If you use a Mac for most tasks, then maybe Apple and the iPad have things really well thought out and you can manipulate a spreadsheet easily. Other tablets use the Android operating system which I don't think is terribly integrated for work on PC based applications like spreadsheets. Think of it this way: If your cell phone was a just lot bigger, would you want to use it for these work related tasks? That is basically what you have with a tablet.

You might be better served, for work (production) purposes to look into getting an ultra-light laptop that doesn't have a disc drive (something like the Samsung Ultrabook 9 if you live in the PC world, or the MacBook Air if you live and breathe in the Mac universe).

Tim

[glasseye]

Satchmo's dead on target. The only tablets designed for doing actual work are the brand-new-to-market Windows 8 units. Still very pricey, but they'll run Microsoft Office.

I second the advice for a new laptop if it's work you want to do. They're very reasonable these days.

On the other hand, tablets are superb for web browsing, simple email, games and movie watching.

[TrollFromDownBelow]

^^^ yeah that, both of them. I travel a decent amount (25%-35%) and I won't even give up my normal size lap for a lightweight one simply because most of the ultra lights have compressed keyboards. I'll deal with the extra lb or two for the comfort of an almost real sized keyboard. But if you are just surfing/consuming and not creating....tablet w/be fine.

[Kubelwagen]

I see a lot of work being done on iPads at my office. You can run the apple version of office apps and they convert well to ms.

[Amskeptic]

I see a lot of work being done on iPads at my office. You can run the apple version of office apps and they convert well to ms.

I use a big bad monster 9 volt 17" HP "I Gots Stuff To Do" laptop with EZ SEE big icons and big fonts. Too old for miniaturization.
Colin

[JLT]

My favorite tech columnist just wrote an article on comparing iOS devices and Android devices (phones and tablets):

http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/tec021713.html

Although he's been one of Apple's staunchest supporters when it comes to computers and laptops, he thinks that there's a lot to be said for Android devices, particularly with regard to cost.

I got a sneak preview of that column, by the way. After I read it and wrote him back to ask him about how Android's security stacks up against Apple's, he explained that it was true that Android had more exploitable holes in its apps because those apps didn't need to undergo a vetting process at Google. Apple, on the other hand, is the only source for iOS apps, so those apps are checked out. He added that if you went with Android and got your apps solely from the Google store, which also analyzes the apps they sell, you'd have a similar level of security to Apple's.

[Kubelwagen]

I've used both, and frankly they aren't too different. The single biggest issue I see is that with android it takes quite a bit more work to figure out just what you're getting. There are multiple versions of Android in active use and it would be easy, if shopping on a budget, to end up with an older version. Not an issue for the informed consumer, the trade off might very well be worth it. Apple's products run a little more $, less than in years gone by, but the lack of variety makes it easier to know what you're getting.

Hopefully we'll continue to have the competition - that'll drive costs down on both sides.

[airkooledchris]

right now nobody can really touch the Surface Pro.

if it were me, id buy the 10.1 Samsung Galaxy tablet and run Android. best bang for buck out there right now and you can very easily, AND cheaply, add a keyboard to it as well.

in a year I bet the Microsoft Surface tablets will be able to run full Win8 operating systems - no 'mobile' versions of all the software anymore.

[RussellK]

I wound up getting an Asus at Best Buy for under $500. Lightweight, small with a touchscreen it is perfect for its intended purpose as a handy part time mobile companion. It could never replace my stone age Clydesdale Laptop. The Win8 operating system has a slight learning curve but after a couple of days it becomes usable. I was really drawn to the Microsoft Surface tablets but the Best Buy guy said there had been a lot of them coming back with problems. He didn't elaborate on what kind.