Wanna hear from those with an iPad and an Android phone...

[moto-six]

No, I am not going to go all "iHate" on you or nothing. I just want to hear from those who like the iPad but not the iPod or iPhone. That was a dumb way to phrase that. What I mean is, if you own a iPad, but not the iPhone, why? What made you want the iPad? Now that you have it, what are the ways you use it mostly? Glad you got it? That type a stuff. Hey, what can I say, I am a curious dude.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I have an iPad (wifi), iPhone 4, and two Android phones.

I've been trying different Android tablets (cheap Chinese stuff and Archos) here and there. I'm planning to pick up the PandDigital Tablet from Khols in 2-3 days. It can be rooted w/ 2.2 Froyo from what I gather. They don't really compare to the experience you get with the iPad. Even when you factor the price difference ($120=$170 Android Tablet vs $500 iPad), they don't compare.

As to iPad vs an Android Phone, just look at the popularity of the EVO and Droid X. People want bigger. Surfing the web or watching a movie during a 40 minute train commute, the advantages become very clear.

I like the iPad. In fact, I like it so much, I plan to sell the wifi version and get a 3G model but there are no iPad 3Gs in stock anywhere.. BestBuys, Applestore,etc... No one has them.

I liberally loan out my iPad (along with a MIFI) to people for days at a time. They want to test drive the iPad and each and everyone one of them (about 13 people) will end up buying one.

The key thing about it is the convenience factor. I have friends who are vehemently pro-netbook, "Oh the iPad is a waste of money, netbooks are better,etc..." Well, I let them borrow my iPad for 1-2 weeks and they all come around. It then becomes a matter of not "need" but "want"

What I am saying is... If you spend some time with it, you may fall in love with it.

 

[swagner53]

I am typing this on an iPad. I have 2android phones on our family plan, a droid and a droid x. The iPad is amazingly convenient for hanging on the couch and surfing... Facebook, browsing forums, reading the news. Much less zooming than the phone and faster boot time and better battery than net book. Its screen is better for movies too.

That said i would love a capable android tablet instead but there isn't one out yet. As for android phone vs iPhone, ATT has no 3G where i live, the plans are more expensive and it's not as customizable. I also love the widgets and the ability to have things run and update in the background.

There ya have it!

 

[moto-six]

1) If you drive it, you will love it.
2) Where is the Android competition to the iPad?

As for the first, the iPaid is crazy pretty to look at. But couple that with practical mobile browsing capability and a few other reader apps that make the iPad a couch time-killer, it is hard to put down. I took a friend's WIFI model, no, I don't own my own, pulled some info off of a site I needed and I fell in love with the darn thing in a matter of minutes.

But also, I would have thought by now, there would be, on the market and burning a hole in my laptop bag, a real good Android tablet. I don't think I would hesitate to scoop one up but I am concerned the experience won't be the same as with the iPad. Would be nice to see some real iPad killers out there.

 

[Demache]

Is the iPad a wonderful device? Sure it is. I played around with it at Best Buy and boy, is it slick. Its fast and it was pretty seamless. Would I ever buy one? Probably not. First, its expensive. Money is hard to come by for me. And second, I couldn't really justify having one. I can see how its convenient, but I have no way to justify the price tag. If I need to look something up, I just pull out my Eris and have what I need within a minute. It does Youtube pretty well. Even it the iPad can do it better, I can't think of one GOOD reason to own one. Heck, I don't know if I could justify owning a Android tablet. I can see its uses, but its just not for me.

 

[jree]

I just don't see how this thing is so special. I am a student and I still haven't got a chance to play with one but I just don't see how this thing can help me out with school. When I saw press release ans the specs I thought it was just a big iphone that you couldn't make a call on. Keep in mind, I don't read books unless I'm told to so the book reader part doesn't matter to me. By all means, I am not biased when it comes to apple vs. android so please, can someone give me some insight on this product that makes it so special

 

[Intervenient]

I had an iPad, and now have an Android phone.

I was very excited for my iPad, and the first day I got it I had a blast with it...than the next day...but soon I realized I was back on my laptop, just for the sake on convenience. I eventually took it back to the store because at this point, the technology is just not with the times yet. Had it been smaller, and more portable, perhaps, but at this time there is no concrete reason to own an iPad.

I love my Captivate. Even though Android still has some issues, as does the phone, I'm very satisfied with the experience. It feels more like a mini computer than my iPad ever did.

Do I like both devices? Sure do. Do I get more practical use out of my Captivate than I did my iPad? You bet ya

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I just don't see how this thing is so special. ...... can someone give me some insight on this product that makes it so special

It boils down the the convenience factor for me.

If I'm in bed, I can just grab it and it instantly turns on and I'm off to browsing the web. I have 3 netbooks and 2 macbook pros and they are never on when I'm at home. 80% of most people's computer needs are just surfing the web.

No lag, no delay, instant gratification.


That is why I am open to trying out various Android tablets right now. But the iPad has some other things up its sleeves. Netflix, ABC TV streaming. and easy 720p playback. Most 7Mbit 720p H.264 play on this device with no problems. Compared to an EVO, Incredible or even a Droid X, many of them have problems playing high bitrate content.

I put about 40 or so full length movies in 720p on a webserver and I can point my browser to play them. No need to synchronize files. Android has problems streaming mp4 files. You have to do this and that like hint the files,etc. Many netbooks have problem playing HD content. I've been looking at the Alienware Mx11,few ION netbooks, and even a Thinkpad. But to even get decent HD playback, you are going to spend around $800 on a netbook. I run Linux so no netbook on Linux supports hardware GPU acceleration for stuff like VLC. You have to run Win7.

The iPad is a nice media-consumption device. Videos, Music and thew photo gallery is simply awesome. The grandparents love swiping and scrolling the photos with easy aplomb and fluidity.

Lastly,apps are optimized for the iPad.
An Android Tablet w/ 800x8480 on a 7" screen is the same app on an Android phone like the Incredible. The UI is no different whatsoever. If you run something like connectbot or vnc, it is exactly the same on the phone and android tablet. On the iPad, the apps are redesigned for the larger resolution so they have drawers, extra UI elements. I run iSSH on the IPad and there is simply no comparison.

Unless app developers make "tablet-optimized" Android versions of their apps, I think the iPad will still command the mindshare and marketshare in this space.

 

[Deleted User]

i like the fact that i'm using the nexus one as a wifi hotspot for my ipad, so I dont need to get another data plan (or buy the more expensive 3g models). oh also the fact that my data plan is only $10 on tmobile and its running in full HSDPA mode (speed test says its at 1.1mbps). what does all this mean? it means that I win.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

what does all this mean? it means that I win.

$10 is way,way too much. I happen to like my Mi-Fi hotspot with unlimited data, paid for by my job. It has 5 hour battery life of continual use. I guess I win.

I have wi-fi tethering on my Incredible and cannot get more than 45 minutes.

I only want to upgrade to the 3G model because I can use it as Nautical GPS in a boat. A stand-alone nautical GPS is like $1600-1900 so a $700 iPad is full of win. Plus, I can pop out the sim in the iPhone 4 and put it in the iPad.

 

[jree]

@mrspeedmaster Thank you for clarifying it for me. I always wanted to play with one but never had a chance to. I think that I might stop by my local best buy and check one out.

 

[moto-six]

i like the fact that i'm using the nexus one as a wifi hotspot for my ipad, so I dont need to get another data plan (or buy the more expensive 3g models). oh also the fact that my data plan is only $10 on tmobile and its running in full HSDPA mode (speed test says its at 1.1mbps). what does all this mean? it means that I win.

Yes, I was very surprised with the ease of connecting to the internet on the iPad using my HTC Dream as wi-fi. Of course, it is no more steps or any less seamless when I tether my netbook, but it was very fast and "fluid".