• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Any real use for tablets yet?

Snow_Fox

Android Expert
Mar 31, 2010
1,498
131
35
Ok, so I'll be honest.. I like the looks of the lenovo A1 coming out. The eLotics also caught my eye recently.

I got an hp dm1z netbook not to long ago and I've enjoyed having win 7 and decent battery life, a real OS, and keyboard.

My girlfriend just got a nook not to long ago, and I've been thinking off and on that besides serving as over priced ereaders... most tablets seem a bit useless.

I am just wondering if there is any real redeeming quality for any of the tablets out there? I mean the A1 and the eLotics are the first ones that actually seem anywhere near worth the money to me...

Had I caught the HP touchpad for 99$ I would have got it. Not because I want a tablet, but because that is a great price for the hardware if nothing else as a relatively cheap toy.

I've thought about a tablet off and on, but honestly.. I just don't see any real use for one other than a status symbol.. Something I could walk around the house browsing the web on really.. Which makes it seem pretty expensive at at tune of 200$ + and I could always use that money for other things..

Not trying to bash the whole tablet industry here.. I just don't understand why everyone at my school is so obsessed with them and maybe I am missing out on something.
 
I've had similar thoughts before. When tablets first started coming out I thought as hard as I could to think of what I would use one for and couldn't come up with anything. Lately I have been intrigued by some of the more high-end Android tabs and I've gone as far as reading/watching reviews and checking prices. It's possible I may buy one at some point in the near future. I think I could see myself using it as a convenient way to do my readings for school (about 50% are in digital format as opposed to actual books), possibly taking notes in class, and for general web use and entertainment. One thing I worry about is that my Android phone will become obsolete if I get a tablet, other than the phone capabilities. But lately I have been really tempted to get the galaxy tab 10.1. Money isn't an obstacle in me buying one, it's just that I'm not 100% sure it is really a product I would get extensive use out of.
 
Upvote 0
I have a tablet (iPad 2) and I use it for games and web browsing. I rarely ever touch my computers (chrome book and windows 7 netbook) anymore. Also they are great for movies and tv with Netflix and NFL Sunday ticket for example.

Games like angry birds and words with friends are so much better on a tablet than on a phone.
 
Upvote 0
I will admit that I bought mine as a toy to entertain myself while out of town on different jobs. I have a few of my favorite snowmobile movies loaded on it. But lately I have been using it to draft emails to my secretary, detailing what I have done for the day as well as how to bill it out. Today I found out that quickbooks 2012 is Android compatible!!!! I am really happy about this. I have a laptop, but rarely touch it since I got my Iconia. With Quickbooks available for Android tablets, I think I may give my new Asus laptop to my kids for doing their homework. Now I can learn to do some of my own billing... finally.
 
Upvote 0
I've had similar thoughts before. When tablets first started coming out I thought as hard as I could to think of what I would use one for and couldn't come up with anything. Lately I have been intrigued by some of the more high-end Android tabs and I've gone as far as reading/watching reviews and checking prices. It's possible I may buy one at some point in the near future. I think I could see myself using it as a convenient way to do my readings for school (about 50% are in digital format as opposed to actual books), possibly taking notes in class, and for general web use and entertainment. One thing I worry about is that my Android phone will become obsolete if I get a tablet, other than the phone capabilities. But lately I have been really tempted to get the galaxy tab 10.1. Money isn't an obstacle in me buying one, it's just that I'm not 100% sure it is really a product I would get extensive use out of.

I've thought about the tablet as an ereader. I mean my brothers kindle is like 100$ ish and gets like a month battery life which is pretty awesome.

The one catch is at my school we pay a 25$ flat fee which covers *all* of our rental books. So I have trouble justifying paying that much.. although that would be nice.. a laptop + tablet for reading.

I guess its also important to keep in mind when I really did a lot of evaluation on tablet vs. ereader, there was a minimum 300$ price difference. Now its like 100$ more and almost the same bat life outside of e-ink tablets.

Also important point, I'm a more serious gamer, so I would prob get a psp vita before a tab when it comes to gaming. I mean.. I have a desktop to game.. Like a few angry birds style apps to fill in any free time gaps I might have.. but, i will never consider tablets a legit gaming platform... then again I openly admit I'm elitest..
 
Upvote 0
When the iPad first came out, I heard all the critics making fun of the name and also calling it a very large iPod Touch. I thought to myself, "Well, maybe people just aren't realizing all the use cases for it."

I was skeptical of the skeptics.

Then my wife and I got ourselves an iPad. We played with it for two days... and we pretty much almost never use it. It sits and collects dust. No, that's not entirely true. If there are Angry Birds updates, I much prefer playing that game on the iPad to playing it on a phone or in the Chrome web browser. And sometimes my wife finds it handy to have in the kitchen to view recipes.

But 95% of our computing needs and lifestyle are met by our laptops and smartphones. The iPad is too heavy to be a carry-everywhere device (that's what smartphones are for) and too limited to replace a laptop. I'd imagine the same is true for the Android tablets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snow_Fox
Upvote 0
When the iPad first came out, I heard all the critics making fun of the name and also calling it a very large iPod Touch. I thought to myself, "Well, maybe people just aren't realizing all the use cases for it."

I was skeptical of the skeptics.

Then my wife and I got ourselves an iPad. We played with it for two days... and we pretty much almost never use it. It sits and collects dust. No, that's not entirely true. If there are Angry Birds updates, I much prefer playing that game on the iPad to playing it on a phone or in the Chrome web browser. And sometimes my wife finds it handy to have in the kitchen to view recipes.

But 95% of our computing needs and lifestyle are met by our laptops and smartphones. The iPad is too heavy to be a carry-everywhere device (that's what smartphones are for) and too limited to replace a laptop. I'd imagine the same is true for the Android tablets.

100% Agreed, no tablet is at the stage to replace a computer, but not simple enough to replace the smartphone, I don't think they are needed in the technology industry just YET. I think when Windows 8 is loaded on tablets, it will make them have a serious use.
 
Upvote 0
I want a tablet to pretty much replace this laptop I'm typing on now.

Yes it does exactly what I can do on my Evo but the larger screen makes it a lot more usable and a lot less annoying. Sites like Craigslist are VERY usable on our Vizio tablet. That site is just annoying on the Evo.

I have a Touchpad in the works but I really want an Android or even a Windows 7 tablet:

sku_82618_1.jpg
 
Upvote 0
For the last few months about 95% of my posts on here have actually been made from my iPad 2, including this one. The other 5% have been made from the phandroid app on my phone. The iPad is actually surprisingly easy to type on.

Maybe if your not a keyboard junkie.


At any rate. I didn't make this thread to bash tablets.. however, aysiu Kinda nails down my initial logic and general quirks I had with the ipad.

They have become popular enough (tablets as a whole), I think they are finally starting to justify the price. (200-300$ I find is where they belong in terms of what you get out of any given device.)

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe some of y'all had found a unique or interesting use for your tablet that really did set it apart from the netbooks out there.

I had the choice a few months ago, and I opted for the hp dm1z netbook instead of the asus transformer since I wouldn't have been able to afford the keyboard too. Over all I'm happy. Just as prices come down, I've started to wonder if maybe I could somehow get some decent use out of a tablet other than reading books.

I mean, In all fairness the tablet has a *lot* of competition in my world.
my desktop
quad core 3.2ghz processor.
23" monitor
3500 dpi mouse (still a smoother experience than touch devices)
and two graphics cards.

Then, in my netbook I have a real keyboard, windows 7, 5 and a half hours of battery life.. Plus programming IDE's and 300 gigs of memory. Costing 100$ less than ipad, and 150$ less than asus transformer with keyboard.

I hate to sound like a spec junkie.. I just have trouble finding a place for a tablet..

I mean if it gets down to 200$ or less it may be a toy.. but, that is pretty much all it will be.. (then again, as far as a "waste time device" it may be nice for casual browsing around the house)
 
Upvote 0
I was rather skeptical about the usefulness of a tablet for me. I then received one as a gift. Now that I have one, I find I am using it way more than my laptop. The tablet has a much longer unplugged battery life. I have an Asus Eee Pad Transformer with the keyboard dock, so I have 16 hours of battery life. I spend much of my time on my laptop surfing the net and participating in forums like this one. My Eee Pad did that for me very well that I end up going for days without turning on my laptop.

There are a number of things about my tablet that makes it just that much more convenient than my laptop. The fast wake from sleep, the better portability/mobility of a lighter device, apps, and some other things that just makes my tablet preferable over my laptop. My tablet is a tweener between my laptop and phone. It has features that I would want on my phone and features that I want on my laptop. If my phone and laptop had those features instead, there would not be a need for a tablet. As is the case all of those features I want are on my tablet in addition to being able to do many things I would do either on my laptop and phone.

I also must admit that there is a cool factor when using my tablet. I feel that when I got my phone. I feel the same way about my tablet. It's something that you probably won't understand until you actually own one. I just want to do stuff on my tablet even if I have nothing to do.

Now there are a number of things I still need my laptop for. There are games I play that are still not available on my tablet. I have some programs that is only available on my PC as well. Also, the sheer amount of storage on my laptop is way more than on my tablet and exceeds a tablet's capacity. The tablet hasn't replaced my PC, but has margalised it as well as my phone somewhat.

You are probably wondering if this is worth spending a few to several hundred dollars for a tablet. I got mine as a gift. I had no intention of paying for one otherwise. After owning one, I must say that I personally wouldn't shell out the money for one. I don't think I get quite enough value to spend $700 for mine. I can simply live without my tablet and feel that $700 dollars are better spent on other things. The main reason is that my tablet for the most part is used instead of using either my phone or laptop. There isn't very much my tablet can do that my laptop or phone cannot do instead. The only major feature my tablet has that my phone and laptop does not have is a 16-hour battery life. If I am on a long flight out of the continent, my tablet can last the duration of the flight unplugged while my laptop and phone would probably only last 4 hours. For everything else, I can do on my laptop or phone even if I would prefer the tablet over these other devices.
 
Upvote 0
Yep. Waiting for tablets to become proper computers. Why not? We can fit all that in there already. Well they may need to be a bit thicker for the fan to breathe, a disc slot, card readers, USB et al. Apple will get in first, with their boutique form.
Laptops should be dying off about now in favour of this. They'd also make great home computers, desktop or wall mounted, control centre of the home media, excellent as musician control surfaces. They could be the truly universal, one size fits all computer (except pocket, obv.).
 
Upvote 0
@!on - There have been proper computer tablets for like years now. The first time I saw a tablet was like 7 years ago, it was full running Windows XP. Tablet PCs have also been available for a long time, running dual core pentiums and such. They've been available for a long time. Take the MSI Wind tab. It runs Windows 7 and is a full tablet. Then there was the HP Tx series PC tablets.
 
Upvote 0
@!on - There have been proper computer tablets for like years now. The first time I saw a tablet was like 7 years ago, it was full running Windows XP. Tablet PCs have also been available for a long time, running dual core pentiums and such. They've been available for a long time. Take the MSI Wind tab. It runs Windows 7 and is a full tablet. Then there was the HP Tx series PC tablets.

Sure , I've seen a few, but I'm thinking replacement for something like macbook pro, disc slot, big storage (SSD), all the ports.... they're mostly netbooks so far.
 
Upvote 0
Sure , I've seen a few, but I'm thinking replacement for something like macbook pro, disc slot, big storage (SSD), all the ports.... they're mostly netbooks so far.

I dont think you'vr seen an hp tx series (not sure if they have a new name for these). Its an 11 or 12 inch laptop, but the screen swivels over the keyboard and it becomes a tablet. It comes with a screen pen too. Its got cd drives 3 usb slots, the works. For the record though it weighs quite a bit.
 
Upvote 0
I always laugh when I see people talking about writing with a stylus on tablets.

People must love their handwriting..

Mine sucks, So I will stick to keyboards as long as they are still attached to my desktop/netbook.

Ah well, maybe I'm just a dying breed.

You can have my mouse, when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.
 
Upvote 0
For what I use my tablet for right now, what I probably would be happy with is something like the Motorola Atrix 2 with its laptop dock and a laptop. The only thing I really want from my phone is a longer battery life, a large keyboard and screen for times when I do not need mobility. The Atrix 2 and laptop dock seems to be something that satisfies my needs at a more reasonable price than the Asus Eee Pad Transformer with keyboard dock.

The original Atrix laptop dock had poor reviews. I look forward to seeing how much of an improvement the Atrix 2's laptop dock is. I suspect that the processing power of the Atrix wasn't adequate to drive the additional function and screen of the laptop dock. If they managed to improve it enough by the time I am due to get a new phone, I will strongly consider such a device. Such a device would also make a tablet redundant for me.
 
Upvote 0
For what I use my tablet for right now, what I probably would be happy with is something like the Motorola Atrix 2 with its laptop dock and a laptop. The only thing I really want from my phone is a longer battery life, a large keyboard and screen for times when I do not need mobility. The Atrix 2 and laptop dock seems to be something that satisfies my needs at a more reasonable price than the Asus Eee Pad Transformer with keyboard dock.

The original Atrix laptop dock had poor reviews. I look forward to seeing how much of an improvement the Atrix 2's laptop dock is. I suspect that the processing power of the Atrix wasn't adequate to drive the additional function and screen of the laptop dock. If they managed to improve it enough by the time I am due to get a new phone, I will strongly consider such a device. Such a device would also make a tablet redundant for me.

Galaxy Tab can send SMS, and take calls. LOL. awkward to answer unless you have a headset though. LOL.
 
Upvote 0
I'd also be interested to see what other tablet owners primarily use their tablets for, such as school or work.

Hong Kong is a place where one will see tablets being used en-masse. Although from what I could see they wasn't using them for anything really productive, seemed to be mostly watching movies, playing games and Facebook.

What do you use your tablets for and what are the big advantages that tablets offer? Those are questions that I'm really stumped on.

I know a couple of ESL teachers who use iPads to show small groups of students reading and discussion materials.

For my uses though a tablet couldn't replace a UMPC or netbook, mainly because the lack of a real keyboard, touch typing on glass can be quite difficult as it's not tactile. Also I need to be able to plug into the classroom projectors using VGA.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones