Is a tablet really "useful" or is it just a novelty?

[ispamforfood]

I'm actually curious what people think... I have to say, this tablet is in my price range, and looks pretty good... But my question is, other than for entertainment, what real use is there for a tablet? Do you all think it can be helpful in real world situations? Or is it just a big phone (in that it can do pretty much the same things, but it's just bigger)? Am I really MISSING anything by NOT having one (other than the size limitations of a phone)??

 

[Rcarnes91]

You don't have to have any gadgets but they do make life easy I never use my laptop any more it just sits there so easy to bring along my tablet anywhere and it can do everything I ask it to do if you think you want one get one you won't regret it

 

[Kelmar]

I'd say somewhere in between useful and novelty.

It's convenient, that's for sure!

 

[tcat007]

I'd say a useful novelty.

Nothing you can't do on a PC, but MOBILE. I use Gas Buddy to save me $1-$2 per week. Answer business email when not at home or work. Find yourself if you get lost (physical or mental). Lots of useful apps! (Unit Converter, Calculator to name a couple). Lots of fun Games (useful for killing time). A 7" screen is much easier on the eyes than a 3" phone screen!

But... if I had it to do again, I would buy the Nexus 4, put it on the T-mobile $30 unlimited plan, and see if it's screen was adequate for my old eyes. I think it would be much more useful. I still might.

 

[Claghorn]

I certainly use mine as an ebook reader all the time.

 

[Ih8apple]

I agree with the above... its not necessary, but it is very useful.

I never touch my laptop anymore. I carry this thing EVERYWHERE, and have all my books, music, and movies right there.

I'm a convert. I will probably never buy another actual computer again... a tablet and a phone is all I need... next go round, I may try to combine with one of those Phablet thingies.

 

[Hoosiermama]

I find mine really useful. I text from my N7 instead of the phone. I manage my bank accounts with Mint. I play Pandora all day at work. I use it as my ereader (I have a Kindle, but prefer my N7 these days). I email from it, and do most of my web surfing from it. When DH is watching a ballgame I'm not interested in, I use TV Portal, or Amazon to watch other things.

We have a desktop and a laptop in the house, but I hardly use either these days.

 

[Rxpert83]

Anything I used to do on my phone I now prefer to do on the tablet

(Minus calls and texts )

 

[saptech]

I like having the tablet more than the netbook. I hardly use the netbook anymore, in fact, I'm giving it to one of the grandkids for a Christmas present.

Between the phone & tablet, I do not need a laptop.

 

[El Presidente]

It's a bit of both for me. With our current setup, if I'm on the laptop, Mrs Presidente can't see the TV; with the tab, I can kick back on the couch and surf the web without getting in her way (and I don't have to watch some of the dross that she watches).

 

[whs37]

I think it is a lot of fun for a moderate expense (Nexus 7). But I would not try to produce a PowerPoint presentation on it.

 

[PowerBomb]

Mine has ended up more of a novelty that I am almost ready to sell. Last week the battery charge lasted for 10 days with the tablet left powered on, that's how little I used it.

Someone mentioned eBooks above. If I could motivate myself to start reading more, my N7 would definitely fill that need. No way am I gonna read a book on my phone, nor do I want to sit at my desktop for hours on end. So I just need to make some effort to read more often and the Nexus 7 won't collect so much dust.

Other than that, it's nice to play a few games on the bigger screen and watch YouTube videos, but I have really been struggling to find a use for it. I think if I had one of these newer phones coming out like the Note 2 or DNA with the larger screens, I would get rid of my tablet completely. But I am stuck with my Bionic for now.

 

[fed123]

I spend far more time on the internet with my Nexus 7 because I have more mobility around the house and a greater comfort level. I like to think that I am expanding the lifetime of my computer because I don't use it as much, though I still need it.

 

[txrose72]

For me a 7 inch tablet is definitely better than my phone or laptop for the games I like and reading. I prefer and use my laptop for any serious work and my Gnex provides my light computer needs when I'm away from home plus it's my phone.

 

[sleezecheeze]

It depends on what you do really. To me it's a novelty, but also a source of education and learning. It's great to fiddle with and I'm learning more about technological advances and other things that will become important in the future.

It's also good to take to school for note taking and research.

 

[carracerz14]

For me I think it's useful. Like others have stated, I rarely touch my laptop anymore be a useful it is much easier to use my 7 which is always on and sitting next to me. And also ever since I got my news 7 I have been reading more news articles and blogs and stuff like reddit which are too slow and annoying to read on my phone.

 

[Shocky]

Novelty

But can be useful when showing others video, images and websites.

Otherwise I rarely use mine, I install/purchase the latest games but rarely have time to play them.

Why bother with mobile games when you have consoles and a high end PC? No point really.

 

[rushmore]

Too subjective to answer objectively, since depends on the user.

 

[jhawkkw]

IMO, owning a tab can be extremely useful, especially if it's from the Asus transformer line with the dock. It still doesn't beat a high powered laptop, but you get what you pay for. The use of a remote desktop client like splashtop to connect to a high powered desktop reduces the need for a laptop, hence why I don't touch mine anymore.

 

[strollin]

For me, it's a fun novelty. I rarely carry my N7 with me when I leave the house since I have my phone (Droid Razr) in my pocket. I mostly use the N7 around the house to do quick lookups of something while watching TV or to play games.

If I need to do anything that requires typing (such as forum posting) I prefer to sit at one of my computers (desktop, laptop or netbook) and use a full size keyboard.

 

[AlkiDweller]

My wife is a flight attendant so I fly standby a lot and I never take luggage that needs to be checked. The way I travel it's wouldn't be feasible to fly without a way to get on the internet. My plans change a lot. For me, when I'm traveling, this thing is much more practical than a laptop.

 

[SlyFerret]

The portability is the big factor for me.

I do a lot of reading/research on my tablet for school. I love being able to pull up articles in my school's library database on the tablet instead of a full blown laptop. It is much more comfortable to sit and read with on the couch, deck, coffee, shop, etc...

In addition to being a student, I'm also a Linux sysadmin. I'm on call pretty much 24/7. The tablet keeps me from having to lug my laptop around with me everywhere I go in case my monitoring systems send me alerts. I can fire up my SSH client on my tablet (I use Better Terminal Emulator Pro) and log into my servers from anywhere in the event of some sort of emergency. I also do work email on my tablet when I'm not sitting at my desk.

For non-work and school tasks, I use it a lot for social media and web browsing while sitting on the couch. It beats the heck out of sitting there with a hot laptop on my lap!

As my son gets a little older, we'll use it for interactive storybooks and toddler games too.

I actually have decided to go back to an old school flip-phone for my cell service and use a 3G tablet as my "smart" device. I used to have a Galaxy Nexus and a tablet. Going back to a "dumb phone" has allowed me to unplug more effectively when I want to but still stay connected the way I need to for work. I save money that way too.

-SF

 

[AntimonyER]

Well I would say novelty, but the ability to quiet rowdy, screaming children in the car by tethering to my phone and turning on netflix, can save lives. (No more distracted driver).

 

[SlyFerret]

To make my N7 more useful, I bought one of these.
Amazon.com: MiniSuit Google Nexus 7 Bluetooth Keyboard Case + Stand (Slim Rubberized Non-Slip Grip Back): MP3 Players & Accessories

It is supposed to arrive this week, and I'm hoping that I will be happy with it. I had the official Samsung keyboard case for my Galaxy Tab 10.1 and loved it.

-SF

 

[alittle]

For me personally I see it as a novelty. Before I got it I did everything (Facebook, streaming music, web browsing) on my phone.
There is a laptop in the house I just don't like using it.
The tablet just makes all these things easier. Instead of playing games on my phone (4.3 in) I have a bigger (7in) screen to do it.
It all comes down to what you use your laptop or phone for and if another device is just gonna collect dust of be used.