Reasons Why I should buy a tablet?

[ZingXao]

My 21st is in July, and I'm considering getting an Android tablet.

However, I can't quite justify getting one. I have a laptop that's a year old, it's fairly decent, so I do the majority of my computing work on here, such as creating documents, image editing, programming, web development etc. etc., and I have a PS3 for my 'serious' gaming, although my computer can run most modern games on medium settings.

I'm in university, so at the moment my reasons for getting an Android tablet (most probably the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer, unless anyone has any other options for me) is that there are office apps to buy from the market, or even Google Docs to use for note taking/basic document creation, internet browsing, media; music, video and light gaming (Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja etc.), and the ability to carry it around with me, including it's use on long car rides/plane travel etc.

Do you think that they're good enough reasons to buy one, and are there any other reasons that can sway me into getting an Android tablet?

How long would the tablet I mentioned be 'high-spec', and how long would I most likely have it for? I don't want to get one that I have for like a year and then I'd need to look at another one.

I've also looked at the iPad 2, and that temped me with iWorks. Then I realised that the iPad is boring and Android is way better.

 

[Bob Maxey]

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How long would the tablet I mentioned be 'high-spec', and how long would I most likely have it for? I don't want to get one that I have for like a year and then I'd need to look at another one.

I've also looked at the iPad 2, and that temped me with iWorks. Then I realised that the iPad is boring and Android is way better.

Why do you think Android is less boring than the iPad? Just asking a question. Out of the box, both are "boring." Rooting/jailbreaking is what makes either device cooler compared to the un-jailbroken/un-rooted other. Or not, because both devices can work just fine as is for most people.

Depending on what you want or need to do, it does not matter that something new arrives that you think has suddenly rendered your technology obsolete. Because it has not done that. We are conditioned to believe that unless we have the latest and greatest, we are quite the looser. Forgetting that decades old tech is just as useful today as it was a decade ago.

I can earn just as much money and be just as productive today, as I was years ago using a 486 laptop with 4Mb of memory, a 40mB HDD, (or a dozen floppy disks) and a 56k modem. Not to mention, using a home land line and no cell would still work for me as it has for many years.

I could still use my old typewriter for that matter.

You will always be behind the technology curve and it is easy to start chasing the latest and greatest because you seem to think you need it. Learn to differentiate between needs and I Wannas.

It is silly to fret over rapidly changing technology. Forget this silly idea that the iPad you bought a year ago is no longer useful. It will always be useful and that does not change when something faster arrives.

And something better will most certainly arrive a week after you bought the highest tech Android tablet on the market. It will be faster, cheaper, and cost a hundred bucks less, too.

If you can't justify it, I say wait. The benefit of waiting is you do not need to worry about technology improvements rendering your purchase invalid; you can simply snag the best tech when you need it.

Or take a chance, buy a cheap tablet from China from some seller on the web, and live with it for a week.

I find that my iPad is more useful than I originally thought it would be. It is one reason why I might change cell plans and forget the data component. A phone is all I need and it is easier to get things done on the larger screen.

Luck to you,

Bob

 

[ZingXao]

Hey, thanks for replying.

Sorry, I shouldn't have said that the iPad is boring. What I mean is, I have an iPod Touch, and an Android cell phone, and I find the iOS software limits my use, than to that of the Android software. I mean, iOS has far more, better quality apps to that of Android, but I just feel that Android is the better OS due to it's freedom... without necessarily having to root it. Widgets, launchers, replacement apps etc.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Hey, thanks for replying.

Sorry, I shouldn't have said that the iPad is boring. What I mean is, I have an iPod Touch, and an Android cell phone, and I find the iOS software limits my use, than to that of the Android software. I mean, iOS has far more, better quality apps to that of Android, but I just feel that Android is the better OS due to it's freedom... without necessarily having to root it. Widgets, launchers, replacement apps etc.

To be fair, I suppose one should simply assume that not everyone is going to Root or JB their device, so one must perhaps consider unmodified devices and consider how useful they are out of the box compared to rooted devices.

Apps are king and if you need a tablet for work, apps are (in my opinion) the deciding factor. For me, Pages is the best word processor in the market, Android or Apple. But I need a WP so this is important to me.

You are correct, Android supports widgets. I use a widget on my iPad lock screen that tells me the weather and the time. And the App Market provides many apps that are "better" than the stock applications.

It all boils down to needs and what I need is likely different than what you need.

Bob