Do you need a tablet???

[doubleohfive]

My sister has discovered some serious downside to not having a landline: international calling plan. As a result I never talk to her because it costs her a mint to phone me. Since you pay to receive calls in the States on your mobiles having me phone her is no better.

Aside from that there's the fact that she lives in earthquake country where losing main power to charge your phone for extended periods of time isn't an impossibility. I'd at least have a hardline phone (not a DECT) in a drawer for that eventuality.

I live in earthquake country. Apart from the most minor of tremors and aftershocks, we haven't had a lot of earthquake action in the five years I've been here... and certainly nothing that would knock power out. If I may ask, (assuming she's in the US) whereabouts is she?

 

[JimTheBuilder]

I really enjoy my smartphone and it's been useful in surprising ways. That said, I don't own a tablet or laptop because one of the pleasures of leaving home or my office is getting away from my computer and from the Internet. Using the web on the smartphone is just cumbersome enough to keep me from doing it continually.

Ditto!

The main feature I like on my Iphone is the GPS feature, which works really well!

 

[TheBrew]

I have an iPad and I use it all of the time. It is great for some quick surfing in bed or on the couch when I need to look up something. Plus it is much easier to read comics on it then have a huge box full of them in a small apartment.

Plus I like to draw as a hobby and there are some really good apps on it for it (combined with a good stylus).

For me, it is a laptop replacement where I can do some small amount of work and computer use and then go to my desktop when there is something demanding. I haven't touched my MacBook Pro in 9 months now.

 

[Holdfast]

I must say that I've never found the idea of lugging a laptop around appealing.

Yup, I with you, hence my comments about hoping they invent a soft foldable version soon. I would hate to carry a bag or briefcase, and even dislike carrying more in my pockets than the bare minimum of phone, wallet, pen, keys and cotton hanky. Laptops/tablets are still just too much extra bulk.

(if I carried a bag or case, I'd probably get a tablet though, as the functionality would be useful).

 

[tomalak301]

I don't mind people who get tablets, but if there is one thing I don't like it's how quickly technology is growing. I know it's always like this, but once the tablets become a year or two old, it will be tossed aside for the next big thing. Heck, I'm still getting used to my Ipod Nano (Which I use mainly to listen music and podcasts and don't need anything bigger) and I got an Android Smartphone last year which has really benefitted my life, such as giving me a workout plan to follow, and to do lists that I can use in my every day life.

I guess to answer the question, it would be nice to have a tablet, but at the moment I really don't need one. Might get one eventually but I want to get financially stable and have a job before I think about doing that.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I have an iPad and I use it all of the time. It is great for some quick surfing in bed or on the couch when I need to look up something. Plus it is much easier to read comics on it then have a huge box full of them in a small apartment.

Plus I like to draw as a hobby and there are some really good apps on it for it (combined with a good stylus).

For me, it is a laptop replacement where I can do some small amount of work and computer use and then go to my desktop when there is something demanding. I haven't touched my MacBook Pro in 9 months now.

I am quite new to iPads and I have only just started drawing on one so could you tell me what you think the best apps are. I have downloaded some but I am interested in what your choices would be. Also what do you consider to ne the best styluses for drawing?

 

[Sean Aaron]

The big killer for me is holidays - I charge the kindle before I go, use it solidly for five hours a day and it still has a charge a week later. Same with long flights and train journeys. I could read books on my smartphone but it's a poor experience compared to the kindle.

I picked up this great battery charger from Duracell which has a USB port on it you can plug a mobile device into to draw charge. So if I'm on a long flight I pack that and a dozen AAs and I'm all set.

I live in earthquake country. Apart from the most minor of tremors and aftershocks, we haven't had a lot of earthquake action in the five years I've been here... and certainly nothing that would knock power out. If I may ask, (assuming she's in the US) whereabouts is she?

She lives in San Jose. You get heavy rain and the power goes out. It's more about the shitty call plans you get from mobile phone companies there than anything else.

If you never make international calls then I suppose that's fine, though the other issue is if there's multiple people in the household. Now instead of having one number to reach the blahdiblah family you need to have a separate number for every individual? Sorry, I'm not seeing the convenience here.

I must say that I've never found the idea of lugging a laptop around appealing.

Agreed; especially the giant shitty Dell and HP laptops I've been saddled with in my last two jobs. I even went so far as to propose to my HR department that people get a small subsidy to buy their own kit. I'd dump this M4500 in a heartbeat for a Macbook Air.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Agree with the OP.

I actually had borrowed someone's iPad for a 2-3 months.

Between my smartphone (iPhone) and my laptop, I found so little use for it. I only go to coffee shops to meet people or to do work, so that's out. I would regularly get frustrated and go to my laptop during web browsing activities - I'm a power user, I always have like 10-20 tabs going, jumping back and forth, info overload It's just so slow and clumsy.
I wasn't going to add YET ANOTHER monthly internet fee to bet the 3G version.
I couldn't just "carry" the ipad in my pocket and always needed a bag to use it on the go (public transit).

I found the ONE and ONLY area where the was the best device for the situation was... lying on the couch at home, where it was nominally better than a smartphone and the awkwardness of using a laptop. Even then, only for casual reading/browsing.

That one sitaution isn't worth 500 bucks.

So I saw HP is discontinuing their huge flop of a tablet, HP Touchpad running WebOS. They set liquidation prices... 100 bucks (!) for the 16GIG to clear out their inventory. They are selling out like crazy at various sites.

At 400 bucks it is inferior to Android and iPad tablets, but for 100 bucks... its ridiculously high quality. that's such a low price I snapped one up for that ONE AND ONLY couch situation. 100 bucks... THAT'S more like it!!! Looks like i"m going to be a tablet user after all

 

[Arrqh]

I managed to order one of the 32gb Touchpad for $150 (the 16gb's were sold out by the time I got there). Some of the people who ported CM7 to the Nook Color also picked one up and they're pretty optimistic that they'll be able to get it working on the Touchpad as well since the webOS kernel is based on Linux just as Android's is. So that'll be fun!

 

[FPAlpha]

I'd like one but for many reasons won't get one now

- for sure it won't be an Apple product.. i loathe their restrictive nature and Apple's ideology to exlude certain basics just because it doesn't fit in with their view on how their product should be used (no Flash support when an important part of my tablet usage would include Flash sites)

- it would be used for mainly internet surfing and such and it has to perform like my laptop, i.e. flawless display of HD videos without stutter or any other drawbacks

- pricing.. for what they can do now they're too costly and not quite there yet for what i want

Biggest reason though is that my lifestyle just doesn't need one and i just can't justify spending 500 bucks on something i can already do with my laptop setup. I'm just not the type to want/need to be online all the time and even though my cellphone can access Internet i never have done so or felt the urgent need to do so. In the rare occasion that i travel i do so by car so can't use a tablet there and i just can't figure out where i could use it elsewhere (certainly not at my job because during the day i have enough to do and the nightshifts are a bit slower but even then i wouldn't have the time to do some private surfing).

So maybe in a few years when the technology has matured, prices have come down and the capabilities have increased i might get one.

 

[Mr.AtoZ]

The iPad is a great video communications device. It is better than a phone, because your viewing area is so large in comparison. I have a relative who uses hers quite a lot to keep in touch with loved ones who have Internet connectivity on demand. It is especially cool to see it in action with FaceTime.

I personally do not need an iPad. I have a laptop that serves me very well, but it is large and the battery does not last more than 2 hours. I have a smart phone without physical keypad and I have gotten used to using the virtual keypad. It is actually not bad once you have used it enough and picked up on the nuances. That said it is very easy to type on an iPad.

Apple makes terrific products that are beautifully designed and very consumer attractive. But I do not like their very tight control over things. It is disturbing that a computer device costing that much does not have external memory card support. Apple does this so that they can present two product price tiers and make a huge profit just on memory. And Apple's answer is that you should just use the Apple cloud to store your data. Everything Apple.

Aside from the things leaving me disgruntled about the iPad, I actually do like it and eventually plan on getting one at the next price drop. It will be nice to use it for quick casual Internet information and communication. When traveling I would probably take one along with me rather than a large clunky laptop.

 

[Lindley]

I just took a vacation on Cape Cod with my family. During the entire trip, a 3G iPad was our only internet connection. It also doubled nicely as a GPS.

Wifi is not always available for your laptop. A smartphone can browse the web, but using a tiny screen for everything is just not very convenient.

 

[JoeZhang]

My answer to this changed pretty quickly when the touchpad hit £89 - yes it's likely to unsupported in future, no nobody will develop any apps but for £89 I simply don't care - it does what I want pretty much out of the box. Hell I'd pay that for something that would simply reads comics and this does that and more.

 

[TheBrew]

I have an iPad and I use it all of the time. It is great for some quick surfing in bed or on the couch when I need to look up something. Plus it is much easier to read comics on it then have a huge box full of them in a small apartment.

Plus I like to draw as a hobby and there are some really good apps on it for it (combined with a good stylus).

For me, it is a laptop replacement where I can do some small amount of work and computer use and then go to my desktop when there is something demanding. I haven't touched my MacBook Pro in 9 months now.

I am quite new to iPads and I have only just started drawing on one so could you tell me what you think the best apps are. I have downloaded some but I am interested in what your choices would be. Also what do you consider to ne the best styluses for drawing?

I swear by Sketchbook Pro. It believe it is $5. As for stylus, I am still testing them out but I like the rubber tipped ones better so far.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

If Time Warner Cable ever gets around to making deals with the premium channels and giving me my full channel lineup (plus the already included channel guide and integrated DVR/TV remote) on their iPad app, I might just reconsider getting an iPad. Right now they have most of the basic cable lineup and some extras, but none of the major premium channels like HBO, Showtime, Encore, and TMC that I have.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/learn/cable/TWCableTV/TWCableTV_iPad.html

Funnily enough, Time Warner owns HBO, but Time Warner Cable is now a completely separate company, which is why despite having HBO I can't watch their shows online on HBO Go, which really blows.

 

[Samuel T. Cogley]

I've avoided the Kindle or Nook simply because I'm a devotee of Samuel T. Cogley as represented by Elisha Cook, Jr. - I have no idea whether our STC uses an ereader or not.

I don't!

Real books only!

I DEMAND IT!!!

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I don't feel like I need a tablet now. I have a laptop and a Droid Charge, and that is more than enough connectivity for my lifestyle. In fact, although I love the Droid, I don't really use it very often to surf the web. I have a few apps I use a lot...but I am of the mindset to actively resist becoming one of those people who can't go more than a minute and a half without pulling out their phone.