OT tablet recommendations please

[Jim K]

Medium tablet shopping:-D

Photos, vids (prob not movies I think), web browsing, emails.

Stuff I do on my phone really but wiv a bigger screen innit?

Tell me what to look for /buy please! Tia Jim K

[Bob H]

GIYF which means Google is your Friend, so look there

[Jim K]

NSS

Jim K

[Dave Liquorice]

I have a 7" tablet for more or less the use you describe, web, mail, etc. Does the job. When buying I tried 10" ones but they don't "sit on the hand" very well especially in landscape mode. Most of my use is handheld rather than proped up by a cover on a desk.

Samsung Galaxy Tab II, now over a year old so proably superceeded...

[Michael Chare]

I like my Nexus 7 2013. See the tablet section in forums.digitalspy.co.uk

[D.M.Chapman]

What is your phone?

If you use an iPhone, get an iPad.

If your phone is android, the nexus 7 models seems a good price/features balance (although being replaced at the mo IIRC - good deals on 2012 models if you can find them).

Darren

[Lee]

Not necessarily :) I don't like the iPhone but I really like my iPad. Like my Galaxy S4, don't like any of the Android pads I've tried. Including the Asus one I have - which I keep purely for a couple of apps.

Maybe it's just me ;)

Lee

[Jonathan]

When I renewed my mobile contract with Carphone Warehouse, which cost 50p m ore per month than the previous one, I got a new Sony mobile, which I ditch ed after a day as its memory usage was rubbish compared to the older HTC I had. However as part of the bundle I also got a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, which is a lovely thing. You can watch TV on it - I don't. But it's so much better for e-mail and calendars than a mobile just because of the screen s ize.

Jonathan

[Bill]

In message , Jim K writes

Here, for everyone's amusement is what I've got:

1. 1.5GHz Android 4.1 device made by Eken. Runs fast, and I've loaded a bunch of stuff on to it. It only has 512MB ram, and keeps complaining that it's out of memory space, even though I've moved everything I can onto the SD card. Has proved to me that I need to understand how Android manages (or doesn't manage) memory. Nice machine, but only one camera, poor mic and tinny sound.

1. Blackberry Playbook 64G. 1GHz processor. Great sound, 2 good cameras, nice display and I've videoed a small music group with it using the internal mic. I can listen to radio from around the world and do this a lot. Often go to sleep listening to the Grand Ole Opry live from Nashville It's a tragedy that it is now orphaned, but that is why I could afford it. Doesn't do Skype, can do marine navigation with its GPS, but there is no way to keep the screen permanently on. Very good battery life, though.

2. GoClever 1GHz processor.1GB ram. Nice little android 4.03 tablet, with 2 cameras, GPS and an internal DVB-T receiver for Freeview. It has a little pull-out aerial, and is generally very good. GPS and tuner work well, although it only seems to get TV, and none of the Freeview radio. I think it really needs a faster processor, but seems just about adequate. Bought as "Refurbished by the Polish manufacturer"

All the above are 7inch, all OK for email, not yet tried news, the Blackberry was just over £50, the others under. Also in the £50 range was

1. IBM.Lenovo Thinkpad X60 pen tablet laptop, on which I installed my cheap Windows 8 bought during the offer. 500GB, 2GB ram, and could easily become my main laptop as well as an occasional tablet. Needs a bit of attention to the screen bezel and perhaps the hinges are a little loose, but nothing serious. Unlike the Android things, this will take an external webcam for things like hooking up trailers to the Disco, and of course all sorts of usb devices. This was what I chose to show the cottage on Mull to the family member who used to visit the area.

Windows 8 looks unfinished eg it keeps dropping me back into the "other" screen, and I've had to add a desktop shortcut to get to the "Charms", but that's what makes it all so much fun.

[Roger Mills]

How much bigger, and how much do you want to spend?

I like my Google (Samsung) Nexus-10 Android tablet - but it will set you back nigh on £400 for the 32Gig model.

At 70+, my eyesight isn't what it was so, with it's largish screen and high resolution, I find it very good. I recently took it on a 2-week European river cruise and - subject to the ship's very variable

3G-derived Wifi (the tablet is WiFi-only[1]) was able to use it for browsing, email, usenet, etc. When using it for on-line banking, I was able to use the banks' normal 'desktop' sites rather than the restricted versions designed for mobiles.

It has fairly decent front and rear cameras - so you can take reasonable photos if you don't have a proper camera with you, and it also does Skype ok (subject to the quality of the internet connection).

[1] I was hoping that I might have been able to effectively convert it to 3G by using my USB 3G dongle with it - but that steadfastly refuses to work with it (I think it might if I 'rooted' the tablet - but I'm reluctant to do that). HOWEVER, I have now bought a Huawei Mobile WiFi - which is a stand-alone device which creates a local WiFi hotspot which the tablet can use. This works brilliantly. (I'm using a Samba SIM, which enables you to earn free internet credit by watching[2] a variety of short adverts on a PC) [2] More strictly, by *pretending* to watch them - by setting them running while doing something else!

[Murmansk]

In most reviews I read at the time I was buying mine, about a year ago, the Google Nexus 7 came out way above everything else.

I think there's a new one coming out any day now so that may be a good buy as I understand it has a very high resolution display - or you could get a bargain as the current ones will be being sold off.

I love mine

[R D S]

Missus has a Sumvision Cyclone.

There are cheaper ones (as well as many more expensive ones) but it does everything you'd need a tablet to do quickly.

It needs to be in the same room as the wifi signal though.

[Mark]

IMHO the tab II is better value than the tab III and you can still get them.

If you want a portable one get a 7", otherwise a 10" gives you more screen resolution. I like the google nexus 7 and I regularly use the galaxy tab II (7 & 10).