Tablet recommendations

[crabber]

I read that tablet sales may soon overtake PC's and today Tesco have announced a tablet for £119, so I wondered what everyone thinks is now the one to have.

I am used to a Samsung S3 and have no knowledge of i anything so would be tempted towards something running android. I don't want to start a slanging match between fans of either system but would I be right in thinking there may be more "free" stuff available for android? I use vu+ player, tomtom and navionics for nautical charts, all easily available for the phone so guess the same for a tablet.

What do you guys think? an included GPS is very important for me but not necessarily 3G as coverage where I spend most of my time is crap.
What do you think is best value, and what do you think is the very best tablet regardless of cost?

[echelon]

I am no expert but thought an S3 was a phone, not a tablet so hope you are only using it for a comparison

the tab 2 7 inch or 10 inch would be a good choice, although I prefer the google nexus 7 by asus

I also think you get what you pay for so wouldnt necessarily go for a no-name tablet, nor do I think its worth buying an expensive one either

in my case I bought second hand ones for no more that £100, so have a 7 inch google nexus 7 32gig and also a Nook HD+ 10 inch tablet too , but did use the galaxy tab 2 for a while and found it to be an excellent tablet too

might be worth reading through our android forum as well for any other info or choices

on a personal note, I have never fallen for the apple hyped up products so cannot comment on those overpriced items, and the sony tablets are too dear IMHO too

so my shortlist would include the asus (google) nexus , samsung tab , nook HD and acer iconia ones, instead of the cheaper end ones and especially not the PRC clones like the allwinner etc

some info on the tesco HUDL one here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24203271

[crabber]

Yes I meant that my only experience with android operating system was on a phone, I assume and hope that mapping and chart apps would be even better on a larger screen, especially as I get more bat eyed as I get older.

[echelon]

a larger screen is definitely better, and I would say the 7 inch tablets give the best all-round experience as they are not too big or too heavy, which my Nook HD+ is (but its still a superb tablet for what I paid for it)

my Nexus 7 is the one I prefer using , especially as its resolution is a lot better giving crystal clear icons and fonts , long battery life etc

at first glance, that HUDL doesnt look too bad, but I think we need somebody who has bought one to report back on it, make sure it is easy to use the play store etc, because you really need play store access on these things, and some clones have already been banned I believe

I assume its running jelly bean ?

EDIT:- yes it is, so looks like a rival to the nexus 7 16gb tablet



Tesco has entered the tablet market with the Tesco Hudl, hoping to entice more and more people to shop online and use it's services like Blinkbox.

The Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean tablet - which will be aimed at those not looking for the latest and greatest technological marvel but still fancy something similar to the Nexus 7 - will cost £119.

It comes with a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 7-inch (1440 x 900 pixels) screen, front and rear-facing cameras and a promise of 9 hours battery life. It will come with 16GB of storage and microSD slot for expansion by up to a further 32GB, but no 3G or 4G connectivity.

Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS are on board, and there is a Micro HDMI port for video output. Its Wi-Fi connection uses dual-band technology. Google Play and the world of apps are accessible.

Tesco says the tablet will allow it to have a single relationship with its customers. In other words, it is designed to make them spend more money with Tesco than other retailers.

This is a strategy also employed by Amazon with its Kindle devices. Research from Amazon shows that more than 42 per cent of Kindle users buy something via the tablet each month.

[crabber]

Yes I find it so much better to ask for people's experience with stuff rather than just try to compare specs.
Another thing that is very important to me is the ability to read the screen easily outside. I have seen some phone screens which look good in shade almost impossible to read in bright sunlight due to reflection, they can look to me more like a mirror. I don't know what causes this but I bought a very cheap Chinese GPS which although it would run many different programs was almost useless in direct sunshine, I ended up buying a more expensive Garmin which was so much better but of course wasted time and money in the process.

[billy boy]

I have the Nexus 7 - its great for what I want, and I understand why people love them (I do). But they do not replace PC functionality first thing you notice is no printing. You cant download from your camera to it. The plus side is - lots of great little useful apps.

The screen is practically unusable in sunlight - the polished glass screen is as good as a mirror.

If a tablet gives you what you need, the Nexus is great value. The Tesco thing is also subsidised, but may have less branding that Google put in the nexus

[calculated]

I too have a Nexus...and yes..it's great ans awesome to work with...

[crabber]

Thanks guys, in the end I bought a Nexus 7 despite reservations about reading the screen in sunlight, and no micro SD card slot. Have only had a little time to play with it, so far unlocked and rooted, so I could install hidden anti theft tracker and hopefully prevent someone easily doing a hard reset.
Seems to work OK with basic stuff like emails, Vu+, BBC player and a Navionics marine charting program although I am finding most "free" stuff is for phones rather than higher definition for tablets. Am I searching in the wrong places? nudge nudge wink wink !
Oh yes and a decent case is extra.

[echelon]

you can install that co pilot live satnav program, also even though a lot of apps are for phones they work ok on tablets like the nexus so not sure why you think they are just limited to phones only !

on the play store there are free compass programs, free games , free ebook readers like coolreader , free anti virus , free battery savers like comodo , free browsers like firefox , free phrase books , free mp3 players like folder player , free video players like vlc , look at android forums etc for clues and additional info but plenty to go at already

you almost always have to buy a case for any tablet you buy, they rarely if ever come with a case when bought new

[crabber]

The reason I asked about tablet apps is because the Navionics marine charting app I use is made for phones, and of course does run OK on a tablet but there is a more expensive HD version which isn't uploaded to a couple of dubious GPS forums I belong to.
I think books will be the next thing to load as it seems a nice size screen for reading.

[mikie8]

for outside use , you can get anti glare screen protectors .

[dave d]

don't get one with chromebook on it they are rubbish the wont run anything like Skype etc

[baztheblade]

My son bought a nexus 7 which he says is great 12 months ago,so at the same time i did a bit of research and found a tablet which is just as good but £80+ cheaper it is called , "Ainol Novo 7 Fire" , a few months ago i updated the android software to the latest jelly bean 4.2.2 and must say its been brilliant for me. the grand kids are for ever downloading games on it and its been knocked about a lot ,it as a lot of the same spec as the nexus but a little bit more like ex memory slot etc.,

[Zeke]

I have the Nexus 7 - its great for what I want, and I understand why people love them (I do). But they do not replace PC functionality first thing you notice is no printing. You cant download from your camera to it.

While I don't argue it's a PC you can print and some cameras can be hooked up to it.

HP and Samsung both have apps to connect to their printers. I think the HP works with most of the HP line. Samsung's app only works with newer printers.

I forget the name but there is an USB cable that can be connected. IIRC there are even various raw editing apps.

I'm sure googling nexus and camera will bring up more info then what I can remember. The lack of a SD card slot is the only thing that bothers me.

[Zeke]

Thanks guys, in the end I bought a Nexus 7 despite reservations about reading the screen in sunlight, and no micro SD card slot. Have only had a little time to play with it, so far unlocked and rooted, so I could install hidden anti theft tracker and hopefully prevent someone easily doing a hard reset.
.

If you're worried about theft you can encrypt the tablet (or your phone). It will take a while to start up while it decrypts everything.

Why did you root a Nexus?

[crabber]

I installed Avast antivirus and to use all the features of their anti theft and tracking program it had to be rooted. At least that's what it told me!

[echelon]

I wouldnt even know where to start trying to root one, but my nexus 7 has just updated to the latest JB and I have bought an OTG usb cable for it. mine is the 32 gig one so the memory capacity isnt really an issue for me but I do agree its seems crazy not to have a micro sd card slot like most of the opposition have

[Detlef]

Not all tablets have in-built GPS so if you want them for Navigation be careful when making your choice.

Big edit:
My ASUS 301T does have GPS.
It has a very sensitive WiFi and most of my use is mail, web browsing, office stuff (letter writer, spreadsheet, database, etc.), watching videos, music.

Fortunately, it can share my phones 3g internet connection if that is needed. You need a special USB - microUSB lead (OTG) as Echelon said above (not included) if you want to access memory sticks, etc. but they a less than £5.