Tablets. Why?

[Fallout]

I was just talking to a mate who bought a Logitech keyboard for his ipad. I told him what he'd done was push his tablet slightly closer to the laptop form factor, but he was still a way off. Another £100 and he could have it almost as good as a laptop and have only spend 3 times as much getting it there. :rolleyes:

I have an Asus Transformer which sits rotting under the bed like an unwanted pair of Christmas socks. So I've had a tablet, and used one for a while, and I still don't get them. Laptops are better in almost every respect, so can someone please help me understand why everyone is obsessed with them?

Here are the positives/neg of a laptop against a tablet as I see them. Negs, first ... as many as I can honestly think of:

Laptops are worse because:
- They take longer to boot up (though with hibernate, laptops can start in about 10 seconds. Not exactly frustratingly long)
- Laptops are heavier and larger, so not as easy to carry to your local coffee shop where you can sit and be stylish with all the other kids, though the thin light notebooks aren't much bigger
- Battery life is slightly less
- They don't have a touch screen

Laptops are better because:
- You get far much more performance for your money. I mean, the technology in tablets is good for their size, but there is a reason why game apps still look crap. It's because the hardware is crap.
- They have a keyboard which is infinitely better than an on screen keypad. I mean really, these key pads are a huge step back as far as data entry is concerned. They cover the screen and they're a pain to use. Nobody on a tablet could be arsed to write a mammoth post like this, because it's way way too much effort.
- They have a rubbish form factor. Ergonomically, they might as well be a brick. With a laptop you can sit with the screen facing you, without holding it, and interact with it. With a tablet, you have to either hold it with one or two hands, which gets tiring or annoying, or prop it up against your dog. There's no sitting back watching a YouTube vid on a tablet without some sort of effort required to hold it.
- Touch screen is more effort than a track pad. I can mooch in front of the couch, moving my index finger over a track pad controlling the whole computer. Tablet users are constantly moving their arms and hands about to press on things. Things like gestures are a novelty concept required to get around the lack of input controls. Oooo look, you can swipe two fingers outwards to zoom in on Google maps ... great! I just move one finger on the trackpad. They've had to invent a new input system because they removed a better one.
- Sound is useless. Nobody can fit decent speakers into something designed to be as light and small as possible.

It's what you use them for. If you want to stand up and quickly check your emails, it's going to be easier on a tablet. If you want to actually reply to that email, it's 100 times easier on a laptop. If you want to quickly check a video someone mentioned on YouTube, it's probably easier on a tablet, but if you want to actually sit and watch a video, it's more comfortable and better quality on a comparatively priced laptop.

Basically, as far as I can see, only a handful of people should be using tablets. Ya know, the sort that never types anything. People who go to the same few websites and just read stuff while on the move. Everyone else who wants to actually sit down and contribute to the interwebz should be on a laptop.

So tablet users, what is your excuse?! :D

[Spank86]

I love mine.

I use it in preference to my tower and my works laptop because its quick and easy to turn on, never crashes and even more portable than a netbook.

I never have a problem with positioning, the cover I've got for it can stand it up like a monitor, or at an angle on a flat surface/my knees like a raised writing pad. I wouldnt write an essay on it but for short messages and posting here its fine, with the split keyboard even better than fine, infact i probably COULD write an essay on it.

Theres only a couple of times I wish for a proper computer and most of them are to do with my knowledge of how to do things not an inability.

The only thing I do dislike is the lack of flash support.

[650]

Tablets are ****y to the max, most useless pieces of **** ever...yet everyone wants one, pfft.

[timwilky]

Heresy, Steve Jobs is now spinning, you have disturbed the karma at Apple and all.

I too own a transformer, plus laptop plus 3 servers etc. so a tad geeky.

I tend not to place tablets into the run of the mill computing bundle. I view their place as enabling the non too savy to consume predominately internet derived content.

So great for the mobile user to pull youtube, email etc.

Of course they don't have the power of a laptop so I would not consider using them for my mainstream. But I took the transformer on holiday with a few books, a dozen films and my complete music collection and it behaved brilliantly for that. Enabled me to keep upto date with my mail etc.

[Biker Biggles]

I use tablets to cure a headache.

[Runako]

Tablet = Mobility. Only usefulness. The people who use a tablet only in the living room at home are idiots.

[chris8886]

i prefer laptops too. i don't dislike tablets, but as you said si, they're too limited in what you're able to do on them. they have the great advantage of being even more portable, so great for taking on holiday and the like with you (especially with more n more airline companies charging you for taking baggage!), but i wouldn't give up my laptop to go to a tablet instead, i would just have one to use aswell at times, if i could afford one. ultimately i think tablets have been marketed very well into the next 'must have' item and as such, generally speaking, the masses have taken to them in their droves and bought millions of them.

[-Ralph-]

Love mine.

1.6 GHz Dual Core with a 1GB of RAM, Quad Core graphics, 10.1 capacitive touchscreen at 1280x800 HD, running Jellybean, my tablet is anything but difficult to use. Screen isn't that much smaller than my laptop.

Some lesser tablets are a pain in the rrssss to use though.

Much smaller to carry to meetings where all I need is Internet, Email and OneNote which will have synced my meeting notes with the laptop by the time I get back to the office.

Much quicker to boot, and less clutter in the living room for internet and email in the evenings. Use tapatalk for forums though, lots of typing on a tablet browser isn't as good as a laptop keyboard.

Also use for kids games, kids movie player in the car, iPlayer in bed, Play Books on both the tablet and my Galaxy S3 means I haven't read a paperback book for a year.

I work on my laptop all day long, I don't particularly want to get it out in my spare time as well, and haven't really done since I got a Galaxy S3.

[-Ralph-]

Tablet = Mobility. Only usefulness. The people who use a tablet only in the living room at home are idiots.

I'm an idiot for using a tablet in my living room? Really?

I find it easier and more convenient than a laptop for the things I want to do with it in the evenings. Why is that idiotic?

[MisterTommyH]

We've had this exact same argument in our office this morning.

The 'supposedly' IT guy telling me that I need to get an iPad mini because they are brilliant. The response from most of us was that we didn't know what tablets were for.

Yes they are great for using at home and probably would do for 75% of what I use my laptop for at home, but there is the key-board issue. What about when I want to use Word, Excel etc? What about when I need to take work home and use AutoCAD?

There were no useful answers to this other other than it was cool and mobile. Well if I want true mobility, I have my iPhone (personal) and S2 (work) which live in my pockets which let me do all that I can imagine I would want to do on a tablet - while a tablet would mean I would need to carry something additional that didn't fit in my pocket and needed a bag.

Personally I think I'm sorted. Phones for mobility, laptop for home (or anywhere else I may choose) and desktop for work. The next thing that I want is a full sized desk surface touch screen which lets me move stuff around (i.e. like an A1/A0 drawing on the desk where i can just swipe drawings aside etc..)

[ClunkintheUK]

Yeah, at home I almost always use my laptop, unless i want to quickly look something up. I got the tablet for travelling, which I have to do quite a bit for work. I can store a fair few films, couple of weeks worth of music, and its less strain playing games on it rather that my phone. I also use it for taking notes in client meetings. Its far less obtrusive then a laptop, my handwriting is terrible/slower than my typing even with the touchscreen keyboard, and I can then attach my notes to the relevent project without having to type them up later.

I actually think they can have a lot to offer for the right use, I'd buy one again just for being able to take notes in electronic form (ok not an iPad just for that). Having my music and some films/boxsets, being able to keep up with my e-mail and do a bit of surfing when I am away is a bonus. To have gotten the same spec ultrabook as my laptop would have cost the same as my laptop and tablet.

From the non-tech savvy. My girlfriend uses my iPad all the time at home. Prefers it to her netbook (much quicker to use and nicer screen) and my laptop (she doesn't quite get on with the trackpad) almost exclusively for surfing the web. She likes just being able to press directly what she is looking at/interested in. Can magnify it quickly if its a small font, all that kind of stuff.

[-Ralph-]

I use word and excel for personal purposes, probably once a quarter. Last time was when I needed to give notice on a contract in writing. Will probably use Excel to revise my household budgets for 2013 this month, then not touch that spreadsheet again for 6 months until something changes significantly. Most of the time if I need to do something like that, I do it during the day, or before I shut my laptop down for the evening anyway, when I'm already sat in front of it.

Tablets/Smartphones are great to leave on standby on the coffee table and pick it up when I want to check ebay/shopping or an email pings in, or check the forum, or check the TV guide, or stick in headphones and use iPlayer because the wife is watching rubbish. Tablet screen is big enough to get full browser functionality for sites like eBay, when the eBay app on the S3 won't quite do everything you need or show you large detailed photos of what you are buying.

It's a perfect compromise between smartphone and laptop IMO, and fills the gap nicely.

In short, if you have a life an don't spend your every waking moment in front of a laptop, the tablet is great.

[ClunkintheUK]

The next thing that I want is a full sized desk surface touch screen which lets me move stuff around (i.e. like an A1/A0 drawing on the desk where i can just swipe drawings aside etc..)

This. Very, very much this. I would probably be one fo the first to buy this. Even better if you have a keyboard you can move around in the screen.

[650]

I'm an idiot for using a tablet in my living room? Really?

I find it easier and more convenient than a laptop for the things I want to do with it in the evenings. Why is that idiotic?

You find it easier to hold something with one hand while awkwardly typing with the other while trying to not have everything in the room reflecting in the screen to the point of not being able to see what you're doing?

MADNESS I SAY! :)

[-Ralph-]

You find it easier to hold something with one hand while awkwardly typing with the other while trying to not have everything in the room reflecting in the screen to the point of not being able to see what you're doing?

MADNESS I SAY! :)

I don't experience any of those problems with my tablet, or the way I use it.

[MisterTommyH]

I use word and excel for personal purposes, probably once a quarter. Last time was when I needed to give notice on a contract in writing. Will probably use Excel to revise my household budgets for 2013 this month, then not touch that spreadsheet again for 6 months until something changes significantly. Most of the time if I need to do something like that, I do it during the day, or before I shut my laptop down for the evening anyway, when I'm already sat in front of it.

Tablets/Smartphones are great to leave on standby on the coffee table and pick it up when I want to check ebay/shopping or an email pings in, or check the forum, or check the TV guide, or stick in headphones and use iPlayer because the wife is watching rubbish. Tablet screen is big enough to get full browser functionality for sites like eBay, when the eBay app on the S3 won't quite do everything you need or show you large detailed photos of what you are buying.

It's a perfect compromise between smartphone and laptop IMO, and fills the gap nicely.

Both fair points, and I suppose it is really horses for courses - but for me it's a laptop OR a tablet, not a laptop AND a tablet as I just can't justify the cost of both. That being the case, without word / excel functionality at home I would have to do any budgets/ CVs etc at work (not a problem but my personal paperwork tends to stay at home). Having the laptop gives the flexibility of being able to do all that I would possibly take home from work without the need to trek into the office - the exception being limited license software.

If I could justify the cost of both I would have no hesitation in having a tablet for sofa browsing, but they're just too limited unless you have a laptop too (IMHO).

[Sir Trev]

There is a business use for them which is where the Win8 tablets will fit in. Android and iOS are all very nice for individuals wanting to primarily use web-based content but for mobile workers and execs a Windows-based front end will probably work best. The big players are all bringing out tablets with a connecting keyboard and/or dock of some kind, allowing use of USB peripherals to make them feel like laptops when sitting at the desk. Pick up the tablet when you go into the meeting room or on the road - best of both worlds.

As to the interface not being good for data entry, this is a generational thing. Kids now type text or instant messages on their android/iphones with no problem so tablets will not be an issue for them. Execs only want to read messages from a lightweight device when out of the office so don't need it, and professionals will either get used to it or stick with a laptop.

I can see their use both in the home and at work but as my laptop is due for replacement next month I will personally be trying to wangle an UltraBook as I rarely travel now and have a study with dock station and monitor at home. Horses for courses.

[-Ralph-]

not a laptop AND a tablet as I just can't justify the cost of both

Here's mine £150

http://www.ebuyer.com/407318-sumvision-cyclone-voyager-tablet-pc-cycvoy101

The only thing it's really missing from the spec is bluetooth and GPS, but everything I bluetooth to I do from the S3, so I wasn't bothered. GPS on the S3 too for walking, built in sat nav in the car, Tom Tom Rider on the bike.

Otherwise, it's pretty much on a par with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 which is almost twice the price. If you are worried about a Chinese manufacturer, buy an extended warranty.

My wife has a £600 iPad bought for her by work, and I prefer mine.

[chris8886]

Kids now type text or instant messages on their android/iphones with no problem so tablets will not be an issue for them.

i don't disagree with this point, because i'm one of them! lol, but i still find typing on a proper keyboad so much easier when using two hands (as you would be on a tablet i think). when it's so much smaller like on a phone, you can just use your two thumbs which is very easy, but a tablet is juat too big for this.

[pookie]

great for viewing web content in garage, kitchen when cooking..easy to clean.
Cheap to replace and has reasonable battery life...what not to like :)

[-Ralph-]

If you are doing a lot of typing, defo get the laptop out. Don't do much myself in the evenings other than the forum, but I don't type too much on that either anymore as there are too many people arguing and calling others idiots for my liking.

[yorkie_chris]

great for viewing web content in garage,

Would not last 2 minutes in mine!

[ClunkintheUK]

OP. I originally had a thought process like this when smart phones came out. People saying why do you still use that old nokia, iPhones have all these games, music, and you get e-mail etc. I thought, well I check my personal e-mails when I get home, no problems there, i have a Minidisc player which works fine, and a cheap bullet proof phone.

When my MD player finally broke my cheapest option was actually to get an iPhone (got a discount on the contract, but only if I got a fixed period contract). Found it absolutely brilliant. It chagned the way I did a few things, making them a lot easier or at least more time efficient (like checking my e-mail on the bus home or during lunch, so when I got home i didn't spend half an hour just doing that.)

[MisterTommyH]

Here's mine £150

http://www.ebuyer.com/407318-sumvision-cyclone-voyager-tablet-pc-cycvoy101

The only thing it's really missing from the spec is bluetooth and GPS, but everything I bluetooth to I do from the S3, so I wasn't bothered. GPS on the S3 too for walking, built in sat nav in the car, Tom Tom Rider on the bike.

Otherwise, it's pretty much on a par with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 which is almost twice the price. If you are worried about a Chinese manufacturer, buy an extended warranty.

My wife has a £600 iPad bought for her by work, and I prefer mine.

Thats actually quite good. Still not too keen though.... I have to admit I was a bit of luddite with smart phones until I got one. I'll probably decide it's worth it eventually.

i don't disagree with this point, because i'm one of them! lol, but i still find typing on a proper keyboad so much easier when using two hands (as you would be on a tablet i think). when it's so much smaller like on a phone, you can just use your two thumbs which is very easy, but a tablet is juat too big for this.

100% agree with that. I am used to typing on a phone two thumbed quite fast, but wouldn't want to do a whole document like that.... and just don't think I can type as quick on a tablet (yes I've tried on other peoples) as I can on a keyboard where I can feel the key depress to know I've touched it. I can hold shift and alt etc. Probably right that it's a generation thing.

Anyone know if there is anyone developing anything like a drafting desk? i.e. touchscreen on the desk surface? Would be amazing.

[Spank86]

I find typing with the ipad very easy when i split the keyboard, oddly though I rarely do so.

I also read books and stuff on it occasionally and use it as a reference screen when I'm gaming or doing something else with the xbox or PC

Anyone know if there is anyone developing anything like a drafting desk? i.e. touchscreen on the desk surface? Would be amazing.
checkout either the new microsoft advert, OR the original Tron film.

[Runako]

I'm an idiot for using a tablet in my living room? Really?

I find it easier and more convenient than a laptop for the things I want to do with it in the evenings. Why is that idiotic?

"Only"

[Runako]

If you are doing a lot of typing, defo get the laptop out. Don't do much myself in the evenings other than the forum, but I don't type too much on that either anymore as there are too many people arguing and calling others idiots for my liking.

Haha, you're so excitable. I don't remember anyone commenting about your use of a tablet? You've taken my post out of context. But if you feel the need to take it personally, go ahead. It was not meant in that way.

To add to my opinion, it is misuse and waste of technology to buy such a device to "only" use it in the living room, where it sits permanently, when the USP is its portability. A laptop indeed does every single thing better apart from the UI and netbooks are light enough for weight to not be an issue.

So the tablet is best for its flexibility of use in common tasks. Quite a few people who buy tablets already have laptops and yet don't use either to its potential. I get the impression that for these types of people a tablet is more fashionable and gets little practical use after a while.

[Fallout]

ultimately i think tablets have been marketed very well into the next 'must have' item and as such

I agree with this. I think if they hadn't been marketed so well (by Apple primarily), hardly anyone would have them. I don't believe they fill a void. I think the marketing created a make-believe void people are now convinced exists in their life.

Personally I think I'm sorted. Phones for mobility, laptop for home (or anywhere else I may choose) and desktop for work.

I forgot about the smart phone argument, and completely agree. Yes, smart phone provide everything a tablet does, with the downside that they're more awkward to use and the upside that they are truly pocket portable. Tablets need you to be a woman with a handbag, or a bloke with a rucksack/briefcase, or handbag if that's the way they roll. I feel they're sat in the middle; not as good as a laptop, and not as portable as a smart phone.

great for viewing web content in garage, kitchen when cooking..easy to clean.
Cheap to replace and has reasonable battery life...what not to like :)

I sometimes take my laptop into the garage. Good for background music, screen always pointing at me because of the screen/keyboard swivel and not lying flat on it's back, and no need for my to put greasy fingers on the larger screen. It's a winner for me there too! :)

[Bibio]

guy's your forgetting the only use for a tablet.. porn on the bog. as they can be used one handed and are relatively jizz proof.

mobile communications, why! personally i don't feel the need to be connected to a piece of hardware that lets people contact me wherever i am and if it were not for the fact that i need a mobile for emergency's then i would not have one. outside the house i'm on me time not someone else's.

[ClunkintheUK]

guy's your forgetting the only use for a tablet.. porn on the bog.

Suddenly "Angry Birds" takes on a whole new masochistic light.

[Fallout]

Angry turds by the sound of it.

[Bibio]

Angry turds by the sound of it.

i had one of those this morning after the chilli i had last night.

[maviczap]

I've got a 7in one............................................... tablet that is :p

Mine is used in many similar ways to the way Ralph uses his, its dead convenient to have sitting around and just pick it up to look for new emails, or browse the Org, or Ebay.

Because I work away a great deal, its great for sitting on my hotel bed, watching TV whilst catching up on emails, Org etc etc. Better than my Netbook, as I can hold the tablet, and do most functions one handed.

Its also my Mp3 player, with a 32gb SD card full of music, plus I can upscale video to 1080 and connect it to a portable HDD and then by HDMI cable to the hotel TV if I want to watch a movie. Obviously I lose the ability to surf the net when I use this function.

Plus I've got games & other stuff on it. The 7in screen is better than my smartphone for some of my work related websites.

The only thing I don't use the tablet for is doing stuff on excel or word. I could do, but my little netbook is easier

It only cost me £77, same make as Ralphs, but the Sumvision Astro, whats not to like for £77?

[Mark_h]

10" asus netbook that wakes from sleep to be completely browseable in about 10 seconds. Battery lasts best part of 8 hours which is less than it did when it was new.

Runs everything office, flash, linux, XP pretty well.

Sits on the arm of the sofa in the evening with a real keyboard and a decent screen. It's got a touch pad thing that works brilliently to but I can also plug in a real mouse if I need to. I can set the screen at any angle I like and can either touch type or use a single finger if I prefer. I've tried tablets and apart from on the train I see them offering no benefit over a netbook just the inconvenience of having to hold it while typing and not having a real keyboard unless you add one at which point you've pretty much got back to a laptop again.

When my asus eventually goes pop I'll consider one of those tablets with a keyboard but unless it'll run office apps and work unsupported on a sofa arm I'll probably got for the latest version of the asus again.

[Sir Trev]

Tablets need you to be a woman with a handbag, or a bloke with a rucksack/briefcase, or handbag if that's the way they roll.

Ignoring the metrosexual option (!) the slimline briefcase is what most execs want to carry when on the road. Most of our senior guys are travelling up to 75% of the time which is typical for big companies, so weight and portabilitiy win every time. Netbooks and small-form versions of the standard office laptop used to be the norm (we make the Lattitude in a variety of sizes for this reason) but tablets remove the need for a large/dedicated carry case, and with their excellent battery life you can leave the charger in your hold luggage or back at the hotel. These guys have PAs for the input side so as long as they can get to mail without squinting at a tiny Blackberry screen they're happy and more productive.

[Spank86]

No you won't mark, they just announced netbooks are dead.

[Littlepeahead]

Simon you told me that you'd be hopeless without your tablet, can't remember which make but it was sort of small, diamond shaped and blue.

[Mark_h]

No you won't mark, they just announced netbooks are dead.

OK then I'll get another 10" lightweight, mid-power, long batteried laptop with what-ever label they stick on them by then.

[Spank86]

Not sure what they're going to do.

Presumably some sort of higher priced more premium product since from what I've read the margins on netbooks are minimal.

[Teejayexc]

Angry turds by the sound of it.


Fallout, you're doing it wrong if you 5hit whilst wank1ing :smt009

[Spank86]

Or possibly very right?

[Fallout]

Simon you told me that you'd be hopeless without your tablet, can't remember which make but it was sort of small, diamond shaped and blue.

Hayfever. I have sensitive mucous membranes.

Fallout, you're doing it wrong if you 5hit whilst wank1ing :smt009

Not according to the porn sites I like to visit. This is how it's done. I'm sure it's the norm. :confused:

[-Ralph-]

"Only"

My Aunt bought an 80 quid tablet to replace her laptop. She only ever surfs the web, does email or reads Facebook. Now she can read books on Google Play too. She no longer has to go upstairs to power on her old desktop PC. It was half the price of a netbook. She likes the lack of clutter from a small flat device and can leave it lying around without looking any more untidy than the TV remote. She likes not having to balance a laptop on the arm of her chair when she wants to get up and go to the loo. She finds an App driven interface much simpler to use than a Windows desktop, less functionality = less complicated. She loves the battery life, recharges it like her mobile phone and doesnt have to bother with laptop power cables after 2-3 hours use. Shes very pleased with her purchase.

It 'Only' ever gets used in her living room.
Now, tell me again why shes an idiot?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[BanannaMan]

Ordered my tablet from Scotland.
Can't figure out how to get e-mail or you-tube on it but it is quite tasty and quite filling as well.
Does not however have the same effect as fallout's blue 'hayfever' tablet.

What is this? Do all tablets do different things?
There should be some industry standard.
I want one tablet that does it all.
Finds me a date, feeds us, provides some entertainment, and, uh, encourages heavy breathing exercises.

:p;)

[Runako]

Now, tell me again why shes an idiot?

I can do this all day Ralph. Or you could just read my posts properly and be a good sport. P.s. I've never met your Aunt but wish her happy new year from me.

[Spank86]

Now, tell me again why shes an idiot?
I'm not sure why runako thinks she's an idiot, does she have a mental age of less than three?

[Sir Trev]

Simon you told me that you'd be hopeless without your tablet, can't remember which make but it was sort of small, diamond shaped and blue.

Snigger....

[Fallout]

Snigger....

Shut it you!!! Taking the blue pill was the sensible choice. If I'd taken the red pill I would've had to stay in wonderland to see how far LPH's rabbit hole goes. :scratch:

[JamesMio]

When my asus eventually goes pop I'll consider one of those tablets...

Well that was almost quite a read first thing this morning!

[-Ralph-]

Tablet = Mobility. Only usefulness. The people who use a tablet only in the living room at home are idiots.


I can do this all day Ralph. Or you could just read my posts properly and be a good sport

Not sure what I've not read properly, you clearly stated those that use them 'only in the living room at home are idiots'. As I've explained there are lots of people who use them that way for good reasons that suit them.

Now you may or may not think I'm being a good sport, but I am playing with you. Your deduction that I took it personally was totally wrong, personally I couldn't give ****. What I object to are sweeping statements branding somebody an idiot because they use a technology differently to you.



Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Fallout]

To be fair, anyone who uses an electric tin opener to wipe their bum is an idiot. Some sweeping statements relating to technology use are valid.

[MisterTommyH]

-Ralph- I'm disappointed in you. I thought you could have got at least another two pages out of that one.

[Runako]

Not sure what I've not read properly ...

Just an opinon Ralph. Glad you took the time to reply to my posts - odd though, as you're not posting much anymore because of comments like mine? :scratch: Anyway, wish you'd used that time to read all my posts before before replying. The 1st is a sarcatsic, throwaway comment. The 2nd expanded on my initial thought. I'm sure your Aunt's lovely (who's isn't ;)) but I wouldn't know if she's an idiot. As I said, just an opinion. You can always choose to say nothing in reply ...



Sent from my SV650 Tablet in my living room, watching Jeremy Kyle, using my fingers

[Runako]

-Ralph- I'm disappointed in you. I thought you could have got at least another two pages out of that one.

I aim to please

[yorkie_chris]

The 1st is a sarcatsic, throwaway comment. The 2nd expanded on my initial thought.

Ralph doesn't show he realises the difference when there exists a chance to be deliberately obtuse.

[-Ralph-]

To be fair, anyone who uses an electric tin opener to wipe their bum is an idiot. Some sweeping statements relating to technology use are valid.

Or they may be a highly intelligent person with a very strange fetish.

-Ralph- I'm disappointed in you. I thought you could have got at least another two pages out of that one.

I know, but work is busy today. Anyway, we've had enough back pedalling out of it already you cruel man!

I'm sure your Aunt's lovely (who's isn't ;)) but I wouldn't know if she's an idiot

She doesn't exist - her fictional character is based on a real Aunt, but that Aunt certainly doesn't have a tablet.

[-Ralph-]

Ralph doesn't show he realises the difference when there exists a chance to be deliberately obtuse.

:lol:

[Fallout]

She doesn't exist - her fictional character is based on a real Aunt, but that Aunt certainly doesn't have a tablet.

Brilliant. :D The old "make something up to prove a point" technique. I use that all the time. :D

[kiggles]

tablets rely on a laptop/desktop to be pluged into for taking data off/on. music films etc.

i am a HUGE windows desktop person but i bought ipad mini yesterday. I play games, watch TV and browse internet on it. all the real stuff is done my desktop.

tablets are for the in between people who only use them for small purposes. you dont need a whole laptop to send an email. but you do if you want to store data safely, itunes, print and do some work on it.

[Sir Trev]

tablets rely on a laptop/desktop to be pluged into for taking data off/on. music films etc.

tablets are for the in between people who only use them for small purposes. you dont need a whole laptop to send an email. but you do if you want to store data safely, itunes, print and do some work on it.

Er, some tablets may have no connectivity but for most you don't need a laptop/desktop for file moves or downloads. And you CAN use the expandable memory and/or USB external drive (if you buy the right tablet) for storage.

Quite agree with you (and Ralph's made up aunt) that you don't need a full blown Ultrabook for simple mails and browsing of course. Horses for courses as I said a few posts ago.

[timwilky]

With my asus 300t I have a 64GB SD card in the dock plus a 32 GB mini SD in the tablet. Add to that the 32GB on board. a couple of 64 GB thumb drives and a whopping 3TB USB drive should I need to plug in. Who needs cloud storage.

I then have the home nas sat there if I want to pull something WiFi.

As others have said. a tablet is an ideal lounge device. No longer to I have to get out the laptop and wait for it to boot just to check my mail.

I will tell you the most useful thing mine gets used for. Compiling the family shopping list. As soon as it syncs, myself wife and daughter all know what is wanted, check anything off on our mobiles and update. The hardwork of compiling is done on the big screen. The phones are just a ticklist.

[flymo]

Tablets most certainly do have a place. The global sales figures are showing that these devices are much more popular than personal computers with the general consumer population.

There are many people who want/need to do tasks for which a tablet is not suitable, that's fine, but it isn't representative of the general population. The decision to use a tablet is not merely about form factor and portability, it is also driven by the type and quality of applications that are available.

Tablets (and smartphones for that matter) have introduced an application design approach that if done well creates an app that suits the touch screen technology and the use of a finger rather than a mouse. Many of these apps also simplify activities down to specific tasks rather than complex all encompassing application suites. This is very attractive to many users.

In business things are a little different, 'consumerisation' is creating a new level of expectation from users that they should have some say in the technology that they use, but budgetary pressures will always add a facet that leads to justifying technology and driving costs down wherever possible.

Apple are leading the market currently, but for how long is anyone's guess. Didn't we say the same thing about the PC 10 years ago?

Windows 8 adds a serious alternative to a dedicated tablet device if combined with a suitable form factor, certainly for a business where dual hardware costs are not attractive, replacing laptops and tablets with a single convertible device that can do both extremely well. But its the availability and quality of the applications that will make or break this.

Personal computer technology choice is like anything else, it totally depends on your particular needs. You buy what you feel comfortable with that best suits the requirements you have. Sometimes that might mean a choice between one or the other or you are budget constrained, or alternatively you might prefer both if you can afford.

Tablets are here to stay, no doubt about that. I don't see the personal computer disappearing any time soon either.

[Mark_h]

If I need to check my email I just phone Ralph's aunt, she sorts the important ones from the ones recommending little blue tablets, produces a management summary for me then pops down on her bicycle with them neatly written out on scented cards. I give her a chocolate hob-nob and send her on her way.

This arrangement works well for me although now she no longer has to go upstairs to use the desktop PC she's suffering with her knees.

[-Ralph-]

If I need to check my email I just phone Ralph's aunt, she sorts the important ones from the ones recommending little blue tablets, produces a management summary for me then pops down on her bicycle with them neatly written out on scented cards. I give her a chocolate hob-nob and send her on her way.

This arrangement works well for me although now she no longer has to go upstairs to use the desktop PC she's suffering with her knees.

:D

[Runako]

Can I call Ralph's Aunt stupid now? :)

[-Ralph-]

Stupid yes, Idiot no.

[maviczap]

Here's one similar to mine, the only thing different it doesn't say it has HDMI output socket

But for £49.95 whats not to like

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350684329995?item=350684329995

[maviczap]

Here's one similar to mine, the only thing different it doesn't say it has HDMI output socket

But for £49.95 whats not to like

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350684329995?item=350684329995

[MisterTommyH]

See now that's the sort of price that I could justify!

HDMI output isn't essential for something like that anyway is it? Unlikely to be getting high quality if streaming anyway... right?

[650]

I've got a 3rd gen ipad 64gb with wifi and cellular connectivity (it's on vodafone) that I'll let go for £400. I hate them, horrible, useless pieces of ****. :)

[maviczap]

No not essential, but I can hook mine up to a hdd via usb and connect it to a tv by hdmi to watch movies in hd
1080
I've got a 2tb hdd with about. 400 movies on it for when I'm working away.

But I've got a little media player which also upscales movies to 1080p from my hdd

[widepants]

Here's one similar to mine, the only thing different it doesn't say it has HDMI output socket

But for £49.95 whats not to like

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350684329995?item=350684329995
I got my lad one similar to that and he is upstairs now watching u tube.
What do you want for the money.
I on the other hand much prefer a real key pad

[MisterTommyH]

So...

Assuming that this thread was going some way to changing my mind...

and the tablets maviczap linked are relatively cheap...

What size to get..... 7" or 9"?

For use, say on the couch at home, but also to take with me when I stay in hotels, wait around in airports etc.

[Bluefish]

The bigger the better imo

[Littlepeahead]

So...

Assuming that this thread was going some way to changing my mind...

and the tablets maviczap linked are relatively cheap...

What size to get..... 7" or 9"?

For use, say on the couch at home, but also to take with me when I stay in hotels, wait around in airports etc.

It's not how many inches you've got, it's knowing what to do with them that counts. And how long you can last with it too.

[Teejayexc]

It's not how many inches you've got, it's knowing what to do with them that counts. And how long you can last with it too.



True, but he'd get some funny looks in airports :cool:

[MisterTommyH]

It's not how many inches you've got, it's knowing what to do with them that counts. And how long you can last with it too.

Yes, duration is an important quality, but I wouldn't want to strain my eyes trying to look at a small one... ;)

[-Ralph-]

Get a bigger one.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[PyroUK]

Quite an interesting thread here.

I started off as a windows pc guy when I first got in charge of my own tech, when laptops came out I thought there was little point to them. Ended up with one till it burnt out and I replaced it with a windows tower. Pretty fast but got slow real quick once all my software and data was loaded on it.

Upgraded to another windows tower but a power machine and that was fast, till I again loaded all my stuff on to it.

I then got an iPhone and almost over night became an Apple fanboy.

When they announced the iPad I thought, what the feck is the point in that, useless! I have my phone for mobility and a tower for everything else.

Then I got my own place and decide to set my tower up as an entertainment centre for tv and films etc so no longer have a desk or anywhere I can easily browse or do anything more than use a mouse to scroll.

Ended up getting the 3rd gen iPad, bloody marvellous, super fast and convenient, check emails do a bit of shopping browse the web where ever I was in the house. Awesome, but limited.

There are things you can an cant do sure but you work out the best way to do what you need.

Recently though my mate got me hooked in an online game from a tv show, battle star, bril fun but couldn't play for longer than 10 mins on the tower and doesn't work on the pad.

This resulted in me going and getting a shiny new MacBook Pro, the one with the new display and ssd drives.

Faster than any other machine I have ever used. Ever.

From being off to able to do anything is about 40 secs.

But it's not that portable, I can't just take it around so I use the iPad for reading and quick browsing here and there.

I could have done the new tech cheaper got some thing almost as good for prob half the price, hell could have just bought a desk for £50!

But as a self confessed apple fanboy, couldn't resist the new shiny! To be honest if Steve jobs had walked on stage and sprinkled glitter on a crap and said the new iTurd had been launched I, along with most other fanboys, would probably have bought it!

So there you are, as some one said horses for courses! I don't particularly NEED the iPad or the MacBook, I wanted them and that could be the same for a lot of people. And at the end of the day that's the only reason that matters. None of us really need a bike, but we want one and so we find a use for it that fits.

:-)

[21QUEST]

With my asus 300t I have a 64GB SD card in the dock plus a 32 GB mini SD in the tablet. Add to that the 32GB on board. a couple of 64 GB thumb drives and a whopping 3TB USB drive should I need to plug in. Who needs cloud storage.

I then have the home nas sat there if I want to pull something WiFi.

As others have said. a tablet is an ideal lounge device. No longer to I have to get out the laptop and wait for it to boot just to check my mail.

I will tell you the most useful thing mine gets used for. Compiling the family shopping list. As soon as it syncs, myself wife and daughter all know what is wanted, check anything off on our mobiles and update. The hardwork of compiling is done on the big screen. The phones are just a ticklist.

...but can it do 'up to the minute' tracking of your parcel delivery guy ? :p

[maviczap]

So...

Assuming that this thread was going some way to changing my mind...

and the tablets maviczap linked are relatively cheap...

What size to get..... 7" or 9"?

For use, say on the couch at home, but also to take with me when I stay in hotels, wait around in airports etc.

It's not how many inches you've got, it's knowing what to do with them that counts. And how long you can last with it too.

I'm quite satified with 7in but bigger is always better in this case, but no bigger than 10in :p

[-Ralph-]

But as a self confessed apple fanboy, couldn't resist the new shiny! To be honest if Steve jobs had walked on stage and sprinkled glitter on a crap and said the new iTurd had been launched I, along with most other fanboys, would probably have bought it!

So there you are, as some one said horses for courses! I don't particularly NEED the iPad or the MacBook, I wanted them and that could be the same for a lot of people. And at the end of the day that's the only reason that matters. None of us really need a bike, but we want one and so we find a use for it that fits.

:smt041

Not sure that none of us really need the bike, if you live in the sticks and work in central London, it could be almost essential, but I see your point. If you are happy with your purchase, then you purchased the right thing.