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Looking for tablet recommendationsFollow

#1 Oct 24 2013 at 8:56 AM Rating: Good
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My roommate is looking to buy a tablet for web browsing mostly, but would be nice if it can be used for writing stuff(MS Office compatible with a keyboard attachment available a plus). Under $500 for sure.

Any suggestions? I've never bought a tablet(I'm a desktop PC kinda person), so I have no idea what to suggest.
#2 Oct 24 2013 at 9:11 AM Rating: Excellent
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Have you considered going with something like a chromebook?

We almost bought one, and probably would have if there were any at a store within 100 miles of us at the time.
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#3 Oct 24 2013 at 9:33 AM Rating: Excellent
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You don't need a keyboard attachment (like the Asus EE pads) to type stuff. Bluetooth keyboards are cheap and plentiful. If you want real, complete MS Office compatibility you'd want a tablet running Windows 8. If you want "good enough" to type some papers without needing true 100% compatibility then there's various Android options.

Samsung and Asus are the two biggest names in Android tablets. Both have manufactured for the Google Nexus. Assuming you want a 10" tablet (that's what I use) and aren't adverse to a refurbished unit, I'd get this.

Edit: Note that the Nexus series doesn't have an SD card slot to expand the memory. I found 32GB to be sufficient for me but, if it's important to your roommate, look for a tablet that allows SD cards.

Edited, Oct 24th 2013 10:36am by Jophiel
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#4 Oct 25 2013 at 2:44 PM Rating: Good
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We hadn't even considered bluetooth keyboards, so that opens up a lot of possibilities. He's still not sure what he's going to get, but thanks for helping point him in a more than likely better direction than he was considering.
#5 Oct 25 2013 at 3:22 PM Rating: Excellent
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Surface pro or pro2 if you want windows based, Samsung if you want android, Asus as a secondary choice, and a diepad if you want to support the ghost of steve. Tablets are one of those things where getting one from a cell provider with a data plan makes some sense, so that may limit what is available.
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#6 Oct 25 2013 at 4:59 PM Rating: Excellent
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If he's mainly looking at it for web browsing, Wi-Fi will probably be sufficient as opposed to needing a wireless plan. Really depends on what it'll be used for but I've always found my phone sufficient for web access on the move and my tablet for home, hotel or taking it to somewhat I know will have Wi-Fi available (cafes, McDonald's, etc)
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#8 Oct 27 2013 at 10:54 AM Rating: Good
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The Surface RT is splendid, and the new keyboard covers are backlit. It isn't as good as the Pro, but it sounds like you don't need it. Another factor to consider is commonality between OS's, so if you have an Android phone, than Android OS would probably be better. The Surface series or the Nokia 2520 are the best for Windows 8, iPad obviously for iOS, and there are a couple options for Android. I really like my Note 10.1 because it is very fast and allows me to hand write my notes in college in a digital format. The Nexus series are also very good.
#9 Jan 25 2014 at 1:45 PM Rating: Decent
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My dad gave me a Surface 2 Pro for christmas and I really like it. Don't have a keyboard yet (it does not come with one) but I find I don't really need it at the moment.

Side note: If you want to be able to install Chrome on your Surface you MUST buy the Pro, apparently. The non-Pro does not permit other browsers.
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#11 Jan 30 2014 at 9:52 PM Rating: Decent
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We scored a Surface (the non pro version) over Christmas via some freebie event at Best Buy, came with the keyboard too. It's alright I guess. I have not used it much, but it's definitely better for doing any kind of work when compared to the wifes iPad, they are just a really expensive web browser/toy. Takes nice pictures though, the iPad that is, not the surface...it's camera sucks.
#13 Mar 01 2014 at 12:30 PM Rating: Decent
I think I've Just found a good android Tablet and cheap also :

http://www.ankaka.com/malata-zpad-t2-android-22-tablet-101-capacitive-screen-multitouch-1gb-ddrii-ram-1ghz-cpu-flash-101-wifi-gsensor-camera_p47821.html

It's really Nice and workable , Look at the highlights :

10.1" Capacitive screen
1GB DDRII RAM
CPU:ARM Cortex A9, 1GHz
Android Operation System 2.2 : You can download a huge selection of free and paid softwares from the Android Market.
WiFi:802.11 N/b/g Check email or surf the Web.
Support 1080P HD video
Web Camera
Bluetooth

Good Luck with That and don't forget to se the reviews
#14 Mar 01 2014 at 1:04 PM Rating: Excellent
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That's spam of course but that tablet is hilariously crap for $260.
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#15 Mar 08 2014 at 2:05 AM Rating: Good
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I'm in the market soon for a tablet/slim laptop. I was considering next semester at school picking one up but I'm torn. I'm not sure if I want to get a 'cheap' android based tablet, or a Surface Pro 2, mainly because I don't like being limited with what I can install etc. The problem with the Surface Pro is price. I wouldn't want to go less then 128GB but 8 gigs of RAM is only available in 256Gb+ models.

The other option I was considering is getting a super slim netbook/laptop. Mainly Im going to be using this in class or on a bus. So size/weight is an issue.

I'm not planning on using it for heavy gaming but having that option for something lightweight wouldn't be terrible.

If size/weight wasn't an issue I would go with something like ASUS G75VX. I bought one for my wife, since her old laptop was dying, and this thing is extremely nice. The 670MX is comparable (some people say better than) the 770M. The only downside I had with it is A) needed more ram but the laptop has space for 4 sticks so I just popped in another 8 gigs B) the default 5400rpm drive it comes with wasn't fast enough so I had to pop a SSD in the 2nd HDD bay.

The refurbished part is it doesn't have a box/documentation. There wasn't any marks or scuffs on the thing. But it's heavy and I dont feel like lugging a 17 inch gaming laptop everywhere would be good for me.

Thoughts? Do I go for expensive "full pc" versatile tablet, or cheaper limited tablet, or a superslim laptop, or netbook? I've done a little research but overall I just see reviews. I'm trying to keep it under a grand overall.

Wants:
-Portability
-Cost effective
-Used for paper writing
-Maybe some 'light' gaming


Edited, Mar 8th 2014 2:16am by BeanX
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