Tablets - advice, please!

[Sherri Tierney]

I kinda mentioned to my DH that I want a tablet. Now he is bugging me about WHICH tablet I want. I am trying to do a little research so that we don't end up with something that we don't like but I am so lost.

First of all, what kinds of things do you use your tablet for? I always think about how it would be awesome to keep my calendar on a tablet, browse the internet, and let the kids watch movies. I can do two of those three on my phone. It isn't the most convenient way, but it works. Every now and then I see something and think to myself 'that's why I want a tablet'. Of course right now I can't at all remember any of those reasons. LOL So, what do you use yours for? I'm trying to determine if it is really worth having one. I have a smart phone. We have an old 'beater' of a laptop (that I never use unless we are traveling), and we have 3 desktop PC in the house. The kids (well, both come Christmas, my daughter for now) have ipod touches. Is there anything a tablet can do that we can't do with something we already have (aside from the PC since portability is a big factor)

Secondly, does apple have everyone beat in the tablet department or are there android tablets that work as well? We've kind of looked at the Nexus 7 but would I be missing something crucial that the iPad mini offers?

Also, mini vs. full sized tablets... any comments? I think I'd like a smaller size since I'd really like to just carry it in my purse. Do the larger tablets do more?

See... I'm lost! LOL

[nikkiARNGwife]

You can't go wrong with an ipad IMO.

We have one and since DH has been home we've just about decided to get another just b/c he uses it all the time lol

[misfitinmn]

We have a Motorola Xoom that we got last Black Friday for super cheap. My hubby originally got it so he could have access to his files & routes (he owns a snow removal business) while he was in his truck in the winter...but I have hijacked it. I use it to play games, browse online, have instagram (haha, I don't have a smart phone so I feel like I am living in the dark ages). Our 4 year old also has some games on it, and a few apps to practice writing letters & numbers.

My husband had a blackberry at the time that he bought the tablet but now has a droid, and uses it almost exclusively. I think had he had his droid last year, we probably wouldn't have gotten a tablet. But we have had zero issues with the Xoom. I, however, have NO experience with any of the apple products so I can't speak to the differences.

[Lyd]

We are Apple people, so I would definitely suggest an iPad. DH has a full-size that belongs to his work. He loves it. I just got a Mini, and I LOOOOOVE it! The size is perfect, and it weighs next to nothing. I was debating whether to get the mini or save a little longer for the full-size iPad. But after trying the mini out in the store, there was no question. As far as function, the iPad Mini can do everything the full-size can do. The screen resolution isn't as good, the camera isn't as good, and it has a slower processor. But, for the ways that I'm using it, those things weren't very important to me, and I'm super happy with the choice I made.

[Sherri Tierney]

We are an android family for the most part, so I have to wonder if getting an android tablet would be more beneficial to us... as in, would it sync better with our phones and the apps we use on our phones. The ipod is the only apple device we have right now (well, we have several ipod shuffles and the ipod touch).

[kelley]

I have a Kindle fire. I got it last year from MIL for Christmas after she asked which one I wanted. I couldn't justify the larger price tag of an ipad. I just wanted to have something I could read on and play games, keep a calendar on the go. The downfall of it is there is no camera and it only works where there is an internet connection you can connect to, so not like an ipad if I understand that correctly. The new KF that just came out has a camera and video camera and also has the plan thing so you can have access anywhere. I'm not going to get it though because I don't need another fee to pay! It works great for my purposes.

[HeatherKS]

I have a Kindle Fire and we just got an iPad. I love them both and they basically do all of the same things but honestly, the iPad is almost too big for me since I'm so used to my Fire. It's heavier and more awkward to hold than the Fire. We won our iPad but if I were to buy one, I'd definitely go with a Mini over a full-sized one just because of that. My sister has an Android tablet (maybe the xoom?) that is several years old and she still loves it.

[KateD]

Yay! Tablets are a lot of fun and very convenient! My hubby and I have had iPad's for a year now and we've used the heck out of them. I use mine in the kitchen for recipes and I watch Netflix on it a lot. The speaker isn't the best, so we got an external speaker that DH and I share. I'm not terribly happy about that, but it is what it is. We use it for banking, budgeting, calendar (cozi), the MyFitnessPal app, Skype, Kindle, and surfing the net. DH has 3G on his and also uses his as a GPS.

We traded our old cell phones in a couple of weeks ago and got Samsung Galaxy SIII's. I've put a lot of the same apps on my phone that I have on the iPad and I find that I'm not using my iPad nearly as much anymore. I still use it for Netflix, Kindle, and internet browsing on the couch or in bed, and I still use it in the kitchen for my recipes, but I do just about everything else on my phone now. And I'm sure that we'll still use it for Skype, too. DH also reads and plays a lot of games on his. It's definitely still worth it to me to have the tablet.

I wouldn't worry too much about compatibility between the android phones and an iPad. I really wanted an iPhone because I was concerned about it, but there have been android apps for everything I've wanted that I have on the iPad and they all sync in the cloud so there haven't been any compatibility issues so far. If I were you, I might consider getting an android tablet so that you don't have to learn another operating system, but Apple's IOS is easy enough to use that it shouldn't be a major factor in your decision.

[BrattyMeg]

We have an iPad and i'm asking for the iPad mini for Christmas so I'd go with one of those :)

[DogwoodMama]

A friend of mine has a Nexus 7 and loves it!

[sprauncey1]

We are an android family as well...
Over the summer we had to make a decision which one since we cannot ship things with lithium batteries to APOs anymore.
My hubby did the research and he decided the Google Nexus 7 was the one for us. It is the smaller size (7 inches) and I like it. Its like having a small notebook, I can easily put it in my purse and it feels good for my hands. Ours does wifi but not phone/3G so you'd have to decide if you could live with that, I think the next step up had 3G as well. It has 16 gigs of space and it does fairly well on battery considering the way my boys play games on it (hey thought it was mine!).
I am going to "transfer" all of my favorite recipes onto it so I can have them easy when I'm cooking. I have my photography class pdfs and even my portfolio on it. For the price...really I don't think it can be beat.
And when apple came out with their mini...sales of the Nexus 7 skyrocketed...so I guess it beats that one for some.
I like it, I do use it (and my phone). It is nice for reading on (kindle ap, pdfs etc) or for watching things on as it is bigger than a phone. But it is small enough to be portable and not "in your face".
Anyway...we like it.

[jessica31876]

I have a Nook tablet. I love it. I use it to read/play games/go to websites. The only thing I wish it had was a camera. I have an Ipod touch as well which I probably use more then my Nook. I dont think you can go wrong with an Ipad or even a Kindle or Nook tablet. I just could not justify the extra cost of an Ipad over the Nook and I debated for a long time about whether I wanted a Kindle or a Nook.

[Milmomma]

We are an apple family mostly. We have 3 ipads (2 are first generation). We love them, use them for games, facetime, netflix, books(kindle and ibooks), itunes, music. We also use them on all our road trips. We got holders that go on the back of the seats so the kids can watch movies and stuff. Mine fits in my purse, but I'm known for carrying Mary Poppins bags. I use mine often around the house and out of the house. I use a desktop at home as far as computers but my ipad is my fun. And sometimes my third screen. :)

[Sherri Tierney]

Thanks for all of the advice. :)

Recipes...! That's one thing I was thinking I'd use a tablet for and then totally couldn't remember when my husband was asking me. I'd also like to use a calendar on it to sync with my phone too. I can also imagine using it for Netflix while the kids and hubby watch other stuff. We only have one TV that we can play Netflix on since we do it through the Wii. I often want to watch programs upstairs but can't so that would be nice. :)

I appreciate all the input. I'm going to keep researching. Right now the Nexus 7, 32gb is the front runner... price and memory size being two huge factors. I'm bummed it only has a front camera but I honestly can't see myself using a tablet to take pictures with anyway. I rarely take them with my phone.

[Jennilyn]

Since the girls both have iPod Touches and I have an iPhone, I got myself an iPad Mini for Christmas so we can keep the same apps. I'm not going to put all the apps I have on my phone on it though because then I'm wasting $60 a month for the iPhone for nothing. :) I mostly wanted the iPad so we can watch Netflix & read books on a bigger screen than my phone. Playing certain games on the bigger screen will be a plus as well. :)

[KateD]

I'm bummed it only has a front camera but I honestly can't see myself using a tablet to take pictures with anyway. I rarely take them with my phone.

I've used the rear camera on my iPad a few times, mostly when I want to show my parents something when we're on Skype. You could totally do that with a front camera, though, you'd just have to flip the tablet around. The other thing I've used the rear camera for is to take pictures of checks that I'm depositing into my bank account. Now I do that with my phone, though.

The rear camera wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me, either :)

[origami]

Sherri, if you do go with the iPad you can use Google calendar. You can even sync Google calendar to the iCloud calendar if you want.

Keep in mind that although you probably won't be taking photos with your tablet, you may want to use Skype or Facetime.

[ashersmommy]

I have a Kindle Fire. We don't have Android or Apple phones because of the high cost of plans and the fact that we don't use our cells much (only emergencies and calling for important things...we still have prepaid cells lol), but I wanted something we could watch movies on, surf the internet with, read on and play games on. I definitely use it a lot as well as my DH and kids (they like the games and Netflix pretty much exclusively). As for surfing the net, I find it too slow and it frequently has issues and either shuts down on me or won't work properly (keyboard won't show up, battery issues, etc.). I'm on my second and most likely my third shortly because of battery and charging issues both times although Amazon was good about fixing it (but I'm still under 1 year warranty). It's not the only problems I've had though. The memory is too small to hold much of anything (8GB...6 actually because of the operating system) and I even have to trade out my apps frequently by uninstalling them just to install a game or something because I'm out of memory. I have very little books on it (probably a dozen), about 40 songs and then my apps for Netflix and a bunch of games for the kids and it's eaten all the memory. I hate that you can't upload digital videos to it also since we have lots of digital copies on iTunes but it isn't compatible with Amazon's FIre and there would be no memory to store it anyway...you'd have to upload it to the Cloud and be in an area with WiFi.

We also live in a remote area and WiFi signals aren't that common, so I find that unless I'm at home, I can't use the internet which was one of my main purposes in purchasing. I have the old Fire that doesn't have a camera (I think those ones are 159.99 now, but I paid 200 for mine) and that's another big problem for me. I don't regret purchasing one (it was my Christmas gift from DH last year and we got a great deal on it), but I may end up buying a full tablet instead or something with a 3G plan and giving this one to my kids to play with (since they do anyway). I'd love an iPad or even a smart phone but I can't afford one. I really wouldn't recommend a Fire if you're looking for the things I am/was though. Especially with all the hardware problems I've had because once my warranty is up, they will no longer replace it even though the issues I've had were exclusively their fault and not due to mistreatment or anything.

[hollyxann]

I'm keeping an eye on this thread....J asked what I wanted for Christmas this year and my initial answer was "World Peace" but apparently that's too expensive so I'm thinking I'm going to ask for a tablet. I miss my laptop terribly since making the change to desktop only. Don't get me wrong...love the power of my desktop but I miss the portability of my laptop.

[Shawna]

I have an iPad and love it so much, it goes everywhere with me! I am constantly reading and loved my Kindle, but since getting my iPad I haven't used it even once and have found that I actually prefer reading on the iPad (love iBooks but I also use the Kindle app as well)! I also love being able to watch Netflix on it and then I also have a ton of photography related apps and stuff that I use. My husband thought I was nuts for spending the money on it when I already have an iPhone but I can definitely say it's worth every single penny! I think I'm definitely turning into an Apple girl, now if I could just convince him that I really need that iMac too lol!!

[Julie Billingsley]

My dad often gets us a nice family gift and I was thinking about asking for an iPad. I'm debating between the mini and the regular. I would only want wifi as I can use my phone as a hotspot if I really needed. Any advice on regular size vs mini?

I think I'd use it mostly to sit on the couch and just surf the internet and I like the idea of putting my recipes on it as a virtual cookbook. My son and husband would probably play games on it. I think bigger might be better for web use, any thoughts?

[Lyd]

My dad often gets us a nice family gift and I was thinking about asking for an iPad. I'm debating between the mini and the regular. I would only want wifi as I can use my phone as a hotspot if I really needed. Any advice on regular size vs mini?

I think I'd use it mostly to sit on the couch and just surf the internet and I like the idea of putting my recipes on it as a virtual cookbook. My son and husband would probably play games on it. I think bigger might be better for web use, any thoughts?

Julie - you should go to an Apple store and compare the Mini to the full-size. That's what I did, and I was sold on the Mini once I compared them side by side. I absolutely LOVE the Mini (I got the Wifi only version) - the weight and size of it are perfect, and I think it's great for viewing the web. I also used mine the other night while I was cooking, and I loved it!! But, everyone has different preferences, so you should just go and look at it. :D

[taracotta7]

I just got the ipad mini and WE LOVE IT! The size is perfect for throwing in a purse and taking with us. We are a huge apple family though and it made sense for us because we could put already purchased apps on it, and sync our phones if needed. We read on it, play games, watch movies, surf the web, ect. It seems to have everything that the large ones have. There newer full size ipads have retina display which is suppose to be higher qualify video streaming. That seems to be the only difference but I haven't been disappointed with our video.

If I wouldn't of got the mini our next choice was the kindle fire HD. For the price it seems to be a great purchase too.

I hope that helps. :) Good luck finding the one for you!

[Sherri Tierney]

I have a Kindle Fire. We don't have Android or Apple phones because of the high cost of plans and the fact that we don't use our cells much (only emergencies and calling for important things...we still have prepaid cells lol), but I wanted something we could watch movies on, surf the internet with, read on and play games on. I definitely use it a lot as well as my DH and kids (they like the games and Netflix pretty much exclusively). As for surfing the net, I find it too slow and it frequently has issues and either shuts down on me or won't work properly (keyboard won't show up, battery issues, etc.). I'm on my second and most likely my third shortly because of battery and charging issues both times although Amazon was good about fixing it (but I'm still under 1 year warranty). It's not the only problems I've had though. The memory is too small to hold much of anything (8GB...6 actually because of the operating system) and I even have to trade out my apps frequently by uninstalling them just to install a game or something because I'm out of memory. I have very little books on it (probably a dozen), about 40 songs and then my apps for Netflix and a bunch of games for the kids and it's eaten all the memory. I hate that you can't upload digital videos to it also since we have lots of digital copies on iTunes but it isn't compatible with Amazon's FIre and there would be no memory to store it anyway...you'd have to upload it to the Cloud and be in an area with WiFi.

We also live in a remote area and WiFi signals aren't that common, so I find that unless I'm at home, I can't use the internet which was one of my main purposes in purchasing. I have the old Fire that doesn't have a camera (I think those ones are 159.99 now, but I paid 200 for mine) and that's another big problem for me. I don't regret purchasing one (it was my Christmas gift from DH last year and we got a great deal on it), but I may end up buying a full tablet instead or something with a 3G plan and giving this one to my kids to play with (since they do anyway). I'd love an iPad or even a smart phone but I can't afford one. I really wouldn't recommend a Fire if you're looking for the things I am/was though. Especially with all the hardware problems I've had because once my warranty is up, they will no longer replace it even though the issues I've had were exclusively their fault and not due to mistreatment or anything.

Our phones are smart phones but we are on a pre-paid plan. We go through Virgin Mobile. We pay $25 a month for 300 talk minutes and unlimited text/data. We got our phones for $50 each on Black Friday last year. They are android based and we can use pretty much any android app (there are a very few we can't use). We definitely can't afford (or rather, refuse to pay for) an expensive data plan or phone with a contract. This is a great alternative though. I love having the smart phone and each month when we pay a little over $50 for both our phones I get pretty excited. We used to pay 3x that amount for just a 'regular' cell phone through our AT&T contract. :(

My dad often gets us a nice family gift and I was thinking about asking for an iPad. I'm debating between the mini and the regular. I would only want wifi as I can use my phone as a hotspot if I really needed. Any advice on regular size vs mini?

I think I'd use it mostly to sit on the couch and just surf the internet and I like the idea of putting my recipes on it as a virtual cookbook. My son and husband would probably play games on it. I think bigger might be better for web use, any thoughts?

I can use my phone as a hotspot too which is another thing I love about it! $25 a month and I also have a built in hotspot. I use it for DD's ipod quite often.

We're going out of town today. I think I'm going to compare some sizes but I pretty much know I want something smaller than a full sized tablet. I want it portable... roughly the size of my kindle, so that I can just pop it in my purse. Anything larger wouldn't work for me.

[Paula]

Of all the research I've done, when I get a tablet, it will be the iPad.

[k23m]

Sherri - did you end up getting a Nexus 7? I am researching tablets right now and was super excited about getting a Kindle Fire but then I realized that none of the content (apps, etc) is available in Canada!! UGH! I really love my current (plain jane) kindle so I was happy to stay with the brand.

So now I am thinking a Nexus 7 looks good! Just wondering if you got one and how you like it? Androids are hot right now and I am positive that my next phone (this summer) will be an android so I should be able to sync them together.

[Sherri Tierney]

I did get the Nexus 7. I love it! It syncs nicely with my phone when I need it to, but I find I don't sync as often as I imagined. I'm probably just not using the apps to their full capacity at this point. LOL

I think for the price and features that the Nexus 7 is an excellent buy. The only thing I wish it had that it doesn't is a rear camera. It only has the front camera. Now, I don't go around taking pictures with a tablet so it doesn't affect me too much, but every now and then I think it would be nice. I'm not impressed with pictures coming from iPads though so I am sure I wouldn't use a rear camera on any tablet very often.

[mummytothree]

We have a kindle fire and an iPad mini, the iPad mini has been used more in the 3 weeks that we have owned it then the kindle has been in the last 2 years!!! Our kindle is basically a little tv I use to stream Netflix while I'm on the treadmill!!!

[BrattyMeg]

Our kindle is basically a little tv I use to stream Netflix while I'm on the treadmill!!!

I do the same thing with the ipad mini lol love love mine!

[purple_colourz]

We have an ipad 2 and an ipad mini, the kids basically use the older ipad now and I have the mini. Personally I love the mini because of it's size, I can take it anywhere without worrying my purse will be too heavy to carry around (I have baby things inside too). I use mine for reading books and all my magazine subscription, calendar-planner, surf the net in bed and play games. My kids watch cartoons we got from itunes too.

I had a samsung galaxy tab before I got my first ipad and while I like it it made more sense to have the ipad since I have an iphone too.

Good luck with your purchase.

[k23m]

I did get the Nexus 7. I love it! It syncs nicely with my phone when I need it to, but I find I don't sync as often as I imagined. I'm probably just not using the apps to their full capacity at this point. LOL

I think for the price and features that the Nexus 7 is an excellent buy. The only thing I wish it had that it doesn't is a rear camera. It only has the front camera. Now, I don't go around taking pictures with a tablet so it doesn't affect me too much, but every now and then I think it would be nice. I'm not impressed with pictures coming from iPads though so I am sure I wouldn't use a rear camera on any tablet very often.

Thanks!