Do I need a tablet?

[wallyuwl]

I just got a new job and am going to buy a new laptop. I'm intrigued by the "convertible" ones that can be used as a laptop or tablet. But it seems the biggest they go is 13.3" (I saw one Acer for 15.6"). I have a 14" laptop right now and can't imagine going any small for the laptop use, in fact I'd like a 15.6 with the numeric keypad.

My question: for those that have tablets, do you make good use of them? Or are they just a nice toy that it mainly used for pictures and such?

Since I'm still a student technically, Dell currently has where if you buy a PC you get a $200 gift card to use in their dell.com store. I could maybe buy the laptop I want and also get a smaller (11" or so) tablet with that gift card. I wanted to stick with Sony, Asus, or Samsung, though.

Any thoughts?

 

[randomhero439]

If your into technology and have time to learn how to use it fast... go for it.

My girlfriend just got a Surface Pro, and she loves it. But she does complain that she cant figure out how to do things, however she isnt a techy. I got TOP OF THE LINE (4-core i5, NVIDIA, LED, Blu-Ray) Samsung laptop in 2010, and her Tablet has better specs than my Laptop

Personally, i like a laptop, especially if your typing alot.

 

[spasm3]

Since you are a student, do you do a lot of typing? I would think that a conventional mechanical keyboard would allow you to type faster with less error than a touchscreen. If you don't have long papers to type then it may not matter.

 

[VicVinegar]

Well I'm on my Macbook Pro right now while my iPad collects dust on my nightstand.

A VP at might company uses some sort of tablet, but he breaks out a keyboard to use with it during meetings. Kind of defeats the purpose of the tablet if you ask me.

 

[icruse]

I had a Gateway from 07 till 2012 when someone offered me brand new Acer Iconia tablet (only has a 10" screen).

Really did not think I would like it or use it much, but after a few days with it I gave away my notebook. I thought for sure that I would never want a small screen, but the 10" tablet/notebook has an HD screen and it is soooo much easier to see than the 15" notebook I had.

The Acer came with a 32gb drive, but I quickly ordered and installed a 128gb which works just fine for me. (I installed Windows 8 on it also)
I really like it so much now, by downsizing it is much easier to take on trips and carry around and use it. I use it for productivity mostly (typing documents, many different programs on for studying, photo editing, caliber program for E-books which I use mainly to convert or add as they are to my Kindle HD).

But since I just bought a Kindle HD (7") last January, I find that I use that much more now, as I can read and edit documents on the kindle also. It aslo has a very sharp and easy to read screen.

Needs, wants and desires are different as well as likes and dislikes, so you will have to go out and handle and see what works for you.

God Speed on the new job and your search for a notebook or tablet (or the hybrid).

Steven

 

[Donald]

I think a tablet has its uses (reading books, surfing, movies, quick email) but for serious document editing you need a key board. For me, a laptop is a must.

I have gotten my daughter a Kindle but do not have one. She reads a lot of books and does email on it.

I am attending a conf. next week and they are giving out a Kindle pre loaded with all the conf. presentations. Yours to keep.

But my employer uses a VPN to access their systems and I do not believe that will work on a Kindle.

So for me, 3270 terminals in the late 1970s to a PC that was basically a 3270 emulator, to real PCs to laptops to a tablet. All in a quick 30+ years.

 

[rjundi]

Tablets are wonderful toys for consuming internet,movies web browsing and answering email etc. They are an incredible thing to have if you like to travel light which I did as a student.

However you cannot get serious work done on them in a quick effective manner. Unless there are specific apps your school uses that don't work on PC/mac.

Mac Book air is a far superior choice if you like the form of an iPad.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Tablets can be awesome if utilized fully. My wife uses one in her home health based OT practice. Constant real time link to the main office and unlimited options to streamline your day!

VERY serious work, and an excellent device for it...

 

[TechnoLoGs]

Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
Well I'm on my Macbook Pro right now while my iPad collects dust on my nightstand.

A VP at might company uses some sort of tablet, but he breaks out a keyboard to use with it during meetings. Kind of defeats the purpose of the tablet if you ask me.


Same here.

Everyone I know with a tablet ends up shelving it. Since nobody is buying....

 

[DBMaster]

I actually read this week that people are eschewing laptops right now in favor of tablets because Windows 8 did not meet expectations. Supposedly, now is the time to get a deal on a laptop. I have a Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 tablet and I like it primarily as an internet appliance. I know it does a lot more, but for those things I use my home-built desktop. With and AMD A8 CPU it is much faster than the tablet and I, for some odd reason, still like desktops. I also have a company laptop, but that stays in the bag almost 100% of the time when I'm at home and spends 99% of its time at the office in a docking station (so, it's basically a desktop).

 

[dishdude]

I never bought one because I couldn't see the need. I have a smartphone, and all the tablet breaks down to is a bigger version of my phone.

When I bought the Cadillac, it came with an iPad. I have used it a few times, but my suspicions were correct - I really don't have a need for it. For travel, I prefer my Chromebook.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: icruse

The Acer came with a 32gb drive, but I quickly ordered and installed a 128gb which works just fine for me. (I installed Windows 8 on it also)


Can all tablets expand the memory? Is it easy? Cheap? Is it just a SD card?

The new 4th gen Intel core processors just came out. Right now Dell doesn't have any of those available for their student pricing, but in a month they should. At that time I'm going to buy a laptop, and get the Latitude tablet. Seems like a really nice tablet (comes loaded with Win 8 and Office 2013), and my wife would use the tablet as well. They have $200 off the tablet if you buy it with a PC $699 and up, but you need to buy it at the same time you buy the laptop (this $200 off promotion ends in the beginning of August). Then I'd also get the $200 gift card a week or two later to use on accessories for the tablet (this promotion ends the beginning of September). And probably apply for their card and get 6 months financing. I'll get a desktop in my office as part of the new job.

 

[spackard]

Seems to me the iPad does tablets better than Android does. I use mine almost every day; I started with a ChiPad to find out if it would be useful at all (look at EvoIC's threads on slickdeals.net for those), fell into a HP Touchpad through a closeout fiasco, moved to a Kindle Fire, which I thought I was fine with, but then got an iPad 3 free through a promotion.

A site like this is best through a laptop or desktop (a lot of text, designed when those were the only choices). I've had to sit in a jury waiting room all day, and the iPad with a bluetooth keyboard worked great to keep in touch with work, and batteries lasted the whole day. I'd think about tethering it with a cellphone; I do, for $30/month 5GB.

Some site like Twitter is much better on a tablet. I read the WSJ daily, The Economist, and load books and occasionally use iTunes U to watch classes. These things work better on the iPad than on Android devices.

That said, when I'm reading newspapers or books and poke my head around to see what others on the train are doing, most are playing games and a few are listening to rap on their smartphones. After the novelty wears off, what is it you are going to use it the most for? I'm pretty sure you don't need an iPad for playing Angry Birds.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have a kindle fire and a 14'' laptop.

14'' laptop is ideal, IMO. It's big enough to see the screen, but small enough to be portable. I also have a keyboard, mouse and 24'' monitor to hook it to when I want to play desktop duty.

Tablets are pretty functional. They can do all of the internet browsing I need and the games available are fun. They are EXCELLENT for travel.

I wish I had my Kindle when I went to vegas.

Since I got the tablet, the netbook sits unused.

 

[SLCraig]

I just see them as toys.. Unless they're almost free, I don't see myself owning one any time soon.

I like the tactile feel of a keyboard as well. One thing that was tough to give up when I got rid of my Blackberry.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I just see them as toys.. Unless they're almost free, I don't see myself owning one any time soon.

I like the tactile feel of a keyboard as well. One thing that was tough to give up when I got rid of my Blackberry.


My Ipad 2 collects dust now. Too limited and frustrating to get a lot done.

 

[Mystic]

I think tablet computers are kind of toys for adults but I might consider one depending on how silly Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe get. Adobe is going to a subscription only setup for some Adobe products such as Photoshop and a large number of photographers are very unhappy about it. Microsoft of course stopped making desktop operating systems beginning with Windows 8. And there is no telling what Apple might do in the future. If all three of them get silly enough I will just unplug my Windows computer and my iMac from the internet and keep using the software on them well into the future. And I could get a tablet computer for the internet and email.

I used to buy an upgrade for Photoshop about every two years or so (sometimes skipping one upgrade) and the upgrades were not too bad in price. I was a loyal Adobe customer since before even 1998, when I bought my first copy of Photoshop, because I used some Adobe software even before 1998. With this subscription only stuff for some Adobe products it would probably cost about $20.00 a month just for Photoshop, and you do not own the software. In comparison I used to pay about $200.00 for an upgrade every two years and I skipped some upgrades. I only ungraded if the upgrade seemed worthwhile.

So a lot of photographers are switching to alternative software. I am going to Apple Aperture. It is Apple software and has nothing to do with Adobe Software. But you can't tell what Apple is going to do either. They can drop support for software at the drop of a hat. I am pretty much done now with Adobe. I will use the software I already own and unplug my computers from the internet if need be.

So a tablet computer could be a possibility for me depending on what happens. Because it looks like Windows 7 is the last Windows operating system I ever buy unless I buy a tablet computer and I am probably done with Adobe software now.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
So a lot of photographers are switching to alternative software. I am going to Apple Aperture. It is Apple software and has nothing to do with Adobe Software. But you can't tell what Apple is going to do either. They can drop support for software at the drop of a hat. I am pretty much done now with Adobe. I will use the software I already own and unplug my computers from the internet if need be.


Adobe doesn't *force* you to upgrade, do they?! If you like using older versions of software, Mystic, just don't upgrade - You don't need to do anything radical like unplug your computer from the internet. You can disable Adobe's updating software, too, can't you? You get into bed with closed-source, proprietary software, though, and you are at their mercy! Good luck with Aperture - I know it doesn't have nearly the editing capabilities of Photoshop, but it seems to have equal or better colour correction and other photographer-oriented tools; and better organization.

 

[Mystic]

If you work with just jpeg images you could probably use a version of Photoshop forever. But apparently the Adobe Camera Raw software will only be supported on older versions of Photoshop for a short while. Perhaps only a couple of years or so. So if a photographer was working with Camera RAW files and they had a new camera they would not have support for their new camera with the older version of Photoshop.

I have no use for the vast majority of open source software. I tried GIMP and that was a waste of time. About the only open source software that has impressed me was VLC and OpenOffice. But OpenOffice has gone downhill.

Using curves in Photoshop it is possible to use an older version of Photoshop indefinitely if a person is working on jpeg images.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
If you work with just jpeg images you could probably use a version of Photoshop forever. But apparently the Adobe Camera Raw software will only be supported on older versions of Photoshop for a short while.


Point taken. I had forgotten a) how quickly the RAW landscape changes and b) how software makers correlate RAW support with specific versions of their applications.

Originally Posted By: Mystic
I have no use for the vast majority of open source software.


It sounds like using closed-source software had rubbed you the wrong way, though.

Originally Posted By: Mystic
I tried GIMP and that was a waste of time.


This is true. I am not a fan of that software at all. But there is a very promising application called Darktable ( http://www.darktable.org ... RAW processing, organization, etc.) No file format issues, no support issues, no expensive upgrades.

Originally Posted By: Mystic
About the only open source software that has impressed me was VLC and OpenOffice. But OpenOffice has gone downhill.


Libreoffice is a fork of Openoffice that has, in very short order, usurped and surpassed OpenOffice in quality, features and widespread distribution and adoption. Forget OpenOffice exists and take a look at Libreoffice, which has all of the development and support behind it. https://www.libreoffice.org